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diff --git a/old/64896-0.txt b/old/64896-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 13adffb..0000000 --- a/old/64896-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,9461 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Men of the Merchant Service, by Frank -Thomas Bullen - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: The Men of the Merchant Service - Being the polity of the mercantile marine for 'longshore readers - -Author: Frank Thomas Bullen - -Release Date: March 21, 2021 [eBook #64896] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: MWS, Graeme Mackreth and the Online Distributed Proofreading - Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from - images generously made available by The Internet - Archive/Canadian Libraries) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE MEN OF THE MERCHANT -SERVICE *** - - - - - - THE MEN OF THE MERCHANT - SERVICE - - - - - THE MEN - - OF THE - - MERCHANT SERVICE - - BEING - - _THE POLITY OF THE MERCANTILE MARINE - FOR 'LONGSHORE READERS_ - - - BY - - FRANK T. BULLEN, F.R.G.S. - - AUTHOR OF "THE CRUISE OF THE 'CACHALOT,'" "THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF," - "IDYLLS OF THE SEA," ETC. - - - LONDON - - SMITH, ELDER & CO., 15, WATERLOO PLACE - - 1900 - - (_All rights reserved_) - - - - - PRINTED BY - WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, - LONDON AND BECCLES. - - - - - TO - - RUDYARD KIPLING - - IN GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF BOTH HIS - - WONDERFUL GENIUS - - AND HIS GREAT KINDNESS - - TO - - THE AUTHOR - - - - -PREFACE. - - -It has been repeatedly represented to me by disinterested friends, -that among the innumerable works of both fact and fiction dealing with -the sea, there are none telling in a comprehensive way what are the -conditions of life in the Merchant Service; in other words, that there -is no work to which a parent, yielding to his son's importunity to -be allowed to go to sea, and seeking to know something of the nature -of things on board of a merchant ship in detail, can turn with the -assurance that he may there find what he needs. Nor can the youth -anxious to go to sea in the Merchant Service find any guidance which -will at once be comprehensive and reliable compacted into one handy -volume. And as these same friends have done me the honour to suggest -that I have the qualifications necessary for producing such a work, -I have, not at all unwillingly, acceded to their suggestions, and -undertaken the task. - -The recollection of many kindly criticisms on the preface to the "Log -of a Sea-Waif," scolding me good-naturedly for what it has pleased them -to term my exaggerated modesty, prevents me from sinning now in that -direction. I will merely say that I have done my best to justify my -friends' confidence in me, and that I earnestly hope the book will not -fall too far short of their expectations. - -The planning of such a work seems to be comparatively easy. The -first thing that suggested itself was the setting forth, in a series -of chapters, the duties, required qualifications, difficulties, -privileges, etc., of the various members of a ship's company. - -A doubt has naturally arisen in my mind as to how far it is justifiable -to deal with sailing ships in these latter days. My own personal -knowledge and predilections are on the side of the "wind-jammer," and -consequently I feel the less inclined to deal with her perfunctorily. -I cannot, however, conceal from myself the fact that the passing of -the sailing ship is being greatly accelerated of late years, and -that in all probability another twenty years will witness her final -disappearance. On the other hand, I should not be at all surprised -to see a sudden recrudescence of sailing ship building. Considering -the sailing ship's economy, her vast carrying capacity, the fact that -her very slowness as compared with the steamer is actually no mean -advantage in a great number of instances, viz. to quote one, where -goods are bought in a low market and are not required by the buyer -for some months, so that their shipment by a sailer actually saves -warehouse charges as well as freight--I cannot understand why the -sailer should be suffered to disappear. Nevertheless, as engineering -science advances, economies will doubtless be found possible in -steamships which will so greatly lessen their expenses as to make the -competition of sailers out of the question. The opening of a Panama -Canal, too, which will certainly not be much longer delayed, will -deal a tremendous blow at the vast sailing trade around Cape Horn. It -seems, indeed, destined to be the final factor in the elimination of -the sailing ship. Meanwhile the white-winged fleets come and go in -far greater numbers than landsmen have any idea of; and as nearly all -authorities are agreed that, in spite of the immense strides taken by -steam navigation, the sailing ship is still the only school wherein to -train a thorough seafarer, she will certainly receive her full need of -attention here. - -Care has been taken to avoid, as far as possible, all technical -treatment of the subject. I have not assumed the possession of too much -nautical knowledge on the part of my prospective readers; not nearly -as much, for instance, as would be permissible in a work of fiction. -Having before me, too, the hope that sons as well as parents will be -able to read and enjoy, as well as thoroughly grasp the meaning of this -book, I have aimed at making it entertaining, giving a plentiful supply -of anecdotes as well to illustrate as to lighten what might easily -become rather "stodgy." - -Finally, I feel constrained to add that, even if my friends are -wrong, and there are works with which they, as well as myself, are -not acquainted, better calculated to serve the purpose for which this -book is intended, I have the temerity to believe that no apology is -necessary for its appearance. The overwhelming importance of our -over-sea commerce to Great Britain cannot be too greatly emphasized, -while the astounding ignorance of maritime matters manifested by -British people generally makes one gasp in amazement. Any book, -therefore, that does anything to popularize knowledge of Mercantile -Marine details cannot be superfluous in this country; and should -this present one succeed in bringing home to our inland dwellers -with any clearness the conditions of life on board the vessels upon -whose regular advent depend our supplies of daily food, I shall feel -abundantly justified in issuing it to my countrymen. - - Dulwich, - _July, 1900_. - - - - -SYNOPSIS. - - - CHAPTER I. - - THE RISE OF THE MASTER (IDEAL). - - PAGE - - Magnitude of the Merchant Service--Ignorance of its details - ashore--Want of information upon the subject--Popularity - of sea-fiction--And unreliability of its details--"Master" or - "Captain"--Cadet ships--Their value--The way up (ideal) 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - THE RISE OF THE MASTER (REAL). - - Apprentice difficulties--Sketch of an officer's progress--Looking - for a ship--Classification of masters--Range between - Atlantic "liner" and foreign-going schooner--Enviable - position of the master of a "liner"--Pilots' responsibility--Reliable - officers--But the master is emperor--All responsibility - centres in him 9 - - - CHAPTER III. - - THE MASTER (OF A TRAMP). - - Tramp masters--Less pay, more work--Hardships of tramps--Economical - owners--Anxious considerations--And all-round - qualifications--The aristocracy of tramps--Shore - berths for old skippers--Black sheep 18 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - THE MASTER (SAILING SHIPS). - - Sailing ships--Their gradations--The beauty of seamanship - in Sunda Straits--Ship handling and pluck--Devilish - ships--Local knowledge _v._ "book larnin'"--The Horn--"Swansea - men"--A glorious old skipper--Overdue ships--Mediocrities 26 - - - CHAPTER V. - - THE MASTER (SAILING SHIP)--_continued_. - - The skipper's temptations--His power over young officers--Painting - _v._ sailorizing--And the result--Various temperaments - of skippers--The discipline of the "Yank"--And of - the "Blue-nose"--Their seamanship--The "Down Easter"--The - Yankee clipper--His passion for cleanliness--And - brutality--Elementary methods 36 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - THE MASTER'S QUALITIES. - - The personal equation--An ideal commander--Want of tact--They - do these things better in "Yanks"--Good to have a - hobby--High standard of excellence--Difficulties of the - British shipmaster with respect to his crew--Unpalatable - truths--The fear of God--Honesty of shipmasters--Incitements - to dishonesty 45 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - THE MASTER'S DUTIES. - - A glimpse of navigation--The unstable compass--Dead reckoning--Pilotage - anxieties--The shipmaster as trustee--As lawyer--As - doctor--Rough-and-ready surgery--A true hero--The - "malingerer" 53 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - THE MASTER'S DUTIES--_continued_. - - Voluntary duties--Knowledge of engineering--Of ship construction--Of - natural history--The danger of drink--A drunkard - or two--A memorable voyage--The Blue-nose skipper--His - all-round excellence 63 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - THE MATE. - - The "mate and his duties"--An ancient and honourable title--His - range of importance--A long step from mate to master--Both - in position and pay--Education of British officers--Examinations 73 - - - CHAPTER X. - - THE MATE'S WORK. - - A good mate precious above rubies--Some difficulties of the - young mate--Sensitiveness--Manager of a large business--A - great gulf between tramp and liner for the mate--Low - wages--Difficult generalship--A scandalous miscarriage of - justice--Again better in the "Yank"--Compensations 82 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - THE MATE'S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP). - - Peculiarities of status--The excellence of the sailing-ship - mate--"Humouring" a ship--Care of her aloft--The mate's right-hand - man--Keeping them at it--The joy of a good sailing - ship--A happy mate--Keeping the log 91 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - THE MATE'S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP)--_continued_. - - Ideal log-book literature--Ruffianly mates--But splendid seamen--A - "nigger-driver"--The mate as cargo clerk and warehouseman--His - temptations--An exultant Hebrew--The - drink question again--The mate's privileges 101 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - THE SECOND MATE (IN STEAM). - - "Hazing" a second mate--His importance--His assured - excellence in a liner--Careful selection--Really first lieutenant - in a liner--But in the tramp "a servant of servants - shall he be"--An upper housemaid--An anomalous position--As - stevedore--The Yankee second mate 112 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - THE SECOND MATE (FIRST STEPS). - - The passing of the "Board"--School-boy work--Theoretical - navigation--Practical seamanship--Colour-blindness--Queer - instruction--A kindly examiner--The astonishment of the - schoolmaster--Only mate--And "bo'sun-second-mate" 121 - - - CHAPTER XV. - - THE SECOND MATE (OF A SAILING SHIP). - - The difference between steam and sail--A kindly skipper for a - beginner--The second mate's position as pupil--The seamy - side--Everybody's dog--Again the difference between lime-juicer - and Yank--The second mate of the _East Lothian_--Oh, - what a surprise!--The value of muscle--The want of - discipline in our ships 131 - - - CHAPTER XVI. - - THE THIRD MATE. - - Of great importance or none at all--A suggestion from the Navy--No - respect due to him--The owner's pet--The poop - ornament--His bringing up--A lost opportunity--The bully - third mate of an American ship--An error in judgment--Idlers 142 - - - CHAPTER XVII. - - THE BO'SUN. - - A romantic figure--Rough but genuine--The naval bo'sun--The - working foreman--Bo'sun and "lamps" combined--The - old-time bo'sun--A thorough sailor--A queer bo'sun--A - broken-down bo'sun--A brevet bo'sun 151 - - - CHAPTER XVIII. - - THE CARPENTER. - - His general excellence--And unique position--A man of many - qualifications--All carpenters in British North America--As - in Finland--"Chips" and sailor too--An independent - member--Always plenty of work--The whaleship carpenters--And - boat-builder 161 - - - CHAPTER XIX. - - THE SAILMAKER. - - An occupation that is passing--Its fascination for good sailors--The - art and mystery of sailmaking--The Yankee sailmaker--His - contempt for British sails--Like the carpenter, the - sailmaker always has plenty to do--The beauty of sails 171 - - - CHAPTER XX. - - THE STEWARD (IN STEAM). - - Wide range of status--But always a steward--Wonderful - management--A small army to control--Work never done--The - tramp steward--His duties and difficulties--The - "providore" 180 - - - CHAPTER XXI. - - THE STEWARD (SAILING SHIPS). - - The passenger sailing ship almost extinct--Consequently few - chief stewards in sail--The responsible steward--The - captain's pet--Funny little ways--A bitter experience--The - Yankee steward--His onerous post--The stewardess--My - friend's pathetic story 188 - - - CHAPTER XXII. - - THE COOK (IN STEAM). - - The most interesting figure on board ship--A chef indeed--Where - do they come from?--Difficulties of ship cookery--Under - the best conditions--Careful, hard-working men--Australian - cooks--Black Sam--Humpy Bill--His tribulations - and triumphs--The cook of a tramp 195 - - - CHAPTER XXIII. - - THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS). - - His materials--His usual qualifications--No room for a good - cook--Good sailing ships--And bad--From the food point - of view--Bad food wasteful as well as dear--The craving - for vegetable--The cook's day's work--So different in - Yankee ships--Blue-nose cookery--"Cracker hash"--"Duff" 205 - - - CHAPTER XXIV. - - THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS)--_continued_. - - Salt junk--The never-satisfied sailor--Pork and peas--Dirty - cooking--Abysmal ignorance--A lower depth--Bad weather 215 - - - CHAPTER XXV. - - THE APPRENTICE (SUGGESTIONS). - - A serious matter--Want of knowledge--The system of apprenticeship--Need - for revision--The influx of foreign officers--No - want of aspirants here--An experience of my own--No-premium - apprentices--Training ships--The housing of sea - apprentices--A vexed question--To stop the waste of young - seamen--An A.B. no mere labourer--A good example--A - model ship for apprentices--Training ships in America 223 - - - CHAPTER XXVI. - - THE APPRENTICE (SOME FACTS CONCERNING HIS LIFE). - - The average boy's helplessness--The need for lessons in homely - things--An unhappy home--Waste of outfit--Need of - personal supervision--And honest treatment--Apprentices - substituted for sailors--Some instances--All depends upon - the master--Wasted years--The embryo officer in the U.S. - and Canada 234 - - - CHAPTER XXVII. - - THE APPRENTICE (SOME PRACTICAL INFORMATION). - - How to get your boy to sea--Beware of the apprenticeship - broker--A typical instance--Some hints as to outfit--A list - of necessaries--The choice of a ship--Personal relations of - parents with officers--Hints to apprentices themselves 244 - - - CHAPTER XXVIII. - - THE A.B. (GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS). - - The "common sailor"--His one-sided view of things--His - difficulties--The reading sailor--Argumentative qualities--His - shyness ashore--The religious sailor--Misconceptions of - his duties--Hardships of good men from the shipment of - duffers--The skilled A.B., some of his duties--The "steamboat - sailor"--One instance 253 - - - CHAPTER XXIX. - - THE A.B. (HIS ROUTINE). - - Some details fixed--Others varying indefinitely according to the - will of the master--The incidence of watches--Difference of - work in steamships and sailing vessels--No easy times in - American ships--Keeping them "at it"--Wheel and look-out - case in point 263 - - - CHAPTER XXX. - - THE A.B. (HIS POSITION). - - Putting a premium on incompetency--The steamship partly to - blame--Are we getting lazy?--The need for a Naval Reserve? - Why does the Reserve languish?--Not a bad life after all--Plenty - of British seamen to be got--But they must have - discipline 276 - - - CHAPTER XXXI. - - THE O.S. (ORDINARY SEAMAN). - - His elimination--No system--Many better than A.B.'s in the - same ship--A typical instance--An O.S.'s duties--A piece - of technical detail, crossing a royal yard--His position in - the fo'c'sle--"A servant of servants shall he be"--A rough-and-ready - way out 283 - - - CHAPTER XXXII. - - THE BOY. - - A romantic figure--Changed conditions--The bad old days--Better - treatment forward than aft--The unfair change for a - boy from the training ship to the trading ship--Cleanliness - barred--Bad advice--What to do for him--Running away - to sea--An old-time shipping office--Small ships, bad and - good 294 - - - CHAPTER XXXIII. - - THE ENGINEER. - - Need for literary engineers--A noble calling--Its perils and its - pride--No sea-joys for the engineer--A nineteenth-century - hero--A unique profession--Producing a high-grade man--The - evolution of the marine engineer--No foreigners allowed--The - E.R.A.--In case of war--No mere mechanic--The - blindness of the Admiralty with regard to the engineer 305 - - - CHAPTER XXXIV. - - THE FIREMAN AND TRIMMER. - - Why do men become firemen?--A terrible calling--Some of his - duties--The voice of steam--Better drunk--Cleaning fires--The - slavery of civilization--A lower deep--Are we - nearing finality? 317 - - - CHAPTER XXXV. - - CONCLUSION. - - Pertinent questions--The whole truth--Does magnanimity - answer?--The peril of the alien--No Trade Union for - sailors--The officer's chance--A valuable educational factor--Our - national safeguard--Finis 328 - - - - -THE MEN OF THE MERCHANT SERVICE. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -THE RISE OF THE MASTER (IDEAL). - - -Viewed from whatever standpoint we may choose, it is impossible to -arrive at any other conclusion than that the British Mercantile -Marine is not only the greatest British industry, but that, for its -overwhelming importance and far-reaching effect upon mankind, it is the -most stupendous monument of human energy and enterprise that the world -has ever seen. Yet, with that peculiar absence of pride in our own -institutions, that easy-going magnanimity which, in spite of what not -only foreign writers, but many of our own authors assert, is really the -most distinctive characteristic of the British race, we show but little -appreciation of this marvel of commercial genius and concentrated -effort. Dependent by our own action upon our ships for food, we evince -no alarm at the possibility of disaster to these main arteries of our -national life. Go where you will, up and down this country of ours, -and, except among people directly engaged in shipping business, or a -few earnest souls who think it is their duty to know something of the -conditions under which their dear ones live, you will find scarcely any -knowledge of the British Merchant Service at all. The vast majority of -people know of but one form of seafaring, _the_ Navy, as they call it, -_par excellence_; and if a man tells them that he is a sailor, they -are disinclined to believe him unless he wear the familiar loose blue -clothing and gold-lettered cap of the man-o'-war's-man. - -But this is a trivial matter compared with the ignorance of the great -matters of life and death wrapped up in our Mercantile Marine. That -lads eager to get out upon what has tacitly come to be regarded as our -peculiar domain--the open sea--and there uphold the traditions of the -race, should not know where to go for information concerning it that -can be relied upon, seems strange to-day. Stranger still that, instead -of all manner of facilities being given to our own youths who wish to -become seamen, all manner of disheartening hindrances should be put -in their way. And what shall we say in face of the almost universal -manifestation of malevolence towards us by foreign powers in what -they believe to be our hour of tribulation, of a British minister who -from his high position declares he sees no cause for alarm in the -prospect of our merchant ships being entirely manned by foreigners? -It is only one more proof that the ignorance of our greatest industry -is universal; that, from the highest class to the lowest, our people -have grown to look upon this most important of our national assets, -this indispensable bridging of the ocean for the supply of our daily -food, as something no more needing our thoughtful attention than the -recurrence of the seasons or the incidence of day and night. - -And yet books about the sea are usually popular. In spite of the -technicalities involved (usually wrong, owing to the want of a -first-hand acquaintance with the subject), almost any sea-fiction -will sell. So long as the story be good, the plot workmanlike, the -great mass of the reading public will not criticize the nautical -technique from lack of ability; they take it for granted, and learn -nothing from it. Exceptions may be gratefully remembered, especially -Kipling, whose nautical stories, like his engineering ones, have no -flaws. They might have been written by a man who had spent his life -upon the sea, and had served in all grades. In like manner did R.L. -Stevenson grasp detail in the "Wrecker" and the "Ebb-tide;" while to -read Morley Roberts' work in this direction is to sit again in the dim -fo'c'sle, with the reek of the slush-lamp mingled with most pungent -tobacco-smoke and a dozen other unholy odours making your nostrils -tingle, while outside the sea-voices murmur their accompaniment to the -long yarn being spun within. There are others, but of them only one can -be here mentioned--that brilliant, wayward man of splendid abilities -and attainments, J.F. Keene. He has gone, and left no one to fill his -place. Intolerant of civilized life, he fled from it to the freedom -of the tramp or the fo'c'sle scallywag, and drank deep of the cup of -life as he loved it. But his books do not make light reading. They are -compounded of blood and iron, and bitter as the brine that stained his -manuscript. - -But this preliminary digression is keeping us from consideration of the -important character we have to become acquainted with--the shipmaster, -or captain, as he is, by courtesy only, usually styled. No commander -of a merchant vessel, no matter how magnificent she may be, is legally -entitled to be called Captain. That honourable title belongs only to -the Royal Navy. Mr. So-and-so, master of the ship "So-and-so," is all -that the most experienced and highly placed merchant seaman may claim. -And yet it may well be doubted whether even the proudest captain of -a ship of war has more varied qualifications for his splendid post -than the ideal shipmaster. Difficulties that never trouble the naval -man meet his "opposite number" in the Merchant Service at every turn, -not to be evaded, but met and justified by success, or else loss of -appointment, and the pinch of poverty follows promptly. - -The road to this eminent position is a plain and simple one. In its -most favourable traversing the would-be master has parents who can -afford to send him direct from school to such a nautical training -college as H.M.S. _Worcester_ or H.M.S. _Conway_--the former a -splendid vessel of the old wooden-wall type, moored in the Thames -off Greenhithe, and commanded by a most able merchant seaman, David -Wilson-Barker, Esq., F.R.S.E., F.R.G.S., F.Z.S., etc., himself an -alumnus of the _Worcester_; and the latter a kindred vessel moored -in the Mersey. Here the aspirant is thoroughly taught the theory and -practice of navigation in all its ramifications, while those branches -of study which he was pursuing at school are carried on in a generous -spirit. Seamanship, as far as it can be taught on board a stationary -vessel, takes naturally a most prominent place in the training scheme, -while naval architecture, languages, engineering, and nautical science -all have their allotted place. - -So useful are all the subjects taught to the average man, that one -is tempted to believe that no college course in the country is more -admirably calculated to fit him for the battle of life, whether he -goes to sea or not. Dull indeed must the youngster be who does not -emerge from the _Worcester_ or the _Conway_, upon the completion -of his three years, better calculated to make his way in the world -than any lad of the same age is upon leaving a public school. The -Board of Trade have frankly recognized this by allowing the course -on board these training-ships to count as one year's sea-service in -the required qualification for second mate. That is to say, while the -ordinary candidate for a second mate's certificate must produce either -completed apprentice indentures for four years or certificates of -discharge for the same length of sea-service, one year of which must -have been served as an able seaman, the old _Worcester_ or _Conway_ -boy need only produce a record of three years' sea-service to entitle -him to enter as a candidate. Now, assuming that the youngster has -finished his training-ship course with credit, and been duly bound as -an apprentice in a fine sailing-ship belonging to a good firm, his -way is clear before him. Passing through his probationary period -undaunted by the none too easy life he has led, he appears before the -examiners of the Board of Trade, and if he has only kept up the most -cursory acquaintance with the navigation he knew when he left the -training-vessel, his "passing" is ridiculously easy. I do not propose -to discuss here a much-vexed question, but will merely state that it -has often been proposed, as a remedy for what has been considered the -too low status of the shipmaster, that the standard set by the Board -of Trade should be periodically raised until the amount of education -required for successfully passing it would enable those paying for -it to demand higher salaries and more honourable recognition of -their position. No doubt it would greatly tend to lessen the numbers -obtaining certificates of competency, but, alas! there seems also no -doubt that, as things are at present, it would greatly increase the -number of alien officers in command of British ships. - -Well, our young friend has his second mate's certificate, but unless he -be exceptionally fortunate he will have to make a voyage as third mate -before he takes up the position to which it entitles him. As third mate -in his old ship, or a similar one belonging to the same company, he may -be gradually permitted to keep a watch, to stand on the quarter-deck in -charge of a hundred thousand pounds' worth of property and thirty or -forty lives. (Of course, throughout I am speaking of the sailing-ship, -since she is as yet, in all but two or three instances, the recognized -medium for the beginner.) Pursuing his career with care, he reaches -home ready to take a ship as second mate, and if the firm he serves -is what it ought to be, no long time will elapse before such a berth -is ready for him. One twelvemonth's voyage as second mate, and he may -again approach the examiners for his chief mate's certificate. Again -he should find not the slightest difficulty in passing, the additional -qualifications required from him being quite simple. Should he be very -lucky, he will get a berth now as chief officer; but even if he be -compelled to go another voyage as second, he will be permitted to pass -the Board of Trade examination for master on his return, providing -he can show that he has acted for two years as second mate. With his -master's certificate in his possession, it is only a question of time -until he stands in the proud position of monarch of his little realm, -and that time may be greatly shortened in many cases if he happen to -have a comfortable sum of money to invest in the ship. - -Should he desire to equip himself with all the certificates which -the Board of Trade can grant, he will proceed at once to undergo -the examination for Master Extra; he will also "pass in steam"--an -examination most necessary for those masters who propose to take -command of steamships--and he will also take an examination in -magnetism. Of all these extra examinations it may also be said that if -our friend has kept up his cadet training, they will have no terror for -him; they are only difficult to those who find mathematics irksome, and -never practise more than they are compelled to. Then, of course, they -get rusty, since the amount of mathematics really necessary to keep -a ship's position accurately at sea is very small. By the continual -invention of clever mathematicians, nautical astronomy has been reduced -to mere expertness in handling tables, and the indolent man will avail -himself of these aids to the fullest extent. