Page:The Naval Officer (1829), vol. 2.djvu/49

 take Mr. Clewline's part." The captain, indeed, from a general sense of propriety, gave his support to the ward-room officers, knowing that, nine times in ten, midshipmen were in the wrong.

Things worked as I wished; the midshipmen persisted in behaving ill—remonstrated, and declared that the first lieutenant did not tell the truth, For a time, many of them lost the favour 'of the captain, but I encouraged them to bear that as well as the increased rancour of '* Old Nosey." One day two midshipmen, by previous agreement, began to fight on the lee gangway. In those days, that was crime enough almost to have hanged them; they were sent to the masthead for three hours, and when they came down applied to me for advice. " Go," said I,"and complain. If the first lieutenant says you were fighting, tell the captain you were only shewing how the first lieutenant pummelled the men last night when they were hoisting the topsails, and the way he cut the marine's head, when he knocked him down the hatchway." All this was