Mr. Midshipman Easy

'Mr. Midshipman Easy' written by retired Royal Navy captain Frederick Marryat, tells the story of the naive and philosophizing Jack Easy during the Napoleonic Wars. Jack's father instilled in him the belief in the "rights of man," which Jack takes to heart to the point of no longer believing in private property. Joining the navy, Jack befriends Mesty, an escaped slave, who agrees with Jack's philosophy at first. However, after Mesty becomes a ship's corporal, he changes his mind. The real hero of the novel, Mesty rescues Jack from many dangerous situations during their travels in the Mediterranean.