LIBERTY DAT— AND AFTER. 167 



Goliath approached him, and muttered a few words, 

 meant, I felt sure, to appease him by letting him know 

 how much they had suffered at his strong hands ; but 

 he turned upon the negro with a savage curse, bidding 

 him be silent. Then every one of the culprits was 

 stripped, and secured to the lash-rail by the wrists ; 

 scourges were made of cotton fish-line, knotted at 

 intervals, and secured to a stout handle ; the harpooners 

 were told off as executioners, and the flogging began. 

 Perhaps it was necessary for the maintenance of 

 discipline — certainly it was trivial compared with the 

 practice, till recently, in our own army and navy; 

 but I am glad to say that, compelled to witness it, I 

 felt quite sick — physically sick — trembling so in every 

 limb that my legs would not support me. It was not 

 fear, for I had nothing to fear had I been ever such 

 a coward. Whatever it was, I am not sorry either to 

 have felt it or to own it, even while I fully admit that 

 for some forms of wickedness nothing but the lash seems 

 adequate punishment. 



Some of the victims fainted, not being in the best 

 condition at the outset for undergoing so severe a trial ; 

 but all were treated alike, buckets of salt water being 

 flung over them. This drastic reviver, while adding to 

 their pain, brought them all into a state of sufficient 

 activity to get forward when they were released. Smart- 

 ing and degraded, all their temporary bravado effectually 

 banished, they were indeed pitiable objects, their deplor- 

 able state all the harder to bear from its contrast to our 

 recent pleasure when we entertained the visiting crews. 



Having completed our quantum of wood, water, and 

 fresh provisions for the officers, we got under way 

 again for the fishing grounds. I did not see how we 



