tch. Captain Keppell, who was always the life and soul
of every thing, whether it was a fight or a pic nic, was unanimously
elected caterer, and in that capacity he was most brilliant. I must
digress a little to bestow upon that officer the meed of universal
opinion; for his kindness, mirth, and goodness of heart, have rendered
him a favourite wherever he has been known, not only a favourite with
the officers, but even more so, if possible, with the men. In the
expeditions in which Keppell has been commanding officer, where the men
were worn out with continued exertion at the oar, and with the many
obstacles to be overcome, Keppell's voice would be heard, and when
heard, the men were encouraged and renewed their endeavours. Keppell's
stock, when provisions were running short, and with small hopes of a
fresh supply, was freely shared among those about him, while our gallant
captain, with a boat half filled with his own hampers, would see, and
appeared pleased to see, those in his company longing for a mouthful
which never would be offered. If any of the youngsters belonging to
other ships were, from carelessness or ignorance, in trouble with the
commanding officers, it was to Keppell that they applied, and it was
Keppell who was the intercessor. In fact, every occasion in which
kindness, generosity, or consideration for others could be shown, such
an opportunity was never lost by Keppell, who, to sum up, was a beloved
friend, a delightful companion, and a respected commander. As soon as
our fire was lighted, we set to, under Keppell's directions, and, as may
be supposed, as we had little or nothing else, pork was our principal
dish. In fact, we had pig at the top, pig at the bottom, pig in the
centre, and pig at the sides. A Jew would have made but a sorry repast,
but we, emancipated Christians, made a most ravenous one, defying Moses
and all his Deuteronomy. We had plenty of wine and segars, and soon
found ourselves very comfortably seated on the sand, still warm from the
rays of the burning mid-day sun. Towards the end of a long repast we
felt a little chilly, and we therefore rose and indulged in the games of
leap-frog, fly-the-garter, and other venturous amusements. We certainly
had in our party one or two who were as well fitted to grace the senate
as to play at leap-frog, but I have always observed that the cleverest
men are the most like children when an opportunity is offered for
relaxation. I don't know what the n