Twice Lost | Page 2

of
them were seafaring men; and one of them, with naval buttons on his
greatcoat, made himself known to my father as Peter Mudge, once a
little midshipman with him, but now an old master's mate on his way to
join the Heroine.
"You'll keep an eye on this youngster, then, for my sake, Mudge?" said
my father; "though I know you would without my asking you."

"That I will, Mr Rayner," answered Mr Mudge; "I'll do all I can for him,
though that may be but little."
"You've got one friend on board already, Godfrey," observed my father,
"through my interest. I hope you will soon have many more by your
own merits."
We reached Plymouth late in the day; and the next morning my father
took me on board to introduce me to the captain and officers. Captain
Bracewell received me very kindly; and when my father left--as he was
soon obliged to do--to return home, Peter Mudge took charge of me,
and led me down into the midshipmen's berth, where he introduced me
to my new messmates. I was at home in a few minutes, and made up
my mind that I should be very jolly. In this opinion I was confirmed by
the assurances of another midshipman of about my own age, or rather
younger, Tommy Peck by name, who had also come to sea for the first
time, and who naturally became my chief chum. He was a merry fellow,
delighting in fun and mischief; caring very little about the result of the
latter, provided he could amuse himself for the moment; and without a
particle of forethought. He was not altogether destitute of sense, but at
the time I speak of he greatly required a friend like Mudge to keep him
in the right way.
The sails were loosed, the men were going round the capstan to the
sound of the merry fife, when a messenger from the Admiralty arrived
in hot haste, directing the captain to carry out despatches to the
governor of Cape Coast Castle, instead of proceeding direct to the
Pacific, whither we were bound.
The wind being fair and fresh, in a few hours we were out of sight of
land. For the first time in my life, as I gazed round from the deck, I saw
only the circle of the horizon where sea and sky met. It produced in me
a sensation of pleasure not unmixed with awe, though I confess that the
feeling very soon wore off.
The next day at noon the midshipmen were ordered to bring up their
quadrants; and I received my first practical lesson in navigation. I was
anxious to gain a knowledge of my profession, and Peter Mudge did his

best to instruct me.
Day after day we sailed on, the fair wind lasting us till we got to the
latitude of the Cape de Verde Islands, and I began to fancy that the
stories I had heard of gales and hurricanes were fabulous, and that we
were to enjoy the same sort of weather during our cruise.
"Wait a bit, my lad, till we're rounding Cape Horn; you'll then chance
to pick up a notion of what a heavy sea is like, if you don't happen to
learn sooner," said Peter Mudge.
In spite of calms and light winds, however, we at length came off Cape
Coast Castle; consisting of an extensive range of buildings surrounded
by fortifications, appearing of snowy whiteness against the dark foliage
of the wooded height in the background. The captain went on shore to
deliver his despatches to the governor. We were expecting the pleasure
of a run on shore, when he returned on board, and ordering the anchor
to be hove up, we stood to the south-eastward under all sail.
It soon became known that the governor had received intelligence of
the appearance of a large craft off the coast, supposed to be a pirate, of
which he had directed the captain to go in search. A sharp look-out was
accordingly kept for her during the night. She was said to be heavily
armed; under Spanish colours; and that her plan of proceeding was to
capture any traders she could fall in with, take possession of their
cargoes, and exchange them on the coast for slaves, with which she
returned to Cuba. "A profitable style of business, whatever might be
said of its honesty. I only hope that we may catch her with English
property on board," said Mudge; "we shall soon put a stop to her
tricks."
The next evening a sail was sighted on the starboard bow, steering the
same course as we were; and we immediately stood for her, hoping that
she was the pirate. It was doubtful whether she had seen us; if