Then he broke it to me .sx I was in time to see my father for the last time , and my grief was terrible when I was told the next morning that he had died in the night .sx He was only fifty-four :sx I was eleven .sx He was buried in the family vault at Dawlish , and so respected was he by all that the funeral procession stretched for nearly half a mile and , in compliment to my mother , the shops in the town ( where she was born , and her father , grandfather and great-grandfather before her ) were closed .sx It was a long time before I recovered from my boyish grief , and even now , especially on the anniversary of his death , I feel my loss .sx After my father's death my mother let the house in Exeter and we all went to live in Dawlish at the Manor House which belonged to my uncle .sx I might mention that at one time the whole of one side of Dawlish belonged to my paternal grandfather , Captain Knighton , R.N. He was called to the war in China and seized an opportunity to sell the whole property " for a song .sx " Had he held on it would now be worth twenty times what he was given for it .sx But like all sailors of that time , he had no business ability .sx The move to Dawlish involved taking me away from the terrible school at Exmouth where , it seems to me , I was always suffering and crying .sx The headmaster caned most of us daily .sx He would hit our knuckles with a hard ruler , flip our ears and torture us in various ways .sx He was noted for his violent temper , and shortly after my father's death this temper proved his undoing .sx One day he was caning a small boy , and after delivering the last stroke with all his force ( he stood six foot three ) he caught him by the back of his neck and flung him away .sx The boy fell , his head struck the fender , and he was picked up insensible and carried to bed .sx He died two days later from concussion , and the master was sent up for trial .sx He got off - I do not remember how - but the school remained closed for ever .sx I thought later when I read Dickens that it bore a strong resemblance to Dotheboys Hall , and the master to Squeers .sx Two little episodes of this time remain in my memory .sx There being no railway from Exeter to Exmouth in those days I was packed off , like David Copperfield , on the top of a bus , with a little tin box beside me containing my clothes , a big cake and some Devonshire " smack-me-girdle " apples , as they were called , which scented my clothes for weeks .sx My old nurse saw me off and we both of us howled at the parting , and I continued crying all the way to Exmouth .sx I was then seven years old .sx The first episode occurred when I had been a month at school .sx I made a great friend of a boy called Tobin , aged eleven , and much bigger than myself .sx As often happens , we quarrelled , and one day we fell out badly and had a stand-up fight .sx He beat me to a pulp , but I made such a plucky stand , and showed such pugilistic ability , drawing blood freely from his nose , that I was congratulated on all hands , and determined to have another go at him when I had the chance .sx A few days after he was at me again , and this time challenged me to a cold water drinking-match - the winner to receive twopence , paid by the loser .sx I won .sx I drank eight tumblers while he only got through seven .sx At the age of nine and a half I fought Tobin again and beat him soundly .sx I had two black eyes and a caning for my trouble .sx The second episode concerned eating .sx I shared a dormitory with five other boys , all of us eight years old .sx One of them received a hamper from home in which was a huge bottle containing over a hundred pickled onions of good size - a full mouthful each .sx It was decided to have an onion feast one night after the master had made his rounds and the lights were out .sx The appointed time arrived , the bottle was brought out from under a bed and set on mine , and we collected round it like so many little ogres .sx Moonlight shone through the windows on our frightened faces and white nightgowns :sx but we did not give up till every onion was eaten and all the vinegar drunk .sx ( We had sixteen or seventeen onions apiece .sx ) Of the aftermath I do not remember much , but I am sure that we must have carried the perfume of onions with us for several days ; certainly our room smelt horrible , though none of the masters noticed it .sx And certainly we must have suffered under our small waistcoats .sx Our family , excepting my two older brothers , arrived in Dawlish in 1862 .sx Too mischievous to be kept long at home , I was very quickly sent to what was then the best school in the town .sx It was kept by four masters , whose Christian names were Sylvanus , Josiah , Joshua and Caleb - all Methodists .sx I didn't like the look of any of them , least of all Caleb , whom I distrusted at first sight .sx I remember an incident which nearly caused my downfall .sx One day in arithmetic class Caleb struck me on the cheek and then stood me up on a form - whereupon I threw my slate at him with all my force and it cut his coat .sx I was taken down ( I think I was too big to be caned ) and sent home with a letter to my mother , which informed her that I was expelled .sx Alas , owing to my mother's letter of apology , I was taken back , lectured and re-installed .sx I was sure then , as I have been ever since , that I was forgiven because I was too valuable a pupil to lose at Christmas time .sx I was to play the concertina in a quartette , to take the part of Sam Weller in the trial scene of Barden v. Pickwick , as well as a