O- to be chief mate, and chief mate he
should be." So he carried the day, signed as chief and acts as
second. Shakespeare and Byron are his favourite books. I walked
into Byron a little, but can well understand his stirring up a
rough, young sailor's romance. I lent him WESTWARD HO from the
cabin; but to my astonishment he did not care much for it; he said
it smelt of the shilling railway library; perhaps I had praised it
too highly. Scott is his standard for novels. I am very happy to
find good taste by no means confined to gentlemen, H- having no
pretensions to that title. He is a man after my own heart.
'Then I came down to the cabin and heard young A-'s schemes for the
future. His highest picture is a commission in the Prince of
Vizianagram's irregular horse. His eldest brother is tutor to his
Highness's children, and grand vizier, and magistrate, and on his
Highness's household staff, and seems to be one of those Scotch
adventurers one meets with and hears of in queer berths - raising
cavalry, building palaces, and using some petty Eastern king's long
purse with their long Scotch heads.
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