164 NIGHTS IN THE GALLEY. 



Sentry/ says the captain, ' draw your bayonet, and don't allow any 

 body but the first-leaftenant to enter.' Well, after he had given this 

 order, the carpenter began : ' As I was a setting in my cabin yes- 

 terday, in the afternoon watch, I heard several people talking in the 

 boatswain's cabin, which is next to mine. I wasn't, Sir, a listening 

 to what they were a saying of; but after a bit I hears the boatswain 

 raise his voice as if in a passion, and say ' I tell you he must die !' 

 When I heard this here, I thought I had a right to listen ; so I did, 

 and soon after the boatswain says again, ' I tell you the captain must 

 be the first man, Bill, and then we shall easily manage the rest.' 

 Some voices that spake so low I couldn't hear them, appeared to 

 L agree to it at last, for shortly after the boatswain said, ' Well, my 

 lads, then that's agreed ; to-morrow evening, at down hammocks, it 

 shall be done.' I heard no more nor this, Sir,' said the carpenter, 

 ' and I thought it my duty to tell you of it. I came aft last night to 

 do so, but you was turned in.' 'Well, rny good friend/ said the 

 captain, ' I wish you had told me last night, for I have given a great 

 many of the officers leave to go on shore; but never mind, we must 

 do the best we can ; go you down below, but be sure to be near me 

 when we pipe the hammocks down ; and tell the first-leaftenant I 

 want to speak to him directly/ Down went the first-leaftenant, and 

 remained with the skipper about an hour ; when he came up again, 

 it was, 'send for the serjeant of marines.' Up he came. 'Serjeant,' 

 says the first luff, ' bring the boatswain up here.' 'Aye ! aye ! Sir,' 

 says the serjeant; so away he goes, and soon returns with the boat- 

 swain. ' Now, serjeant,' says the first-leaftenant, ' discharge your 

 prisoner. And you, Sir,' turning to the boatswain, ' will return to 

 your duty, and take care what you are about.' Directly the first- 

 leaftenant had left the cabin, the sentry comes to me and says 

 ' Gibbon,' says he, 'the captain wants you in his cabin.' So away I 

 went right into the after-cabin, and found the captain standing over 

 a little barrel. When he sees me, he says ' Go and get a hammer 

 and a chisel ;' so away I went, and soon returned again with them in 

 my hand. When I came in, the skipper looked at me and said 

 ' Gibbon, you have been my coxswain now for nine years, and I 

 think I can trust you.' ' I hope so, Sir,' says I ; but I was obliged 

 to look down, for he had fixed his eyes upon me, and he had such an 

 eye, it seemed for all the world as if it was a looking into your very 

 inside. Then he told me all what the carpenter had told him, and 

 said, ' Now open that breaker.' I did, and what do you think was in 

 it ? why, it was choke-a-block with cartridges. ' Now, Gibbon,' 

 says he, ' just before I pipes the hammocks down, you'll come into 

 my cabin, and be ready to lend the serjeant of marines and master of 

 arms a hand to carry these cartridges on deck, if they are wanted ? 

 Now go away,' he said, ' and don't you say nothing about it to no 

 one.' ' No, Sir,' says I, ' you may depend upon me ; and I beg your 

 honour's pardon,' says I, ' but I'll answer for it that you may depend 

 on all your gig's crew.' So away I went, and waited till nearly one 

 bell in the last dog-watch ('cause we always in that ship piped the 

 hammocks down exactly at one bell), when down I goes to the cap- 

 tain's cabin, and met him just going on deck. ' Remember what I 



