had one
peculiar failing. His language, from long study, had been borrowed from
books, more than from men and when he entered upon his favourite science
of natural history, his enthusiasm made him more pedantic in his style
and pompous in his phraseology than ever. But who is perfect?

The purser, O'Keefe, was an elderly man, very careful of the pounds,
shillings, and pence. He was affected with an incurable deafness, which
he never thought proper to acknowledge, but catching at a word or two in
the sentence, would frame his answer accordingly, occasioning frequent
mirth to his mess-mates, whom he imagined were laughing with, and not at
him. For the present I shall pass over the rest of the officers, with
the exception of the boatswain, whose character was of a very peculiar
nature.

He was a man who had long been considered as one of the best boatswains
in the service, and had been applied for by Captain M---. He used his
cane with severity, but had always some jest at hand to soften down the
smart of the blow, and was very active in his own person, setting an
example to the men. It had, however, happened, that about a year before
he joined, Mr Hardsett had been induced by his wife to go with her to a
conventicle, which the rising sect of methodists had established at the
port where she resided; and whether it was that his former life smote
his conscience, or that the preacher was unusually powerful, he soon
became one of the most zealous of his converts. He read nothing but his
Bible, which employed all his leisure hours, and he was continually
quoting it in his conversation. But he was not exactly a methodist,
taking the cognomen in the worst or the best interpretation: he was an
enthusiast and a fanatic--notwithstanding which, he contrived that his
duty towards his Maker should not interfere with that of boatswain of
the ship. Captain M--- regretted the man's bigotry: but as he never
tried to make any converts, and did his duty in his situation, the
captain did not attempt to interfere with his religious opinions, the
more so, as he was convinced that Hardsett was sincere.

The _Aspasia_ was but a short time in harbour, for the captain was
anxious to add to the laurels which he had already won: and having
reported the ship ready for sea, received an order to proceed to the
West India station. The frigate was unmoored, the blue-peter hoisted,
and the fore-topsail loosened as the signal for departure: and