"Previous to my time I heard that "goose dinners" (four to a goose) were provided at a farmhouse in the direction of Dittisham, at 2s. 6d. per head. Beer, too, was provided, the effect of which led to its discovery, and a more rigid institution of bounds. The cadets could not land on the Kingswear side unless with an officer in charge, so on Sunday afternoons I frequently got a lot to join me in a walk, which they liked. In this way I got into closer conversation, and it is my pleasant recollection of the boys generally that they were a delightful lot of little chaps, with whom it was a pleasure to be brought into contact. Fighting occasionally took place beside the rocks in the field above the cricket ground. Permission was asked, and if granted the fight was carried out in due form under the cadet captains. I never heard of any bad result, though I am not sure that it would not be better to try and avoid it. "On January 24th, 1871, I took command of the _Dapper_. Occasionally in the fine weather I took the senior classes outside the harbour and cruised for the afternoon under sail. Dinner was served as we steamed out, but any motion outside caused sea-sickness, which interfered with the interest in the work. More often the _Dapper_ was employed in going to Plymouth for stores, etc. Twice in my summer we had a general picnic, to Slapton Lee and Salcombe Harbour; both were very successful. "During my time there was no bullying to speak of; the boys were happy, and used to say they liked the _Britannia_ much better than their former schools; the food, they all agreed was excellent." The _Dapper_, alluded to above, was one of the old 60-horse-power gunboats, built during the war in China, 1857 to 1860; she was rigged as a barque for instructional purposes, but apparently was not very freely used; and, indeed, a craft of that size and build would be so exceedingly lively in the slightest approach to a sea-way, that inexperienced lads would not be able to "lay out" on her small spars with much advantage, or without a certain amount of danger. [Illustration: THE "ARIADNE" DISASTER, MARCH 8, 1872 (_p. 91_).] Her consort, the _Ariadne_--to which the officers and crew of the _Bristol_ were turned over after a short time--was, however, a very fine frigate, and performed good service as a sea-going training-ship, making voyages to the Cape, Madeira, the Azores, etc., so that the youngsters saw "blue water" in abundance, and even made old Neptune's acquaintance in crossing the line. Those who served in her maintain that she fulfilled her purpose admirably; and no one could doubt that, after passing through the _Britannia_ and spending the best part of a year at sea in this manner, a lad of ordinary capacity must be of considerable value as an officer in his first regular man-of-war.