COURT-MARTIAL. 53 



I cannot at this distance of time pretend to 

 say, but on his retiring from the table and 

 coming below, his messmates flocked round 

 him, requesting to know, as was usual with 

 them, what the captain talked about ; when 

 he repeated the conversation, and foolishly 

 divulged the error he had committed. 



Upon this the majority of the mess took 

 umbrage, and accused him of being the 

 cause, t from his folly or obsequiousness, in 

 attempting thus to gain favour with the 

 captain, of the privations they were about 

 to suffer for the remainder of the voyage ; 

 and upon one or two of them saying he 

 ought to have a good licking, it was quickly 

 resolved, at the instigation of the doctor's 

 mate, that he should be tried by a court- 

 martial of six of the elders of the mess, 

 the senior master's mate to be the presi- 

 dent. 



This mock trial was soon over ; he being 

 convicted by his own confession, there was 

 no necessity for any further evidence ; and 



