myself, and to wish that my
mother and sisters could see me, Edkins appeared to take me and my traps
on board. The frigate had gone out to Spithead, where one of England's
proud fleets was collected. The gig was waiting at the point. I
stepped into her with as much dignity as I could command and we pulled
out of the harbour. When we got into the tide-way the boat began to bob
about a good deal. I felt very queer. "Edkins, is this what you call a
storm?" I asked, wishing the boat would be quiet again.

"Yes, in a wash-tub, Mister Merry. As like a storm as a tom-tit is to
an albatross," he answered.

My astonishment at finding myself among the line-of-battle ships at
Spithead was very great. What huge floating castles they appeared--what
crowds of human beings there were on board, swarming in every direction,
like ants round their nest. In a few moments a wonderful expansion of
my ideas took place. Even our tight little frigate, as I had heard her
called, looked an enormous monster when we pulled alongside, and the
shrill whistle and stentorian voice of the boatswain sounded in my ears
as if the creature was warning us to keep off, and I thought, if it
began to move, that we should, to a certainty, be crushed. However, I
managed to climb up the side, and as I saw Edkins touch his hat to a
tall thin gentleman in uniform, with a spy-glass under his arm, and say,
"Come aboard, sir;" I touched mine, and said, "Come aboard, sir."

"All right," said Edkins, as he passed me. "This is the
first-lieutenant."

He did not take much notice of me; but soon afterwards Mr Bryan
appeared and shook hands with me, and told him that I was a new
midshipman, a friend of the captain's, and was very kind; and after a
little time he called another midshipman, and desired him to take me
down to the berth and to introduce me to our messmates. My conductor
was a gaunt, red-haired lad, who had shoved his legs and arms too far
into his trousers and jacket. He did not seem well-pleased with the
duty imposed on him. I followed him down one flight of steps, when I
saw huge cannon on either side, and then down another into almost total
darkness; and though he seemed to find his way very well, I had no
little difficulty in seeing where he was going. He stopped once and
said, "What's your name, youngster?" I told him, and turning to the
right he caught me by the collar and shoved me through a door among a
number of young men and boys