NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 



feller : it was reported to the Admiralty, and a court martial was or- 

 dered to sit upon him that day week ; he had that time to prepare 

 his defence, and it was then he wrote to my father ; I wish I could 

 find the letter, but I can't it was a beautiful letter I hope I arn't 

 lost it. But howsomnever, that's neither here nor there. At last 

 the time came as he was to be tried ; at nine o'clock off went the gun 

 and up went the Union Jack to the peak, as a signal for a court 

 martial. A guard was drawn up on the quarter-deck of the Admiral's 

 ship to receive the skippers ; at about ten aboard they all came, roast-beef 

 coats and all a-tanto. My uncle was called in. It's no use, lads, 

 spinning you a yarn about the court martial, 'cause as how I don't 

 know nothing more nor he was condemned to be hanged on the 

 Friday, that was Tuesday ; so he was led back to his prison and put 

 in irons as afore. Here he remained miserable enough till Friday 

 came. All was prepared by nine o'clock ; a gun fired a platform 

 was rigged out by the guess warp boom, the running part led on 

 deck through a snatch-block, with a party of black list men to run 

 him up. The hands were turned up on board every ship in the 

 squadron. My uncle was led out. The skipper and the admiral was 

 a-standing on deck. The provost martial, with his fore-and-after 

 athwart ships, had charge of the prisoner, and as he was walking for- 

 ward he touched his hat as he passed the captain and the admiral. 

 So the admiral says, ' Prisoner/ says he, ' by the sentence you must 

 die at eleven o'clock it is now half-past ten ; if you have any thing 

 to say privately to me, or publicly to the ship's company, do it at 

 once.' c Yes, Sir,' says my uncle, ' I should like to speak to the ship's 

 company/ So the admiral ordered silence, and my uncle turning 

 round, said, ' My lads, I am now going to die, for having mutinied 

 against my captain and afterwards murdered him. I acknowledge 

 the justice of my sentence; but in justice to myself and my old ship- 

 mates, I must say we put up with the most tyrannical conduct; we 

 worked morning, noon, and night, put up with every thing rather 

 than mutiny, till at last the captain threw our messmate overboard 

 like a dog ; we were no longer able to command ourselves this 

 drove us quite mad, and we mutinied ; and though I know nothing 

 can justify mutiny, I hope my case will be a warning to all captains 

 that h'majesty \vill be better served by a ship's company that love 

 than one that fear their captain/ Well, lads, the ship's company 

 all pressed forward to shake hands with my uncle, and after the ad- 

 miral, the skipper, and the captain, had shaken hands with him, the 

 gun fired, and up he went to the yard-arm, and from there I hope he 

 went to heaven." 



It wanted yet an hour of the time for piping the hammocks down. 

 The galley was still full, and I did not despair of hearing another 

 yarn ; so lighting another cigar I returned to my station, where I had 

 not waited long before Jack Murray, re-filling his pipe, addressed 

 WillGibbon- 



" Come, Will, my bo', it's your turn now to tip us a stave out of 

 that old muzzle of thine." 



" There won't be time, I doubt," said Old Will, pretending to 

 hesitate, but who was too confirmed a " yarner" to forego the pleasure 



M.M. No. 103. L 



