Chapter Sixty One.
Bad news from home, and worse on board—Notwithstanding his previous trials, Peter forced to prepare for another—Mrs Trotter again; improves as she grows old—Captain Hawkins and his twelve charges.
No other event of consequence occurred until we joined the admiral, who only detained us three hours with the fleet, and then sent us home with his despatches. We arrived, after a quiet passage, at Portsmouth, where I wrote immediately to my sister Ellen, requesting to know the state of my father’s health. I waited impatiently for an answer, and by return of post received one with a black seal. My father had died the day before from a brain fever; and Ellen conjured me to obtain leave of absence, to come to her in her state of distress. The captain came on board the next morning, and I had a letter ready written on service to the admiral, stating the circumstances, and requesting leave of absence. I presented it to him and entreated him to forward it. At any other time I would not have condescended: but the thoughts of my poor sister, unprotected and alone, and my father lying dead in the house, made me humble and submissive. Captain Hawkins read the letter, and very coolly replied, that “it was very easy to say that my father was dead, but he required proofs.” Even this insult did not affect me; I put my sister’s letter in his hand—he read it, and as he returned it to me, he smiled maliciously. “It is impossible for me to forward your letter, Mr Simple, as I have one to deliver to you.”
He put a large folio packet into my hand, and went below. I opened it: it was a copy of a letter demanding a court-martial upon me, with a long list of the charges preferred by him. I was stupefied, not so much at his asking for a court-martial, but at the conviction of the impossibility of my now being able to go to the assistance of my poor sister. I went down into the gun-room and threw myself on a chair, at the same time tossing the letter to Thompson, the master. He read it over carefully, and folded it up.
“Upon my word, Simple, I do not see that you have much to fear. These charges are very frivolous.”
The next morning, the official letter from the port-admiral came off, acquainting me that a court-martial had been ordered upon me, and that it would take place that day week. I immediately resigned the command to the second lieutenant, and commenced an examination into the charges preferred. They were very numerous, and dated back almost to the very day that he had joined the ship. There were twelve in all. I shall not trouble the reader with the whole of them, as many were very frivolous. The principal charges were:—
1. For mutinous and disrespectful conduct to Captain Hawkins, on (such a date), having in a conversation with an inferior officer on the quarter-deck stated that Captain Hawkins was a spy, and had spies in the ship.
2. For neglect of duty, in disobeying the orders of Captain Hawkins, on the night of the — of —.