Although Gabe and Markham had been commissioned, Anthony was still short of watch-standing officers since his lieutenants were spread throughout his growing flotilla. He had also acquired two more midshipmen. One was a twelve-year-old pimple faced youth who was as round as he was tall. The lad’s name was Joshua Young, and he’d been taken as a favor to Commodore Gardner. “The young man is a mama’s boy and his father wants to ‘wean him from the teat,’”, confided the commodore when he’d approached Anthony about a possible berth. The boy’s father was a self-made, well-todo merchant and he wanted the boy to amount to something besides a spoiled brat. An eventual commission would also make him a gentleman and not just a tradesman’s son. The other youth was Nathan Lavery. He’d been a midshipman for six years and would now be the senior mid. Anthony was concerned about how he’d get along with Davy, but the two hit it off fine. The older boy would be a good influence for Davy.
