The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Middy in Command, by Harry Collingwood

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Title: A Middy in Command
A Tale of the Slave Squadron

Author: Harry Collingwood

Illustrator: Edward S. Hodgson

Release Date: April 13, 2007 [EBook #21064]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A MIDDY IN COMMAND ***

Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England

A Middy in Command
A Tale of the Slave Squadron

By Harry Collingwood
________________________________________________________________________
Another excellent book by this talented nautical author. As the title
implies, it is the tale of a young man who is a midshipman in the Royal
Navy's anti-slave-trade squadron.

There are the usual accidents and swimming events, but the young man
secures his promotion by his distinguished performance in the capture
of a slaver.

A well-written book by an author who from his actual trade understands
how sailing ships are designed and built, and whose works are by that
reason all the more worthy of reading.

It makes a very nice audiobook, of eleven and a half hours duration.
________________________________________________________________________
A MIDDY IN COMMAND
A TALE OF THE SLAVE SQUADRON

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD

CHAPTER ONE.

OUR FIRST PRIZE.

The first faint pallor of the coming dawn was insidiously extending
along the horizon ahead as H.M. gun-brig _Shark_--the latest addition to
the slave-squadron--slowly surged ahead over the almost oil-smooth sea,
under the influence of a languid air breathing out from the south-east.
She was heading in for the mouth of the Congo, which was about forty
miles distant, according to the master's reckoning.

The night had been somewhat squally, and the royals and topgallant-sails
were stowed; but the weather was now clearing, and as "three bells"
chimed out musically upon the clammy morning air, Mr Seaton, the first
lieutenant, who was the officer of the watch, having first scanned the
heavens attentively, gave orders to loose and set again the light upper
canvas.

By the time that the men aloft had cast off the gaskets that confined
the topgallant-sails to