ood aghast. His responses at church-service resounded like the growl
of a bear, and when reprimanding the assembled midshipmen, drawn up in
battalion, for some grave breach of discipline, he would stride up and
down the line with the tread of an elephant, and expound the Articles of
War in stentorian tones that equaled the roar of a bull! But if,
perchance, in the awesome precincts of his office, he afterwards got
hold of a piece of doggerel some witty midshipman had written
descriptive of such a scene, none would enjoy it more than he!

After an enjoyment of a three months' leave of absence at home.
Midshipman Perkins was ordered to join the sloop-of-war Cyane, Captain
Robb. That ship was one of the home squadron, and in November, 1856,
sailed for Aspinwall, to give protection to our citizens, mails, and
freight, in the transit across the Isthmus of Panama to California, back
and forth. At that period safe and rapid transit in that region of riots
and revolution was much more important than now,--the Pacific Railroad
existing only in the brains of a few sagacious men,--and the maintenance
of the thoroughfare across the pestilential isthmus was a national
necessity. For years our naval force on either side had had frequent
occasion to land expeditions to protect the life and property of our
citizens, and a frightful massacre of passengers had but lately occurred
at the hands of a mongrel mob at Panama. The situation was critical, and
for a time it looked as though the United States would be obliged to
seize and hold that part of Colombian territory. But time wore on
without outbreak on the part of the fiery freemen of that so-called
republic, the continued presence of ships, both at Panama and Aspinwall,
doubtless convincing them of the folly of further attempts to molest the
hated Yankees.

Meanwhile the notorious Walker had been making a filibustering raid in
Central America, which ended in failure, and the Cyane went over to
Greytown to bring the sick and wounded of his deluded followers to
Aspinwall for passage to New York. Some hundred and twenty officers and
men found in the hands of the Costa Ricans were taken on board, most of
them in a deplorable condition. Some died before weighing anchor for
Aspinwall, and as midshipmen have no definable duties except to obey
orders, whatever they may be, Midshipman Perkins was sent in a boat one
day to take a chaplain's part in the burial of one of the victims. "When
we got