officers made a great noise at me; they asked with passionate emotion why I didn’t let my body fall instead—­“there would have been less mischief done,” said they!  Of course they did not mean that exactly, though to the uninitiated it would have seemed uncommonly like it.  The indications of combined grief and fearful swearing might have meant anything of a violent nature.  I could not be disrated, as I was only a cabin-boy, but a substitutionary penalty was invoked against me.  The chief officer, who had a voice and an eye that indicated whiskey, was a real artist in profane language.  He vowed that as sure as “Hell was in Moses” I would never become worthy the name of a British sailor.  This outburst of alcoholic eloquence touched me keenly, and ever since that time I have wondered wherein this original gentleman saw connection between the great Hebrew law-giver and the nether regions.

The cabin-boy’s duties were not only numerous, but arduous.  Under serious physical penalties he had to keep the cabin, its lamps and brass-work clean, and wash the towels and table-cloths. (The latter were usually made of canvas.) The skipper’s and mate’s beds had to be made, and washing done for them; small stores such as coffee, tea, sugar, biscuits, &c., were under the combined care of him and the commander.  In addition to this, he had to keep all the deck brass-work shining; keep his watch and look-out; and, when he had learned how to steer, take his trick at the helm.  If any of the small sails, such as royals, top-gallant sails, main top-gallant stay-sail, or flying jib had to be taken in, he was expected to be the first to spring into the rigging or along the jib-boom to do it, provided it was his watch on deck.  It was really a sensational sight to witness these mannikins spinning up aloft and handling the flapping sail.  I wonder now that more of them did not come to grief because of the stupid aversion many of the skippers had to allowing them to pass through what is known as the lubber hole—­that is, a hole in the main-and fore-tops leading to the top-mast rigging.  Occasionally both men and boys would lose their hold and fall on the rail, and be smashed to pieces.  Sometimes they struck the rail, were killed outright, and then fell into the sea.  And this is not to be wondered at when it is considered that their bodies were at right angles to the mast while passing over the round top from the main to the top-mast rigging.  The mortality from this cause was, however, very small; such accidents generally occurred on cold, icy days or nights, when the hands had become benumbed.  Yet it was amazing how these mere children managed to hold on at any time.  But that is not all.  If the vessel had to be tacked, it was the cabin-boy’s duty to let go the square mainsail sheet when “tacks and sheets” was called; and when the order was given to “mainsail haul,” that is, swing the main yard round, he had to haul in the opposite main sheet; and if he did not get it in so that the