O'BRIEN TAKES ME UNDER HIS PROTECTION--THE SHIP'S COMPANY ARE PAID, SO
ARE THE BUMBOAT-WOMEN, THE JEWS, AND THE EMANCIPATIONIST AFTER A
FASHION--WE GO TO SEA--"DOCTOR" O'BRIEN'S CURE FOR SEA-SICKNESS--ONE
PILL OF THE DOCTOR'S MORE THAN A DOSE.
When we arrived, I reported myself to the first lieutenant, and told him
the whole story of the manner in which I had been treated, showing him
the poker which I brought on board with me. He heard me very patiently,
and then said, "Mr Simple, you maybe the greatest fool of your family
for all I know to the contrary, but never pretend to be a fool with me.
That poker proves the contrary; and if your wit can serve you upon your
own emergency, I expect that it will be employed for the benefit of the
service." He then sent for O'Brien, and gave him a lecture for allowing
me to go with the press-gang, pointing out, what was very true, that I
could have been of no service, and might have met with a serious
accident.
At last the frigate was full manned; and, as we had received drafts of
men from other ships, we were ordered to be paid previously to our going
to sea. The people on shore always find out when a ship is to be paid,
and very early in the morning we were surrounded with wherries, laden
with Jews and other people, some requesting admittance to sell their
goods, others to get paid for what they had allowed the sailors to take
up upon credit. But the first lieutenant would not allow any of them to
come on board until after the ship was paid; although they were so
urgent, that he was forced to place sentries in the chains with cold
shot, to stave the boats if they came alongside. About eleven o'clock
the dock-yard boat, with all the pay clerks and the cashier, with his
chest of money, came on board, and was shown into the fore-cabin, where
the captain attended the pay-table. The men were called in, one by one,
and as the amount and wages due had been previously calculated, they
were paid very fast. The money was always received in their hats, after
it had been counted out in the presence of the officers and captain.
Outside the cabin door, there stood a tall man in black, with hair
straight combed, who had obtained an order from the port-admiral to be
permitted to come on board. He attacked every sailor as he came out,
with his money in his hat, for a subscription to emancipate the slaves
in the West Indies; but the sailors would not give him anything,
swearing that the niggers were better off than they were; for they did
not work harder by day, and had no watch and watch to keep during the
night. "Sarvitude is sarvitude all over the world, my old
psalm-singer," replied one. "They sarve their masters, as in duty
bound; we sarve the King, 'cause he can't do without us--and he never
axes our leave, but helps himself."
Then the purser's steward came out; he was what they call a bit of a
lawyer, that is, had received more education than the seamen in general.
"I trust, sir," said the man in black, "that you will contribute
something."
"Not I, my hearty; I owe every farthing of my money, and more too, I'm
afraid."
"Still, sir, a small trifle."
"Why, what an infernal rascal you must be, to ask a man to give away
what is not his own property! Did I not tell you that I owed it all?
There's an old proverb--Be just before you're generous. Now, it's my
opinion, that you are a methodistical, good-for-nothing blackguard; and
if any one is such a fool as to give you money, you will keep it for
yourself."
When the man found that he could obtain nothing at the door, he went
down on the lower deck, and commenced distributing prints of a black man
kneeling in chains and saying, "Am not I your brother?" Some of the men
laughed, and swore that they would paste their brother up in the mess to
say prayers for the ship's company; but others were very angry, and
abused him. At last, one man, who was tipsy, came up to him. "Do you
pretend for to insinivate that this crying black thief is my brother?"
"To be sure I do," replied the methodist.
"Then take that for your infernal lie," said the sailor, hitting him in
the face right and left, and knocking the man down into the cable tier,
from whence he climbed up, and made his escape out of the frigate as
soon as he was able.
