lled the men by name.

"Sir," said one of the boatswain's mates, "the ship's company say that
they will not submit to be flogged."

"I do not speak to the ship's company generally, Collins," replied I;
"but you are now ordered to rig the gratings, and come on deck. It is an
order that you cannot refuse. Go up directly, and obey it.
Quarter-masters, go on deck with your seizings. When all is ready, you
can then expostulate." The men obeyed my orders; they crawled on deck,
rigged the gratings, and stood by. "All is ready, sir," said I, touching
my hat to the captain.

"Send the ship's company aft, Mr Paul."

"Aft, then, all of you, for punishment," cried the boatswain.

"Yes, it is _all of us for punishment_," cried one voice. "We're all to
flog one another, and then pay off the _jollies_."[1]

This time the men obeyed the order; they all appeared on the
quarter-deck. "The men are all aft, sir," reported the boatswain.

"And now, my lads," said the captain, "I'll teach you what mutiny is.
You see the two frigates alongside of us. You had forgotten them, I
suppose, but I hadn't. Here, you scoundrel, Mr Jones"--(this was the Joe
Miller)--"strip, sir. If ever there was mischief in a ship, you are at
the head."

"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 slippe