ad."

"Head, sir," said the man, assuming a vacant look; "what head, sir. Do
you mean the snake's head? I don't know anything about it, sir."

"Strip, sir!" cried the captain, in a rage; "I'll soon bring you to your
senses."

"If you please, your honour, what have I done to be tied up?" said the
man.

"Strip, you scoundrel!"

"Well, sir, if you please, it's hard to be flogged for nothing."

The man pulled off his clothes, and walked up to the grating. The
quarter-masters seized him up.

"Seized up, sir," reported the scoundrel of a sergeant of marines, who
acted as the captain's spy.

The captain looked for the articles of war to read, as is necessary
previous to punishing a man, and was a little puzzled to find one, where
no positive offence had been committed. At last he pitched upon the one
which refers to combination and conspiracy, and creating discontent. We
all took off our hats as he read it, and he then called Mr Paul, the
boatswain, and ordered him to give the man a dozen.

"Please, sir," said the boatswain, pointing to his arm in a sling, "I
can't flog--I can't lift up my arm."

"Your arm was well enough when I came on board, sir," cried the captain.

"Yes, sir; but in hurrying the men up, I slipped down the ladder, and
I'm afraid I've put my shoulder out."

The captain bit his lips; he fully believed it was a sham on the part of
the boatswain (which indeed it was), to get off flogging the men.
"Well, then, where is the chief boatswain's mate, Collins?"

"Here, sir," said Collins, coming forward: a stout, muscular man, nearly
six feet high, with a pig-tail nearly four feet long, and his open
breast covered with black shaggy hair.

"Give that man a dozen, sir," said the captain.

The man looked at the captain, then at the ship's company, and then at
the man seized up, but did not commence the punishment.

"Do you hear me, sir," roared the captain.

"If you please, your honour, I'd rather take my disrating--I--don't wish
to be chief boatswain's mate in this here business."

"Obey your orders, immediately, sir," cried the captain; "or, by God,
I'll try you for mutiny."

"Well, sir, I beg your pardon; but what must be, must be. I mean no
disrespect, Captain Hawkins, but I cannot flog that man--my conscience
won't let me."

"Your _conscience_, sir?"

"Beg your pardon, Captain Hawkins, I've always done my duty, foul
weather or fair; and I've been eighteen years in His Majesty's serv