The captain listened to my defence with attention, and I thought seemed very much struck with it.  I afterwards learnt that Mr Handstone had received a reprimand for his harsh treatment of me; he observed, that I should one day turn out a shining character, or go to the devil.

It appeared pretty evident to me, that however I might have roused the pride and resentment of the senior members of the mess by my resistance to arbitrary power, that I had gained some powerful friends, among whom was the captain.  Many of the officers admired that dogged, “don’t care” spirit of resistance which I so perseveringly displayed, and were forced to admit that I had right on my side.  I soon perceived the change of mind by the frequency of invitations to the cabin and gun-room tables.  The youngsters were proud to receive me again openly as their associate; but the oldsters regarded me with a jealousy and suspicion like that of an unpopular government to a favourite radical leader.

I soon arranged with the boys of my own age a plan of resistance, or rather of self-defence, which proved of great importance in our future warfare.  One or two of them had nerve enough to follow it up:  the others made fair promises, but fell off in the hour of trial.  My code consisted of only two maxims:  the first was always to throw a bottle, decanter, candlestick, knife, or fork, at the head of any person who should strike one of us, if the assailant should appear too strong to encounter in fair fight.  The second was, never to allow ourselves to be unjustly defrauded of our rights; to have an equal share of what we paid equally for; and to gain by artifice that which was withheld by force.

I explained to them that by the first plan we should ensure civility, at least; for as tyrants are generally cowards, they would be afraid to provoke that anger which in some unlucky moment might be fatal to them, or maim them for life.  By the second, I promised to procure them an equal share in the good things of this life, the greater part of which the oldsters engrossed to themselves:  in this latter we were much more unanimous than the former, as it incurred less personal risk.  I was the projector of all the schemes for forage, and was generally successful.

At length we sailed to join the fleet off Cadiz, under the command of Lord Nelson.  I shall not pretend to describe the passage down Channel and across the Bay of Biscay.  I was sea-sick as a lady in a Dover packet, until inured to the motion of the ship by the merciless calls to my duties aloft, or to relieve the deck in my watch.