224 NIMROD OF TEE SEA; OR, 



Dec. 13 {Sunday). " Now is the winter of ouv discontent." 

 For some time a grudge has been working between Mr. 



S and a stout green-hand, Bingham, who hails from 



Kentucky. Bingham has been worked up energetically at 

 all unseasonable hours. When the ship was pitching her 

 worst, poor Kentuck was ordered, slush - pot in hand, to 

 grease down topmasts-, and when the roll was added to the 

 pitch he was ordered to wipe off said grease because it was 

 too thick. The next rough spell, he was required to again 

 grease the topmasts, much to the disgust of the cook, whose 

 perquisite the " slush" is. Bingham must work, rust ofE the 

 chain, and tar down inaccessible stays. In fact, an undue 

 share of the most disagreeable duties of the ship fell to 

 Bingham. He submitted with, perhaps, ill grace, and the 

 grudge passed from bad to worse, until last night, in the 

 middle watch, we who wei"e below were aroused by Ken- 

 tuck's coming down the forecastle scuttle on the run, follow- 

 ed by the blacksmith's tongs, and a rasping blessing from 

 his angry officer. Of course, such a storm brought us on 

 end at once. Bingham was too much excited to post us as 

 to the row, and he had not time to overhaul his log, for in a 

 few minutes, in stormy quarter-deck slang, the captain or- 

 dered the poor fellow on deck. He obeyed, and we indig- 

 nantly heard the thwacks of some heavy thing on the per- 

 son of our unfortunate shipmate, and his pleading that, "In- 

 deed he had not been to blame, and that he acted only in 

 self-defense." Good clean paper should never be soiled with 

 the Billingsgate of a mad captain and a mate. In a few 

 minutes the deck watch came below, and a council of war 

 was held. 



We then learned that Mr. S came suddenly from abaft 



the try-works to Bingham, who was sitting on the end of 

 the windlass. Catching the greenhorn by the collar, the 

 mate charged him with sleeping in his watch on deck. This 



