126 NOVEL PUNISHMENT OF PUGILISTS. 



"heavy gale, they agreed to lie by each other during 

 the night, either party, if desirous of running before 

 the gale, agreeing to fire a rocket or show a light. 

 No such signal was seen from the Draco ; and next 

 morning, on the Twilight's not being discernible, the 

 conclusion was arrived at that she was lost. "We 

 were agreeably surprised, a few weeks after, by a 

 sight of tlie missing ship. Iler captain had before 

 been informed of the report ; and, on our running 

 across his stern, to our captain's hail he replied, that 

 his ship was the Nonsuch of New Bedford. 



About this time, I was much amused by an original 

 method, which our captain instituted, to stop pugilistic 

 encounters between the boys. On the evening pre- 

 vious, a Portuguese boy and a New Bedford young- 

 ster engaged in a game of fisticuffs, resulting in black 

 eyes and skinned noses to both the participants. The 

 captain, on making inquiry the next morning, dis- 

 covered enough to justify him in punishing them. 

 For this purpose he tied their left hands firmly 

 together, and placed reef-points in their right hands. 

 (These points are manilla ropes, three feet long, 

 whipped at both ends, and about three-fourths of an 

 inch in diameter — a formidable weapon in a strong 

 hand.) Then, after getting them in position, he in- 

 structed them to lay their points on each other's 

 backs. The Bedford boy refusing to do this, the 

 captain took the point in his own hand, and gave 

 him a cut, which operated like fire amidst dry wood. 

 At it they went; and, both being game, they con- 

 tinued the infliction of the points for half an hour, 

 when they were stopped by tlie old man. One of 

 them was then sent to sit astride the extreme end 



