Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A cikin 1786 ya sha wahala a cikin aikinsa, ana biyan shi daga Royal Navy (tare da wasu da yawa). Daga nan sai ya shiga rundunar sojan ruwan Rasha a matsayin laftanan. Yin aiki a can tsawon shekaru hudu ayyukansa mafi ban mamaki sune Yaƙin Ochakov a 1788 (a kan Turkawa) Yaƙin Kerch Strait
a 1790 (kuma a kan Turks) da kuma Yakin Svensksund a ranar 9/10 Yuli 1790 a kan Yaren mutanen Sweden. An ji masa rauni a duka yakin farko da na karshe. Ya koma Birtaniya a 1791 don warkewa. Daga nan sai ya koma Royal Navy a matsayin mai kula da aikin da ke karkashin Leveson-Gower. Da alama bai gamsu da shi ba, ya sake komawa kamfanin East India Company kafin yakin da Faransa ya barke a 1793 a lokacin da ya sake komawa rundunar sojan ruwa. Ya dauki wuri a matsayin Maigidan Maigidan a karkashin Kyaftin Theophilus Jones. Daga karshe ya zama mataimakin Laftanan a kan Chatham-gina. A nan ya ga aikin da aka yi wa Faransanci a cikin jirgin ruwa na Lord Howe a lokacin yakin da aka yi a ranar farko ta Yuni a shekara ta 1794.