All hands having been paid off, excepting the mate and three apprentices, the task of cooking fell upon the cabin-boy.  He always had to do this when in a home port; that was another of his many functions, and not the least of them, which caused him very frequently to come to grief, though this young man had been impressed with the importance of learning to cook, amongst other things, long before he left home, so that, as a rule, he got along fairly well whenever it became his duty to work up a plain meal, which usually consisted of soup and doboys, that is, small dumplings boiled in the soup with the beef.  A double-decker sea-pie was not only a favourite mess, but was considered even a luxury at that time, and most sailor-boys could cook it.  It was made in a large pan or in the galley coppers, and consisted of the following ingredients:  A layer of potatoes, small pieces of beef and onions well seasoned with pepper and salt, and covered over with water; then a deck of paste with a hole in the middle to allow the water to have free access, then more potatoes, beef, onions, and kidney, and then the final deck of paste, and a suitable amount of water were added.  It was quite a common thing whilst these exploits of cookery were going on, for the skinflint skipper to stand over the boy, and if he detected him taking too thick a skin from the potato, he was lucky if he got off with a severe reprimand.  It was usually an open-handed blow, intended sternly to enforce economy.  Well, the vessel had been in port four days, and many acquaintances had been made by the cabin-boy, who had given his confidences to a select few.  He was invited to go to a wake one night by the son of a gentleman who kept a shoe shop.  This was an uproarious evening, from which he gathered new experiences.  As he was ashore at liberty he deemed it prudent to be punctual in going on board.  On getting on deck the master, who was standing on the poop, called him to him, and desired to know where he had been, and why he was ashore so late.  He replied that he was not late, but aboard at the time his liberty had expired, and that he had been at a wake.  The poor man nearly expired on the spot!  He gasped in a screeching sort of tone, “A wake?  You damned young hemp!  And your father a Protestant!  I’ll learn you to go to a wake!  I’ll teach you to disgrace your family and myself!  No more shore for you, sir!”

And for the purpose of emphasising his displeasure the inevitable rope’s-end was freely used, to the accompaniment of language that did not bear the impress of a saintly condition of mind, though he obviously derived comfort from the thought that he was upholding the dignity and traditions of the true Protestant faith.  As soon as his conscience was appeased, he asked the Almighty’s forgiveness for having used profane language, and ordered the boy to go to bed!  He went to bed, but not to sleep; the result of his musings on these everlasting bullyings and thrashings was that at two o’clock