The moment she touched the water,
the tackles were cleverly unhooked, and the rest of us tumbled on board,
shin leather growing scarce, when we shoved off. With great difficulty,
and not without wet jackets, we, the supernumeraries, got on board, and the
boat returned to the Torch. The evening when we landed in the lobsterbox,
as Jack loves to designate a transport, was too far advanced for us to do
anything towards refitting that night; and the confusion, and uproar, and
numberless abominations of the crowded craft, were irksome to a greater
degree than I expected even, after having been accustomed to the strict and
orderly discipline of a man--of--war. The following forenoon the Torch was
ordered by signal to chase in the south--east quarter, and hauling out from
the fleet, she was soon out of sight.
"There goes my house and home," said I, and a feeling of desolateness came
over me, that I would have been ashamed at the time to have acknowledged.
We stood on, and worked hard all day in repairing the damage sustained
during the gale.
At length dinner was announced, and I was invited, as the officer in charge
of the seamen, to go down. The party in the cabin consisted of an old
gizzened Major with a brown wig, and a voice melodious as the sharpening of
a saw--I fancied sometimes that the vibration created by it set the very
glasses in the steward's pantry a--ringing three captains and six
subalterns, every man of whom, as the devil would have it, played on the
flute, and drew bad sketches, and kept journals.
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