The squadron remained but a couple of days at anchor at Spithead; proceeding thence to Portland, whence, the _Calypso_ and _Ruby_, ships belonging to the eastern division, having joined us, we all set sail in company for our cruise, bound for the West Indies. Passing down Channel, through those `chops' which our late cruiser had so watchfully guarded during the Manoeuvres, we gave Ushant a wide berth and entered the celebrated Bay of Biscay; the subject of a song as popular with us sailors as that of which my great-great-great-ancestor, Tom Bowling of pious and historic memory, was the hero. Now, at last, I could say that I really was at sea! A good many of my shipmates had no necessity, however, to do this; for they _felt_ it--especially crossing the Bay! The weather was dirty, as it usually is in this region. This occurs through the influence of the Gulf Stream, which, after being wooed by the incurving and more hospitable coast of France, suddenly finds itself violently repulsed by the projecting Spanish peninsula; when, naturally angry, the current, like some folk who, on their not being able to vent their spleen on the people who may offend them, `pass it on' to the nearest, tries to `make it warm' for such unfortunate mariners as may cross its turbid bosom! It is always rough there, and the winds as uncertain as a lady's smile; and, I may say that on this occasion both Boreas and Neptune seemed to have arranged to render our passage over this special broken-water domain of theirs as disagreeable as possible. We were well handled, our commanding officer being, as I have already said, one of the smartest sailors in the service; but, notwithstanding this, the _Active_ had very bad weather of it, while those of our consorts whom we could see in the distance appeared to experience worse. The ship plunged and rolled to such an extent that it was almost impossible to go up and down the hatchways carrying anything; for a chap wanted more hands than he possessed to hold on with, let alone dunnage! We boys had, as might be expected, most of the dirty work to do; and it was our task, when dinner was finished below, to help clear up the messes, and take the `gashing-tubs,' in which the refuse of all our meals was thrown, up above to the upper deck and pitch the contents over the side, it being impossible for us to open any of the ports on the lower deck, from the heavy rolling seas that came toppling inboard every now and again. The job was not a nice one, nor an easy one either; and the second day we were knocking about in the Bay an accident happened while we were at it that nearly settled the hash of one of us, making him more fit to go into the `gashing-tub' himself than to handle it!