ng
discussed, whereupon the old man withdrew his opposition, and, the
weather falling opportunely calm at the same moment, George took a hasty
farewell of his mother, hurried aboard, gave orders for the lowering and
manning of all boats, and on the afternoon of a certain balmy day of
mid-April, triumphantly towed his ship out to sea until, abreast of the
Mewstone, he fell in with a small southerly air to which he spread his
every sail and so passed out of sight to the westward, while Mrs Saint
Leger, having crossed to Mount Edgcumbe, stood on Rame Head, watching,
until the white sails vanished in the golden haze of evening.

CHAPTER FOUR.

HOW THE "NONSUCH" CAME TO TRINIDAD AND WAS CAREENED THERE.

In these strenuous days of severe competition and universal education,
when there are far more men anxious to obtain responsible positions than
there are responsible positions to be filled, a man often reaches middle
age before he is able to secure a command of the relative importance
conferred upon George Saint Leger when the latter was given the command
of the _Nonsuch_. But in those days competition was nothing like so
keen as it is to-day, especially among seafarers, where men of education
were comparatively rare. Such men were only needed to take command of
the ships which were being built to meet the requirements of England's
rapidly expanding trade with "foreign parts," and no sooner was a man
qualified to command than shipowners were glad enough to snap him up.
Also the sum of seafaring knowledge in those days was infinitely less
than it is now. The art of navigation was, comparatively speaking, in
its infancy, and it was therefore quite possible to produce a finished
seaman in the space of five years, or even less. Consequently there
were many Elizabethan captains who were little more than boys when they
obtained their first command, the immortal Drake, Saint Leger's
illustrious contemporary, being among them. Boys began life earlier
then than they do now, and consequently were often occupying positions
of great responsibility at an age when the public school-boy of the
present day is just beginning to think of abandoning his studies in
order to enter upon a career. Hence it is not surprising that, after
seven years of active sea life, George Saint Leger, young as he was, was
deemed by his old friend Radlett as fully qualified to command what in
those days was considered a very fine ship, and to head an e