his hand, trying to rouse her up. As
soon as I came in, he bade me run for the doctor, who lived not far off.
He came at once with a woman, a neighbour of ours, and while they were
attending to mother, the parson, sitting down, placed me between his
knees, and looking kindly in my face, said that he had some bad news to
tell me, which he had got in a letter from the West Indies. It was that
my brave father was dead, carried off by the yellow fever which has
killed so many fine fellows on that station. My mother was a strong and
hearty woman, and any one would have supposed that it would have taken a
great deal to kill her; but, notwithstanding her robust appearance, she
had gentle and tender feelings, and though for my sake she wished to
live, within a year she died of a broken heart for the loss of my father
and I was left an orphan."

CHAPTER FOUR.

Roger Riddle continues his story--Goes to sea as a man-o'-war's-man--
His voyages--The Mediterranean--Toulon--Chasing the enemy--Caught in a
trap--A hard fight for it--Escape of the frigate--Corsica--Martello
Bay--The tower and its gallant defenders--Its capture--Origin of its
name--San Fiorenzo--Convention redoubt--What British tars can do--
Capture of the "Minerve"--The taking of Bastia--Nelson loses an
eye--"Jackass" frigates--Toulon again--More fighting--The advantage of
being small--Prepare to repel boarders--The colours nailed to the
mast--The chase--Never despise your enemy--Teneriffe--Attack on Santa
Cruz--Nelson loses his arm--Abandonment of the enterprise--What people
call glory--The Hellespont--The captain steers his own ship--The
island of Cerigotto--Breakers ahead--The ship strikes--The value of
discipline--Their condition on the rock--The ship goes to pieces--
Their chances of escape--The gale--A brave captain--A false hope--The
effects of drinking sea-water--Water, water everywhere, and not a drop
to drink--Reduced to extremities--They lose their brave captain and
first lieutenant--They construct a raft--Cowardice of the Greek
fishermen--The rescue of the survivors--Fresh adventures--The
Dardanelles--Fire!--An awful spectacle--Destruction of the ship--
Reason to be thankful--A father's love--How they took a Spanish
sloop-o'-war--The ruse and how it succeeded--Between two fires--Good
and bad captains--Roger quits the navy--Becomes mate of a merchantman
and retires on his laurels--His marriage and settleme