NIGHTS 'IN THE GALLEY. 629 



place.' 'He's had a dozen, Sir,' reported the master-at-arms. 

 ' Another boatswain's mate !' cried the captain ; and so he went on 

 five times, gave him five dozen ; and then it was ' Cast him off, send 

 him aft in the poop, and stop his grog to-day. Now for you lazy 

 fellows ; strip, Sirs.' ' Please your honour,' says the foretop-man, 

 'I hurried in as fast as I could; somebody must be last/ 'You 

 scoundrel ! do you attempt to reason with me ? I'll give you another 

 dozen for that.' And sure enough he did, for he always kept his 

 word in such cases ; so he gave the foretop-man six dozen, and the 

 other two five dozen each. ' And now, my lads, I'll tell you what 

 at is ; every night I'll reef topsails, and flog the last man off the yard. 

 Pipe down.' Down they went, not to sing or dance, as usual, but to 

 pity the poor fellers that were on the poop ; each man thinking he 

 might be there to-morrow. They moved off in lots of two and three. 

 Some said ' Shame !' others advised a remonstrance through the 

 first leaftenant, but nothing could be decided upon. The temper of 

 the skipper was too well known to send a round robin, as some pro- 

 posed ; and as to speaking to the first luff, they knew he was nearly 

 as bad as the captain, and feared him as he did the devil. Nothing 

 could be decided but ' grin and bear it.' Things went on thus for a 

 long time ; and, by gum, lads, such tyranny as you never seed ; 

 brightening shot stanchions, and a great gun for'ard, besides all the 

 tomahawks, boarding-pikes, and pistol-barrels : and then no mess- 

 tables allowed on the .lower-deck after meals, no chests allowed in 

 the ship ; if a poor fellow left his jacket for a minute, away it went ; 

 the mate of the lower-deck threw it overboard ; no putting it into 

 the hold, like our master's mate ; clean overboard it went, and then, 

 when you mustered without it, there was a bowling off of three 

 dozen for leaving it about. Then, whenever the hands were turned 

 up, down went the boatswain and all his mates, and started the poor 

 fellers- on deck with a piece of three inch ; no matter how fast you 

 run, you were sure of getting it as you went up the ladder. Divisions 

 of hammocks every morning at four bells (six o'clock) ; sea or har- 

 bour, the hammock must go through a lash, and have seven turns, 

 ends pointed of lashing, and lanyards. There was no such thing as 

 black list ; everything was scratch your back firsthand then give you 

 some other punishment. One morning some o' the top-men had been 

 overhauling lifts and braces down, when they piped 'Lash up!' 

 They were afeard they wouldn't be in time for divisions, and in their 

 hurry they lashed their hammocks rather too large in the middle 

 they would not go through the hoop. So there it was again, four 

 dozen, and walk on the poop for eight hours, with two forty- two 

 pound shot at each end of the hammock. Something of this sort 

 went on happening every day ; the poor fellers were worried out of 

 their lives. This work could not last long ; he would have killed 

 half his ship's company in six months. They began to grumble 

 among themselves : some talked of a round robin, others hinted at 

 force, and the most determined swore rather loudly they would not 

 stand such tyranny any longer. No notice was taken of all this by 

 the officers ; they were treated as bad, or even worse than before, 

 They were now all bursting with rage, goaded on by the most un- 



