ain. Between you, you showed a great deal of resource, and, as far as
I can see, the credit of the matter may be divided between you. Your
getting your fellow-midshipman out of the hands of the Malays was well
managed. You took every precaution possible to throw them off the scent.
You acted very wisely in deciding to make for that wreck when you
discovered its position; and you showed good powers of resource in your
arrangements there, especially in the matter of getting fire. I hear from
your father that you are well up in navigation, and altogether I
congratulate myself on having a young officer with me whom I can trust. It
was, of course, a mere matter of chance I appointed you--simply in order to
oblige your father, who is a gallant officer, and who has suffered in his
profession owing to having served under me. Among the many applications
made to me were some for young officers who possessed very high
testimonials of conduct and good service, and I may say frankly that I was
more than a little tempted to regret that I had selected one of whose
conduct I knew nothing, although I felt sure that your father's son would
assuredly have no lack of courage and ability. However, I am now well
content that I made the choice I did, indeed I feel sure that I could not
have made a better one."

It was a long voyage, for the _Rose_ met with such bad weather off the
Cape that she was at first unable to weather it, and it was ten weeks from
the date of her sailing before she entered the harbour of Valparaiso. The
voyage had been of advantage to Stephen. In the rough weather off the
coast he had volunteered for duty, and had shown activity and courage,
going aloft to reef or furl sails in the worst weather. He had, too, by
his readiness at all times to take the children off Lady Cochrane's hands,
to play with them, and to tell them stories, gained the warm approbation
of their parents, and, before they arrived at Valparaiso, the admiral
treated him with a kindness and cordiality such as he might have shown to
a young nephew acting as his flag-midshipman. Lord Cochrane was received
at Valparaiso, and at Santiago, the capital, with enthusiasm--dinners,
fetes, and balls were given in his honour; and although he cared but
little for such things, it could not but be gratifying to him, after the
cruel treatment he had met with from those for whom he had performed such
brilliant services, to find that elsewhere his reputation stood at the