But Joshua would not enter; he required to be pressed; so I went on board his own merchant-ship, according to previous arrangement, and pressed him. He made no resistance and produced no documents; he only called the master of the ship, and the first and second officer, to witness that he was a pressed man, and then, taking his kit with him, he even cheerfully tripped down the side into the boat; and thus, for nearly an eventful year, I was the instrument of placing my evil genius near me. CHAPTER FIFTY FIVE. THE ART OF MISCHIEF MADE EASY--RATHER HARD UPON THE EXPERIMENTED--"HEAVEN PRESERVE ME FROM MY FRIENDS! I'LL TAKE CARE OF MY ENEMIES MYSELF," SAY THE HONEST SPANIARDS, AND SO SAYS HONEST RALPH. And so, filling our cabins with invalided officers, we sailed for England. We took home with us a convoy; and a miserable voyage we made of it. In taking my _soi-disant_ schoolfellow on board the _Eos_, I had shipped with me my Mephistophiles. The former servant to the midshipmen's berth was promoted to the mizzen-top, and Joshua Daunton inducted, with due solemnities, to all the honours of waiting upon about half a dozen fierce, unruly midshipmen, and as many sick supernumeraries; and he formally took charge of all the mess-plate and munitions _de bouche_ of this submarine establishment. There was no temptation to embezzlement. Our little society was a commonwealth of the most democratic description--and, as usually happens in these sort of experiments, there was a community of goods that were good for nothing to the community.