how soon he may
be led to do as they're doing."

Often he thought of honest Will Brinsmead and his wise sayings, and the
advice he had bestowed on him. Jack was every day becoming far more
thoughtful than he had been hitherto. He was living among a wild,
careless, rough set of men. Most of them were brave and honest; but
there were rogues and cowards among them. The greater number lived only
for the present moment, and were utterly thoughtless about the future.
Now, John Deane felt that he must either be drawn in to act as they were
acting, and to become like them, or he must keep himself as much as
possible aloof from them. This, however difficult it might be, he
determined to do.

In former days laws had been passed, not only to maintain a discipline
in the navy, but for regulating the moral conduct of the men. There
were regulations against profane swearing, or gambling, or fighting, or
quarrelling; and orders were issued for the performance of Divine
Service, not only on Sundays, but on weekdays, and on every occasion
before going into action with an enemy. Unhappily, however, by this
time this had become a dead-letter; and a general indulgence was allowed
to the seamen in all the vices which have been mentioned. The men were
also badly and tyrannically treated; and often their pay was kept back
from them. The provisions were frequently very bad, and the greater
number of men who were sent as surgeons on board the ships were grossly
ignorant of their professional duties. Still the love of adventure
existing in the breasts of English lads, the opportunities which seamen
enjoyed of obtaining prize-money, and the efforts of the press-gangs,
kept the Royal Navy tolerably supplied with men. A large number also
joined, whatever can be said to the contrary, from patriotic motives,
desirous of maintaining the honour of the British flag, protecting the
commerce of the country, and guarding their native shores from foreign
aggression. Such was the feeling which animated the breasts of
thousands when Jack Deane joined the navy. Such is the feeling which
has induced many thousands more on various occasions, when their country
needed their services to assist in manning her fleets.

It was a great relief to Jack Deane to find that he still maintained an
honourable name in his native town, and he at once wrote home in a
strain he had not before ventured to use, telling his father, to whom he
addressed his letter,