ge
his hatred and vindictiveness.

"Never mind," said Allen, one day, when sent on some useless mission in
the vicinity of the knight-heads, while the ship was plunging violently,
and sending cataracts of salt water over the bowsprit at every dive;
"never mind, it will be only for a single passage."

"I know that," said Stetson, with an oath; "and I will take good care to
'work you up' well during the passage." And he was as good as his word.

The mate of a ship, especially when the captain is inactive, is not
properly acquainted with his duties, or is disposed to let him pursue
his own course, is vested with great authority. He has it in his
power to contribute to the comfort of the men, and establish that good
understanding between the cabin and the forecastle which should ever
reign in a merchant ship. But it sometimes, unfortunately, happens that
the officers of a ship are men of amazingly little souls; deficient in
manliness of character, illiberal in their sentiments, and jealous of
their authority; and although but little deserving the respect of good
men, are rigorous in exacting it. Such men are easily offended, take
umbrage at trifles, and are unforgiving in their resentments. While they
have power to annoy or punish an individual from whom they have received
real or fancied injuries, they do not hesitate to exercise it.

Every seafaring man, of large experience, has often witnessed the
unpleasant consequences of these old grudges, of this system of
punishing a ship's company, by petty annoyances and unceasing hard work
for some trifling misconduct on the part of one or more of the crew
during the early part of the voyage. A master of a ship must be
aware that the interest of all parties will be promoted by harmony on
shipboard, which encourages the sailors to perform faithfully their
manifold duties. Therefore, a good shipmaster will not only be firm, and
decided, and just, and gentlemanly himself towards his crew, but he will
promptly interfere to prevent unjust and tyrannical conduct on the
part of his officers, when they are inexperienced or of a vindictive
disposition.

When a man is insolent or insubordinate, the punishment or rebuke, if
any is intended, SHOULD BE PROMPTLY ADMINISTERED. The account against
him should not be entered on the books, but balanced on the spot.
Whatever is his due should be paid off to the last stiver, and there the
matter should end, never to be again agitated, or even re