THE LASH. 71 



tain, who was not by any means a Tartar, 

 animadverted strongly on the offence that 

 he had committed, by which he had sub- 

 jected himself to the greatest penalty 

 known to martial law; but in consequence 

 of the character he bore, he had com- 

 muted his punishment, and therefore 

 ordered him to receive two dozen lashes, 

 for, he added, he should not be doing his 

 duty were he to pass over such a breach 

 of discipline. 



He, who was as good a seaman as 

 any in the ship, received the amount 

 of his sentence without flinching, and 

 without a word being spoken by any 

 of the officers, who one and all deeply 

 sympathised with the sufferer, while a 

 tear was seen to trickle down the cheek 

 of honest old Joe. 



Upon the man's being cast off, the 

 captain addressed the boatswain's mate, 

 and told him that he had been the 

 means of one of the best men in the 