prominent part in other entertainments which were part of an entertainment given by the proprietors of the school in order to show off to the parents the wonderful talents of their sons and the wonderful teaching of the school .sx To cap all , after the display , I was presented with a book as a first prize for study and good behaviour , and I have it in my possession to this very day .sx In 1864 I joined the First Devon Rifle Corps under Captain Courtenay .sx Volunteering , which had its beginning in 1859 , was very popular at this time .sx Captain Courtenay , a son of the Earl of Devon , and an enthusiastic volunteer , urged every lad in Dawlish to join up .sx I was a strong , big boy ; no questions were asked beyond those concerned with name and age , and I passed myself off as sixteen - though I was in reality only thirteen .sx I thought at the time that there was little risk in this misrepresentation , though afterwards I had misgivings , thinking that if my lie were discovered I might be shot .sx I was sworn in , and provided with a long Enfield rifle , a green uniform , cap and bayonet all complete and for nothing .sx Looking back on those days I realise that our volunteering was a laughable farce .sx We were drilled two evenings a week for one hour .sx The Sergeant would form us up , and at the order " Right about turn , " half of us went to the right and half to the left .sx " Forming fours " was an absolute puzzle to us , so were the other movements .sx One thing pleased us and that was the order to " double march .sx " We kept neither line nor order , ran hard , and were soon beyond the reach of the Sergeant's voice .sx The Bugler could not blow for laughing and excitement , so we all ran about wildly till we were tired and then returned to the red-faced Sergeant who was too angry to speak - or if he did speak , he used language which was ununderstandable to me - and therefore unrepeatable .sx Our shooting classes were also a great farce .sx The butts were on the Warren , between Exmouth and Starcross , a mile and a half from Dawlish .sx We were each served with ten rounds of ammunition before starting and were told to get to the butts as quickly as possible .sx The shortest way was over the cliff , and the temptation to fire at gulls swimming below us was too strong .sx Consequently we not only arrived late for firing practice parade , but - what was even worse - cartridgeless .sx For being late we were well rated by the Sergeant who threatened to report us to Captain Courtenay .sx Having had his say , he shouted " Fall in !sx No .sx 1 , raise the rifle to the hip , open the breach , place the cartridge in the breach .sx .. I say , place the cartridge in the breach .sx " " Please , Sergeant , I haven't got a cartridge .sx " " What have you done with those served out to you ?sx " " Fired them at the gulls .sx " " Fall out , No .sx 1 .sx No .sx 2 , raise the rifle , " and so on throughout the squad , with the same result .sx From the school at Exmouth I was sent to " Eastmans " at Southsea to prepare for my entrance examination for the Navy , and was there about two years .sx It had been the great wish of both my father and my grandfather that one of the family should enter the Navy , and although my mother was none too well off and there were six other children for whom to provide , she had managed to lay by 600 for this purpose .sx The day before my examination , which took place on the Victory - on which my grandfather , Captain Knighton , served at the Battle of the Nile - a junior master , a Mr. Walker , induced two other boys and myself to break the rules of the school and make a trip to Spithead in an open boat in order to go on board the Warrior .sx This ship and the Black Prince were the first Ironclads built and the only two afloat at this time , and Mr. Walker greatly desired to be taken over one of them in company with his small class of boys .sx School broke up daily at twelve , roll being called at two o'clock , and any boy who .sx absented himself at roll call was severely punished .sx Mr. Walker was sure that we could get out to the Ironclads and back again in the dinner interval and told us that we would see some of the boys who had passed from Eastmans and , in all probability , be given a good lunch .sx It was the lunch that decided us and we started off for Spithead on the spree in a sailing boat , hired by the master .sx There was a smooth sea and a nice breeze and in half an hour we ran alongside the Warrior .sx We were shown all over this wonderful ship and saw some of our old boys in uniform ( which made us frightfully jealous ) and then were given lunch - a regular blow-out .sx Mr. Walker not only ate well but he had plenty to drink ; we boys were limited to one glass of beer each .sx Time went all too pleasantly as we waited on the deck for him to appear from below , where he remained with the officers .sx We noticed the wind getting up and the waves rising , though we felt nothing of the motion on the big ship .sx Time continued to go on , and , on asking the hour , we were told it was 2.15. And we were to be back at 2 o'clock !sx I was sent down to fetch the master and he returned with me , rather unsteadily , and then with many expressions of kindness on the part of the officers , we went over the side and into our boat .sx In spite of our expostulations , Mr. Walker ordered the boatman to head for Ryde , and we could only wonder what trouble was waiting for us when we got back to school - an unpleasant thought coupled with the continual nightmare of the next day's examination .sx