on a plough, for I
began to be sentimental and plaintive. Whilst meditating one morning in
bed, I started up with a determination to have an interview with Sir J.
Colpoys, who was one of the Lords of the Admiralty, and ask him in person
for employment, for I began to be apprehensive if I remained longer on
shore I should think a ship was something to eat, and the bobstay the
top-sail haulyards. Three weeks after my application I was appointed to
the _Minotaur_ of seventy-four guns lying at Blackstakes, and I found it
black enough, for she not having her masts stepped, we were all
obliged--that is the officers--to live at the "Tap" at Shurnasty, commonly
called Sheerness, where we spent thirteen out of six shillings a day, and
until the ship was ready to receive us, which was nearly a fortnight, we
drank elevation to the noble Secretary of the Admiralty, for, owing to his
ignorance, we had been obliged to spend seven shillings daily more than
our pay.

Two days after the ship was commissioned, and I had been carrying on the
war, for I was the senior lieutenant, the gallant captain made his
appearance. After touching his hat in return to my grand salaam, he said,
"Hulloa, how is this? I expected to find the ship masted. I will thank you
to desire the boatswain to turn the hands up to hear my commission read,
and quartermaster," addressing a dockyard matey, "go down and tell all the
officers I am on board."

"That is not a quartermaster," said I to him, "he is one of the dockyard
men." "Then where are the quartermasters?" "We have none," replied I, "nor
have we a seaman on board except some one-legged and one-armed old
Greenwich pensioners that were sent on board yesterday." At this
satisfactory intelligence he turned his eyes up like a crow in a
thunderstorm, and muttered, I fear, something in the shape of a prayer for
the whole Board of Admiralty. Whilst we were looking at each other not
knowing what to say next, a man came up the hatchway to report that one of
the Greenwich men had broken his leg. "Where is the surgeon?" said the
captain. "He has not yet joined," replied I. "We must send him to the
dockyard for surgical aid. Man the boat, and you, Mr. Brown, take him on
shore," said I. Mr. Brown made one of his best bows, and acquainted me
that it was the carpenter who was wanted and not the surgeon, as the man
had snapped his wooden leg in one of the holes of the grating, and the
carpenter's mate was fishing it. After