or even a commander, to marry him.

We looked in on our way down to the harbour on our two French friends.
We found them in high spirits, for they had just received information
that they were to accompany the Count de Grasse, and other French
officers, who were about to return home, on board the _Sandwich_, Sir
Peter Parker's flag-ship, on their parole. As Sir Peter was on the
point of sailing in charge of a homeward-bound convoy, Sir George Rodney
remained as commander-in-chief at Jamaica. A short time after, Admiral
Pigot arrived out from England to supersede him, and Sir George returned
home in the _Montague_.

At length, after lying idle for some time, Admiral Pigot, with his flag
on board the _Formidable_ made the signal for the whole fleet to put to
sea.

A report reached us just before this that we and the other ships were to
return to England, and highly delighted every one was at the thoughts of
going home. We were, however, kept cruising for some time, till we fell
in with the fleet of Admiral Graves off Havanna; thence we proceeded to
Bluefields, on the south coast of Jamaica, towards its western end.

Here Admiral Graves, whose flag was flying aboard the _families_,
received orders to convoy a hundred sail of merchantmen, together with
the French prizes, consisting of the _Ville de Paris_, no guns, the
_Glorieux_ and _Hector_; of 74 guns each, and the _Ardent_ and _Jason_,
of 64 guns each. The men-of-war accompanying them were the _Canada_,
our ship the _Cerberus_, of 74 guns each, and the _Pallas_, of 36 guns.

"It's to be hoped that we shall have fine weather," said Nettleship one
day at mess. "Even now we're obliged to keep the pumps going every
watch. It's a wonder the hull and rigging hold together; while we're
terribly short-handed, and, as far as I can judge, the rest of the ships
are in no better condition, and the prizes are still more battered."

"What an old croaker you've become," cried Tom. "I thought you would
have been the last person to talk in that way."

Others, joining Tom, made the same sort of remarks.

"I'm not croaking. I only say that never fleet put to sea in a worse
condition; but I do hope we shall be blessed with fine weather, and not
meet with a heavy gale, or have to encounter an enemy of superior
force."

Those watching us from the shore could certainly not have supposed that
the fine-looking fleet sailing along the coast of Jamaica was unable to
cope with th