been done yet, and, to my mind, never will," answered
Fleming, sturdily; "though I have heard of a man who made his son put on
a pair of wings which he had fabricated, and shoved him off the top of a
high wall, and when the lad, as was to be expected, reached the ground,
he broke his leg."

This was a story told of Pincott, who, however, on all occasions stoutly
denied that he was the culprit. Another story against Pincott was, that
when first iron vessels were introduced, he declared that it was
impossible they could swim. "No, no," it was said he said, "birds can
fly, so I don't see why men shouldn't; but iron always has sunk, and, to
my mind, it always will sink." Fleming, who told the story, used to
wind up with the remark, "But then you see, mate, there's no rule
without an exception." As these disputes never led to any disagreeable
consequences, they served to beguile away many a weary hour at sea. But
I have said enough to describe the character of our inferior officers.
They were both thoroughly good seamen and steady men.

We had hitherto had little else than sunshine and light winds, so that
my introduction to a sea life was most favourable. Gloriously rose the
sun over the blue sparkling waters, when, on coming on deck, I found the
ship steering south-west, and standing in for the Bay of Funchal in the
lofty island of Madeira. On one side of us were the Desertas--rocks
which Gerard told me gravely were so-called because they had once
belonged to the mainland, and were now making the best of their way off
to Africa; but the doctor differed with him, and observed that they
obtained their name from being desert or barren rocks, especially
compared with the fertile island near which they are placed. Lovely as
is the interior of our dear old country, few parts of its shores are
attractive; and as this was the first land we had made after leaving
home, it seemed doubly beautiful. It appeared, as it rose before us,
like one vast mountain extending from east to west, with a bay in the
centre, and covered in the richest profusion with beautiful trees of
many different sorts, among which, I afterwards found, are the cedar,
chestnut, orange, lemon, fig, citron, the vine, the olive, the mulberry,
banana, and pomegranate, while generous nature sprinkles with no lavish
hand the myrtle, the geranium, the rose, and the violet in every open
space. The geranium especially grows in vast quantities; its scent is
most