THE CAT-O'-NINE-TAILS
No red tape was wasted upon us. The formalities were few. Being taken
into a small building, we took off all our clothing, which was tied in
bundles with our names on them; then, after we had each received a pair
of blue overalls and a blue shirt, the change was complete. Barefooted
and bareheaded, we were marched to the cell houses and locked up. Food
was scarce the first day. We had nothing to eat, as no rations had been
issued for us. The second day only one meal was provided, a small one at
that. The third day, however, we would get all the law allowed. My
appetite was getting quite keen about this time. When the prospect of
getting something to eat looked promising, they found out that a slight
mistake had been made in our case.
The English consul had leased a small building on the premises as a
lock-up for British sailors who got into trouble or refused to do duty
on their respective ships. When the vessels were ready for sea, the
sailors would be put on board and all the expenses deducted from their
wages. So we were dressed up again and marched over to the consul's
pen. The same trouble about the food occurred there. If they had made
just one more mistake we certainly should have starved to death. In a
few days we were marched to the consulate and then returned to the
Madagascar. Our experience on shore had been a novelty but not
entirely a pleasant one. A warm reception was given us on the
frigate--twenty-eight days each of solitary confinement on bread and
water, twenty-one days on the black-list and lying in irons from
sunset until sunrise. The value of the lost boat and all expenses,
including the reward, was to be deducted from our wages, and, besides,
we would have to pay for a new outfit of clothing. At nine dollars a
month, it would be some time before our accounts would be squared up.
Jim and I swore point-blank that we knew nothing about the boat, and
they never got it back. Somebody was ahead a new boat, anyhow. I never
paid my share of the loss, either. Matt, the half-breed, was caught in
a coffee-saloon before ten o'clock of the same morning and at once
taken back to the ship. On our arrival he was doing "solitary." The
greenhorn was the only one of the party to get away. Aft, on the lower
or third deck, was the midshipmen's and clerks' mess-room, on one side
of the deck. Abaft that was a bulkhead or partition which left a space
to the stern that was used as a store-room for the admiral's and
captain's supplies. In there was also a room used as the "solitary."
Forward of the partition was where the prisoners were kept in irons.
Iron bars ten feet in length, a knot on one end, a padlock on the
other, and a big lot of shackles completed the outfit. The men would
sit on deck in a row, each one placing a shackle on each ankle. The
first man would run the end of the bar through the eyes of his shackle
and then the next would do the same, the padlock was fastened, and we
would be secure for the night. The bar lay underneath, resting on
deck. Walking or standing was impossible. The midshipmen and clerks
swung their hammocks above us. Once in a while we would rap on the
partition and, through the crack, would inquire about Matt's health
and comfort, "If the hardtack and water agreed with him, and how would
he like a nice beefsteak?" As Matt was in the "solitary," Jim and I
had to wait for our turn. So we were doing the black-list and iron
punishment together. About the time my black-list was half over I got
into more trouble.
The captain lived on shore, near the Sugar Loaf. His boat had left the
ship and some article which he wanted had been forgotten. Such a
dereliction was simply terrible. The captain of a man-of-war in those
days was a trifle more despotic than the Czar of Russia. A cutter with
fourteen oars was "called away" in a hurry to rectify the mistake, but a
man was short for the crew. The lieutenant gave orders for some one to
get into the boat. Just then I was working by the companion-way--the
ladder on ship's side. Much to my surprise, I was told to be more active
in obeying orders and to get into the cutter. I did so. My being a
prisoner at the time seemed not to have been taken into consideration.
It was quite a distance to shore down the bay. The man next me on the
thwart gave me a nudge and said, "Mike, my mon, show 'em your 'eels on
shore." The others near me also had something to say, much to my
annoyance, as I did not want any one to suspect what my intentions were.