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -THE RISE OF THE MASTER (REAL). - -_The Liner._ - - -So far, I am afraid that in sketching out the possible rapid rise and -progress from college to quarter-deck I have not been very amusing or -enlightening. The non-professional reader will be bewildered by the -swift passage of the young sailor through the various grades without -any elucidation of the "how" of each process, while the professional -seaman reading it will smile sardonically, and endeavour to recall any -instances within his knowledge of such an upward flight. Feeling this, -I hasten to explain that the foregoing is but an impressionist sketch -of an ideal condition of things, and that such a smooth attainment -of the object of a young sailor's ambition is of the very rarest -occurrence. Moreover, it has to be remembered that only the favoured -few can have the advantage such as is conferred by a _Worcester_ or -_Conway_ training. The great majority of youths who take to a sea life -go direct to their apprenticeship from school--go, too, in vessels -whose owners have but few ships, and consequently small facilities -for advancing their apprentices in the profession when once their -indentures have expired. As I propose to deal with the apprentice -in a chapter devoted to him entirely, I must be careful not to say -too much now, so I will merely indicate the undoubted fact that -an apprenticeship to any firm of ship-owners, no matter what the -excellence of the individual apprentice may be, carries with it no -guarantee of employment after the apprenticeship is over. In this, -as in many other respects, the sea is unlike any other profession. -In a large engineering firm, for instance, it would be considered a -waste of good material to discharge apprentices when out of their -time unless they had proved themselves hopelessly incompetent. But it -is not possible for a firm owning, say, four ships and carrying six -apprentices in each of them, to find employment for those apprentices -when they are fit to assume the position of officers. The four masters -are not at all likely to resign their berths frequently, masters of -ships in an employ such as I am now speaking of usually retaining their -commands for many years. They block the flow of promotion, never very -rapid, so that it is no infrequent thing to see the same set of three -officers, master, mate, and second mate, in one ship for several long -voyages. - -What, then, is the young newly passed officer to do when, with his -creamy new certificate in his pocket, he finds nothing before him in -his old firm but a voyage before the mast as an able seaman? Well, if -his folks have any acquaintances among ship-owners--in other words, any -influence in that direction--now is the time to use it. Or, if they -have any money to invest, they will not find it difficult to purchase -a certain amount of interest, which should, and generally does, result -in their son getting an opening for employment. But if neither of these -levers are available, the aspirant is almost certainly in for a bad -time. Probably the best course for him will be to put his pride in his -pocket, and take a berth before the mast, always keeping his eyes open -when abroad for an opportunity of slipping into a vacant second mate's -berth, where he will get the rough edges worn off his newness, and -become accustomed to command. In the mean time he must keep carefully -in touch with his old firm, so that should he be on hand when there is -a vacancy, he may not miss it. His great object, of course, will be -to get a footing in a good firm, owning many ships, where promotion -is fairly rapid for the smart officer. Of course, he will hunger and -thirst after a steamer; but, unless he makes up his mind to go in the -lowest class of tramp, and plod painfully onward at very low wages for -a long time, he had better stick to sailing-ships until he gets his -master's certificate. - -This for reasons which will appear later on. Into this stage of the -officer's upward progress the element of chance or coincidence enters -so largely that it is impossible to do more than generalize as to the -probable time which will elapse before he reach the goal of his desire. -But there is one feature in such a career as I am now attempting to -sketch that has not its counterpart, as far as I know, in any other -form of employment whatever. It is in the seeking for a berth. I know -of no more depressing occupation than that of a capable seaman looking -for a ship as officer. It does not greatly matter whether he wanders -round the docks or goes to the owner's offices, he is made to feel -like a mendicant; and on board most ships he is also made to feel like -a supplanter when he asks for employment. To go aboard of a likely -looking ship seeking a berth, say as mate, and to meet the present -holder of the office, is the usual experience, and a most awkward one -it is. - -Here the pushful man will score heavily. Putting all diffidence in his -pocket, he will broach his message, boldly disregarding the frowning -face of the gentleman in charge, who naturally looks upon him as a foe. -But the shy, reserved man (and both these qualities are very common -among seamen) will stammer and beat about the bush, conceal the true -nature of his errand, and retire awkwardly in considerable confusion. -Having obtained a berth, however, it will generally rest with himself -how far he will be able to raise himself by its means. True, there are -many things--which will be treated fully under the different headings -of the various officers--which by no fault of his own may hinder and -dishearten him, but the unattached officer must not allow them to daunt -him. He must persevere, keeping his weather eye lifting for every -opportunity of advancement, and especially perfecting himself in all -the complicated details of his profession, in anticipation of the day -when, a full-blown shipmaster, he will be where his longings have led -him. - -It may be asked, "But what has all this to do with the master -himself--his duties, his position, etc.?" The question is quite -reasonable, and I feel the full force of it; but there is a -strong temptation to anticipate the succeeding chapters, when one -remembers the passage over the generally thorny way leading up to -the chief position on board ship. However, I will do my best to -avoid further digression, and proceed at once to give, to the best -of my ability, a sketch of that much-envied individual's privileges -and responsibilities. The first difficulty that presents itself is -classification. For, although the Board of Trade certificate of master -qualifies its possessor to take command of the most splendid liner, it -is absolutely essential to the assumption of chief charge of a tiny -schooner engaged in foreign trade. Yet it must be obvious that between -these two positions there is a great gulf fixed--not in qualification, -for there is really no reason why the holders thereof should not -change places at any time. In many cases it is accident alone that -determines whether a man shall be master of a liner or a clumsy little -brig, lumbering painfully across to the West Indies. In spite of this -fact, one cannot expect that the grand gentleman who commands such a -magnificent ship as the _Teutonic_ or _Campania_, for instance, should -be able to refrain from looking down upon his brother master of the -_Susan_, brigantine of two hundred tons register. To the liner master's -credit be it said, he does not show nearly the same _hauteur_ towards -his less fortunate fellow that he might reasonably be expected to do. -That sort of view of their respective positions is usually taken by -people ashore, who know just enough of the conditions to enable them to -make such a tactical mistake. - -The master of a great liner is in a really enviable position--not, -perhaps, as regards his earnings in solid cash, for it still remains to -the discredit of British seafaring that its most highly placed officers -are far worse paid than men greatly their inferiors engaged in business -ashore. But in power, in importance in the eyes of his fellow-men, in -comfort, he is far before them. His are the responsibilities, upon him -rests the reputation of the ship among the people who pay the piper, -the passengers, but beyond that his life is rightly looked upon by -his less fortunate brethren as one long holiday. No laborious keeping -of accounts for him, no worrying about freights or scanty passenger -lists, no anxious study of weather charts or calculation of course to -be pursued in reference to the time of year and consequently prevalent -winds. At the appointed time for sailing he comes upon the bridge, and -greets most cordially or nods most frigidly to the pilot according to -his temperament. That individual, one of the elect of his fine calling, -is paid by the company for his exclusive services, and it is his duty -to see the monster ship safely through the intricacies of the river -mouth out into free and open waters. The master's presence on the -bridge is a matter of form--necessary, however, because by some queer -twist of maritime law, although ships going foreign are compelled to -take a pilot who is responsible for her safe conduct out to certain -limits, the master's responsibility is always alive. Should the pilot -lose the ship and the master not be on deck, the latter would be held -equally to blame, although at what precise time his intervention would -be permissible is left delightfully ambiguous. - -The pilotage limit is reached, and the pilot gets into his own place on -board of his own cutter; the voyage is begun. Now is the master lord -indeed; but such a ship as this will have at least six officers, of -whom most likely all will hold certificates as Master Extra. Each of -these in their turn take charge of the ship under the master's orders, -subject to certain regulations peculiar to the different companies, and -the least tribute that can be paid to them is that every one of them -is probably fully as competent to command the ship as is the master -himself. It is etiquette, however, for him to remain on the bridge -while the vessel is in waters that may by any stretch of nautical terms -be called narrow, although he does not interfere in any way, if he be -a gentleman, with the handling of the ship. The navigating officer -(usually the second officer) works assiduously at nautical astronomy, -calculating the position, the error of the compass, etc., continually, -but his work is checked by the master and the other officers, who work -the main details independently of him. - -No ships afloat are navigated with more jealous care than these, no -ships can show a more splendid record of actual correctness in working, -and it needs a strong personality indeed on the part of the master to -avoid laxity. Having so fine a set of subordinate officers, why should -he trouble himself? The love of holding the reins, jealousy of the -slightest encroachment upon his prerogatives, will usually keep him -from this, but the temptations to enjoy the charmingly varied society -in the midst of which he moves as king is certainly very great. All -honour to these capable gentlemen that so few of them succumb to it. -Whenever stress of weather demands their presence on the high and -lofty bridge (Mount Misery, the wise it call), they will be found -there, cheery and confident, with apparently no sense of weight of -responsibility upon them, although they might well be excused if their -brows were permanently furrowed with anxious thought. To know that -upon you rests the charge of two thousand souls, to say nothing of -from half to three-quarters of a million pounds' worth of property -being hurled over the howling sea at the rate of twenty-five miles an -hour, is surely enough to give even the most jovial heart pause. Yet -these splendid men conceal with great ease any appearance of worry, and -behave as though they had nothing more serious on their mind than the -making of an Atlantic passage pleasant to their guests. - -The master of a ship cannot enjoy that peculiar repose common to every -other member of his crew. Deeply as they may feel the weight of their -special responsibility while on watch, the moment they are relieved -the relief is complete. No matter how black the outlook, it is the -other fellow's business now. The relieved one goeth unto his bunk, -and divesting himself of his clothing, passes into dreamland as free -from care as if in some cosy bed ashore. Not one vestige of his late -anxieties trouble him. They will come on again all too soon; meanwhile -he will get as much sleep into the allotted hours as possible, and -nothing short of a summons from his commanding officer shall disturb -that calm. The poor skipper, on the other hand, has no such relief. -He must cultivate confidence in his officers, or want of rest will -soon make an old worn-out man of him; but in any case he must be -always ready to assume full responsibility. I have often wondered how -the masters of swift Atlantic liners can keep up their spirits as -they do, knowing what a number of derelicts there are lurking about -the Atlantic. I suppose they say to themselves that, remembering the -wideness of the sea, there are an infinity of chances against their -striking against any one of those awful shifting dangers, numerous -though they be. And they must cultivate a habit of refusing to -contemplate possible disasters that are by no means inevitable, else -would they soon become unfit for their position. - -It must not be forgotten that they are in the last resort also -responsible for the performance of the tremendous giants below, the -steam-engines that thrust the vast fabric through the seas at such -headlong speed. But, unlike their brethren in the Navy, they do not -think lightly of the engineer. They recognize to the full his wonderful -ability and trustworthiness, and I think I am well within the mark in -saying that no department of the ship's management gives them less -anxiety than the most important of all, the engine and boiler-rooms. -For it is impossible to conceive of even a second-rate engineer rising -to be in command of a liner's engine-room. There is a process of -weeding-out in action there that is very efficient, so that while it -is conceivable that by a combination of favourable circumstances and -highly placed influence a duffer _might_ come to command a fine ship, -the same thing could not happen in the engineering department. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -THE MASTER (OF A TRAMP). - - -From the liner to the tramp is by no means the great step that might -be imagined. Indeed, so fine are the gradations in the quality and -positions of steamships that it is impossible to draw a hard and fast -line anywhere. For even among tramp steamers undoubtedly there are many -shades of difference until we reach the very lowest class of all, run -on principles despised by all ship-owners of repute. The hierarchy of -merchant shipping, the great floating palaces belonging to such firms -as the P. & O., the Cunard, the White Star, and the British India, to -mention only a few, and without any invidious idea of selection, fall -easily into a class by themselves, association with which in almost any -capacity confers a sort of brevet rank upon a seaman. But once they -are left, and the lines entered upon to whom cargo is the one thing -needful and passengers are merely incidental, we get a new order of -things entirely: first of all, a great reduction of speed, for the sake -of economy in running; consequent upon this, a corresponding reduction -of staff, both on deck and in the engine-room. Yet in the highest -class of cargo carriers and the lowest class of ocean-going passenger -ships the master's position is still a proud one. His vessel is often -of immense size, carrying up to ten thousand tons of freight, and, -especially if she be one of the hand-maidens of a great company owning -swift passenger ships as well, his salary will be fairly good, though -probably fifty per cent. below that of his more fortunate fellows in -the liner pure and simple. Also his work will be increased. For there -is no difference at sea in the old axiom that the less a man does the -more money he gets for it. Still, where he is in a regular trade, as -in the highest class of cargo ships he will be, his clerical work -connected with the ship's earnings will be almost _nil_, although he -may not carry a purser to do the interior accounts of the ship or such -matters as wages bills, etc. - -It may truly be said that the master of a first-class cargo steamer is -in much better case than his brother in some small lines of passenger -steamers that could be named. He is better paid, better housed, and -has far less worry. Some of those small passenger steamers going (for -steam vessels) long voyages are run so economically that the master has -hard work to keep up any sort of appearance at all. I knew myself of -one firm, which shall be nameless, whose advertisements for passengers -were most persistent and alluring, who thought it not shameful to -pay their masters £12 a month, at the same time insisting that they -should invest at least £250 in the company. Cases like these are very -disheartening to the striving seaman. For where the master's wages -are kept so low, other economies are conducted in proportion. Such a -vessel, say of 1500 tons register, would carry at most three mates and -eight seamen. The latter would be mostly foreigners, the work for such -a small complement being so hard that home-born men worth their salt -fight shy of them. And the officers' wages, unfixed as the men's are, -would also be cut down deplorably low. Still, even in such a ship as -this the master's clerical work is very small. Agents of the company at -each port await the vessel's regular arrival, and see to it that she -departs on scheduled time, cargo or no cargo. So that the master has -no carking care as to how the ship is paying, no responsibility beyond -the navigation and management of the ship herself. He has, of course, -to consider his passengers, with no buffer between him and their often -querulous complaints and constant questionings, such as his exalted -brethren in the big liners have in their purser. He is usually a man -who has been passed over in the race, and while his ability is of the -highest order, he feels naturally shelved upon a very much lower ledge -of his profession than he once hoped to reach. - -In command of these small passenger-carrying ocean-going steamers are -to be found some of the very best of our merchant skippers, whose worth -and merit are so great that their reward strikes one as most shockingly -inadequate. - -Beneath these comes the tramp proper. It has just dawned upon me in -time that often as I have used the word, I have not yet given any -definition of it for the benefit of those who I hope will read this -book principally, shore people. A tramp steamer, then, is a vessel of -large cargo-carrying capacity and low power of engines, built upon the -most economical principles, and run likewise. She goes wherever freight -is to be had, although usually built for certain trades, and this is in -itself a sore point with underwriters, who complain bitterly that they -are often led to insure a certain type of vessel on the understanding -that she will be trading in such waters as the Mediterranean and the -Baltic, but presently find her braving the tremendous seas of the -Atlantic. The best type of tramp is built and owned in north-east -English ports, where the highest shipbuilding science is brought to -bear upon the construction of cargo-carriers that shall be at once -cheap, roomy, economical, and seaworthy. And it must be said that many -firms up there, by careful attention to tramp building and owning, -have made tremendous strides in the direction of safety for the ships, -and even comfort for the crews, although of the latter there can never -be very much in a tramp. The lowest type of tramp, on the other hand, -is one that is built to sell to the first bidder--built so as to pass -Lloyd's surveyor, but without one single item in her equipment that -can be dispensed with. Such vessels as these merit all the hard words -that have been said of them. Very slow, very unhandy, with dens for the -crew to live in and upper works of the commonest material, they are -always coming to grief. They are mostly owned by single-ship companies, -of which the shareholders are generally people knowing absolutely -nothing of shipping matters, who have been induced by speciously worded -circulars, issued by some deeply interested manager, to invest their -scanty capital in these dubious enterprises. - -The master of such a ship as this may well feel that his lot is hard. -With wages cut down to a point that could only attract a man upon -his last legs financially, the manager always endeavours to get some -investment, however small, out of the unfortunate master, to give -him an interest in the ship. The food and stores supplied are of -such bad quality as to make the life very much harder than it need -be (in any case it is hard enough), while the number of men carried -in proportion to the vessel's tonnage is appallingly small. Yet the -master's work is far more onerous than in better ships. In addition to -the necessity he is under of nursing his ungainly, low-powered vessel -in heavy weather, he is always being sent to fresh places, entailing -upon him the acquisition of an immense amount of local knowledge. The -purchase of coal in far-away ports, with all the vicissitudes of price -to which that indispensable commodity is subject, makes his hair grey -and his face wrinkled before he comes to middle age. If he carries a -good supply of coal for fear of a rise in price, at his next port he -may have to shut out cargo; if he neglects to do so, expecting to be -able to buy well and be disappointed in his expectations, he is held -responsible. Low freights make him unhappy, although he is powerless -to alter economic conditions, for his first duty is to make his ship -pay. Worst of all his troubles are repairs. Such vessels as these -are peculiarly prone to damage, from their cheap construction, yet -any expense incurred abroad for repairs is looked upon as almost a -crime. Then there is the necessity laid upon him for the most careful -watching of