One of the cadets of the 'eighties--the Hon. Horace L. A. Hood--has gone up the ladder in remarkably quick time. He entered July 15th, 1883, and in the examinations for sub-lieutenants he was awarded a first class in every subject, obtaining an aggregate of 4,398 marks out of a possible 4,600; for this he was immediately promoted to lieutenant, April 2nd, 1890. He served in a gunboat on the Nile during Lord Kitchener's operations in 1898, and for his services there was promoted to commander November 15th, 1898, finally obtaining captain's rank January 1st, 1903, in less than 20 years from entry as cadet, at the early age of about three-and-thirty. [Illustration: THE SCHOONER YACHT "SYREN." _Photo: W. M. Crockett, Plymouth._] CHAPTER VII. THE "BRITANNIA" IN THE 'NINETIES. Captain Digby--Alleged Gross Bullying--A Lively Correspondence-- Various Uninvited Opinions--A Gleam of Light from Within--"Old Etonian" and Admiral Richards--Captain Digby Sums up the Case-- "Navilus": His Book--Morning Amenities--"One Day's 'Four'"--A Typical Day--The Hardships of "Four"--A Day in the _Wave_--"A Nice Fresh Breeze"--Reefing Topsails--"Man Overboard"--Comfort for Mothers--A Trip in a Skiff--Forbidden Joys--A "Slippery Hitch"--A Half-holiday--Tea with "Ma Fox"--A Sunday Outing--"Fearful Fagging"--The "Baby's" Final Aspirations--Captain Moore--A Hot Reformer--Lieutenants as "Sea-Daddies"--Abolition of Cadets' Corporals--Chief of the Staff--Naval Warrant Officers--New Admiralty Regulations--The _Racer_ Arrives--Ship Struck by Lightning--Jubilee Day--The Queen's Medal--Captain Marryat's Spectacles--Cadets' Food--A Hard Case!--Remarkable Physical Development--Influenza Epidemic--An Ill-informed Parent--Ridiculous Allegations--Visit of the King and Queen--John Gilpin--"Ye Mariners of England"--Captains in the 'Nineties. The 'nineties were still very young when Captain Digby--who, as has been stated, was appointed in 1889--found himself confronted by a disciplinary problem somewhat difficult of solution. Captain Digby would be considered by those who knew him to be an ideal commander for an institution like the _Britannia_. Of a most agreeable personality, combining great kindliness with the capacity for a due amount of severity if needed, he appeared to be cut out for the work; and yet it was his lot to bring to light a rascally sort of bullying which had, as he himself admits, been going on for a long time, and to be made the object of repeated attacks in the columns of the _Times_; for there was a very lively correspondence, to say nothing of leading articles, on the subject, and all sorts of people had their shot at the training-ship, some of whom did not very well understand what they were talking about.