I had no little difficulty at first in prevailing on my dear parents to let me go; but when I urged on my father that he would never have become a great captain had he remained in the coasting trade, he saw the truth of what I said, and gave his consent. My dear mother, seeing that my father had made up his mind, no longer offered opposition to my wishes. But oh, Ralph, she said, on the day I bade her adieu, come back soon to us, my dear boy, for we are getting old now, Ralph, and may not have many years to live.
