One of Mr. Inskip’s sea yarns may be given here as a sample; it is to be presumed that he occasionally amused himself by trying how much the ordinary cadet would swallow—or pretend to swallow.
He related how, when he first went to sea—apparently in some other capacity than that of naval instructor—his outfitter deemed it a good plan to place a layer of bricks at the bottom of his chest. This appeared peculiar, no particular reason being assigned for it. However, he went to sea, bricks and all. When becalmed one day in the tropics, the ship being, of course, surrounded by voracious sharks of enormous dimensions, he suddenly recollected his bricks, and was seized with a remarkable inspiration. Hurrying down to his chest, he took several bricks to the galley, and got the cook to heat them; then wrapping them up, all hot, in a blanket, he watched his opportunity when a monster shark approached, and threw the bundle overboard. The shark immediately seized and bolted it, and apparently felt quite happy—as, indeed, any reasonable shark would under the circumstances. After a time, however, the hot bricks came through the blanket, and the fun began, the monster’s agonies being described in the most graphic style!
REV. R. M. INSKIP AND MR. K. KNAPP.
Mr. Knapp, his assistant, was an equally capable man, but a different character altogether. Very kind of heart and painstaking in his work, he was, at the same time, of an exceedingly irritable temperament, and anything in the shape of inattention or fidgeting among his pupils would certainly bring down retribution in some form on the offender. He possessed remarkable skill in drawing a large circle on the black board—a proceeding very constantly required, of course, in demonstrating problems in nautical astronomy, etc.—and would, unaided by a string or pivot of any kind, produce, after a few preliminary flourishes, like a golfer “addressing” his ball, a perfect circle with one rapid sweep of his hand, and then, after regarding it with a complacent twinkle in his eye for a few moments, dot in the centre with unfailing accuracy. “Knapp’s circles” became a by-word in his class, and all would watch with breathless interest the few little trial strokes in the air, followed by the swift and masterly consummation, which would often be hailed with a murmur of applause, not unpleasing to the master. Those who used to be in his class will recall, however, some occasions on which, after a few preparatory flourishes, he would suddenly drop his arm, and walk, with quick, impatient stride, round the class-room, his hands clasped in front, the chalk in one, and a two-foot rule, resting in the hollow of his arm, in the other. The old hands knew very well what was coming, and sat still as mice while Mr. Knapp perambulated behind their chairs, until, coming to the unfortunate who was fidgeting with his parallel rulers or some such thing—whack! would come the edge of the Gunter’s scale across his knuckles! “Oh, sir!” the victim would exclaim; but, with never a word, the instructor would complete his circuit of the room, and draw a better circle than ever, to the accompaniment of suppressed sniggering at the expense of the fidgeter.
These little amenities did not, however, militate in the least against a very general appreciation of Mr. Knapp’s many good qualities, and as time went on it came to be regarded as an excellent thing to be put in “Knapp’s study,” his boys usually coming well to the front in passing out, besides learning some valuable lessons in repose of deportment.
Although there is, unfortunately, a great dearth of actual record during these times, there is abundant evidence of an implicit nature that the new experiment was turning out a complete success. The letter of Sir Charles Wood to Captain Harris, already quoted, after the training-ship had been established about nine months, testifies to the fact in no stinted terms; and in July, 1858, the staff was increased by two naval instructors, Messrs. J. G. D. Barton and W. D. Hay.
Moreover, about the end of 1857 the ship was devoted exclusively to the training of cadets, the novices being abolished for the time.
Among Captain Harris’s pupils was Prince Alfred (the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha), who entered the Service August 31st, 1858.