We landed soon after the captain's boat did. There being no midshipman
in the cutter, we all stepped on shore. One of the men spoke to the
coxswain in a low tone, and I was ordered back into the cutter. I
refused and stated that I was going to a saloon for a drink. I walked
away rather quickly. Looking back, I saw that all the men excepting one
were running after me. Then I ran as fast as possible towards a steep
rocky hill. I was gaining on them rapidly. Some perpendicular rocks
prevented my going farther in that direction. Then I turned around,
intending to run down the hill and break through the crowd for another
race. Just as I got near them, I stumbled, falling on my face and
rolling over into a hole full of muddy water. I was badly hurt and my
nose was bleeding freely. They took me to the cutter and pulled off to
the frigate.
On our arrival all had to go on deck and stand in a line toeing a seam,
to be searched for smuggled liquor by the ship's corporal, the
lieutenant looking on. Then the coxswain reported me for attempting to
run away. The lieutenant saw that I was covered with mud and blood. He
asked me if the report was true. I answered "Yes," and told him that the
whole boat's crew were a dirty lot of curs for bringing me back after
inducing me to run. The lieutenant looked at them all slowly, and then
at me. With a contemptuous sneer, he said, "Thank you, men," and sent
them forward, at the same time ordering me to be put in irons. The
ship's corporal led me away below, at the same time growling about the
trouble he was having on my account. About half an hour afterward my
old friend, the corporal, made his appearance. He released me from irons
and escorted me on deck. The lieutenant asked me if I was badly hurt,
and all particulars in regard to my running away. Much to my surprise,
he told me to resume my work, that he was to blame in a measure himself,
as he had no right to allow a prisoner to leave the ship.
My first business was to see the coxswain and some of the boat's crew
and give them a good plain cursing. In a few days afterward, Matt's time
in the "solitary" expired and I was locked up in his place. One half
pound of hardtack per day and one quart of water was my allowance.
Nothing very interesting occurred during the time, excepting once when
the captain's steward came into the store-room one day for some wine. He
spoke to me through the small iron-barred window which was in the
partition on the store-room side. He told me to get my tin cup and hold
it up to the bars. With a piece of paper he made a funnel and filled my
cup full of good sherry wine. Crackers and raisins were also given me,
so I had a high old time all to myself that day. The twenty-eight days
expired and all my punishment was over. Jimmy relieved me, and when he
went into the door it was the last time we ever saw each other. After
all the hard times and many scrapes we had got into together, we parted
without a chance to shake hands. I never heard of him afterward. Twice
while in Liverpool, England, I went to his address, 17 Lower Frederick
Street, but no one knew anything about him.
Matt, the half-breed, and I got to be friendly and both of us were
determined to get away from the frigate. Our only chance was to swim
ashore, we not being trusted in any of the boats. It was necessary to
wait for a night when there would be no moon and a flood-tide running in
from the sea. In the meantime, to avert suspicion, I started making my
new clothing. The blue cloth for my best trousers at Government prices
was one pound sterling. That I had smuggled from the ship and on shore,
to be sold. I was to receive half of what it would sell for. In a few
days I received five milreis and a long skin of cashass. The cashass is
put in skins such as are used for bologna sausage. In that form it can
easily be secreted about a sailor's clothing and smuggled on board. The
cashass I gave to Matt for safe-keeping, as we should need a good drink
before taking our long swim. The five milreis in silver I put in a small
bag hanging round my neck. Every night we would sneak up to the gun
deck. The prospects not being favourable, we would postpone our trip.
One night while I was awake, the ship's corporal came to my hammock with
a lantern in his hands. He took a look at me and then went away. I knew
then that our plan to go was known. After that I remained in my hammock
and let Matt do the prospecting. Finally, one morning, we concluded to
make the attempt that night. During the day I had my bag from the rack
to do some sewing, and Matt came to me with a blue flannel shirt and
asked me to put it in my bag for a while, which, unfortunately, I did.
That night the corporal came to my hammock twice before midnight; then
I dozed off to sleep and was awakened by some one feeling my face. It
was Matt. He was quite drunk and insisted upon my taking a drink from
the skin. He said he was then going to the gun deck to get a rope ready
for getting into the water and would return for me when all was ready.
