limited amount of education, the
boatswain of the _Plantagenet_ endeavoured, on attaining his present
rank, to instruct himself; and having no one to advise him, he had
purchased some books at haphazard, the contents of which he respected
the more that they were totally beyond his comprehension. The work
mentioned was among them, and as he thought that he understood it best
it was his chief favourite. He was a short, spare man, with a red face
tanned by tropical suns, ferrety eyes, sharp as needles, and huge black
whiskers which stuck out like studding-sails on either side of his
countenance. Once upon a time it was reported a Russian admiral, on
visiting the ship to which he belonged, was much astonished when
Scrofton was pointed out to him as the boatswain. "What, so small a
fellow as that?" he exclaimed; "we always select our boatswains from men
six feet high and upwards, who can use their rattans with good effect."
Small as he was the boatswain of the _Plantagenet_ had a voice which
could be heard amid the loudest strife of the elements; and being a
thorough seaman he was respected by the crew in spite of his
philosophical notions, about which they cared nothing. He was extremely
loath to get the men punished if he could help it, and never swore at
them in the way they called swearing--not that they would have minded it
much if he had--though he occasionally seasoned his remarks with
expressions gleaned from his books, which had the more force that their
meaning was utterly incomprehensible. He entertained a friendly feeling
for the two young midshipmen, whom he took great pains to instruct in
their nautical duties; and under his tuition they soon gained a fair
knowledge of the arts of knotting, splicing, and other practical details
of their profession; nor did he entertain a suspicion that they held his
philosophical opinions otherwise than in profound respect. Jack and
Adair gave them lessons in navigation, so that they had advantages not
generally possessed by youngsters in those days who had not been to the
Naval College. Tom, having got the start, though only of a few days,
kept steadily ahead of his companion. He had had the advantage of
better training at school, as far as navigation was concerned. Dick
Needham, also, who had been rated as boatswain's-mate, was another of
their instructors; and as he was always in good humour, and took the
greatest possible pains to teach them all he knew, they gaine