To prevent it
in every way possible the hen-coops were ordered to be knocked up, for
the captain never sat down on deck himself, and never permitted an
officer to do so.
The second night after crossing the equator, we had the watch from
eight till twelve, and it was "my helm" for the last two hours.
There had been light squalls through the night, and the captain told
Mr. F---, who commanded our watch, to keep a bright lookout. Soon
after I came to the helm, I found that he was quite drowsy, and at
last he stretched himself on the companion and went fast asleep.
Soon afterwards, the captain came very quietly on deck, and stood by
me for some time looking at the compass. The officer at length
became aware of the captain's presence, but pretending not to know it,
began humming and whistling to himself, to show that he was not
asleep, and went forward, without looking behind him, and ordered
the main royal to be loosed. On turning round to come aft, he
pretended surprise at seeing the master on deck. This would not do.
The captain was too "wide awake" for him, and beginning upon him at
once, gave him a grand blow-up, in true nautical style- "You're a
lazy, good-for-nothing rascal; you're neither man, boy, soger, nor
sailor! you're no more than a thing aboard a vessel! you don't earn
your salt; you're worse than a Mahon soger!" and other still more
choice extracts from the sailor's vocabulary.
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