the freight-markets. Although he may secure a good freight -on one passage, he may, upon reaching his port, find that freights -there are either unpayably low or non-obtainable. And his spirits fall, -because he knows how such an experience will lower his average earnings -for the voyage. - -The qualifications that such a master need have are, although nominally -the same as in any other branch of his trade, immensely varied. And -it may be taken for granted that a successful tramp skipper is always -a good all-round man--something of a diplomat, of a lawyer, of an -accountant, of a merchant: all these qualities superadded to his -ability to handle his vessel at sea in all weathers, contend with crews -of the smallest and of the lowest kind of men, who are as far removed -from the popular idea of what a sailor is as day is from night. But -such men are of inestimable value to the commerce of the country. -They seldom forget that their first duty is to their employers, nor -allow the thought of their hard, laborious position to tempt them into -neglect of it. Poor fellows! the penalty for want of success is not -easy to bear, even though they may be in no way to blame. - -These, of course, are the lowest kinds of tramps. But there is an -aristocracy among tramp steamers, owned by wealthy firms of high -reputation, both for well and carefully built cargo-carriers and -generous treatment of their faithful servants. Although these ships do -also go wherever cargo is to be found on which a payable freight will -be paid, yet the conditions under which the officers serve are very -much better. They are not harassed, either, by the fear of making a -loss upon the voyage, since such firms will have their correspondents -in most ports, who make freight arrangements for the skippers. Between -owners and masters in this class of vessel often subsist the most -firm friendships, men growing grey in one employ, and feeling always -that their faithful service is fully appreciated. Of course the pay -is not high, but the tenure is good, and there is always the chance -of picking up a tow, a fellow-tramp with broken shaft, or something -of a like disabling nature. And this may mean a small fortune, often -does so, since the skipper never fails to take a most substantial -share of the total award. Besides, there is a prospect, too, that a -well-known skipper may, before he is worn out with sea-service, get a -comfortable berth as harbour-master, or dock-master, or ship's-husband, -or any of the congenial employments for which experienced shipmasters -are so eminently fitted. Pilotage, too, may come their way, although -this can hardly be looked upon as comfortable retirement after a hard -life at sea. But whatever they get as a sort of retiring berth, they -may truly be said to have earned it. Unfortunately, many of them must -leave the sea with advancing years, having nothing to support them but -such scanty savings as they have been able to put by. And as the days -when skippers were able to amass fortunes have long passed away, these -hard-working seamen are often hardly bestead in their old age--far more -hardly than any one knowing their long period of command, but ignorant -of their pay, could possibly imagine. - -In leaving the steamer-skipper for him of the wind-jammer, as sailing -vessels are contemptuously termed by steamer-sailors, a few words may -suffice for the ungracious task of dealing with the black sheep. As -in all other professions, of course among steamship-masters there are -drunken blackguards, who in some mysterious way manage to get and keep -command. But the proportion is very small. There is hardly any room -for them. The conditions of service are too onerous, the necessity for -constant care and forethought is too great, to admit of many worthless -men being in command. Especially is this the case in the north-east -ports, where every man's goings-on are known and discussed, as -villagers dissect one another's business in remote inland hamlets. No; -taking them by and large, to use a time-honoured sea phrase, the tramp -skippers need not fear comparison with any class of public servants in -this country, while for the importance of the duties they fulfil they -are certainly second to none. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -THE MASTER (SAILING SHIPS). - - -So great is the difference in duties to be performed by masters of -sailing ships from those of masters of steamers, that they are almost -like members of another profession. The range, too, in status is -exceedingly extensive. Between the man in command of, say, a small -brigantine going foreign, and the commander of a four-masted steel -clipper carrying 5000 tons of cargo to and from the Colonies, there -is not only a great gulf of status, but a large number of gradations. -Yet it will readily be admitted by all shipmasters that the position -of master of even a fifth-rate steamship marks a step upward from -the same position on board of the finest sailing ship afloat. And -almost any shipmaster is glad to step down from the exalted pinnacle -he may have occupied for years as master of a splendid "wind-jammer" -and take a very subordinate position, say, as second, third, or even -fourth officer in a liner, as a means of rising to the coveted post of -commander of such a ship. - -But perhaps we have had enough of steamers for a little while. For my -part, I shall only be too glad to quit that part of my subject for the -far more congenial one of the "wind-jammer," as she is contemptuously -called by steamer-men. It is essential, in order to success as a master -here, that a man should be a _sailor_. That is, in the original sense -of handling ships, a fine art, demanding high skill and courage as well -as constant practice. A good master nurses his ship under sail with -never-ceasing care. If he be ably seconded by his officers, his labour -is of course greatly lightened; but even then, if a smart passage is to -be made, the master must never relax his vigilance. Never, that is, in -the sense of allowing his officers to feel that the game is in their -hands entirely. To explain this for the benefit of my shore readers, -let me give a commonplace instance. I was an able seaman on board a -fine ship homeward bound from Manila to London. We were commanded by -an elderly, taciturn gentleman, whose appearance was as unlike that of -the typical sailor as could well be imagined. Yet every man on board -knew him to be a consummate ship-handler, and cool withal, so that -when, on the outward passage, we were tacking under a heavy press of -sail to get through the Sunda Straits, and in weathering a point of -Thwart-the-way-Island actually touched it with our bilge, the seamed -old face never blenched, never lost its sphinx-like mask of serene -watchfulness. - -We did not know, though, until we had reached the eastern entrance to -Sunda Straits again, on the passage home, how excellent his seamanship -really was. In company with a dozen other ships, most of which had -gained upon us, we were becalmed in that dangerous vicinity when night -fell. Darkness shut down upon us, such a darkness as makes it necessary -for the sailor to know the running gear intuitively--to develop some -other sense to serve him in lieu of sight. Amidst a guttural growling -of thunder which was almost continuous, and a flickering glare of -lightning that was bewildering, it began to rain--not steadily, but -as if high overhead were passing a series of nimbus clouds that were -letting fall their contents in intermittent lumps. And from all -quarters successively came light puffs of wind, never steady for more -than ten minutes at a time. We had all the lighter sails made fast in -case of a sudden heavy squall and for greater facility of working the -ship. - -Then for the whole of that Egyptian night, making a bewildering tangle -of courses that was enough to whiten a mathematician's hair to ravel -out, we toiled at the braces under the master's direct orders. _We_ -had watch and watch, but he was on duty all night. Standing by the -compass, watchful and alert in spite of his seventy years, he utilized -every favourable cats-paw, manœuvred against the unfavourable ones, -remembering the possibilities of the unknowable currents beneath, and -keeping before his mental vision a picture of the contour of that -rugged coast. - -When morning dawned he had his reward; for we were almost through the -Straits, with the first kiss of the south-east trade wind saluting us, -and the broad bosom of the Indian Ocean lying invitingly before us -under a canopy of stainless blue. And of our comrades of the previous -day only one could be seen, just discerned so far astern that she was -only a speck on the horizon. To grasp the significance of such a piece -of seamanship, it is necessary to remember that in a square-rigged ship -the swinging of the great yards is not a momentary affair, like the -slipping over of a schooner's fore and aft sails. Time and much labour -are required. Moreover, the closest attention is necessary in order to -utilize intermittent wind-breaths, as these were; for a big ship with -little motion obeys her helm but slowly, and soon loses, if she be -caught aback, that is, gets the wind on the wrong side of her sails, -what little "way" or forward motion she has--a loss that she is loth to -make good. - -Again, in a sailing ship native courage in the master counts immensely. -No amount of experience will atone for a want of this quality. Some -men are so prudent, in other words, so lacking in courage, that they -will shorten sail at the first premonition of bad weather, instead of -reducing canvas as the weight of wind makes it impossible for the ship -to carry it with safety. Of course there are circumstances where such -prudence is absolutely necessary, as in the case of ships who do not -carry sufficient men, or whose crews are of such poor quality that they -are hardly competent to handle the sails in fine weather; also when the -equipment of a ship has been so shamefully starved that the carrying of -sail in anything like a breeze is bound to end in wholesale loss. And -this matter of prudence in carrying sail has its dangerous side also. -Many a dreadful storm has been endured by a ship that she would have -escaped altogether had she kept up her speed; many a ship has been -overtaken by a following sea and left almost derelict by its onslaught -that would have gallantly outraced it had she not been made helpless by -the clipping of her broad wings. - -Of course, when it is remembered how great is a ship's individuality, -how immensely circumstances vary, even the least knowing of us will -have small difficulty in understanding the impossibility of laying down -hard and fast lines. Every master must needs work out his own salvation -in these matters, learn by experience and keep on learning; happy if he -can find a ship whose ways are ways of pleasantness, and who has not -either been built with or acquired some devilish habit of sea-spite -that makes her an abode of misery to her crew, and the command of her -a martyrdom to her master. Such ships abound, possessed by every vice -known to seafarers, yet presenting in dock, when newly "got up," an -appearance of smartness and seaworthiness that is deceitful to the last -degree. Such a ship it was my evil hap to light upon once in London, -bound for New Zealand. Every one of my shipmates were ecstatic in their -praises of her beauty; none doubted that she would be as comfortable -as she was lovely. But oh, the awakening from our pleasant dream! -Barely had we cleared the Channel, when, meeting the full vigour of the -Atlantic swell, she began her antics. There was no dry place on board -of her anywhere, except under the hatches among the cargo. For she had -not _all_ the vices of a ship; she was well and staunchly built, and -did not leak. But in finest weather, almost in calm, she invited the -sea on board; while in bad weather she was like a half-tide rock, -continually awash. - -There were five passengers, and I warrant that none of them could ever -forget that passage of 117 days; because the after part of the ship -was even worse than the fore part. A massive structure of timber, like -the palisading of a block-house, was built across the front of the -cabin for its protection. She, however, thought nothing of sweeping -away the whole erection, and flooding the handsome state-rooms with -a foaming torrent of salt water. Never shall I forget the sight of -the podgy skipper, like some unlively porpoise, gambolling about the -saloon, swimming and scrabbling in water up to his waist in chase of -his sextant, which, secure in its box, was gleefully careering about -at every roll of the ship. That skipper was both smart and plucky, -but his command must have aged him at treble the ordinary speed. When -he carried on sail until the masts bent like fishing-rods and the -stitch-holes in the sails became elongated so that they looked like -columns of shining oats placed horizontally, instead of keeping ahead -of the sea, she took it over in appalling masses, both sides and astern -at once. And when it became suicidal to run her any longer, and we hove -her to--that is to say, we reduced sail to a mere speck, and turned her -head as near to the wind and sea as it would go--she acted as viciously -as any buck-jumping horse. No one on board ever found their sea-legs, -as the saying is, for you needed inch-long spikes or huge sucking-discs -on your feet to keep on your legs at all. - -Then there is the needed acquaintance with the best routes at given -times of the year--the ability to direct your course so that you -shall find the minimum of calms with the maximum of favourable winds. -This is a prime quality in a successful shipmaster, and it cannot be -learned from weather-books or weather-charts. I came home once from -Australia, second mate of a magnificent ship, whose sailing qualities -were of the highest order, her crew ample in quantity, her equipment -beyond criticism. The master was a learned man, but his experience -of sailing ships was of the slightest. He had all the weather-charts -obtainable; he studied them continually, and faithfully followed their -guidance. In the result we made a four and a half months' passage home, -while a smaller ship, not nearly so smart, sailing from the same port -three weeks after our departure, arrived in London nearly four weeks -ahead of us. But _her_ master had been sailing ships between England -and Australia for many years, all the while accumulating first-hand -knowledge of the conditions obtaining over all those seas he traversed, -learning by experience the weather-signs and all the grammar of the -language that the ocean speaks in to its intimate friends. This -knowledge it is that constitutes the fine flower of seamanship as it -was (and is still in ships that depend upon sail only), but which will -soon be looked upon as a lost art as the sailing ship is gradually -pushed aside by that wonderful outcome of engineering science--the -steamship. - -How great a factor in the making of a successful passage under -sail this personal acquaintance with the route pursued is, may be -easily assessed from a superficial study of the ways of the Swansea -copper-ore traders. These are, or rather, I ought to say, were, smart -barquentines which sail, or sailed, from Swansea, bound round Cape -Horn from east to west, for the purpose of bringing home ore to the -world-renowned smelting-works of Wales. Their masters were not, in any -sense of the word, fine gentlemen, their calling hardly admitted of -the cultivation of the graces of life; but such was their knowledge -of this, the most arduous piece of navigation in the whole world, -that their passages were made with almost steamer-like regularity. -Only seamen themselves could give to these perfect mariners all the -praise that was their due. For all sailors know, either by experience -or repute, how cruelly hard are the conditions attached to forcing a -passage around that awful promontory that reaches down almost to the -Antarctic Circle, deep into the chosen habitation of the fiercest and -most persistent gales that rage around the planet. Here, for weeks on -end, you shall feel the weight of an unfaltering westerly gale, with -all its accompaniments of snow and sleet and darkness. One would say -that the attempt to get round the Horn from east to west, in the teeth -of such prevalent conditions, was madness, especially when the long -record of disaster attendant upon these attempts is known. Many a case -is on record where fine ships, after weeks of abortive struggle to get -to the westward round Cape Horn, have at last given up the fight, put -the helm hard-up, and fled before the inexorable westerly gale, right -round the world, to reach such a port as San Francisco, for instance. - -Yet these little Swansea men came and went, from year to year, with the -utmost regularity; their skippers having learned by experience how to -out-manœuvre even the terrible monarch of the southern sea. No doubt -it was a hard life; but it was exultant, triumphant. These men knew -how good their seamanship was, how exact their weather-lore, and they -troubled meteorological charts not at all. - -So, too, with the navigation of the Bay of Bengal. While not so -severe in any sense as that of Cape Horn, it is difficult, teasing, -and calling for constant watchfulness. Men who go that way only -occasionally will make a good passage of, say, from eighty to a hundred -days on one voyage, and then with the same ship, a year or two after, -make a passage that causes the owner to gnash his teeth as he cons -the portage bill. But to the men who used to sail there regularly how -nearly an exact science did their navigation of that baffling bay -become! One especially comes to my mind--Thomas Potts, of Messrs. -Brocklebank's famous old East-India line. Dozens of that old worthy's -log-books have passed through my hands, with their fair, unblotted -entries of business-like procedure from day to day. And so regular -seemed the rate of sailing that I once took the trouble to compile an -average of his passages out and between Liverpool and Calcutta for six -years, and I found it to be eighty-five days; a perfectly marvellous -achievement in the eyes of a seaman. - -Of course, such splendid work as this presupposes a speedy ship. While -it is perfectly true that seamanship and diligence on the part of the -master can do great things in the way of passage-making even with a -sluggish vessel, yet it is heart-breaking work. And when, tired of the -never-ending struggle against adverse circumstances, the master becomes -listless and slack in his attentions, the result in such a vessel is -that she becomes overdue, and underwriters gamble feverishly on the -prospects of her non-arrival. Such vessels are still to be met with -in goodly numbers, not all obsolete ships either. One, for instance, -that I have in mind at the present moment, a huge steel ship not a -dozen years old, whose last few passages have been the cause of immense -sums changing hands among underwriters owing to her being continually -overdue. Another smart-looking barque that I saw in Auckland, New -Zealand, once, was actually eight months on the passage from Liverpool -thither, having apparently been taken into regions of almost perpetual -calm, whence it was a miracle that she ever emerged. - -Between these two extremes of swiftness and slowness come all the host -of mediocrities, making passages of average length, speedy enough to -prevent owners grumbling, yet not sufficiently smart to call for any -praise. As in all other professions, these are the vast majority; -and the masters who thus quietly perform their duty without hope of -honourable mention are none the less worthy because they do not, -cannot, do anything that shall cause their names to be remembered among -seamen as the _élite_ of the profession. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -THE MASTER (SAILING SHIPS)--_continued_. - - -Hitherto I have endeavoured to pass lightly over the sailing ship -master's work in making passages, only showing the superior side of -these responsible men's characters. But if I were to go no farther in -this direction, many masters would rightly feel much aggrieved. They -would not feel satisfied that the public should imagine that they were -all alike excellent, and that the training and experience necessary -for the command of a ship always succeeded in turning out a man who -was really fit for the post he is called upon to occupy. Besides, -the picture would be a false one. Far too many masters, having once -obtained command, instead of utilizing their extended opportunities -of showing their fitness for such a post, just settle down on their -lees and become indolent, careless, and consequently worthless. It -must be granted that the temptation is great to a man not naturally -energetic. Once freed from the oversight and control of his owners or -their agents, and out upon the sea, he is in the position of an almost -absolute monarch. His officers are anxious to gain his good word, since -upon it depends their future. - -This statement needs some explanation. By a rule of the Board of Trade, -every officer coming up for examination in order to take a certificate -of a higher grade must produce written testimonials from the master -he has served with. Wanting these, he is not allowed to enter for the -examination at all. Now, as by the common law no master is bound to -give his servant a character, it follows that a shipmaster need only -withhold that essential scrap of paper from an aspiring officer to -put an effectual bar before his rising any higher. I do not profess -to criticize the wisdom of this enactment, I merely state the facts -as they are. And as an instance of how this power is regarded by -shipmasters, I may mention that, recently writing upon the subject -in the press, I received an indignant letter from a shipmaster, who -said that if all shipmasters did their duty there would be far fewer -officers obtain certificates than there are now. Also that no good -officer need fear such treatment at the hands of any shipmaster--which -was manifestly absurd, since among shipmasters, as amongst all other -classes of men, there must be both bad and good, and the temptation to -use arbitrary power like that is far too great to be resisted by a bad -man. - -But to return. Having, then, this potent lever in his grasp, this -guarantee for the good behaviour of his officers, the indolent master -may, if he will, leave everything to them, except just the obtaining -of the ship's position each day. Even that it has been my lot to see -neglected by a shipmaster. Of course he will occasionally potter -about and find fault, if he be, as well as indolent, of a small, mean -character. Such a master is a sore trial to both officers and crew. -Asked for instructions as to what he wishes done, he will reply that he -did not expect his officers would need to be shown their work, and that -he would prefer to have men about him who did not want dry-nursing. -Which being translated means that he wants his officers to do things -on their own initiative, so that he can at any time, if in want of a -little recreation, find it in quarrelling with them for doing that -which they deemed to be right. - -For instance, I was once mate of a barque. While lying in Noumea, -failing any instructions from the master, I decided to set up all -the rigging, which was so slack as to be dangerous supposing that we -encountered any bad weather. The work was well under way when the -master came on deck from his cabin, where he had been dozing all the -morning, and, seeing what was going on, called out loudly: "Here, Mr. -Bullen, just stop that, will you? That can be done any time. _I_ want -the ship painted outside." Far too well in hand to make any remark, and -really rather glad to get a definite order, I had the gear unrove and -put away; and soon we were in the thick of painting. We did not get -another opportunity to tighten up that rigging before we left one of -the northern ports of the island, deep loaded with copper ore. We were -hardly outside the harbour, bound to Newcastle, N.S.W., when it came on -to blow, the vessel rolled tremendously, the rigging worked slacker and -slacker, and in the middle watch that night she rolled her three masts -over the side. Then, of course, I was blamed for not having had the -rigging set up. - -Then there is the indolent skipper, who leaves everything to the mate, -and never finds fault either. Amiable but lazy, he spends most of -his time in sleep. He scarcely looks at a book, does not meditate, -but leads a sort of fungus life, indulging in a perpetual _kief_, or -cessation of all the nobler faculties. Naturally, young officers like -that kind of skipper, since they have a perfectly free hand; but they -despise him, and in their inmost heart they know that such a ship is -very little good to them. And in times of emergency or danger, when -naturally every one on board looks to the head for leadership, it is -disconcerting, to say the least, to find him altogether wanting in -initiative either in energy or resource. Of course, this is not saying -that many masters will not be found who are fussy and meddlesome to -the most irritating degree when the weather is fine and the ship is -on the high seas, who, when danger looms near and the master's good -qualities should shine brightest, are but broken reeds. One master -whom I liked very much--a really good man, but without back-bone--was -looked upon by all hands with good-natured toleration as a sort of -benevolent old female, who, if he did keep himself in evidence pretty -much all the time, did not interfere to any great extent. But there -came a day when we were running the _Easting_ down (bound to Calcutta) -that we were overtaken by a really heavy gale. All our energies were -needed to get sail off the deeply laden ship, for she was wallowing -dangerously, and was not speedy enough to keep ahead of the sea. While -we were thus striving with all our powers, under the smart mate's -direction, the skipper, swathed in many clothes, clung desperately to -the weather-mizzen rigging, a pitiful picture of fear, his legs bending -under him all ways, and his grey beard beslavered with the foam of -fright. A more abject specimen of a coward I never saw. All hands noted -his behaviour, and from that day forward he was treated with utter -contempt. His authority was a thing of naught, and the discipline of -the ship (never very rigid in the Merchant Service) was entirely gone. -At last the men refused to obey a most necessary order, simply because -it necessitated work in their watch below. The offence was flagrant, -involving as it did the possible loss of the ship and all hands. He -summoned the recalcitrant watch aft and reasoned with them. They merely -gibed at and taunted him with cowardice and uselessness in reply. When -we arrived at Calcutta he had them up before the shipping-master for -punishment, and that worthy fined them two days' pay--at which they -laughed hugely. - -Now, such a scene as that would be unthinkable on board of either an -American ship or a "Blue-nose" (British North American vessel). There -the traditions are all on the side of stern discipline, which is not -based upon law, but upon force. The foremast hand, whoever he may be, -that signs in an American ship realizes at once that it is dangerous -to play any tricks with his superior officers. Because, although he -does not reason it out, he feels that it would be useless to invoke the -law to protect him against the certain consequences of shirking work, -insolence, or laziness. - -And this leads me naturally to a consideration of the American skipper; -that is to say, the skipper of the sailing ship, the man who, by dint -of seamanship alone, has risen from the lowliest position to command. -No better sailors ever lived than the masters of American ships; and -it should never be forgotten, when the statistics of our marvellous -Mercantile Marine are studied, that not so many years ago the American -merchant navy was more than equal to our own. Not only so, but the -shore population was also so deeply tinged with the maritime spirit -that nautical terms were a part of the common speech of those who had -never even seen the sea. It is hardly fair to use the past tense, -because this is largely the case now; so much so, that a book bristling -with nautical phrases will be read in America by both sexes with -perfect ease, from their familiarity with nautical terminology. - -What sailor is there worth his salt who does not cherish proudly the -remembrance of those magnificent "Down East" clipper ships and their -wonderful passages to and from the Far East and San Francisco? Their -doings have passed into proverbs, the runs they made from day to day, -the mountainous press of canvas they carried and the smartness of their -crews. Many of them were built by "rule of thumb," and were sailed -also much in the same way, for their officers prided themselves far -more upon their knowledge of sailorizing than mathematics, but they -flew over the wide sea at a speed that our clumsier wooden vessels -could not begin to compete with. In them the master was looked upon -almost as a demigod. No man-o'-war's man to-day regards even an admiral -with such awe as did the foremost hand of an American packet ship or -China clipper the saturnine, deep-browed man who, in spotless raiment -and with an Olympian air, strode up and down the weather side of his -immaculate quarter-deck. And a man who had once made a voyage in such -a flyer as the _Sovereign of the Seas_ or the _Dreadnought_ before the -mast, was wont to brag of it loudly ever after. It conferred a sort -of brevet rank upon an A.B. that he had successfully survived all the -hardships of such a voyage. - -The watchwords on board these ships were "Good food and hard work." No -cook dare venture on board of them unless he could justify his title. -And unless he were clean enough to satisfy those hawk-eyed officers -he had better never have been born than have ventured under the Stars -and Stripes as cook. I have myself seen a Yankee skipper go into the -galley, and, taking up the first saucepan to hand from the rack, wipe -it out with a snowy handkerchief brought clean from his drawer on -purpose; and if it showed a smear upon inspection, there was at once -a sound of revelry in that galley. Another one had a pleasant habit -of going around the panelling of the saloon and state-rooms, poking -his handkerchief into the mouldings with a piece of pointed stick, and -examining it most carefully afterwards for any mark of dust. This, of -course, was carrying the Yankee officers' passion for cleanliness to an -absurd length, but it may safely be said that nowhere on the sea was -freedom from dirt maintained at so high a level as it was on board the -now almost extinct American clipper ships. - -These masters fought their way up to command by sheer merit and force -of character, allied to physical prowess, dauntless courage, and, -it must be said in the majority of cases, ruthless cruelty. Laws for -the protection of the common seaman undoubtedly existed, but it was -an unheard-of thing for them to be enforced; and many dark stories -are current of men being done to death by incessant brutality, whose -murderers, whether officers or master, quietly slipped ashore in the -pilot-cutter upon reaching the offing of their home port. Then, if -such an unlikely thing happened as the dead man's shipmates taking -the matter of his slaying before the authorities, it was hopeless to -attempt the murderer's arrest. - -But brutal and reckless as Yankee masters undoubtedly were, the fact -remains that they were unapproachable for seamanship and speedy -passages. They skimmed the cream off the Far Eastern trade, and, owing -to the generosity with which they were treated by their owners, took no -long time to amass comfortable fortunes. The knell of their supremacy -was sounded, however, when Britain took to building iron ships. Even -before that time, so well had the lessons taught by these dashing -Yankee shipmasters and born shipbuilders been learned, that some of our -firms had been able to build wooden ships that could hold their own in -the swiftest ocean race. Then came the day of the composite (wooden -planking with iron frame) ships--the famous tea-clippers of fo'c'sle -story, built by such firms as Hall of Aberdeen and Steel of Greenock, -against which no Yankee clipper had any chance whatever. And when the -iron ship appeared in her turn, in spite of the immense difficulty -of keeping the hull under water free from encumbrances of weeds and -barnacles, she at once sprang into premier place. - -This, however, is a part of my subject that belongs to another place -in the book. It is necessary to mention it here in passing, because it -is one of the prime reasons for the rapid decay and disappearance of a -body of men whose seamanship was peerless--men who carried the Stars -and Stripes triumphantly over all the seas of the world. It must not be -supposed, either, that American skippers were uneducated men. Many of -them were, of course, but the proportion was far less than existed in -our own service. Navigation as taught in the sea-ports of the United -States, on the lines of Bowditch, was no mere perfunctory business; and -although there were no compulsory certificates of competency necessary -in those days, there was a good deal of proper pride in mathematical -attainment which those who employed officers of ships did their best -to foster. And if there were a goodly sprinkling of men among them who -did not care, so long as they could fudge their position out in the -most rudimentary way by means of an old wooden quadrant or hog-yoke, a -ten-cent almanac, and the barest acquaintance with a set of nautical -tables, why, so there were, and so there are now, among our own people, -even with compulsory certificates granted by a vigilant Board of Trade. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -THE MASTER'S QUALITIES. - - -If, as is highly improbable, the average landsman ever thinks anything -about the duties of a shipmaster, it would be most interesting to -know what he imagines them to be. Most intelligent men and women -know that the primary duty of a shipmaster is to take his vessel -across the trackless ocean to her destined port and return again as -speedily as possible. So far so good, but beyond this first reason -for a shipmaster's existence there are a host of other duties, in all -of which he is supposed to be more or less proficient. And there are -certain qualities which he must also possess. Failing them, he may be -perfect in science, full of energy, and faultless in seamanship, but -as a commander he is naught. Of these, the ability to _command_ stands -unquestionably first. No doubt this quality is hard to define, but -the possession or the want of it makes all the difference between a -comfortable and a miserable ship. One man will seldom raise his voice -during a whole voyage loud enough to be heard by any one except the -individual to whom he is speaking; the calmness and placidity of his -demeanour is amazing, yet in some mysterious way every one on board -is made to feel that the master holds the reins of power with no slack -or unready hand, that to disobey one of his orders would be a most -dangerous experiment, and that he knows everything that is going on -fore and aft. - -Such a man fulfilling this perfect attribute of command I once had the -pleasure to serve under--an elderly, prosaic-looking figure, who used -to come on deck shortly after daybreak every morning, with a moth-eaten -Bombay-made dressing-gown flung over his pyjamas, a mangy old fez upon -his head, and his bare feet thrust into sloppy slippers. Thus attired, -he would pace rapidly up and down the poop for the space of half an -hour, taking his constitutional--a most mirth-provoking figure. Yet no -one ever laughed, either behind his back, on deck, or in the privacy -of the fo'c'sle. When he spoke it was in a velvet voice, but the man -spoken to invariably took an attitude of profound respect on the -instant. He was old and feeble, and our crew numbered among them some -rowdies; but from England to China and back again that old gentleman's -commanding personality kept the ship in a quiet state of discipline -which was as perfect as it was rare. - -On the other hand, I have seen a most stately figure of a man, with -a voice like a thunder-peal, unable to obtain respect from his crew. -Because in the Merchant Service, as I am never tired of reiterating, -respect cannot be enforced; it must come spontaneously, a tribute to -the personality of the officer to whom it is due, or it does not come -at all; and then that ship is in a bad way. - -Another quality, which is only second in importance to the one just -mentioned, is self-control. Since the shipmaster has no one above him -in his little realm, it is highly important to his whole well-being, -as well as to the comfort of the ship, that he should command himself. -However irritated he may feel at a mistake on the part of one of his -officers, he should be able to conceal it before his crew. And here the -Americans have shown British officers a good example. So long as an -officer remains an officer on board of American vessels, so long is he -upheld by all the authority of the master. There is no sneering comment -upon his movements indulged in before the crew, no tacit information -conveyed to those keen-witted fellows that the hapless mate, first, -second, or third, as the case may be, has lost the confidence and -respect of his commander, and that consequently there is little or no -danger in them treating him disrespectfully. Perhaps this is one of the -hardest lessons that a shipmaster has to learn, especially in a sailing -ship. For three, or perhaps four, or even five, months sole monarch -of his small kingdom, anxious to make a smart passage, and often -sadly hampered by adverse winds and calms, it is no easy thing for a -naturally hasty man to discipline himself in such wise as to win the -maximum amount of obedience and deference from those around him. Happy -man if he have a hobby of some kind--a thirst for learning, a taste for -natural history, anything that will exercise the powers of his mind and -keep him from the moral dry-rot that always sets in where men are at -the top of things, amenable to no authority but their own, and without -any definite object whereon they may work and feed that appetite for -labour, whether mental or physical, possessed by every healthy human -organism. - -Patience, perseverance, and a sense of justice are also indicated, as -they are, of course, in the leaders in every business or profession, -yet to an even greater degree at sea than anywhere else; for where -you can neither get rid of your men nor afford to lose their services -by punishing them, only the highest expression of these qualities -is of any avail. It may perhaps be thought impossible that, except -in the rarest instances, such a combination of excellence should be -found in any one man. But that impression is not a true one. I am not -exaggerating in the least when I say that but for the possession of -these qualities in an extraordinary degree by masters, our Mercantile -Marine would never have risen to its present splendid height in spite -of so many hampering disabilities unfelt by masters of ships under -other flags. For, to take one aspect only, the disciplinary. I have -slightly indicated the manner in which discipline is maintained in -American ships, viz. by the employment of violence, which is forbidden -by law, yet is invariably winked at. In the ships of every other nation -but the English-speaking ones, the merchant seaman is not only a native -of the country to which his ship belongs, but he is never free from the -environment of naval law; the same law, that is, which obtains on board -of a warship. For every seaman there is a man-o'-war's man, bound to -put in so much actual service in a vessel of war, and, as such, under -the articles of war; so that disobedience to orders, insolence, or -malingering (shamming sickness) are exceedingly expensive practices -for the sailor to indulge in, the penalties being not only heavy, but -their infliction certain. - -In a British ship, on the other hand, a master may unwittingly ship a -crew of scoundrels, who have made up their minds to do as little as -they can as badly as possible, to refuse the most ordinary forms of -respect to their officers, and to either desert or go to gaol at the -first port, not because their ship is a bad one, but just by way of a -change. And if the master or officers, worried beyond endurance, take -the law in their own hands, their punishment and subsequent ruin is -almost certain to ensue promptly. The rascals who have made the ship -a hell afloat, confident in the tenderness of British law, and its -severity towards all forms of oppression, pursue their rejoicing way, -and if brought to court _may_ be fined a trifle of wages, which, as -they set no value upon money, does not punish them in the least. - -Some decent foremast hands may feel that I am here unduly severe upon -the rank and file; that, having been an officer, and, besides, left -the sea for good, I have, like so many others, turned against my -old shipmates. But they would be utterly mistaken. It is the merest -platitude to say that every decent man's interest lies in having his -eyes wide open to the faults of the class he wishes to benefit. The -most of my sea-service was spent in a ship's forecastle, and I can -assure my readers that I have never since felt more shame and disgust -at the behaviour of some of my watchmates than I did then. I cannot for -my life see why the foremast hand should not be as self-respecting, -amenable to reason, and competent, as any good workman ashore. Sea -life is not brutalizing in itself; it is ennobling, and it is a strange -return for the benefits that a life at sea confers upon those who -live it that so many of them should gratuitously become brutish. Of -course there is more excuse for the unfortunate slaves of steam, the -firemen and trimmers. Yet even they can, and do in many instances, -rise superior to their hard surroundings and show an example to men in -positions where every comfort of life is enjoyed. - -Another quality which shipmasters should possess, but whose necessity -will be hotly debated by many, is that of being a God-fearing man. -Some people will say that this embraces all the rest. That it should -do so is undeniable; that it does do so is, unhappily, seldom the -case. It is a great pity that in so many otherwise estimable men the -spirit of godliness should be accompanied by a weakening of their -power to command men. They become afraid lest their necessary acts -for the preservation of discipline should be misconstrued into a -violation of the principles which they profess. And this often results -in their Christian virtues being taken advantage of by unscrupulous -subordinates, so that the ship's condition becomes worse, not better, -for the fact of a man being in command who is anxious to love his -neighbour as himself. Needless to say, perhaps, that such a condition -of things is altogether opposed to the true spirit of Christianity, -which does not approve of allowing one's subordinates to break rules -and defy rulers. This, however, is far too large a question to be more -than glanced at here, especially as it is so hotly debated by many -excellent seamen who hold that the practice of the Christian religion -in the Merchant Service is an impossibility. - -A master should be honest. Eyes will open wide at this, no doubt, since -all men _should_ be honest; but it must not be forgotten that all men -are not so liable to temptations to be dishonest in a perfectly safe -way (as far as the law goes) as a shipmaster is. The ports of the -world are thronged with scoundrels who tempt shipmasters to betray -their trust in a variety of ways. By bribery, the most common form of -corruption, they are led into cheating the owner and the crew, into -downright robbery. There is the temptation to rob the crew, a perfectly -safe operation, and one that can be excused by its perpetrators on -the ground that, as Jack will only squander his money upon the vilest -forms of debauchery when he gets paid off, a good percentage of it -will be much better in their pockets than his. It may be done in a -variety of ways, from the ostensible payment of _blood money_ to a -San Francisco boarding master or crimp, which is deducted from the -seaman's wages and shared by the skipper and his ally, to the commoner -form of collusion with bumboatmen, tailors, etc., whereby the sailor -is overcharged for everything he buys aboard, in order that a heavy -percentage of his spendings may go into the master's pocket. _Of -course_ Jack is not compelled to spend anything; but it is unfair that -he should be mulcted twenty-five per cent. on such innocent outlayings -as for soft bread, eggs, fruit, or clothing. In these latter days the -temptations to dishonesty in respect of such larger operations as -chartering, towage, etc., are greatly lessened by the multiplication of -appointed agencies of the owner's abroad, but they do still exist, and -the sailing shipmaster especially is often tempted to be dishonest in -out-of-the-way ports of the world, temptations which, for his own sake, -he should sternly refuse to countenance. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -THE MASTER'S DUTIES. - - -As pointed out at the beginning of the last chapter, the primary duty -of a shipmaster is to get his ship from port to port in the speediest -and safest manner possible. And it may not be amiss to indicate here, -in the briefest and most popular way, the broad principles upon which -this is done. I wish to disarm criticism by experts by disclaiming any -intention of giving more than an idea of the process by which vessels -are taken across the trackless ocean to those who do not know, and are -daunted by a mathematical treatise. - -Every school child that has reached the third standard knows that -the globe is represented as criss-crossed by a large number of lines -running from pole to pole, that is from north to south, and others -right round the globe in the opposite direction, or from east to west. -These lines cross each other at right angles. The up and down ones, -from pole to pole, are meridians of longitude; the East-West ones are -parallels of latitude. Now, since these are all numbered as degrees, -the space between them being 1°, the latitudes from the Equator to -the poles on either side of it as 1° to 90°, and the meridians from -Greenwich to its opposite point on the other side of the world 1° to -180°, it follows that if a seafarer can ascertain at the same time what -particular degree of both latitude and longitude he is in, a glance at -his chart or sea-map shows him the position of his ship. This operation -(finding the latitude and longitude) is performed in a variety of ways, -but the simplest, and consequently the most universally used at sea, -is by measuring the sun's height above the horizon at noon for the -latitude, and about three hours before or after noon for the longitude. -This is done by means of a pretty instrument called a sextant with -the greatest ease and speed. At noon, the moment the sun reaches his -highest point for the day, it is twelve o'clock, and a calculation, -made in one minute, shows exactly how far the ship is north or south of -the Equator. The observations for longitude take a little longer. From -the sun's height, at the moment of observation, is calculated the exact -time at the ship. And as a chronometer, which every ship carries, shows -the exact time at Greenwich, the difference between the two expresses -in hours and minutes (easily convertible into degrees and miles) the -distance east or west of Greenwich, the first meridian of longitude; -for every degree (60 miles) is equal to four minutes of time. Having -found the latitude and longitude, the master makes a little dot upon -the chart at the exact point where the lines of latitude and longitude -which he is on cross one another, and sees as plainly as if he were -standing at a well-known street-crossing where he is. - -From the position thus obtained he shapes his course in the direction -best calculated to reach his destination; that is, if the way in which -the wind is blowing will allow him to do so (in a sailing ship). This -is done by bringing the desired point of the compass in a line with -a mark drawn upon the side of the round box in which the compass -swings, which mark really represents the ship's head. And if, as is -popularly supposed, the compass needle always pointed true to the -north, navigation would be very simple. But, alas! this instrument is -full of vagaries. Apart altogether from such harassing complications as -the attraction of the iron in the ship produces, there is the variation -of the compass itself from the north, which changes continually as -the vessel goes on her way. Then there is bad steering, and, worse -still, the effect of unknown currents, which sweep the ship away in -some direction which cannot be calculated until after it has occurred. -The speed of the ship is known by the use of a beautiful instrument, -called a patent log, which, towed behind the ship, registers her rate -of progress with an accuracy unobtainable by any cyclometer. Where, for -economical reasons, the patent log is not used, the mariner must rely -upon a primitive instrument, called a "logship," which, being used once -every hour or two hours, cannot, however good it may be, give such true -results as the patent log, which records every foot of the distance -travelled. - -When, however, the heavenly bodies, which are always faithful and -reliable, are obscured by bad weather, and the master has to depend -upon a position obtained by a calculation of the course made by -compass and the distance run by log, he may well be uneasy if he be -in difficult waters near land. For the compass can only be corrected -by the aid of the sun, moon, or stars when at sea, and if _they_ are -invisible it may be a very unsafe guide, although an indispensable one. - -Roughly, these are the principles upon which a ship is navigated, -modifications and extensions of which go to make up the perfect -navigator. And no matter how perfect a navigator a master may be, he -will always, if he be wise, see that the officers work out the ship's -position independently, so that a comparison may be made between the -various workings, and any errors detected. - -This business of navigating the ship in deep waters is, however, always -looked upon by masters as the lightest part of all their duties, -although I have been shipmate with masters who had grown too lazy to -attend even to that, leaving it to the mate. When the ship comes to the -tortuous passages of, say, the East Indian Archipelago, or threads the -mazy ways of the West Indian islands, the master has an opportunity -to show what metal he is made of. Or, reaching the vicinity of our -own dangerous coasts in the long stormy or foggy nights of winter, -his anxieties become great. Steamship masters have here a tremendous -advantage over their brethren in sailing