Human nature is curious; for I was so glad that the men were worse than the officers, that I felt quite cheerful, and after breakfast--to which I went down feeling as if I could not touch a bit, but did touch a good many bits and drops--I found myself walking up and down the deck with Captain Brace, taking an interest in the towering masts with their press of sail, and the flashing, sparkling water, which came with a bump every now and then against the side of the great ship, and scattered a fine shower of spray over the bows. For the wind was brisk, and the ship heeled over pretty well as she sped down Channel. In the course of the day, during which I began to be acquainted with the officers, a passenger or two slowly made his appearance. I say "his," because not a lady showed on deck during the week. Then, as the weather fell calm, they all came up nearly at once; and when I caught sight of the stout elderly lady who had been so affectionate to me in the docks, I felt disposed to go down. But there was no occasion. The week's confinement below, and their miserable state of illness, had pretty well swept away the recollection of the drowning scene, and beyond one or two looks and a whisper passed on from one to the other, which I felt were about me, there was nothing to make me feel nervous and red. I am not going to give a description of our long voyage round by the Cape, for that was our course in those days; let it suffice if I say that we sailed south into warmer seas, with the torrid sun beating down upon us in a way which Captain Brace said would prepare us for what was to come. We had storms in rounding the Cape, and then we sailed on again north and east. It was a long, slow, monotonous voyage, during which I went on learning a good deal of my profession, for there was drilling every morning on deck, and the draft of men were marched and countermarched till the rough body of recruits began to fall correctly into the various movements, while I supplemented the knowledge I had acquired as a cadet, and more than once obtained a few words of praise from the sergeant with the draft, and what were to me high eulogies from Captain Brace. "Nothing like mastering the infantry drill, Vincent," he said to me one day. "Young officers know, as a rule, far too little of foot drill. It will save you a good deal of trouble when we get there."