English like an English girl, she would be very glad to receive her as a
daughter, and for my sake love her very much. The toughest job was to
tell my father. I was half afraid how he would take the matter. He did
not scold me, or say I had been acting foolishly, but merely smiled and
remarked that he had heard of midshipmen falling in love before, and
that he had no doubt that Miss Carlyon was a very charming young lady;
but that when I brought her over as my wife he should be able to
pronounce a more decided opinion on the matter. There was, however, a
touch of irony in his tone which I did not altogether like. However, he
used after that to listen very patiently when we were all talking about
her, and, I flattered myself, began to take an interest in my project.
The days flew by very rapidly. I was invited out everywhere, and became
quite a lion, not only because I had been in so many engagements and
storms and dangers of all sorts, and had had so many hair-breadth
escapes, but more especially because I had actually seen and conversed
with General Washington. The young ladies, however, looked upon me as a
very insensible sort of a person, especially for a naval officer, and
could not in any way make me out. Of course, neither Jane nor my mother
and father said a word about Miss Carlyon, and so we let them wonder on
till I believe that I completely lost my character among them. Six
weeks thus passed rapidly away. The time thus spent was interesting to
me, but no events occurred of sufficient importance to describe to my
readers. My regular employment was to search the public papers for news
from America, to see how affairs were going in that country; and though
most naval officers would have been anxious for a continuance of the
war, my great wish was to discover signs that there was a probability of
its being brought to a conclusion.

Since I had known Captain Cook I had always taken great interest in his
adventures, and just now the sad news arrived of his death on the island
of Hawaii, one of a group of newly-discovered islands in the Pacific
Ocean called the Sandwich Islands. Four of his marines were killed at
the same time. At first the natives treated him and his people as
divinities, but on some misunderstanding they furiously set upon Captain
Cook, and killed him with their clubs as he was retreating to his boat.
The Resolution and Discovery proceeded on their voyage under the command
of Captain Cl