LIBERTY DAY — AND AFTER. 163 



but we were actually glad to get on board again, it was 

 so miserable ashore. The natives were most unsociable 

 at the port, and we could not make ourselves under- 

 stood, so there was not much fun to be had. Even 

 those who were inclined to drink had too little for a 

 spree, which I was not sorry for, since doubtless a very 

 unpleasant reception would have awaited them had 

 they come on board drunk. 



Next day the starboard watch went on liberty, while 

 we who had received our share were told off to spend 

 the day wooding and watering. In this most pleasant 

 of occupations (when the weather is fine) I passed a 

 much more satisfactory time than when wandering 

 about with no objective, an empty pocket, and a hungry 

 belly. No foremast hand has ever enjoyed his op- 

 portunities of making the acquaintance of his various 

 visiting places more than I have ; but the circumstances 

 attendant upon one's leave must be a little favourable, 

 or I would much rather stay aboard and fish. Our task 

 was over for the day, a goodly store of wood and casks 

 of water having been shipped. We were sitting down 

 to supper, when, in answer to a hail from the beach, 

 we were ordered to fetch the liberty men. When we 

 got to them, there was a pretty how-d'ye-do. All of them 

 were more or less drunk, some exceedingly quarrelsome. 

 Now, Mistah Jones was steering our boat, looking 

 as little like a man to take sauce from a drunken 

 sailor as you could imagine. Most of the transformed 

 crowd ya-hooing on the beach had felt the weight of his 

 shoulder-of-mutton fist, yet so utterly had prudence for- 

 saken them that, before we came near them, they were 

 abusing him through all the varied gamut of filthy 

 language they possessed. My democratic sentiments 