ships, whose best intentions -are often frustrated, their best seamanship rendered of none effect, by -the perverseness of the wind. This is especially the case near home, -where the sea traffic is great and the appalling danger of collision is -added to the perils of rocks, quicksands, and derelicts. - -These are but few and feeble words wherein to outline the -responsibilities of a shipmaster for the safe conduct of his vessel, -responsibilities which weigh so heavily upon some men that for several -days and nights together they are unable to take the rest their -bodies imperiously demand, but they may serve to indicate them to -the sympathetic reader. And when the exceedingly small percentage of -casualties is taken into consideration, all will surely admit that the -standard of ability among this splendid body of men is satisfactorily -high. - -The shipmaster's duty as a trustee of an enormous amount of valuable -property and, in a passenger ship, of valuable lives, is a most -important one. While he must see to it that there is no delay in their -conveyance to their destination, he must remember that safety is the -first consideration. Recklessness is really unpardonable, and must -sooner or later end in his ruin. He represents not only his owners, but -the owners of his cargo and the underwriters who insure that cargo. He -should be thoroughly well up in those sections of maritime law--and -they are many--which affect the traffic; know how to deal with grasping -brokers in foreign ports into which he may be driven by distress; be -able to make good bargains and keep accurate accounts, since none but -the finest passenger steamers carry pursers and clerks to take these -onerous duties off his hands. In passenger ships he must see that -his charges are made comfortable, bear with their often unreasonable -complaints, be courteous and genial, and generally exert himself -to make his ship, and consequently the line to which she belongs, -popular, since popularity spells dividends. - -In cargo ships he must be something of a doctor, for on a long passage -there will certainly be many ailments among his crew, and probably -some fractures. Ignorance of how to deal with these means a terrible -amount of misery to the hapless sufferer lying groaning for assistance -which is not forthcoming. The present generation of shipmasters are -greatly in advance of what smattering of leech-craft was possessed by -their predecessors, but even now there is a plentiful lack of this most -humane and necessary knowledge. One would hardly now expect to find -a shipmaster so ignorant as he of whom the story runs that finding a -dose out of No. 7 bottle prescribed for a supposed ailment, he made up -the draught out of Nos. 4 and 3, upon finding that No. 7 was empty! -Or such a rough customer as the skipper of whom it is told in ships' -forecastles that when it was reported to him that a man had broken his -leg, replied, "Oh, give him a bucket of salts." But in one vessel where -I was a foremast hand, several of us caught severe colds upon coming -into a lonely New Zealand port, where no doctor was to be obtained. The -skipper diagnosed our complaint as bronchitis, and exhibited tartar -emetic with peculiar and painful results. - -Still, it cannot be denied that among the old school there were some -wonderfully skilful, if rough, surgeons--men of iron who, if need -arose, could and did practise the art upon their own bodies under -circumstances of suffering that might well have reduced the stoutest -frame to piteous helplessness. Such a case, for instance, as that -of Captain Samuels of the _Dreadnought_ American packet-ship. I -have not his book by me, so must quote from memory; but the picture -he drew was so vivid that I do not think any one could forget its -essential details. He relates how, in one of his passages from New -York to England, he was midway across the Atlantic when during a heavy -gale a sea was shipped which dashed him against the bulwarks with -such force that one of his legs was broken above the knee. It was a -compound fracture; and although such attention as was possible under -his direction was given him at once, in a few days he recognized the -necessity for having the leg cut off. Mortification had set in. His -mate was absolutely unable to attempt the job from sheer physical -incapacity, although in other respects a most able, strenuous man. So -the sufferer, in superhuman fashion, rose to the occasion and performed -the operation upon himself. Successfully, too, for when a few days -after the vessel arrived at the Azores, there was nothing left for a -surgeon to do. - -Another anecdote, this time from the log of a whaleship, the _Union_ -of Nantucket, Captain (?) Gardiner. While pursuing his calling off -the West Coast of South America, the sperm whale he was fighting with -flung its jaw upwards and across the boat, catching him by the head and -shoulders. The blow did not sweep him overboard, but laid his scalp -back from his skull; broke his right jaw, tearing out five teeth; broke -his left arm and shoulder-blade, and crushed the hand on the same -side between the whale's jaw and the gunwale of the boat. In this -deplorable state he was carried on board his ship. His young officers, -naturally bewildered by the appearance of his broken body, did not know -what to do for him. They may well have been excused for considering his -case hopeless. His brave spirit, however, did not recognize defeat. He -gave directions, mostly by signs, for the preparation of bandages and -splints, and instructed his willing but ignorant helpers in the way of -using them. When all had been done that he wished or could think of, -he ordered the vessel to be taken into port, and, although apparently -at the point of death, he lay on deck in a commanding position and -piloted his ship in. A Spanish surgeon was brought on board, who, as -soon as he saw the sufferer, advised sending for a priest, as the case -was hopeless. This advice was lost upon the valiant Yankee, who sent -a messenger a distance of thirty miles for another doctor--a German. -This gentleman hastened down to the ship, dressed the skipper's wounds, -and had him transported on an improvised ambulance slung between two -mules up to the healthy highlands of the interior. In six months' time -he was fit to resume command of his ship, which meanwhile had made a -most successful cruise under the mate. His left hand, unhappily, had -been so badly mangled that it was hardly more than a stump, the first -two fingers being so twisted in the palm that he was afterwards always -obliged to wear a thick mitten to keep them from being entangled in -a lance-warp while he was lancing a whale. This good man was for a -quarter of a century master of a whaler, and lived to be nearly ninety -years old. - -So prolific is the source whence these anecdotes are drawn, that I -am embarrassed where to choose. However, I cannot help thinking that -for a fitting close to this subject, it would hardly be possible to -select a story more thrilling than the following. During a whale hunt -the line kinked and dragged a man entangled by one arm and one leg -deep under the sea. He was released by the imprisoned members giving -way under the frightful strain. Rising to the surface, and floating -there unconscious, he was picked up and taken on board the ship. There -it was found that a portion of the hand, including four fingers, had -been torn away, while a foot was twisted off at the ankle, leaving -only the lacerated stump with its tangle of sinews hanging loosely. -From the knee downward the muscles had been dragged away by the line, -leaving the almost bare bone with just a veil of tendons and leaking -blood-vessels; so that it appeared as if the poor wretch had only been -saved from drowning to die more cruelly, unless some one should have -the nerve to perform so radical an operation. No surgical instruments -were on board. But Captain James Huntling was not the man to allow any -one to perish without a great effort on his part to save them. He had -a carving-knife, a hand-saw, and a fish-hook. The injury was so great, -and the poor fellow's cries so heartrending, that several of the crew -fainted while attempting to help the skipper, while others became sick. -So, unaided, the skipper lashed his patient to the carpenter's bench, -cut off what remained of the leg, and dressed the mangled hand; then, -making for the Sandwich Islands, he put the man in hospital, where he -recovered, and returning to America, passed the rest of his days in -comfort as a small shop-keeper. - -There is one more reason why it is so necessary for the master of a -ship to have some medical knowledge, and this has a humorous side in -many cases. It is that he may be able to detect that curse of a ship's -company, the "malingerer." Often he is by no means easy to "bowl out," -being, like most lazy people, of considerable inventive genius. And -although a humane man would much rather be imposed upon a dozen times -than send a suffering man to work while unfit once, it is intensely -galling to find that a scalawag, with absolutely nothing the matter -with him but a constitutional aversion to work, has been indulging -himself at the expense of his already hard-pressed shipmates for a week -or two. A little practical knowledge of medicine will in most cases -obviate this and enable the shipmaster to give the loafer a dose that, -while it will do him no harm, will make him so uncomfortable that work -will be a relief. But I find that the recapitulation of the master's -duties demands another chapter. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -THE MASTER'S DUTIES--_continued_. - - -While we have thus lightly run over such duties of the master of a -merchant ship as are imperatively demanded of him by his position, it -must not be lost sight of that there are many things that he should -be and know that, while not compulsory, are most necessary, and no -master who is really attached to his profession will neglect them. For -instance, the Board of Trade has a voluntary examination in "steam," -which is based upon some of the most elementary facts connected with -running marine engines. A master may pass in steam or he may not, as he -pleases, and it is doubtful whether many owners are influenced in their -choice of a master to command one of their ships by the fact that his -certificate is endorsed "passed in steam." Yet it should be obvious to -all that for a master of a steamship, however small, to be ignorant of -at least the broad principles of marine engineering must be a terrible -defect. He should certainly be able, in the event of his engineers -dying or becoming incapacitated, of taking charge of the obedient -monsters below, and running his ship, if not to her destination, to -some port where the need could be supplied; and, in any case, he should -know well under what conditions those engines do their work, that he -may be the better able to appreciate his engineers' reports, and for -other reasons which need not be stated. Any lack of this knowledge on -the part of a steamship master is the more to be deprecated because he -has such splendid opportunities and such ample time for learning. - -Another subject which is not compulsory, but which it is very necessary -that the shipmaster should have more than a nodding acquaintance with, -is ship construction. Studied in books, it looks formidable enough to -any one but a student of the subject and an excellent mathematician; -but a few visits to a shipbuilding yard intelligently made, and the -things seen there carefully noted, would be of inestimable service. -Allied to this is the vast subject of magnetism, which so intimately -concerns every shipmaster in these days of steel, when the compass, -poor thing, is hard put to it to remember the location of the -magnetic pole at all, so sorely is it beset by diverting influences -above, below, and around. But for a fair list of the things that all -shipmasters _should_ know and might, from their abundance of leisure, -in sailing ships especially, so pleasantly and easily acquire, -reference should be made to a book which I remember as a bantling, but -which has now grown to most portly proportions, "Wrinkles," by Squire -T. S. Lecky. Within the boards of this splendid book Mr. Lecky has -gathered a stupendous amount of information, which he imparts in the -most delightful manner. For many years he commanded one of Messrs. -Holt's steamships running between Liverpool and South America, so -that his practical knowledge is as extensive as need be, while his -theoretical learning is not only great, but sound. This book has been -the hobby of his life; and it may truly be said that any shipmaster -who will read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest it will be perfectly -equipped for one of the most onerous of all professions if he only has -the power of putting his learning to practical use. I have never seen, -spoken to, or had a letter from Mr. Lecky in my life, so that what I -say is perfectly unbiassed by any personal consideration. Mr. Lecky is -a magnificent example of what the merchant shipmaster may make of his -opportunities for study, if he be so inclined. - -There are also branches of study, such as the most fascinating one of -marine natural history, which can be pursued nowhere else so well as -at sea in a sailing ship. With a little aptitude for drawing, a camera -and a microscope, the shipmaster might not only pass his plenteous -spare time most pleasantly, but accumulate a store of the most valuable -material, whereon the savants ashore might exercise their stock of -wisdom. And the study of languages, too; how necessary for a man who, -if he speak but his own tongue, must of necessity be often severely -handicapped in the race with foreigners, who usually speak two or -three--to say nothing of the ease with which a man may be imposed upon -in a foreign port who is obliged to transact his business by the aid -of an interpreter. But the time is probably fast approaching when the -knowledge of one other language at least besides his own will be made -compulsory for the British shipmaster, so that I will say no more about -the matter here, except that, unless greater efforts are put forward -by sea-going youths in this most valuable direction, they will find -it harder than ever to compete with the constantly increasing numbers -of foreigners who are pressing into the afterguards of our Mercantile -Marine. - -And now for the least pleasant portion of this section of my subject, -the question of drunkenness. For the reasons already quoted, this -vice is one to which the shipmaster is continually being tempted. -Being, when at sea, a law unto himself, he may, if he will, become a -steady tippler, gradually sinking lower and lower into the helpless -drunkard. If he have any tendency that way there is only one thing for -him to do--that is, become a total abstainer from intoxicants. Sad it -is to say, on the testimony of many such men, that such a virtuous -resolve should be often detrimental to a man's chances of doing his -business in foreign ports, where that business is only carried on over -drink. I know that by some good people ashore this statement will be -pooh-poohed; but it is nevertheless true, and the hindrance it puts in -the way of the teetotaller doing justice to himself and his employer -very real. Many a smart skipper has been thus ruined, having laid the -foundation of drunken habits in ports where the first questions and the -last to be put to him were-- - -"Well, cap'n, what are you going to have?" or, "What are you goin' to -stand?" - -Again we may take comfort in the thought that sobriety is the rule -among shipmasters of to-day, and not the exception, as it once -was. I speak feelingly, having suffered many things at the hands of -drunken skippers. Vividly do I remember, on my last voyage as mate -on the first night in the Channel outward bound, my skipper saying -to me confidentially, "I always live on brandy while we're in the -Channel," and the sick feeling that I experienced at his remark. Let -me hasten to add that he was wrongly accusing himself, being at the -time half-seas-over, and exaggerating, as was his wont at such a -time. He certainly did drink, and very much more than was good for -him, but his tippling never gave or made any trouble. What made his -remark so terrible to me was that two voyages before I had been mate -of a brig with a man who, from the day that I joined her until the -day, nearly four months afterwards, when I refused to stay on board -any longer, never drew a sober breath. I may, perhaps, be excused for -dwelling a little upon the plain facts of this short sea-experience -of mine, which, in the words of Mr. Justice Day, who heard some of it -recapitulated and proved in the Court of Queen's Bench, "surpassed the -wildest flights of imagination." Sordid, certainly, yet not without a -certain romantic outcome. - -The vessel, whose name I suppress, was the property of a hard-working -man in one of our northern sea-ports, who had toiled and saved until -he became her owner. At the time when I joined her as mate she had -been absent from her first port of departure in England for nearly two -years. During that period she had visited many ports, in each of which -the master had abandoned himself to drunkenness, spending recklessly -every penny upon which he could lay his hands, and ignoring all the -owner's complaining letters. Five different mates had been engaged, -had sickened of their position and had left. At last my turn came, -and, all unknowing what awaited me, I went on board. I found the poor -old vessel most shamefully neglected, the crew looking woe-begone and -disheartened, and the only officer, the second mate, firmly determined -to work no more. I took charge, and did what I could, going ashore -persistently for such instructions as I needed, but ever finding my -commander in a state of maudlin drunkenness. After a few days the -vessel was loaded, and made as ready for sea as her condition rendered -possible. I duly informed the master--who had never even seen the -vessel since I joined--of our readiness to proceed, but he was of -opinion that there was no hurry. So day after day slipped by for three -weeks, until the consignee of the cargo wired from New Brunswick, -protesting so vigorously, that the shipper took steps to expedite -our departure. He told the fuddled skipper that unless he went to -sea forthwith I should be ordered to leave without him, the shipper -taking all responsibility. This ultimatum aroused him sufficiently to -get him on board, and to sea we went. But he immediately sought his -berth, and continued his spirituous exercises, varied by attacks of -_delirium tremens_, while alone and unaided except by the weary crew, I -endeavoured to navigate the clumsy vessel down the Nova Scotian coast -in mid-winter. To add to my troubles, the chronometer was hopelessly -out of order, having been, I believe, tampered with by the mutinous -second mate. - -How many hairbreadth escapes from destruction we had in that stormy -passage of three weeks I have no space to tell in detail; but at last -we obtained a pilot, who brought us safely into the harbour of St. -John, New Brunswick, in a night of inky blackness and drenching rain, -and there left us entangled amidst a motley crowd of coasters. Next day -we were extricated and laid by a wharf, when, to my astonishment, my -worthy commander appeared and went ashore, his first public appearance -since coming on board in Cape Breton. That night, when the vessel had -settled down upon the mud, by reason of the great fall of the tide, -so that her tops were nearly level with the wharf-edge, the skipper -returned and, avoiding the lighted gangway carefully placed for him, -walked over the unprotected side of the wharf and fell fifty feet. He -passed between the vessel's side and the piles of the wharf without -touching, and entered the mud feet first with a force that buried him -to his arm-pits. His cries aroused us, and we rescued him, actually -unhurt, but nearly sober. Again he disappeared from our midst, having -now a good excuse--shock to the system! Having discharged the cargo, -and taken in ballast according to instructions from the consignee, I -again danced attendance upon him at his hotel until he at last decided -to make a move, and came on board attended by a most finished rascal of -a longshoreman, who had apparently been his drinking crony all the time -he had been ashore, and who was now, save the mark, coming with us to -our next port to stow the cargo of lumber we were to take home. - -We towed across the Bay of Fundy to Parrsboro' in charge of a pilot, -the skipper and his friend both shut in the skipper's state-room below, -drinking. When we arrived, I was in serious difficulty as to a berth, -because the master was so drunk I could get no instructions. But after -a while I succeeded in finding a berth, where we lay quietly all night. -In the morning early my skipper sent for a sleigh and again departed to -an hotel, where he remained until the vessel was loaded. I frequently -saw him in bed, and protested with all my power against the shameful -way in which the quondam stevedore was stowing the cargo; but all my -remonstrances were unheeded. At last the cargo was complete, including -a deck-load six feet high, and the vessel was so unstable ("crank," as -we call it) that she would hardly stand up at the wharf. - -Then I sought the skipper for a final interview, telling him that, -having regard to the condition of the ship, his own continued -drunkenness, and to the fact that I was the only officer on board (the -second mate having obtained his discharge in St. John), I wanted to -leave the ship. I felt that it would only be tempting fate to undertake -a North Atlantic passage in mid-winter in such a vessel under such -circumstances. Moreover, I warned him that in my estimation he did not -intend that the vessel should reach home, hoping by shipwreck to wipe -out the effects of his two years' drunkenness and dishonesty. Of course -he laughed at me and bade me go to hell. I then took the only course -open to me there--I left the ship, writing a letter to the owner, in -which I detailed matters. Two days afterwards a tug-boat was engaged, -and the brig was towed back to St. John, where I heard that another -fortnight's spree was consummated. Another mate was engaged, and she -sailed for home. Four days after, in a gale, with frost, fog, and snow, -she was run ashore on the coast of Maine, becoming a total wreck, and -destroying four of her crew, not, of course, including the skipper. - -Yet this man had the effrontery to sue the owner upon his return to -England for his wages for the whole voyage. Not only so, but he would -certainly have won his case but that the owner succeeded in discovering -me. My evidence was final, supported as it was by the entries in the -log-book, which was, unfortunately for the skipper, saved from the -wreck. - -Before closing my remarks upon the master, which, lengthy as they are, -only skirt the subject, I would like to pay a well-deserved tribute to -that splendid body of master-mariners commanding the great Mercantile -Marine of our North-American colonies. Many, nay, most of them, have -risen to command their ships in the teeth of great disabilities and -drawbacks. They have little polish, but a great deal of capacity, for -the "Blue-nose," as the British North-American seaman is called by all -other English-speaking mariners, is a born seaman as well as a born -shipbuilder. In only one other part of the world, viz. Scandinavia, is -it possible to find men who are capable of building a ship, farming -and timber-felling between whiles, then, when the hull is finished, -rigging her and loading her with their own produce, and sailing her to -any part of the world. These qualities seem indigenous to the soil of -the coast of British North America and the north-eastern shores of -the United States. But it is to be noted that the final extinction of -this splendid industry is near at hand. Iron and steel and steam have -compelled those sturdy seamen of the north to give up their beloved -and stately wooden ships, all but a few that are holding on almost -despairingly against the steadily-rising tide. - -Yet, when all has been said for the "Blue-nose" master that ought to be -said, it must not be forgotten that his reputation for humane dealing -with his crews is far worse than that of the Yankee. He has learned the -American lesson of how to enforce discipline without law--in defiance -of law, in fact--and learned it so well that any old sailor will tell -you that a "Blue-nose" is the hardest of all ships to sail in. Perhaps -this is hardly to be wondered at when the motley character of the crews -they are obliged to carry is remembered, their own spare population -only sufficing to supply them with officers. That their high courage -and stern resolution to be master in fact as well as name often leads -them into deplorable excesses of cruelty cannot be denied truthfully. -And yet it may be doubted whether a good seaman would not rather sail -in a ship under stern discipline, even if it were enforced by an -occasional broken head, than be one of a crew who were permitted to act -and speak as their fancy listed, to the misery of all on board, as is -undoubtedly the case in so many of our British ships. