Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER H. At Spithead—Admiral's Inspection—Sail to Plymouth—Departure from England—My first Look-out—How to see—Phosphorescent Waves—Making Sail—Our two Gun-boats—The Plover's Hawser breaks—A Growl—Calms and Breezes—A Day's Routine—Work and Watches—Land ho! The Peak of Teneriffe—Anchor off Santa Cruz—A Run on Shore—Mules, Fishwomen, and Shopkeepers—To Sea again—A Taste of Black List—Strike me lucky—Guy Fawkcs —Equatorial Weather—Coming down anyhow—A Bit of Fun— Buckets and Hoses—A Drencher for Captain and Chaplain—Cross the Line — Shaving and Bathing — Besiegers and besieged—An Officer's Honour, and a Pig's Feathers—Make him speak, Bulldogs —Shipmates and Messmates—A rough Lick and Black-List. On the 2nd of October, 1856, we steamed out of harbour to Spithead, where we bent sails, got powder aboard, and prepared for admiral's inspection. Sir George Seymour, Port-Admiral, came next day, mustered and inspected us. No sooner was the business ended, and he over the side, than it was " up anchor," " loose sails;" and before half an hour had elapsedthe Highflyer was under all plain sail, and heading away for Plymouth Sound, where we had to pick up a couple of gun-boats—the Opossum and Plover—for convoy to China. We 'beat' all the way in the teeth of a westerly gale, with plenty of rain and cross lumpy sea, and entered the Sound on the 4th, during the afternoon, and anchored inside the breakwater. We could see nothing of importance, as the two days we lay there were miserably wet and boisterous, and some of the men, natives of the place, said, " 'Twas regular west-country weather, for Plymouth was the last place God A'mighty ever made." Our two little charges had been waiting for us some time, having fitted out at the port, so they were not sorry when, having filled up with all...