served on board a man-of-war. Accordingly he and I talked
the matter over before we left the schooner, and agreed that it would
never do to trust ourselves on shore. We saw ahead of us a ship under
Hamburguese colours, taking in a cargo of wine for Hamburg, which was a
free port. When, therefore, we left the schooner, we pulled alongside,
and asked if she wanted hands. The captain said yes; he would ship us
at once. He spoke very good English, and the mate we had reason to
suspect was an Englishman, as were several of the crew. So much the
better, we thought. I at all events was very glad to get to sea. Four
or five days afterwards, just as we got into the English Channel, the
captain called us aft, and told us that, instead of going to Hamburg, he
expected to proceed to London; but that he had received directions to
put into the Island of Guernsey first to wait for orders. I was very
glad to hear this news, for I thought there was a chance of my seeing
old England again sooner than I had expected.

"Yes, that may be very true," observed La Motte. "But how will you see
it? The first night you put your foot on shore you will be pressed to a
certainty, and quickly find yourself on board a man-of-war, and a slave
as before."

"No, not a slave," said I indignantly. "I'd rather go and serve
willingly than be pressed, that's the truth; but no one has a right to
call British men-of-war's men slaves. They may be pretty hardly tasked
sometimes; but they get pay and prize-money and liberty, and if they did
but know how to take care of their money, and would but conduct
themselves like rational beings, the good men would have no reason to
complain." The truth was, that La Motte had got the notion entertained
by most merchant seamen, and encouraged by shipowners as well as masters
and mates, that men-of-war were all alike, little better than hells
afloat; that all naval officers were tyrants, and all men-of-war's men
miserable, spiritless slaves. Why, even in those times they were
generally better treated than merchant seamen, and now the lot of the
two cannot be compared. There's no class of men better cared for,
better fed, better clothed, and more justly treated, than the British
man-of-war's man. I don't want to cry down the merchant service, or
owners or officers of merchant ships, but this I will say, that the most
comfortable, happy merchantmen I have seen have been those commanded by
naval officers.

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