officer's
father, happening to be a somewhat influential man, made a stir about
the affair. The honourable captain was tried by court-martial and
severely reprimanded.

However, I will cut short these perhaps uninteresting details, merely
stating that for three years I suffered most shameful treatment. My last
interview with my amiable cousin is worth relating. The ship was paid
off, and the captain, on going to the hotel at Portsmouth, sent for me
and offered me a seat on his carriage to London. Full of disgust and
horror at the very sight of him, I replied that I would rather 'crawl
home on my hands and knees than go in his carriage,' and so ended our
acquaintance, for I never saw him again.

It may be asked how, like many others, I tided over all the ill-usage
and the many trials endured during three years. The fact is, I had
become during that period of ill-treatment so utterly hardened to it
that I seemed to feel quite indifferent and didn't care a rap. But
wasn't I glad to be free!

I had learnt many a lesson of use to me in after life, the most
important of all being to sympathise with other people's miseries, and
to make allowance for the faults and shortcomings of humanity.

On the other hand, experience is a severe taskmaster, and it taught me
to be somewhat insubordinate in my notions. I fear I must confess that
this spirit of insubordination has never left me.

On my arrival at home my relations failed to see in me an ill-used lad
(I was only sixteen), and seemed inclined to disbelieve my yarns; but
this did not alter the facts, nor can I ever forget what I went through
during that 'reign of terror,' as it might well be called.

People may wonder how was it in the days of Benbow and his successors no
complaints were made. To this I answer, first, that the men of those
days, knowing the utter hopelessness of complaining, preferred to 'grin
and bear;' secondly, that neither officers nor men were supposed to
possess such a thing as feeling, when they had once put their foot on
board a man-of-war. Then there were the almost interminable sea voyages
under sail, during which unspeakable tyrannies could be practised,
unheard of beyond the ship, and unpunished. It must be remembered that
there were no telegraphs, no newspaper correspondents, no questioning
public, so that the evil side of human nature (so often shown in the
very young in their cruelty to animals) had its swing, fearless of
retribution.

Le