prow eastward.

The only exciting incident during the entire voyage happened at
Nagasaki, when the first officer attempted to use corporal punishment on
the ship's quartermaster who had been ashore and in addition to getting
drunk had succeeded in breaking his kneepan. While he was getting his
wound attended to in the ship's hospital the big burly mate descended
the gangway and struck him a violent blow in the face. Not content with
this brutal treatment the monster had the poor wretch placed in irons
and dragged up the ship's ladder. Just as this procession landed on the
upper deck the soldiers rose unto a man and stopped the performance amid
cries of "throw him overboard." Surprised and astounded at this
interference the worthy officer demanded of the mob if they knew they
were mutinying. To which several of the leaders answered they knew not
under what legal nomenclature such a demonstration could be classed but
that they would carry out their threat to the letter if the castigation
should proceed. At this the cowed dignitary retreated in haste to the
security of his cabin.

The "Hancock" was generally regarded as a fast boat. This may have been
true twenty years before the Nebraskans and Utahns boarded her, but
there were those who doubted the truth of such an assertion. During her
infancy on the Atlantic the boat had struck an iceberg and succeeded in
breaking forty feet off her bow. Since then she has been subject to
periodical disturbances in her interior, consequently her owners
patiently awaited the advent of war, knowing that the United States
Government would purchase her for the transport service at an early
opportunity. It is needless to say she eventually found her way into the
Pacific. On leaving Manila it was the intention of the "Hancock" to
break her own record of eighteen days between San Francisco and that
port. Her new record of thirty days had not yet been announced in the
newspapers. As a matter of fact she did happen to break her machinery
and delay the expedition six hours, causing a break in the fond hopes
which the soldiers had built up.

There was one death during the trip over, Richard Ralph of Battery B,
who died at Nagasaki of typhoid fever on the 15th of July. Corporal
George Williams of the same organization was also left at the same point
owing to a severe attack of the dysentery. Both men were Englishmen and
had enlisted at Eureka. Otherwise the health of the batteries was good.

T