It seemed there was no promotion for me.

I was then transferred to His Majesty's packet service, and assigned to the brig Storm, carrying six guns, and the mails between Plymouth and the North American provinces.

She was a beauty of a craft, that Storm was.

She used to carry a crowd of canvas, and jump the seas like a sea-bird.

I was four years first officer of that craft, was proud of what she could do, and the devil took advantage of my ambition, and created within me a longing to be in command of her, and make myself heroic by roaming unrestrained on the free sea.