noon
The captain went ashore and reported himself that same night , dining with the admiral afterwards ; but I did not go ashore until late the next day , as there was a great deal of business that I had to attend to . Captain Harrison was of course most anxious that our trial by court-martial for the loss of the frigate should take place as speedily as possible , because he could not hope for another command until that was over ; and it happened by a quite exceptional piece of luck that there were enough ships in the harbour to allow of its being held at once . It was consequently arranged to take place on board the flag-ship , on the fourth day following our arrival . It was , of course , only a formal affair , the loss of the frigate being due to causes quite beyond our control , -- unless , indeed , we had chosen to run from the two French ships instead of fighting them , -- so it was soon over , and before noon we were all honourably acquitted , and our side-arms returned to us with much congratulatory handshaking on the part of the officers present . Captain Harrison , the doctor , Lindsay , and I were invited to dine with the admiral at his Pen that evening , and we accordingly drove out with the last of the daylight , arriving at the house just as the sun was setting over Hunt Bay . The admiral was the very soul of hospitality , and we were therefore a large party , several officers from Up Park Camp and a sprinkling of civilians being present `` to take off the salt flavour '' likely to prevail from a too exclusive gathering of the naval element , as our host laughingly put it . Somewhat to my surprise , I found myself the lion of the evening , Captain Harrison having most generously made the utmost of my exploit in capturing the French schooner and my subsequent search for the frigate 's boats ; and so many compliments were paid me that , being still young and comparatively modest , I had much difficulty in maintaining my self - possession and making suitable replies .