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -THE MATE. - - -Naturally, perhaps, seeing that most of my own sea-service as an -officer was spent in this capacity, I come to the consideration of the -mate's position with very cordial feelings; a little shamefacedly, -too, for I remember an admirable little book which used to have (and -may have now, for what I know) a good sale among Mercantile Marine -officers in embryo. It was called "The Mate and his Duties," and was -written entirely for the use of the profession, so that it would not -be appreciated by shore people at all. To us it was of great use, -although few young officers reading it for the first time could help a -feeling of despair stealing over them as they studied those counsels -of perfection. It did not seem possible that any one man should be -sufficient for all these things. So we tried to forget the whole duties -of a mate, and concentrated our ideas upon the present duty to be -performed, trusting that we might rise to each occasion as it presented -itself. - -But to begin at the beginning, let us take the title, "The Mate." It -is a word of simple origin, easy of derivation, ancient enough to make -it honourable, and therefore it is a matter for congratulation that -the Board of Trade has seen fit to retain its use instead of the more -modern and finical "first officer." It is used almost always on board -ship, without any prefix, as needing no distinctive mark like the -other mates, _i.e._ second mate, bo'sun's mate, cook's mate, etc. The -mate is the chief executive officer, the companion of the master, who -should, except when all hands are on deck, issue all his orders through -the mate as a matter of etiquette. Upon him devolves the working of -the ship and her command upon the death or incapacity of the master, -to whom he comes next in importance on board. Perhaps in this latter -respect I ought to except steamers, where the chief engineer is a man -of great weight, and is apparently bound to be of greater weight in the -near future. Yet, although the chief engineer's pay be so much larger -than that of the mate, and his importance so great, there is one aspect -of their relative positions which cannot, to my mind, be ignored in -considering this vexed question of precedence. It is that at all times -the engineer, who is below, must obey the orders of the officer, who is -above, immediately, unquestioningly, under severest penalties, as is -only fitting, seeing that any slackness, not to say disobedience, might -result in a terrible calamity, such as running down another ship. - -Let us, however, pass this matter by for the present, since it must -be dealt with when speaking of the engineer later on. Again it must -be noted, as in the case of the master, that there is a vast range -of difference among mates--from him who manages a monster like the -_Oceanic_, down to the mate of a footy little brigantine going -foreign. Yet in the eyes of the Board of Trade they are both equal; the -same certificate is required of both. As a matter of detail, however, -it will be found that not only _the_ mate, but the long list of -junior officers in such a ship as the _Oceanic_, will have passed the -examination for master at least, most of them for "master extra," and -many of them, as hinted at in a previous chapter, will have commanded -magnificent sailing ships. But it is almost ludicrous to see how, -in a sailor's eyes, the fact that a man is in command--of no matter -what--will weigh, as far as his importance goes, against the man who is -not. There cannot be much doubt as to which occupies the more important -position--the mate of an ocean liner like the _Campania_, or the master -of a sailing vessel of, say, some five hundred tons, creeping wearily -about the world wherever it may be found possible to secure a bit of -cargo. But--and it is a mighty big but--one is, in nautical phrase, -_Captain_ Brown, and the other is only _Mr._ Jones--and there is an end -of discussion. - -Apart, however, from sentimental consideration, there are many reasons -why the grade of mates should be held so different. For instance, -the master of one ship, however small, if only he be gentlemanly and -accustomed to command, will find little or no difficulty in springing -suddenly to the command of another ship, no matter how large. Because -the minor details are attended to by his subordinates, who are usually -competent men, and he, being at the head of the position, can calmly -observe matters without letting any one see that he is strange to such -a giddy height. Not so the mate. If it were possible to transfer, say, -a mate of a schooner into the position of mate of a three-thousand-ton -sailing ship without much previous training, he would be lost. His new -duties would overwhelm him. As well expect a small tradesman, who has -been grubbing away in a little suburban shop on a turnover of £4 a -week, to suddenly assume charge of one of the largest departments at -Whiteley's, or the Army and Navy Stores. For the mate does not merely -command the ship during the master's absence, or act as the master's -mouthpiece: it is his to see that orders given are carried out, and to -hold the proper person responsible for neglect. - -But perhaps we are getting along too fast. To return, then, for a -moment to a consideration of how the mate attains his position, that -last rung but one on the ladder of promotion, which, alas! is separated -by so wide a gulf from the next one above. It is hardly necessary to go -over again the various steps which have been already mentioned in the -case of the master, except in the most cursory manner: First, usually, -but not compulsorily, the serving of a term of apprenticeship fixed at -four years by law, the last year of which is counted as the service of -able seaman. Or, as the rules merely specify that the candidate for -a second mate's certificate shall have been four years at sea, one -year of which he was an able seaman, he may have simply entered as boy -and gone on to ordinary seaman, and then to A.B. This course is the -one adopted in American and Canadian ships, where apprenticeships are -unknown; but there the candidate is usually in far better case than -any apprentice in a British ship, because he is sure to be put on board -by some one whom the master is anxious to please, or, more probably, -he is a friend or relative of one of the officers themselves; in which -case, although his designation may be humble enough, he will live in -the cabin, and have his profession thoroughly burnt into him--a process -which he will in nowise be able to escape. - -Our mate, however, having served his allotted time, and received -the essential recommendation from his last commander, makes his way -to a navigation school, not that he, unless he be a hopeless idiot, -has waited until now to be taught navigation, but in order that -his knowledge may be suitably arranged for production at the right -time and in the accepted fashion. Some young would-be officers are -foolish enough to imagine that the master of a navigation school can -also help them in their seamanship, but with lamentable results. For -the navigation is in cut-and-dried exercises which any ordinarily -capable scholar may learn with little difficulty, since all of them -may be satisfactorily done without the slightest knowledge of the -higher mathematics. There are thousands of Mercantile Marine officers -holding certificates, good men too, who could not work a problem in -trigonometry without the tables to save their lives, and to whom Euclid -is a sealed book; for clever men have long been at work simplifying -navigation problems, until their execution is just a matter of simple -arithmetic and acquaintance with a set of nautical tables. This -state of things gives rise to much controversy among those who are -interested in Mercantile Marine officers. Some say that every officer -should make a point of knowing not merely how to work his problems, but -why certain tables are used; in other words, that he should not merely -work by rule of thumb, but be a competent mathematician. Then, these -gentlemen add, he would be able to command not only higher wages, but -more consideration from his employers, besides being better able to -compete with the carefully-educated foreigner. Others contend that the -business already laid upon Merchant officers is fully as great as they -ought to bear, and that, supposing they had learned the mathematical -theory of navigation, they would still in practice use the rule of -thumb method. Not feeling at all capable of deciding between these two -contestants, I merely present their views, contenting myself with the -passing remark that, supposing a man to be a good seaman, it cannot -be to his detriment to make himself as proficient in the mathematical -theory of navigation as his capacity will enable him. But with regard -to seamanship, matters are totally different. Here there can be no -difference of opinion. Seamanship, that is the handling of a ship under -all circumstances of weather, the fitting and keeping in repair of her -masts, rigging, sails, etc., and the stowage of her cargo, cannot be -learned from books. The unhappy neophyte who has scrambled through his -apprenticeship without attempting to learn the business, and comes at -the last moment to his crammer for assistance, is in evil case when -standing before the keen-eyed old shipmaster who is to examine him. He -tries to recall book answers to questions that are not in the books. - -Even the "rule of the road," that most essential part of all a seaman's -education, though it be found in a set of iron-bound articles, is apt -to vanish entirely away from a man who has only studied it in book -form. When the examiner hands him a model, and telling him to imagine -himself in command of her, places other models at various angles to -her course, asks him what he would do, he will, if his knowledge be -theoretical, surely find it depart from him in his sore need, and leave -him dumb and witless. And so it will be with all the various branches -of seamanship. The ordeal of a _vivâ voce_ examination is too great for -any mere theorist to come through successfully--and failure means not -only a forfeiture of fees, but a compulsory going to sea again for six -months before the next presentation for questioning. The navigation, on -the other hand, is considered so much less important that failure to -pass that part of the examination carries with it only forfeiture of -fees, and a space of three months before appearing again, during which -time the candidate may remain on shore at school. - -Let us suppose, however, that our young aspirant has so well prepared -himself that he has gone flying through his first examination, emerging -a full-fledged second mate. In that case, as already remarked, much -will depend upon his position with regard to influential friends -among ship-owners or vacancies in the firm with which he has served -his apprenticeship. So many are the difficulties, so varied are the -conditions under which the young officer works his way upward, that -it is impossible to speak definitely as to the length of time that -will elapse before he again approaches the dread tribunal for another -inquisition as to his qualifications for the post of "first mate." -Since I left the sea there have been several modifications in this -matter. One of the most important--made certainly as a concession to -the needs of officers in steamships--is that a man with two years' -service as second mate, having in the meantime passed his first mate's -examination, may pass his examination for master, although he has never -served as first mate. This, in view of the almost invariable rule in -steamships that a man must have a certificate of higher grade than the -one he intends to serve in, is no more than bare justice. And much as -we who have been through the grinding of the sailing-ship mill may -gird at it, there can be little doubt that before very long it will be -found impossible to insist upon the candidate having served his time in -sailing ships. The sailing ship has not gone yet, by a very long way, -as one visit to the docks will show any one who cares to inquire; but -the day of her extinction is within measurable distance. If once the -Panama or other interoceanic canal connecting the Atlantic with the -Pacific becomes an accomplished fact, sailing ships will be worth old -iron price, and no more. - -To return to our candidate. Let it be granted that he has been so well -supported in his application for employment as second mate that, while -yet the ink is tacky upon his certificate, he has got a berth for a -round voyage lasting a year. Upon his return he again looks up his old -schoolmaster, and gets coached for another visit to the examiners. This -second ordeal should be comparatively easy. For while there is very -little navigation added to what he has already done in the examination -for second mate, he ought by this time to have perfect confidence in -his ability to answer any question put to him about seamanship, since -he has had practice in ship-handling. In my own case, I can only say -that "passing" for mate was a mere bagatelle as compared with passing -for second mate. And as soon as he hears the blessed words, "Where -will you have your certificate sent?" which is the formula used by the -examiner to intimate that he has passed, he feels now that his course -is clear; he has entered the charmed circle, and become that much -envied individual, a full-blown "first mate." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -THE MATE'S WORK. - - -Happy indeed is the master who finds a good mate, but happier still is -the mate who has the joy of serving under a master who, while never -neglecting his own duties, is not for ever fussing about finding -fault with the way in which work is being carried on--a master who -will treat his mate as his right-hand man, not only trusting him but -confiding in him. And even while finding out whether he be worthy of -trust, such a master will make his observations in an unostentatious -manner, most careful that no one may suspect that the mate is being -weighed in the balance of his mind. Whether a man make a success or a -failure as mate, and, consequently, as master--supposing that he ever -reach that coveted position--is more largely due to the treatment he -receives at the hands of his first master than is generally admitted. -Everywhere, unfortunately, are to be found men who, while indignantly -repudiating any description of themselves as persecutors, are yet -saturated with the idea that it is necessary to treat the beginner who -comes under their control with studied harshness; to comment upon his -slightest mistakes--not due to ignorance, but to a nervous anxiety to -do his best--as if they were indisputable proofs of his being a fool; -to find out his tender spots and probe them, so that the hot flush of -shame rises, and the tongue is almost bitten through in the endeavour -to restrain the furious reply that would be fatal;--more than all, -and worse than all, to comment upon a beginner's shortcomings openly -before the men and boys over whom that beginner is placed in authority, -thereby laying him open to the covert sneer, the insolent retort, and -the slackly-performed obedience. Such treatment is diabolical cruelty -to a highly-strung, sensitive man, no matter how expert, how clever he -may be. That upon first entering a new position he will make mistakes -is an axiom, for, as has often been said most truly, the man who -makes no mistakes makes nothing--especially when one realizes that -he then for the first time feels the burden of responsibility, feels -it with a keenness that use will presently dull the edge of, knows -that swiftness and decision, readiness in action, must be joined to -accuracy of knowledge and fertility of resource. To the man who is not -sensitive, yet not dull, these early experiences are not nearly so -full of painful experiences, but the majority of modern officers bear -about with them still the scars of their early memories, when their -ears caught the faintest whisper of disparagement, their eyes saw every -shade of expression that flitted across the skipper's face, and they -were continually torturing themselves with questions as to whether or -how they had failed to come up to the mark. - -But to return to the actual duties of the mate. Undoubtedly his prime -duty is that of an overseer, the manager of the business wherein the -skipper occupies the position of chairman of the Board of Directors. -In the great liners, while the foregoing still holds true, it must -necessarily be modified somewhat. There are in these splendid vessels -many officials who, nominally responsible to the mate for all they -do, really report direct to heads ashore. Still, for all practical -purposes, the mate is the centre around which all the working interests -of the ship outside the engineer's province revolve. He it is who -sees that the routine of duty goes steadily forward, without any -slackness or neglect; who must know the condition of the ship--again as -distinguished from the engineer's department and the chief steward's -domain, and who must see that her condition is first-class and kept so. -Of course, in such a ship as the _Lucania_, for instance, the work of -the mate resolves itself more and more into generalship. He has such an -army of subordinates, each of whom is charged with some particular duty -and responsibility to the mate for its being carried out, that he does -not need to be for ever seeing for himself that the work is being done. -In such a ship the mate keeps no watch. He is on duty all day, and -sleeps in all night, although he would doubtless say that he was really -always on duty, and that the fact of his not keeping a particular watch -means only that he gets much less rest than if he did. But one thing -may be taken as undeniable, the mate of a liner occupies a position of -tremendous responsibility and honour. He is the real commander of the -ship, the master being, like the captain of a man-o'-war, a sort of -veiled prophet with whom the crew and junior officers seldom come in -contact except in extra bad weather or entering and leaving harbour. -Yet--and here comes the curious pinch--between the mate's salary and -the master's, how great a gulf is fixed! It seems such an anomaly that -a man who really bears the whole burden of the ship's working, who can -be, and who is, called to account by the master when anything goes -wrong, and who is generally well into middle age before he gets command -himself, should be so poorly paid as compared with the master. It works -out roughly like this: A friend of my own was second officer of a liner -for four years. He had in his pre-steamer days been master of a large -sailing ship, so that he was getting on in years. Then, as he began -to fear that he was fixed in that subordinate position, he suddenly -succeeded to the mate, who obtained a command elsewhere. For one year -only he was mate, then, on the master's retirement, he obtained the -command. We will not inquire what powerful influences were at work to -push him on so suddenly. The net result was that in one year his income -was nearly trebled, his salary as mate being only £3 per month more -than it was as second mate. It does not appear easy to explain why, -since the mate may at any moment be called upon to become master, it -should be considered necessary to have so serious a difference between -their salaries. But it explains the statement that is often truly -made, that unless a man has a private income he must not only be very -economical to live upon his pay while he is an officer in a swagger -line, he must forego all idea of getting married. That is, if he -wishes his wife and children to get enough to eat. - -The next step down the scale of ships is a long one. From the mate of a -liner to the mate of a cargo steamer, or tramp, is indeed a fall. And -not only in status, but in decreased pay and increased work; for in the -liner, as I have before noted, there are not only numerous officers -below the position of mate to relieve him of onerous duties, such -as tallying of cargo, charge of stores, etc., but he is practically -relieved from any necessity of looking after these subordinates, as -they are controlled from the offices ashore. In the cargo steamer, -on the contrary, it is the mate who must look after the shipment of -cargo, examine bills of lading, and, indeed, do the tallying as well. -Moreover, since the number of mates in most cases is rigidly limited -to three, and often to two, he must take his watch on the bridge, must -work up the position of the ship, look after the compasses, with all -their heart-breaking divagations, attend personally to the care of the -ship in cleansing, etc., and last, but by no means least, keep in order -the motley crew. And for this his pay is sometimes, nay, frequently, -so small that mention of it excites disbelief among responsible -persons ashore who know nothing of shipping matters. I have myself -been offered five guineas a month to go mate of a steamer bound to the -Baltic for timber, a steamer of 2000 tons burden. I would have gone, -too, but that a German stepped down before me and agreed to have the -five shillings a month knocked off. Perhaps the tramp mate's lot is -harder than that of most other sea-officers, in that his work is never -done, his responsibilities are very heavy, and his pay is so small -that he _must_ forego the delights of wife and children if he has only -that pay to live upon. Yet these men form the marrow of our Merchant -Service, and should certainly not be treated shabbily. How their work -is done let owners and shippers declare, who know full well that while -the master gets all the credit that his position entitles him to, the -mate, working silently but strenuously in the background, must wait for -any recognition until he has at last emerged from his obscurity into -the coveted post of master. Not so, however, in the case of disaster -to his ship. No amount of theory as to the master bearing the whole -responsibility will avail to save the unhappy mate from the most -severe punishment that can fall upon a Merchant officer--suspension or -cancelling of his certificate--if any leather-headed court of inquiry -choose to bring him in to blame in any way. I do not mean to speak evil -of dignities, God knows; but the proceedings of some of these courts, -abroad especially, are sufficient to make angels weep. We all know the -rest of that wise quotation. In ships of this kind the mate's lot is -seldom a happy one; it may easily be made intolerable if the master be -not kindly disposed towards him, or so blind to his obvious duties as -to neglect or refuse to give him all the weight of his own authority in -the event of any trouble arising. - -I said "in the event of any trouble arising." Well, to tell the truth, -trouble in a foreign port, especially where the ship lies alongside a -wharf, is the tramp mate's normal environment. Not only has he the -entire conduct of the ship's business on board, as distinguished from -that which the skipper performs on shore, but he must see to it that -the work goes on. Each one of his crew will probably be devoting all -his energy to the endeavour to do as little as possible, and to getting -drunk. The motley crowd that are working the cargo work only under -steady stress of compulsion. If receiving cargo, the second mate must -keep an eye on the stowage, so that he cannot assist his superior on -deck; and there are the innumerable horde of touts of one sort and -another to keep at bay. Every one else will be complaining of the heat -or something; the mate must bear all such personal inconveniences -without noticing them, and keep the ball rolling steadily as well. And -as if these things were not sufficient, he must compete with whatever -personal abuse or violence a drunken seaman chooses to offer him, his -only remedy to report the offender to the master, when he can get -hold of him. Should he defend his own life, take a deadly weapon and -use it, he is guilty of manslaughter, and sent to herd with criminals -for years. This is by no means vague generalization. The particular -instance that excites my whole-hearted indignation is the case of -the mate of the _Lanarkshire_. He was threatened all day by a negro -seaman who, instead of working, was oscillating between the ship and -a grog-shop, and filling up the intervals by using the foulest abuse -to his long-suffering officer. The most sanguinary threats were made -by this scoundrel against the mate, who, naturally alarmed, loaded -his revolver and carried it in his pocket. Then, when in the gloom of -the evening he suddenly realized that the fellow was making for him -with murderous knife uplifted, he fired and killed him. Surely if ever -there was a case of justifiable homicide, this was. Yet, to the lasting -injury of our Merchant Service, and the indelible shame of our laws, -this hapless gentleman was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and as -I write he is undergoing this shameful sentence for doing what was his -obvious duty. To have failed to do it would not only have been to have -lost his own life, but to have put a premium upon murdering others. - -Again I say that in the American Mercantile Marine such a thing would -be inconceivable. In the first place, the man would never have been -allowed to wander at his own sweet will backwards and forwards; and had -he made a threat to murder, there is no doubt whatever that he would at -once have been physically incapacitated from carrying it out. Had he, -without threatening, attempted murder, there is also no doubt that he -would have been instantly shot dead. And the officer acting in any of -the ways hinted at above would have been held to have done not one jot -more than his obvious duty. As to even bringing him to trial--the idea -would have been scouted as absurd. - -Nevertheless, it is certain that such a training as the mate of a tramp -steamer gets is admirably calculated to bring out all a man's sterling -qualities: patient persistence in the face of difficulties, ability to -deal with refractory races by diplomacy rather than by force, orderly -marshalling of thought--absolutely necessary where so many things must -be kept going at one time; and, certainly, endurance of hardness. This -is no easy way of getting through the world. It makes a man thankful -for small mercies; as, for instance, when, after a harassing time, -with all the worries of harbour, the mate heaves a sigh of relief upon -mounting the bridge to keep watch through four hours of a dark, dirty -night. With keen eyes, smarting under the incessant pelting of driving -rain and spray, he peers over the edge of the weather-cloth into the -blackness ahead, heeding not at all the "bucking beam-sea roll" or the -thumpity-thump-thump of the untiring engines below him. Now he can send -his thoughts a-roaming. Such tender musings as of love and home and -rest may be admitted while the almost invisible blackness of the hull -beneath him is thrust into the hungry expanse of darkness ahead, the -only sure point being beneath the tiny circle of light in the binnacle. -Here we will leave him, steady, resourceful, and alert, not without an -affectionate remembrance of all his fellows at their posts on all the -seas at this present, worthy members of the worthiest of all commercial -enterprises, the Merchant Service. