LIFE OF CAPTAIN CLAPPERTON. Vll

sea that was then running, but that it was not for him to question the orders of his superior

officer. On pushing off, he told his messmates to share equally among them any articles

belonging to him, and bade them good bye. The boat had scarcely put off from the ship when she swamped, and as no assistance could be rendered, all hands perished, with the

exception of two; one of whom was Clapperton, who, under such trying circumstances,

encouraged and assisted his only surviving companion till his own strength failed him. Among others, he had previously struggled hard to save a warrant officer ; but finding

himself nearly exhausted, he was obliged to desist, and he perished. They then dropped

off, one after the other, until the bowman and Clapperton were the only two remaining

out of the whole boat’s crew. The latter then made use of a common sea expression to

the bowman, “ Thank God, I am not the Jonah !” meaning that he was not, by his bad

conduct in life, the cause of the Almighty visiting them with his vengeance. The bow- man seconded him in the exclamation, and they kept cheering each other until the gale

so far abated, that another boat was got out and sent to their relief.

They then proceeded upon their voyage; and in March, 1810, Clapperton joined

his majesty’s ship Clorinde, where he received the greatest attention from Captain Briggs

during the time he was on board. In 1812, when lying in Bombay harbour, he was

joined by another messmate, the Hon. F. Mackenzie, youngest son of the late Lord

Seaforth, between whom a most sincere friendship was contracted. Not long after this,

Mr. Mackenzie was attacked with a severe illness, on which occasion Clapperton never

left him, but nursed him as he would his own brother, until he died; when he added a

lock of his hair to his locket, which contained that of his father and some friends. He

returned to England in the end of 1813, or beginning of 14; and he was then sent, with

some other intelligent midshipmen, to Portsmouth dock-yard, for the purpose of being

instructed in Angelo’s sword exercise, in which he afterwards excelled. When these

midshipmen were distributed to the different ships in the fleet as drill-masters, Clapperton

volunteered his services for the Canadian lakes, and was sent on board Sir Alexander

Cochrane’s flag ship, the Asia. This ship continued at Spithead till the end of January,

1814. During the passage to Bermudas, Clapperton’s services as a drill were performed

on the quarter-deck. On her arrival, he was sent to Halifax, and from thence to the

lakes, just then about to become the scene of warlike operations. During his passage out

and his stay at Bermuda, nothing could exceed his diligence in the discharge of his duty

with the officers and men. At his own and the other mess-tables, he was the soul and

life of the party : he could sing a good song, tell humorous tales, and his conversation

was extremely amusing. He bade adieu to all on board the Asia, and pursued his

voyage to Halifax ; from that to Upper Canada.

Soon after he arrived on the lakes, in 1815, he was placed in a situation that strongly

marked that benevolence which was so strong a feature in his character. In the winter

he was in command of a blockhouse on Lake Huron, with a party of men, for the purpose

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