ut
of my thoughts. All my hopes and wishes for the future were wrapped up
in her; and often and often I had to struggle hard against the wish of
quitting the service, and of seeking her out without delay. Of course I
very quickly saw the folly, not to say hopelessness, of such a
proceeding. I had nothing but my profession to depend on; and if I were
to desert that profession, how was I to support a wife and as to joining
the ranks of the enemy and fighting against my countrymen, that, even in
my maddest moods, never entered my imagination. However, I will not now
dwell further on the matter.

The first island we made was Antigua, where we arrived, without meeting
with any adventure worthy of note, on the 5th of February. We found
there HMS Aurora, with Vice-Admiral Young's flag on board. We sailed
again the next day with two transports under our convoy, and arrived at
Port Royal in Jamaica on the 15th. Here Sir Peter Parker superseded
Vice-Admiral Gayton as Commander-in-Chief. On the 18th we went
alongside the wharf at Kingston, and hove down to repair and clean the
ship's bottom. We had now many opportunities of seeing this, one of the
most beautiful and picturesque of the West India islands, as well as of
engaging in the gaieties of the place. With regard to the scenery,
others have often described it far better than I can pretend to do,
while the thought of Madeline kept me from entering into the somewhat
extravagant gaieties which were of daily occurrence. The repairs of the
ship took us till the 20th of March, when we hauled out into the
harbour.

A short time after this, two ships came into port direct from England,
the Ostrich and Active. Each of them had left a lieutenant behind them;
and Sir Peter appointed two of ours to fill up the vacancies, and in
their steads my friends Delisle and O'Brien obtained their commissions.
I was beginning to feel somewhat jealous of them, when the Chameleon
came in. Several of her officers had been disabled, having been blown
up in a prize she had taken, and were now gone to the hospital. Among
them was Lieutenant David Mackey, in whose room the admiral gave me an
acting order.

I was sorry to part with my old shipmates, still it was with great
satisfaction that I found myself raised to the rank I had longed to
obtain, as I had no doubt that I should soon be confirmed in it. My
duty in the ship was, however, both disagreeable and severe. In those
days, when t