Changes

He was a slight boy, not physically strong, and often sick, but at every opportunity he would seize the initiative and learn all he could.  He had to learn how ships operate, and as a midshipman, how to lead men.  But there were also times for adventure, such as his first voyage to the West Indies and a scientific expedition to the Arctic in 1773, where, on the ice, he stood up to an advancing polar bear; only a shot from a ship’s gun prevented the bear from killing him and drove it away.  He was reprimanded for leaving the ship without authorization (Durant, pg. 518).

He was a slight boy, not physically strong, and often sick, but at every opportunity he would seize the initiative and learn all he could.  He had to learn how ships operate, and as a midshipman, how to lead men.  But there were also times for adventure, such as his first voyage to the West Indies and a scientific expedition to the Arctic in 1773, where, on the ice, he stood up to an advancing polar bear; only a shot from a ship’s gun prevented the bear from killing him and drove it away.  He was reprimanded for leaving the ship without authorization (Durant, pg. 518).