y feared the penalty of it, and they
absconded immediately on arrival, and were never heard of by
us again. The Irishman fulfilled his pledge so thoroughly
that he was not only pardoned but kept by the vessel. The
more defiant of them saw the thing through, and received
only a portion of their wages, the bulk of it being deducted
for fines and forfeitures. I am bound to say these men got
what they richly deserved. They had on several occasions
endangered the safety of a handsome and valuable vessel and
the lives of all aboard. But for the loyalty of the petty
officers and the unyielding firmness of a strong, capable
captain underwriters would have had a heavy loss to pay for.

The tale I have been unfolding shows one unwholesome and
vicious aspect of sailor life. There is, happily, a more
attractive, peaceful, and manifestly brighter and purer
aspect; and those who live in it are beloved by every one.

CHAPTER IX

BRUTALITY AT SEA

In those days the deep-sea shipmaster looked upon the
collier skipper as his inferior in everything, and regarded
himself in the light of an important personage. His bearing
was that of a man who believed that he was sent into the
world so that great deeds might be accomplished. He lavishly
patronised everybody, and never disguised his desire to
repudiate all connection with his less imposing
fellow-worker in a different sphere. He would pace the poop
or quarter-deck of his vessel with the air of a monarch.
Sometimes a slight omission of deference to his monarchy
would take place on the part of officers or crew. That was
an infringement of dignity which had to be promptly reproved
by stern disciplinary measures.

There were various methods open to him of inflicting
chastisement. An offending officer was usually ordered to
his berth for twenty-four hours--that is put off duty. The
seamen's offences were rigorously atoned for by their being
what is called "worked up," _i.e.,_ kept on duty during
their watch below; or, what was more provoking still, they
might be ordered to "sweat up" sails that they knew did not
require touching. This idle aggravation was frequently
carried out with the object of getting the men to revolt;
they were then logged for refusing duty and their pay
stopped at the end of the voyage. It was not an infrequent
occurrence for grown men to be handcuffed for some minor
offence that should never have been noticed. The sight of
human suffering and degradat