The ship was now in a state of confusion and uproar; there were Jews
trying to sell clothes, or to obtain money for clothes which they had
sold; bumboat men and bumboat women showing their long bills, and
demanding or coaxing for payment; other people from the shore, with
hundreds of small debts; and the sailors' wives, sticking close to them,
and disputing every bill presented, as an extortion or a robbery. There
were such bawling and threatening, laughing and crying--for the women
were all to quit the ship before sunset--at one moment a Jew was upset,
and all his hamper of clothes tossed into the hold; at another, a sailor
was seen hunting everywhere for a Jew who had cheated him--all
squabbling or skylarking, and many of them very drunk. It appeared to
me that the sailors had rather a difficult point to settle. They had
three claimants upon them, the _Jew_ for clothes, the bumboat men for
their mess in harbour, and their wives for their support during their
absence; and the money which they received was, generally speaking, not
more than sufficient to meet one of the demands. As it may be supposed,
the women had the best of it; the others were paid a trifle, and
promised the remainder when they came back from their cruise. About
five o'clock, the orders were given for the ship to be cleared. All
disputed points were settled by the sergeant of marines with a party,
who divided their antagonists from the Jews; and every description of
persons not belonging to the ship, whether male or female, was dismissed
over the side. The hammocks were piped down, those who were intoxicated
were put to bed, and the ship was once more quiet.
The next day everything was prepared for sea, and no leave was permitted
to the officers. Stock of every kind was brought on board, and the
large boats hoisted and secured. On the morning after, at day-light, a
signal from the flag-ship in harbour was made for us to unmoor; our
orders had come down to cruise in the Bay of Biscay. The captain came
on board, the anchor weighed, and we ran through the Needles with a fine
NE breeze. What occurred for the next six days I cannot tell. I
thought that I should die every moment, and lay in my hammock or on the
chests for the whole of that time, incapable of eating, drinking, or
walking about. O'Brien came to me on the seventh morning, and said,
that if I did not exert myself I never should get well, that he was very
fond of me, and had taken me under his protection, and to prove his
regard, he would do for me what he would not take the trouble to do for
any other youngster in the ship, which was, to give me a good basting,
which was a sovereign remedy for sea-sickness. He suited the action to
the word, and drubbed me on the ribs without mercy, until I thought the
breath was out of my body, and then he took out a rope's end and
thrashed me until I obeyed his orders to go on deck immediately. Before
he came to me, I could never have believed it possible that I could have
obeyed him; but somehow or another I did contrive to crawl up the ladder
to the main-deck, where I sat down on the shot-racks and cried bitterly.
But, by degrees, I recovered myself, and certainly felt a great deal
better, and that night I slept very soundly. The next morning O'Brien
came to me again. "It's a nasty slow fever, that sea-sickness, my
Peter, and we must drive it out of you;" and then he commenced a
repetition of yesterday's remedy until I was almost a jelly. Whether
the fear of being thrashed drove away my sea-sickness, or whatever might
be the real cause of it, I do not know, but this is certain, that I felt
no more of it after the second beating, and the next morning, when I
awoke, I was very hungry. I hastened to dress myself before O'Brien
came to me, and did not see him until we met at breakfast.
"Pater," said he, "let me feel your pulse."
"O no!" replied I, "indeed I'm quite well."
"Quite well! Can you eat biscuit and salt butter?"
"Yes, I can."
"And a piece of fat pork?"
"Yes, that I can."
"It's thanks to me then, Pater," replied he, "so you'll have no more of
my medicine until you fall sick again."
"I hope not," replied I, "for it was not very pleasant."
"Pleasant! you simple Simon, when did you ever hear of physic being
pleasant, unless a man prescribe for himself? I suppose you'd be after
lollipops for the yellow fever. Live and larn, boy, and thank Heaven
that you've found somebody who loves you well enough to baste you when
it's good for your health."
I held my tongue and ate a very hearty breakfast. From that day I
returned to my duty, and was put into the same watch with O'Brien, who
spoke to the first lieutenant, and told him that he had taken me under
his charge.