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -THE MATE'S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP). - - -There is no small difficulty, I find, in presenting for landward folk -the various gradations of officers in the Merchant Service. As far as -ability in his profession is concerned, there can be no question at all -that the mate of a sailing ship is far before the mate of a steamer; -only, the mate of a steamer is so much better paid, as a rule, that he -naturally regards his status as much higher than that of the mate of a -"wind-jammer." But here enters another complication. It is necessary -for the steamer mate to have been a sailing-ship mate first. It has -hardly been admitted yet by those in authority that any man is fit -for an officer's position in steam until he has served in sail. There -alone, they consider, does a man develop the true characteristics -of the sailor--his all-round ability for dealing with unforeseen -contingencies as they arise, his resourcefulness and skill in dealing -with the wise old sea by the aid of the wind. - -This view still obtains among naval authorities, where it is considered -indispensable for the young sailor to become expert at sail-handling -before he goes to his life-work on board of a vessel where sails would -be as great an absurdity as means to her propulsion as oars. One cannot -help feeling that this idea is indefensible, since the man-o'-war -sailor of to-day is, before anything, a trained artillerist, a man -of mechanics, almost an engineer, in that he is always dealing with -engineering appliance of so much complexity that every hour at his -disposal in his preparatory time is all too brief for the acquirement -of such knowledge as he must have if he would be worth his salt. But in -merchant steamers, except big liners, the case is different. In very -many cases the knowledge of how to handle sails and rig jury-masts -means the safety of the ship. Therefore it seems only wise and proper -to insist upon the would-be steamship officer learning thoroughly the -art and mystery of sail-handling before quitting the embryo stage for -that of a full-blown steamship mate. - -It is impossible, however, to help feeling that in all respects, -except the single one of pay, it is a decided descent in dignity from -the poop of a sailing ship to the bridge of a steamer. Handling the -former efficiently is a fine art, a mystery full of grace and deep -dexterity. Many a man, fairly successful in his calling, too, never -learns to get the best out of a sailing ship that is in her--never, -in short, is anything but a novice at the higher seamanship. In fact, -I really believe that the highest type of sailor, using the word in -its original sense, is born, not made. I have been shipmate with men -who seemed instinctively, and by rules of their own, to fathom all the -secrets of their ships, to get just what they wanted without apparent -effort. Put them on board a vessel with a bad name for unhandiness, -apparently possessing some inherent defect that puzzled and exasperated -beyond measure every man who had hitherto essayed to work her; under -the delicate, instinctive handling of these born sailors her ingrained -clumsiness disappeared, she became docile and handy, and presently the -gratified officer would remark nonchalantly, "I don't see anything -wrong with her." Men like these seem able to overcome such radical -faults as the misplacing of masts, bad trim (that is to say, a vessel -being, through careless loading, too much tilted by the head or the -stern, awkwardness of build producing bad steering, etc.). Seldom can -they impart these gifts to others, because they are not exercised -by rule, but by instinct. In precisely the same way you shall get a -man who is a good sailor in all respects but one--he can't steer; -and another who is good for nothing else. In some mysterious way -an ideal steersman (of a sailing ship) holds communication with a -vessel herself: little subtle touches are conveyed to him through the -wheel-spokes, so that he knows in the blackest night, with even the -binnacle (or compass-box) in darkness, exactly what she requires of him. - -Now the mate of a sailing ship is placed in the most favourable -position imaginable for cultivating such a science as ship-handling -undoubtedly is. Unlike his compeer of a steamship, his first care is of -his vessel's propelling machinery. That towering fabric of sails and -cordage, which appears to a landsman's eye such a mass of intricate -entanglement, requires his unceasing attention. His sight should be, -and usually is, keen as a hawk's, able to note even from the deck -anything that goes wrong. He must nurse his ship tenderly, especially -aloft, bearing in mind before all things the homely adage of the stitch -in time. No loose ends, frayed seizings, or chafed running gear (as the -ropes are called which are hauled upon in distinction to those which -are tightened and remain stationary) must be neglected, since such -neglect may be fatal and in any case must be expensive. Of course in -large ships, according to the universal rule, his labours are somewhat -lightened, since he will have a boatswain, whose chief duty is to -keep things in order under the mate's supervision, and who must keep -careful watch over things aloft and report to his superior. But where -no boatswain is carried the mate must see to things himself. - -The practice varies in different ships slightly, according to the -idiosyncrasy of the master, but perhaps the ideal relation between -master and mate is where the master, in consultation with the mate, -keeps in touch with everything that is going on, never interfering in -public with the everyday work of the ship. To use a homely simile, -the master should be like the lady of the house and the mate the -housekeeper. I think this will appeal to ladies, who know that, while -nothing is more beneficial in a great household than the knowledge by -all that the mistress knows everything that is going on, so nothing -is more fatal to the efficient working of such a household than the -incessant, fussy interference of the mistress with individual servants -behind the housekeeper's back. The self-respecting and competent -housekeeper would leave, of course; but the mate cannot. He must endure -as best he can. - -Naturally this theory of non-interference presupposes that the mate is -up to his work. Where he is not, it becomes essential to every one's -well-being that the master should take the direction of things out of -his incompetent hands. But no one would be more ready to admit than -masters themselves that such drastic measures are rarely necessary. -The incompetent mate rarely reaches the position, or, reaching it by -favouring accident, long retains it. - -First, then, the mate of a sailing ship must keep his charge in order -aloft; next, he must see that every working hour of every day is fully -occupied. There is no more certain proof of something being wrong with -the mate than the sight of men standing about waiting for a job. The -men are quickest at noticing this. Not that they love to be kept at -work, but it is so generally accepted as an axiom that there is always -work to be done on board ship, that they pounce upon any unusual lapse -of the kind on the part of a mate as proof that they have a duffer -to deal with. He must see that she is kept clean, for cleanliness at -sea is indispensable, as are order and regularity. Even here it will -sometimes be found that, although the men are kept pottering around -continually, the ship never looks smart, owing to a lack of method on -the mate's part. I have been in a ship twenty years old that looked as -if she were on her first voyage; not a rope-yarn out of place, not a -streak of rust on the bulwarks, no unsightly stains on masts and yards, -or dirty corners. And I have sailed in another on her second voyage -that looked as if she had been lying up in dock with only a doddering -old ship-keeper in charge of her for months, weather-worn, dilapidated, -and miserable. Everybody on board discontented, because such a ship -_works_ hard. Whenever a ship is carefully looked after, you may be -sure that the ropes run cheerily through the blocks with a merry -rattle, and the great sails go up or the massy yards swing to and fro -easily. But in a neglected ship those blocks will be found with their -pins rusted in their sheaves (the wooden wheels upon which the ropes -travel), moving reluctantly, so that it is often the work of one man -to pull a loose rope through them. And that means a great deal of hard -swearing upon the part of the men, who are thus laden far beyond what -there is any necessity for. - -So far from this part of a mate's duties being irksome or wearying, -it will usually be found that it is the most joyous part of an active -seaman's career. Given a well-found ship, so that it is possible to -do justice to her up-keep; two or three men among the crew who can -"sailorize," that is, work with rope and wire as required; a master who -will let them do their work without public interference--and a mate may -be, and often is, as happy as any man ought to be in this world. For -consider how many delights he has. A big sailing ship to a man like -that is just a hobby on a large scale, a beautiful thing for whose -welfare he has the most solicitous regard. An "Irish pendant," _i.e._ -a ragged end of yarn fluttering aloft, makes him feel as badly as -would the sight of one of his children walking in the park with torn -stockings and shoes down at heel make a gentleman ashore. An accident, -such as the blowing away of a sail or the snapping of a spar, gives him -no such pang, because he has a stern joy in putting forth his skill -and proving in how short a time he can restore his pride to her trim -appearance again. - -I have a very vivid recollection of an old mate with whom I sailed when -I was a boy who was an almost perfect type of the man I mean. I have -no idea how long he had been in the ship, but I know that he struck me -as being a perfectly contented man, to whom his work itself, not the -result of it, was the passion of his life. We were bound from London -to the West Indies, and enjoyed the usual fine weather after entering -the tropics--so fine that, as far as handling went, she, the old barky, -might safely be left to herself except for steering. One morning at -eight bells (8 a.m.) the mate appeared on deck with a radiant face. The -forthcoming watch, as they slouched one by one into the sunshine from -their darksome cavern, tightening their belts or giving a final touch -to their simple toilet, muttered one to the other, "Looks as if he'd -got something extry-special on hand this mornin'. More nigger-driving," -etc. But it was only the orthodox growl. They did not look displeased. -The next minute the mate was amongst them, his orders flying like -hail, and in half an hour the look of the vessel was entirely changed. -He had persuaded the master to allow him to shorten all the standing -rigging, which was of rope--not wire, as is universally the case now. -For such a crew it was a tremendous task, but it was pure sailorizing, -such as a man could take an interest in, and the younger members of -the crew would have an opportunity of actually seeing done what they -had hitherto only heard talked about--such operations as turning in -deadeyes, re-bolstering, lower-rigging, etc. All hands took matters so -well, being really infected by the mate's amazing energy, that they -forgot to growl at being kept on deck in their watch below in the -afternoon. - -But the joy of the mate was something to wonder at. He was untiring. -Clad only in a blue shirt, trousers, slippers, and a mangy old cap, he -was ubiquitous; teaching, toiling, superintending, riding his hobby at -full gallop. And when at last the day's work was ended, and we boys -were putting away tar- and grease-pots, gathering shakings and sweeping -decks, he sat perched upon a hen-coop on the weather side of the poop, -smoking in perfect peace, beaming benignantly upon all his surroundings -with the air of a man who was at the summit of earthly desires. Nor did -his brow become clouded over again until we reached port, and the worry -of tallying out the cargo devolved upon him. - -The second important duty that devolves upon the mate of a sailing -ship is that of navigating the ship independently of the master, so -that they may mutually check each other. There may possibly be some of -my fellow-seamen who dissent from this, some masters who feel that it -touches their dignity to be found out in an error by the mate; but I do -not think any argument is needed to prove that they are entirely in the -wrong. I have known skippers who would not allow the mate to assist in -the navigating of the ship at all, as far as nautical astronomy went. -They could not prevent him from keeping the dead reckoning, but he -was dependent upon them entirely for the ship's position by celestial -observation for entry in the log. Utterly wrong and foolish, as well -as illegal; but when a man is so much a monarch, he is apt to go like -that sometimes. In a well-conducted ship, the skipper and the mate -assist each other with all observations where assistance is necessary, -but they work up the results entirely apart, and then compare. If -any error arises, it is thus almost certain to be discovered, and no -properly-minded skipper should feel any umbrage at being bowled out in -a blunder by his mate, as will almost certainly happen now and then. -When all the observations are worked up to noon, the dead reckoning -completed, the mate enters up all the details demanded by law in his -log-book--that veracious record of day-to-day proceedings, which it is -the mate's duty to keep recorded each day. There are few better tests -of a mate's quality than the appearance of his log-book. Some men, -while they write neatly and keep the book clean, will give for all -remarks, wherever it is possible: "As yesterday. Wind steady, weather -fine. So ends this twenty-four hours." They fill up just as few of the -ruled spaces as they dare, put down the rate per hour by guess-work, -and altogether ignore the purpose for which a log-book is ordered to -be kept. Others will neglect the book's appearance, too, until it is -hardly fit to be seen, while, as for information, it may truthfully be -said that what little is given would better have been suppressed. But -I have seen log-books that were invaluable, giving a most interesting -account of the voyage in plain and simple language, while the -appearance of every page was perfect. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -THE MATE'S WORK (IN A SAILING SHIP)--_continued_. - - -Finding that this log-book business takes me farther than I -anticipated, I judged it best to break off the last chapter somewhat -abruptly, since I find that the average reader is not partial to long -chapters, and I have rigidly limited mine to eight pages of manuscript. - -A log-book is popularly supposed to be (and certainly should be) an -absolutely truthful record of day-to-day happenings, of the ship's -progress, and of the weather conditions. And while there is no room -for literary ability, there is no doubt that ideal log-book keeping -is a fine art. In the small space at disposal, to state succinctly -what has occurred, rigidly excluding the irrelevant, but carefully -noting everything that is of importance for owners, underwriters, or -lawyers to know--this is an accomplishment by no means general, and -one that might be more carefully cultivated than it is. For it is only -stating the baldest fact to declare that no day passes at sea wherein -there is nothing worthy of record. The loss to literature and science, -through the lamentable habit of scamping log-book remarks, has been -incalculable, while the loss to the individuals themselves is equally -incapable of assessment. Remembering how splendid a training it is for -any one to record, as he roams about the world, all that he possibly -can that he sees of interest, one must be filled with regret that this -practice is so seldom carried on. If it were, the mate's log-book would -be a mine wherein might be found much fine gold--there is no room for -dross. And the habit, growing by what it fed upon, would soon compel an -ardent observer to keep a private log-book, where he could enter those -things for which the ship's log-book afforded no room, and the result -would be educational and refining in the highest degree. - -I have seen log-books like this. One I remember even now, with the -keenest delight, kept by the third mate of a large ship in which I -made a voyage before the mast from London to China and back. This -gentleman, besides writing a very neat hand, was an artist, and -wherever it was possible he decorated his book with little sketches. -Landscapes especially attracted him, of course; but passing ships, -birds, porpoises, fish, deck scenes, fronds of fucus or gulf-weed, -were all utilized, and the result was a book beyond price. As he did a -little every day, there was no sense of labour attached to it; yet the -finished work gave the impression of a stupendous amount of work having -been spent upon the result. I do not know what became of that young -man, but I am prepared to hear that, if he lived, he rose to the top of -his profession in a very short time. For, as might have been expected, -he was no less keen about his duties than he was in his observations -and in his efforts to record them. He loved the sea and all that -belonged to it, and, in return for that love, the sea was to him an -untiring teacher as well as a faithful friend. - -Another gentleman I know always carried a camera with him, and -ornamented his log-book with well-developed snapshot photographs, in -this way interpreting his keen remarks upon things in a wonderful way, -although his book lacked the artistic grace and finish of the other. -Perhaps it may be said that, looking at this matter from a literary -point of view, as well as from that of the sailor who has forsaken the -sea, I am laying too much stress upon it, and that, after all, it is -the sailor-man that is wanted in a mate, and not a bookworm. Such a -way of putting the matter is, I maintain, manifestly unfair. I admit -that a man may be super-excellent in all that pertains to the working -of his ship, and yet be unable to keep a log as it should be kept; -but, on the other hand, I am sure that it will be seldom found that a -mate who keeps a good log is a bad sailor-man. The efficient officer -will not be less but more efficient, if to his capacity for work he -brings the seeing eye and the imaginative brain. And, like all other -mental or physical faculties, this faculty of observation will improve -continually by being exercised, and add to the stature of the inner -man, making him more complete. Besides, how immensely it will add to -his enjoyment of life. His ideas will be enlarged, his capacity for -enjoyment will widen; and instead of being, as so many otherwise good -seamen are, discontented with his lot, and looking forward anxiously to -the time when he shall look his last upon the solemn wideness of the -sea, he will find his days all too short for the full appreciation of -the pleasures that will crowd into them. - -There is, of course, another side to the question, and it applies -almost exclusively to the fine seamen that are reared in America and -the British North American colonies. Strangely enough, these splendid -men do not profit as they might be expected to do by the facilities for -education provided in their go-ahead country. It would seem as if they -thought that it was necessary for a man of action to coarsen himself; -to become--I say it without any intention of giving offence--more -or less of a ruffian. The quiet, firm authority which marks the -native-born gentleman does not appeal to them. The ideal Yankee or -"Blue-nose" mate is a splendid seaman, with a voice of brass and a -fist of iron. When work is afoot he may be heard all over the ship, -and it is impossible to conceive of him being a silent, reserved, and -thoughtful man. In the practice of seamanship this plan seems to work -well. I shall never forget while lying in Hong Kong harbour a fine -American ship, the _Colorado_, coming in one evening. We had done work -for the day, and were smoking the after-supper pipe on the forecastle -head. Therefore we were keenly observant of the doings of the newcomer, -and with that minute admiration of smartness possessed by all seamen, -even the laziest, we watched her. She came grandly up to her moorings -close to us, amidst a very hurricane of roaring orders, and presently -was securely moored. Then, instead of furling sails and coiling up -ropes, as would have been the case with an English ship, the crew -began to strip the yards of the sails and stop up the running-gear. -The mate was ubiquitous. His tremendous tones reverberated over the -quiet harbour incessantly, weighted by the weird profanity affected -by American seamen. The men flew from spar to spar, sails descended -magically, were seized, stopped up, and stowed away immediately. -Before it was quite dark the ship was in as complete harbour trim as -if she had been anchored a week, and even the few sea-marks upon her -outside had been carefully removed. Then, and not till then, were -the hard-driven crew permitted to seek the forecastle and rest from -their labours. And although every one of our crew were loud in their -condemnation of the "infernal nigger-drivin'," as they called it, they -did not withhold their admiration of the consummate smartness of the -whole business, and added in chorus: "Yes, but y' sh'd see th' grub -them fellows hev got ter go below ter. When a man gits 'nough t' eat -'ee don' mind workin'." It is conceivable that the splendid officer -who thus made things fly could hardly write his own name, since it is -the good sailor-man an American skipper looks for, not a gentleman. -More than that, I'm afraid the more "bucko" he is the better, from the -skipper's point of view. To be quiet and reserved is decidedly against -him. I was once in an American ship where the skipper was old--too -old to go to sea really, although he had no doubt been a smart man in -his day. He shipped a mate in London who was an Englishman, and had -commanded some first-rate English ships. As far as I can remember, he -was a good seaman, although a little rusty from having been long in -command. But he certainly was a gentleman, and he had not been on board -a week before the "old man" hated him with an intensity of fervour that -was almost comical to see, simply because he could not roar, neither -could he kick. I heard the "old man" say to him one day, "See here, -Mr. Small, I hain't no use fer a man as mate of my ship that creeps -aroun' 's if he wuz dum 'n paralytic. For God's sake, try an' hustle -them squarheds some, 'r we shain't get t' Melbun this fall." Yet the -ship was well handled; no thanks, I am bound to say, to the mate's -quietness, but to the traditions of the American Merchant Service, -which have been followed and improved upon by the Blue-nose, and may be -summed up in the following words of the Yankee mate to his crew: "W'en -I say 'walk,' I want ye t' run; w'en I say 'run,' I want ye t' fly." -And also the typical words of the mate of the lumber-carrying ship to -his crew: "Here, knock off work and carry deals." To their prayer for -a little rest he says, in tones of bitterest scorn, "Rest! Rest when -you're dead." - -But enough, perhaps, of this ruthless side of smart men's characters. -Let us return to the mate's duties again. He is responsible for the -due shipment and delivery of the cargo. In a vessel where his whole -time may be given up to the duty of tallying (counting) it in, this is -all very well; but when, as often happens, he has many other duties -to attend to simultaneously, and must therefore trust to others, he -often finds himself in difficulties. I speak feelingly, having once -loaded government stores in London for Zanzibar, and, being unable -to watch both hatches at once, I was obliged to delegate the tallying -forward to some one else. When I came to