with salt water, introduced from the forecastle
with a leathern pipe. Ablutions performed
under such difficulties led to many practical
jokes, and not a few battles. At eight o'clock,
a pint of cocoa was served out to each man;
which, with his biscuit, made his breakfast.
Immediately afterwards school was
commenced, books were distributed, and
exchanged; the surgeon examined the sick,
heard complaints, and awarded punishments.
These consisted of confinement below deck,
heavy chains, imprisonment in a kind of sentry
box on deck, resembling a Chinese cage, in
which the inmate can neither sit, lie down,
nor stand upright. We had only one case
of flogging. In the afternoon, we usually
had prayers read by the chaplain; sometimes
with a moral exordium, which was delivered
in an impressive and earnest manner. At
five o'clock we had a pint of tea. Neither our
tea nor our cocoa bore much resemblance to
the beverages which I had previously known
under those names; but they were warm and
comforting. At six o'clock the beds were
taken down and arranged; and at half-past
six we were mustered, and returned, one by
one to our prison, where we were locked in --
a sentinel, with loaded musket and fixed
bayonet, being placed at the door. Our
night was thus nearly twelve hours long. It
being too dark to read, and as it was impossible
to sleep much more than half the time,
I was compelled, for four or five hours every
night, to hear little else than narratives of
offences and criminal indulgences, of the
most revolting character. Obscene and
blasphemous songs were nightly composed and
sung; and schemes for future crimes were
proposed and discussed, with a coolness
which I shudder to call to mind. The only
check on them was the sentinel at the door,
who now and then thrust his bayonet between
the bars, when it was getting very late
or the men were unusually uproarious, and
called out " silence."

Our voyage occupied one hundred and
twenty-four days; and -- when it is considered
that one-half of that time was passed
in this loathsome place, in darkness, and with
such companions -- some idea may be formed
of what I suffered in this comparatively
small portion of my captivity. I have not
dwelt upon the miseries which, in addition
to those inflicted on all my companions, were
peculiarly my own; but I can sincerely say,
that not for a Dukedom would I pass such
another four months.

We had, however, now and then, a little
fun; one of the most prolific sources of which
was the exquisite power of mimicry possessed
by a diminutive sickly-looking youth. The
second overseer was an Irishman, who not
only spoke an unusually broad brogue, but
exhibited many ludicrous national characteristics.
These were caught with the truth of
a mirror (only adding a little interest) by our
humorous companion; and the object of his
ridicule never appeared in sight but an ill-
suppressed burst of laughter was heard at his
expense. The clever young rogue became an
object of even more fear than aversion to our
overseer; who would walk half round the
prison and back again, rather than encounter
his terrible foe.

In the course of the voyage, I took every
opportunity of informing myself, as far as
possible, of the history and character of my
companions, both from themselves and their
fellow convicts. No mixed society of free and
unconvicted persons could well present greater
variety, both morally and intellectually, than
these men. There was Dick Pearson, a man
of middle age who, though he called himself
a sailor, was quite a specimen of the
transported convict. He had lived, even from
boyhood, by highway robbery, burglary, and
other offences of a most daring character.
He had been convicted fifteen times, and had
already served one penalty of seven years
transportation. There was scarcely a known
crime in which this man was not adept, or a
prison within twenty miles of the metropolis
of which he had not been an occupant. To
obtain as full an insight as possible into the
criminal mind, to judge how far there was
any hope of reclaiming such men, and what
was most likely to lead to reform, I frequently
conversed with Dick and others of his class.
In exchange, he asked me a variety of
questions upon geography -- a kind of curiosity
which, as I have already stated, was regarded
with much suspicion by the authorities.
Indeed, among the convicts, he made no secret
that his object was to obtain such information
as might be useful to them, if they succeeded
in his favourite project of seizing the ship.
That he was capable of putting into execution
such a design, subsequent events at Norfolk
Island sufficiently proved. Upon one occasion,
Dick ventured to hint the great possibility of
a successful mutiny, as he knew that it would
be supported by several of the sailors, and
even by some of the military guard; which
latter statement was, I am afraid, true. I
pointed out to him the preparations which
had been made to resist such an attempt, the
small chance of victory, the increased suffering
which would be entailed upon all the
prisoners in case of failure, and that even
success could only be purchased by much
bloodshed on both sides. This, he said, he
considered would be fully justified to obtain
their liberty; the faintest hope of which, he
thought, well worth the peril of their lives.
The attempt to escape at Symon's Bay was
planned by him; and subsequently, on landing,
he was the ringleader of a more serious and
desperate conspiracy for effecting the escape
of a large body of the prisoners from Norfolk
Island.

How different a character was poor, meek,
good-hearted Stoven! He was about fifty
years old, and had been for many years a
respectable stockbroker. Being unfortunate in