Transcriber’s Note Italic text displayed as: _italic_ Bold text displayed as: =bold= THE SAILOR HERO; OR, THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER THE SAILOR HERO, OR, THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. BY CAPTAIN F. C. ARMSTRONG, AUTHOR OF “THE CRUISE OF THE DARING,” “THE TWO MIDSHIPMEN,” “THE MEDORA,” “THE YOUNG COMMANDER,” ETC. [Illustration: Decoration] LONDON: WARD, LOCK, AND TYLER, WARWICK HOUSE PATERNOSTER ROW. LONDON: B. C. BARRETT, ROUPELL STREET, BLACKFRIARS. THE SAILOR HERO; OR, THE FRIGATE AND THE LUGGER. CHAPTER I. The war with France had just commenced. Vice-Admiral Lord Hood hoisted his flag on board the Victory, of one hundred guns; and, with the English fleet under his command, sailed from Spithead. Amongst the many midshipmen on board the Victory, were two youths, who will occupy prominent places in our story;—one, William Thornton, our intended hero, was at this period between sixteen and seventeen years of age, and was known on board the Victory as the Admiral’s _protégé_. He was a high-spirited and generous youth, and had, thus early in life, distinguished himself on several occasions, and was a general favourite; but all that was known of his parentage was, that his supposed father had been formerly Lord Hood’s favourite coxswain, and that the Admiral had taken him on board the Victory as one of his midshipmen. Henry Howard Etherton, the other, the younger son of a wealthy baronet, was nearly two years older than William Thornton, but unlike him in every respect, except, perhaps, in personal appearance. He was well-looking, tall, and of gentlemanly manners; he had served two years in another ship, had been four years the schoolfellow of William Thornton; and when he left the school, which he did before William, it was with a feeling of bitter hatred against his schoolfellow, and for no better reason than that he excelled him in mental acquirements, and bodily exercises. The meeting of the two youths on board the Victory was a surprise to both. William Thornton was, as we have said, a general favourite, but especially with a fine young fellow, named Saunders, a top-man, whose life he had saved under very trying circumstances. Howard Etherton took especial care to circulate all he knew of young Thornton’s antecedents. He stated that he passed at school as the son of Lord Hood’s coxswain; but it was doubtful whose son he was; some one had paid his schooling and other expenses munificently, but that it was too bad to have as a comrade in the midshipmen’s berth one of so doubtful, or at all events, of so low an origin. Only some of Howard’s cronies and toadies listened to these spiteful stories; the officers, perhaps, heard, but gave no heed to them, for the young midshipman was a noble-looking boy, singularly powerful and tall for his age.