That was the last I saw of him. I waited for a while. The effects of the
strong liquor put me into a sound sleep. The next thing I knew was that
the crew were holystoning the gun deck. The noise of the stones right
over my head had awakened me. I put on my clothes and tried to sneak in
among them unobserved, but the attempt was a failure. The boatswain saw
me. "Hello, Mike, where did you come from? I thought you had gone ashore
with Matt," was the salute I received.
It seems that when all hands were called, we were missed at once. Matt's
hammock, being the nearest, was examined. He being gone, it was
concluded that I was with him. I tried to play innocent, but it was of
no use. After breakfast I was ordered before the first lieutenant and
reported for not turning out to scrub decks, and then for aiding and
abetting desertion. My bag was brought from the rack and examined. The
blue cloth was missing. A stolen shirt, with the owner's name under the
collar, was found. Matt stole that shirt. It was the one he had asked me
to keep for him. Conduct detrimental to discipline in Her Majesty's
service was another charge. The lieutenant then laid down the law to me
in splendid style, and ended thus: "Now, Michael Murray, you have made
considerable trouble on this frigate, and I shall see that you get 'four
dozen.' Then you can desert--that is, if you get the chance. Corporal,
put him in irons." When the corporal put the padlock on the bar, he
said: "Mike, my lad, you're in for it now!"
About five days afterward I was taken on the quarter-deck again. The
lieutenant wanted to know who brought the cashass on board to Matt and
myself. I replied that I knew nothing about it and that I had never seen
Matt with the liquor in his possession. Then I was told that Matt's body
had been found floating in the bay. He had on all his clothes excepting
cap and shoes. Inside of his shirt was found the skin containing a small
quantity of cashass. He must have been quite drunk or he would not have
tried to swim such a distance with his clothes on; or it may be that he
fell overboard and that that was the reason he did not come back for me
as he promised.
"Four dozen" on an English man-of-war means flogging with the
cat-o'-nine-tails. The "cat" is a hardwood handle eighteen inches long,
to one end of which are attached nine pieces of hard lines, about one
eighth of an inch in diameter and eighteen inches long. At the end of
each tail is a hard knot. When punishment is to be inflicted the "tails"
are soaked in strong brine. That makes them hard and heavy. A wooden
grating from a hatchway is placed on end, resting against the bulwarks.
All hands are called to witness punishment. Everybody must be present,
from the captain to the powder boys. The prisoner is stripped naked to
the waist, his feet are lashed to the bottom of the grating, and his
arms are stretched out full length and fastened. The face and breast
are then close to the grating, with no chance remaining of moving the
body. The ship's surgeon watches to see that the prisoner does not die
while being punished. The boatswain's mate is on the left side. He
swings the "cat" over his head with the right hand, at the same time
drawing the tails through his left hand. At every stroke nine stripes
are cut on the prisoner's back, the knots at the same time making little
holes in the skin, about two seconds elapsing between each stroke. After
two dozen strokes have been given, the boatswain's mate steps to the
other side of the prisoner and gives the remaining two dozen, the skin
being cut by that means into diamond-shaped pieces. By the time the
punishment is over the man will be covered with blood and greatly
exhausted.
I had been keeping very quiet for the last few days in order to avert
suspicion. I had been examining the old shackles, and found two that
would release me from the bar at any time. One was quite large. By
taking off my shoe I could squeeze my foot from the bar. The other
shackle must have been an odd one, as it had extra large eyes, and would
slip nicely over the knob at the end of the bar. I laid them on the deck
to have them handy, then I sent for the corporal to take me to the
water-closet. When I returned I picked up the shackles that I wanted and
placed them over my ankles. When he had gone I put all the other
shackles away out of reach so there could be no mixing up. My mind
rested easy then. I was having a chance to go before the flogging,
instead of after, as the lieutenant proposed. At last, the day for my
punishment was set. The captain had come on board the frigate and my
conduct was reported. I was brought before him and the charges read to
me. Orders were given to have me flogged with the "Thieves'"
cat-o'-nine-tails at eight o'clock the next morning. "Four dozen lashes
on the bare back." The "Thieves' cat" meant two knots in the tail
instead of one. I was to receive extra punishment for a crime I never
committed, but the finding of the shirt in my bag had been sufficient.