t is the sea or nothing. And after all, I
think the mercantile navy is as good a profession as a lad can take to,
that is if he has no influence to back him on shore. I wrote a fortnight
ago to a friend in London. He is the owner of four or five vessels, and it
happened, a good many years ago now, that I recaptured one of them with a
valuable cargo that had been taken by a French privateer. I was sent home
in her, and when he came down to Plymouth, where I took her in, we became
great friends. We were about the same age, and the loss at that time would
have been a very serious one to him. I stayed with him once or twice when
I was in town. I have not seen him for some years now--one cannot afford to
run about on a lieutenant's half-pay--but I remembered him the other day
when I was thinking things over in every light, and wrote to him. I told
him how we were situated, and asked him if he would put you on board one
of his ships, and this morning I had an answer from him saying that he
would gladly do so. He said that he would take you as an apprentice
without fees, and that at any time, should anything better turn up, or you
see your way to getting into a firm with a larger fleet and better chance
of advancement, he would cancel your indentures. No kinder offer could be
made, and if you are willing I will write this evening to accept the
offer, and tell him that I will go up with you in the hoy directly I hear
from him that you are wanted."

"Thank you very much, father; I am awfully glad that it can be managed
without expense, though I should be quite willing to go before the mast
and work my way up."

"I know you would, Steve, but it is much better to start fair, for
ship-owners prefer to take a young mate who has regularly served as an
apprentice than a man who has only been trained before the mast; for
although the latter may have picked up enough to scrape through his
examination, he is rarely a good navigator, and works out his reckoning by
rule of thumb, which is all very well as long as the weather is fine and
he can get his observation at noon, but breaks down directly it comes to
having to depend upon a glimpse of the moon through the clouds, or the
chance of getting a star."

Lieutenant Embleton had been a dashing and gallant officer, but his career
in the service had been ruined by the fact that he had served under Lord
Cochrane, both in the _Pallas_, the _Imperieuse_, and the _Speedy_. The
latter was a lit