sign the bill of lading, I -found a serious discrepancy. My assistant reported having taken in six -dozen ash oars, but I found that the bill of lading specified eight -dozen. Now, these oars had all been stowed away as they were shipped, -so that to get at them again meant much work. The officials stuck to -their bill, of course, and I wasn't sure. So I signed the bill "in -dispute," and bore about with me all the passage out the dread of -being called upon to pay for two dozen oars at about eight shillings -apiece, or about two months' wages. As soon as I arrived at Zanzibar, I -went to the ship's steward of H.M.S. _London_, to whom the goods were -consigned, and asked him to tell me how many oars he wanted from me. He -replied, "Six dozen," and I was happy. Yet those bills of lading had -been signed and countersigned at Deptford by at least six different -officials, each of whom had left it to "the other fellow." - -Yes, the care of cargo, often of vast value, is doubtless one of the -most responsible of all the duties of a mate. At the same time, it -is one which he performs with wonderful accuracy and satisfaction to -all concerned, on the whole, especially when it is considered under -what varied conditions the work must be done: in open roadsteads, on -storm-beaten shores, in foreign harbours, pestered by all the motley -crew who, in mysterious ways, make a living out of ships, and must -of necessity come to the mate first; in ports where, in addition to -keeping an overseeing eye upon the never-ceasing work of the ship, he -is worried by his crew continually dodging ashore, getting drunk, and -returning abusive. And the lower down the scale of ships his position -is, the harder his work must necessarily be, since he can get less -help, while his responsibility remains the same. - -All the ship's stores are also under his charge, and it is his duty to -so husband them that they shall last the voyage, yet see that their -expenditure is conducted on such lines as to produce the best effects. -And if he succeeds in this onerous duty, he may have the supreme -satisfaction of hearing the ship's husband say, when he comes on board -upon the ship's arrival home, "Good day, Mr. Brown; your ship looks -very well," which naturally makes him feel that his labour has not been -all in vain, especially if, as has been my own experience, he himself -has not only contributed mind, but muscle, to the desired result. - -He has many temptations. Interested touts will come aboard, veiling -their real intentions under a mask of _bonhomie_, and invite him to -dissipations ashore; will offer him money out of pure affection for -him, of course, but with a suggestion that he shall hold their axes to -the grindstone. And if he be strictly honest, he will often find that -his honesty must be not only its own reward, but in many cases it will -be a serious loss to him. - -I have never been able to get over an experience I had in Rotterdam. -I came home mate of a barque from Mexico with a cargo of mahogany. -Unfortunately, I had joined the ship in Barbadoes, finding that the -skipper and the bo'sun (we carried no second mate) were on exceedingly -intimate terms. Anxious to please, and looking forward to passing for -master, I said nothing about this queer state of things, not even when -the skipper and bo'sun went off day after day shooting, leaving me to -get the cargo in, keep things going generally, and between whiles hunt -along the beaches for derelict logs, saw them up, and bring the pieces -on board for broken stowage. Owing to my placable disposition, and -partly, I suppose, to my cowardly fears of a "row," there was peace on -board throughout the voyage. We duly arrived in Rotterdam, and were -boarded by a gang of touts after "shakings," tailors' orders, etc. One -Jewish gentleman was specially attentive to me, knowing that we carried -an enormous number of pieces of mahogany, which were the perquisites -of the officers. He wanted to buy them, and while he did not wish to -bias me in any way, he was anxious to give me a five-pound note as a -proof of his regard. I refused it, from what I now feel to have been a -mistaken sense of duty. The cargo was discharged; my importunate Jewish -friend bought the broken stowage at his own price, and then came to me -exultant, saying, "You vas fery foolish mans. If you haf dake my vife -pounts you vas do nodings wrong. Now _I_ haf my vife pounts, unt you -haf nodings." He said more truly than he knew. For my skipper divided -the proceeds with the bo'sun, and gave me "nodings," although I had -toiled early and late to procure the wood. I have often tried since -to console myself with the thought that I did the right thing, but I -cannot help an uneasy feeling stealing over me that, after all, I was -somewhat of a fool. - -Upon another occasion, when mate of a brig that had been fitted with -wire rigging in Santos, Brazil, shortly before I joined her, I was -much pestered in St. John, N.B., by junkmen coming on board wishing to -buy the old rope rigging. It was a mystery to me how they got to know -of its presence there, but they certainly came swarming around like -sea-birds to a dead whale. One man was especially persistent, and at -last, in a sort of desperation, said, "Look-a-heah, Mr. Mate, I'll give -a hundred dollars for that junk, an' ef ye k'n get the skipper t' take -that I'll give you another thutty fur y'rself." I refused with some -roughness, and ordered the fellow ashore. My feelings may be imagined -when the next day my gentleman appeared triumphantly flourishing an -order from the skipper to let him have the rigging, which he had -purchased for seventy-five dollars. Knowing my commander's unquenchable -thirst, he had laid his plans accordingly; and, after a carouse at the -groggery where the skipper was putting up, had induced him to sell the -stuff for what was certainly no more than half its value. And even that -poor yield never reached the owner's pocket, nor any part thereof. - -But the great temptation is drink. It assails the mate in every -harbour; and by not yielding to it, while he is taking the only really -safe course, he cuts himself off effectually from any society at all. -Some fortunate mates find friends in port who can and do invite them -to spend their scanty leisure in the midst of pleasant family life -ashore. But they are few. The majority of mates must for a season learn -to rely upon themselves for society, to be happy although alone, and -to find companionship in books and self-culture. It will be remembered -that I am now speaking of sailing ships. In steamers the case is very -different. The mate can associate with the engineers, and does so, in -cargo ships; in passenger vessels he gets rather more company than he -wants or is good for him. - -And now I must part company with the mate, reluctantly, and with many -a backward glance over the long line of fine fellows under whom it has -been my privilege to serve. Of all the different positions on board -ship that I know of, none is so favourable to the formation of fine -characters, none that a man can hold with greater dignity and benefit -to himself. He has a scope for his energies that is practically denied -to the master; and where he has the good fortune to serve under a man -who has not forgotten the days when he himself was mate, and treats his -immediate coadjutor as his _mate_, there is no reason why he should not -be perfectly happy. I know that it was the happiest time of my own sea -life. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -THE SECOND MATE (IN STEAM). - - -Upon approaching this portion of my subject I am somewhat alarmed at -the prospect before me. For in all that I set down in this book I -strive to be perfectly truthful, not only according to the light of my -own experience, but in compiling the traditions of the service as they -have become known to me. In doing this I am quite well aware that many -whose opinions I value will be offended--it is but natural that they -should be. We often invite criticism from our friends, and really think -that we desire to be told the truth about ourselves. And so long as the -truth is pleasant we enjoy hearing it so much, but when our weaknesses -come up for review, however gently, we seldom succeed in keeping our -temper, even though we know full well we should be grateful. In what -has gone before I hope I have not trodden too heavily upon any of -my friends' pet corns, but in what is now to come I fear that some -heart-burnings will be unavoidably produced; because the second mate -has to pass through that most unpleasant time, common to nearly all -professions, when those above him feel it somehow to be their duty to -snub, annoy, and discourage him, with a view perhaps to stiffening his -moral fibre. Yet the impression produced is usually that of a time of -misery such as we would not go through again for a great deal. - -But here again there is a great range of status. Between the second -mate of a large passenger steamer--who is usually a man of large -experience, holding a master's certificate, and having occupied many -superior positions before--and the second mate of a small sailing ship -making his first appearance on the quarter-deck in charge is all the -difference imaginable. The one is a most important officer, usually -the navigating officer of the ship and principal watch-keeper. His pay -is equal to that of many a master of a splendid sailing ship, and his -superiors would no more dream of insulting him or bullying him than -they would think of flouting the chief engineer. They are perfectly -well aware of the fact that before he reached such a post as that he -must have proved himself a competent man. The poor fellow, however, -who for the first time mounts the quarter-deck the ink scarcely dry -upon his certificate, may, and very probably will, have reason before -long to wish that he had been content to remain in the obscurity of the -forecastle. According to the bent of mind possessed by his commander -and, in a less degree, the mate of his ship, so will he be. In some -cases it will turn out that no amount of kindness and help given by his -superiors is of any avail. The neophyte is no good. In some mysterious -manner he has managed to satisfy the examiners at an outport where -rules are not so rigidly maintained as they are, say, in Liverpool -or London. So he has a certificate, but he is a dunderhead without -resources, untrustworthy, not able even to keep awake in his watch on -deck, and ignorant of the first principles of his calling. Much may be -excused in a skipper who finds that he dare not trust his second mate -in charge of the watch except in a dead calm; who, coming on deck to -have a glance round, will discover his junior officer, instead of being -acutely anxious to justify his elevation to command, is lolling on a -hen-coop asleep, while the vessel, with yards untrimmed, is wasting -the wind, and the man at the wheel is making mental notes for future -reference. - -Under such exasperating conditions, especially if the master has -had no voice in the selection of this young officer, but has been -compelled to receive him because he was sent on board by the owners, -it is hardly to be wondered at if, his indignation getting the better -of him, his remarks are calculated to make the offender very unhappy. -Such an occurrence, however, is, for the reason I have already given, -impossible in a fine passenger steamer. So carefully are the officers -chosen, so rigidly is their previous experience insisted upon, that -only those who have proved their trustworthiness are allowed upon -the bridge at all to take charge of the ship. And of them the second -mate is the principal. It is, I believe, in most lines of passenger -steamers--I know it is in some--the practice to keep a list of officers -employed, and every accession to their ranks--no matter how high his -previous qualifications may have been--must go in at the bottom. And -it is of no earthly use attempting to get one's name upon that list -unless one's record is a good one. Then, when appointed to a ship, she -will be the least important of the fleet, and the recruit commences -his upward climb, his career carefully watched every step of the way -and its incidents recorded. By this means it is assured, as far as is -humanly possible, that by the time the officer takes command he is the -very best man for the position that care and forethought can procure. -And how wonderfully is this carefulness justified! Analyze the records -of our great passenger lines and see--despite the dangers of the seas, -the high speed, and absolute necessity for punctuality--the almost -invisible percentage of disasters occurring. It is a truly wonderful -proof of the value of our Merchant officers. - -The second mate, then, of a liner has attained unto an exalted and -honourable position. He may, it is true, be a long time yet before he -gets command, but he has soared far above the contemptuous estimate in -lower circles of a second mate's position. Beneath him are quite an -army of juniors. I well remember the awe I felt when, some years ago, -fortified by a letter from a gentleman to whom I had been introduced, -I went to the stately offices of the P. & O. Company in Leadenhall -Street. I had a first mate's certificate, and, being unmarried, felt -that I could take a very subordinate position for the privilege of -getting my foot upon the ladder of such a company. But my hopes were -dashed at the outset by Captain Angove, the marine superintendent, who -said that while my papers were all they could wish, I must have some -experience in steam (which I had not). If I could again come before -them with six months' experience as an officer of a steamer, no matter -how small, they could put me on their list, and I should enter as -sixth supernumerary mate of such a ship as the _Rome_ or _Carthage_, -which were then new! My heart sank within me. I had never imagined a -ship with seven or eight mates before; and, disregarding the positive -evidence before my eyes of the rapidity (comparative) of promotion, -as shown by the commanding presence of several masters who were then -in the office, I gave up the idea, feeling that life was not long -enough. Promotion by seniority is a good rule, when it is tempered by -careful watchfulness of the candidates; and I do not believe that it is -anywhere more wisely used than it is in our great steamship lines. When -once the candidate has passed the preliminary stages of his novitiate, -and has entered the service of a great line, he has only to do his -duty, and in due time he will, if he live, certainly arrive at one of -the most coveted positions known to seamen--that of master of a great -steamship. - -But this is, perhaps, straying from the second mate too far. Indeed, -there is little more to say of his most enviable and onerous position -in this type of ship. The very fact of his being navigating officer -speaks for itself, for the navigating of a ship that is flying over the -sea at a speed little less than that of one of the Metropolitan trains -for a week at a time is of itself a great task. And the man to whom it -is entrusted holds a position the honour and responsibility of which -cannot be lightly esteemed. When, in addition to this, he is known as -the first of that fine band who take it in turns to handle the vessel -by day and night upon the exalted bridge, and, going into harbour, has -charge of the after-part of the deck, while in port he is responsible -for what goes on in the hold with respect to the stowage of the cargo, -I am sure it will be conceded that his position is one that can be held -only by a good man. His comforts are many, quite compensating him for -the hardship of watch-keeping. He has plenty of society, for, besides -the number of junior officers and engineers, association with whom -is as free and unrestricted as it is among the commissioned officers -of a man-o'-war--and, for the same reason, the equality of status, -though not of rank--there are the passengers. And although his pay -is not large, his treatment is so good that many a man ashore with -far higher pay might well envy him. He has the very best of food and -accommodation--as good, in fact, as he could obtain at a high price in -a first-class hotel. On all of which accounts, if he isn't happy, he -ought to be. - -But as with the master and mate, so with the second mate, when once we -step down from the great liners to the smaller passenger ships. More -work, fewer comforts, much less pay; no crowd of junior officers, or -great crews amply sufficient to do all that there is to be done. Still, -even here there are many advantages, and a second mate, remembering -that he is working his way upward, has little to complain of. It is -the same in the biggest cargo steamers, tramps of the highest type. In -fact, some of these are, for the officers, the most comfortable ships -afloat, and the pay does not differ much from that given in the liners -proper. They are the plums of the profession, and, as such, according -to the universal law, seldom attainable by the friendless young man, -struggling by his own merits to climb from the forecastle to the -quarter-deck. - -When we have left these splendid specimens of marine architecture, and -come to the tramp proper, we begin to wonder how it is that second -mates persevere at all. They have a thankless task. The manning of -these vessels is on such a meagre scale that the second mate will -usually have to work harder than any of the crew. That, of course, -is no evil in itself, but it becomes an evil because it lessens the -respect in which an officer is held by his watch, generally composed -of men who are never inclined to be over-respectful. Many and many a -large tramp to-day is steadily boring her way through opposing seas, -outward or homeward, on a voyage of several thousands of miles, where -the watch on deck will consist of the second mate and three men. The -second mate's orders are never to leave the bridge upon any pretext, -unless relieved by an officer. Well, besides himself there are only the -master and mate. The first he dare not call to relieve him; the second, -having his own watch to keep in his turn, must not be disturbed. Yet -there is much work to be done--cleaning ship principally, but also -setting and taking in sail. I know there is a prevalent idea ashore, -very naturally, that steamships never carry any sails unless they break -down. But that is quite wrong. The few sails that a tramp steamer -carries are set whenever the wind is favourable, or it is imagined -that they will help in the slightest degree. And who is to set them? -One man is at the wheel, for no one has yet been clever enough to -invent a ship that will steer itself; one man should be on the look-out -night and day. But where is the tramp steamer that can afford such -extravagance as that? At night he will be at his post, of course, and -the remainder of the watch--one man--will be resting. If a sail is -to be set or taken in, what is to be done? According to the law the -second mate should refuse to quit his post on the bridge, and since -it is absurd to suppose that one man could accomplish such a task as -setting a sail, he would leave it unset. Such independent behaviour -would, however, certainly result in his services being dispensed with -at the earliest possible moment. So the practice is for the second mate -to come off the bridge, the man to be called off the look-out, and the -trio having left the ship plunging blindly along over the gloomy sea, -at dire peril to herself and any other vessel that may be near, do -their best to accomplish their task in as short a time as is possible. - -In the day no pretence of a look-out is kept from the forecastle, and, -during the second mate's watch, the bridge is usually vacant also, -unless the master choose to remain up there while the second mate, with -his two grubby assistants, scrubs and polishes about the deck like any -overworked housemaid. Theoretically, of course, this menial occupation -is no part of his duty. Moreover, in the event of any accident -occurring, he is certain to be severely censured, if not deprived of -his certificate, for being off the bridge during his watch on deck. -And it will not avail him in the least to declare that it would be -impossible for him to keep the bridge and do what was expected of him -as well. As before stated, should he refuse to do work about the deck -with the men and insist upon obeying the law, he would certainly lose -his berth at the end of the voyage. Therefore, in practice, he trusts -to luck, and does the only thing open to him if he would keep his -berth, _i.e._ risks the lives of all hands and the safety of the ship -continually. It is said of the second mate that he doesn't get his -hands out of the tar-bucket by becoming a second mate. That is only -partially true, as I have shown; but it is absolutely true to say that -no tramp second mate can hope to keep his hands out of the paint-pot, -or the soogee-moogee bucket, or off the coal shovel. He may be called -Mr. Brown, second officer of the s.s. _Albacore_, but he is nothing -else than a maid-of-all-work on a trifle more than an able seaman's -wages. - -In harbour he has the holds to look after. Here, perhaps, he is -slightly better off than his harassed superior on deck, whose -distractions I have endeavoured to sketch briefly in preceding -chapters, because he has only one thing to attend to. But he also has -often a gaudy time, as the Americans say, with native stevedores, whose -one aim in life is to do nothing, and failing that, to do as little as -possible wrongly. And he, knowing how essential it is for the safety of -the ship that her cargo shall be properly stowed, has many anxieties, -unless he quite neglects his duty and dozes peacefully, trusting to -luck that things will somehow come all right. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -THE SECOND MATE (FIRST STEPS). - - -Ever since I began to write upon this subject I have been sorely -tempted to try and explain to shore readers what it is that the -Board of Trade require of a man who presents himself before them as -a candidate for a second mate's certificate. I have hitherto been -deterred by the fear of being too technical, and yet I cannot help -feeling that I ought to try. That feeling has grown so strong that -I can no longer help making the attempt, knowing that every reader -has his remedy if he finds that the subject bores him--he can skip -the matter altogether. This seems to be the proper place to make the -explanation if it is to be made, since it is the first certificate that -a Merchant seaman is called upon to take--the threshold, as it were, of -his career as an officer. - -May I, without suspicion of egotism, take a specific case, the one best -known to me, my own? I had been at sea more than double the required -time (four years) before I made any serious attempt to prepare for -the examination. When I began, my arithmetic was very shaky, and of -mathematics I was entirely innocent. My first step was to procure a -handbook to the examinations, wherein all the problems were carefully -worked out step by step. A "Norie's Epitome of Navigation," which -contains all the necessary tables, and a blank book, comprised my -educational outfit. I was at the time before the mast, in a comfortable -iron barque sailing from New Zealand to Oregon, and thence home. We -were a happy crew, young and lively, and the forecastle was, to put it -mildly, not an ideal study. But the racket going on around me while I -was wrestling with the unfamiliar mental exercises did me good in one -direction--it helped me to concentrate my thoughts. I began at the very -beginning, with decimal arithmetic, and worked at that until it led me -naturally to the use of logarithms. Then I began to get interested, -and the work was really a pleasure. Whenever I came to a dead wall I -went and asked the mate for an explanation, and he, an amiable little -Jerseyman, always did his best to enlighten me. My progress was slow, -but fairly satisfactory; and when I shipped for my next voyage before -the mast to China, I felt fairly certain that on my return I should be -able to face the examiners without any dread of the result. - -At that time the programme on the navigation side was as follows for -second mate: Multiplication by logarithms, division by logarithms, -the day's work. This latter was really a formidable task to me, from -its length and complication, and it must have been so to many others, -since I was told that there were more failures in it than in any other -part of the examination. The day's work is the summing-up of all the -various courses made and distances run by a ship from one noon to -another, so as to find where she has arrived after all her zigzagging -about. In the example set the ship is always supposed to be at starting -within sight of some point of land whose position is known. A bearing -of this is taken by the compass, and this, with the distance she is -off, is known as the departure course and distance. The operation is -technically termed "taking her departure," one of the very few purely -nautical phrases which have passed into common use in this country. -Then follow six other courses, all differing fairly widely, such -courses as a sailing ship might be supposed to make with foul winds of -varying strength. Lastly comes a current stated to be setting, say, -S.S.E. twenty-two miles in the twenty-four hours. This is called the -current course. The variation of the compass is given which will be -the same for all the courses, deviation of the compass is given which -is different for every course, and leeway is occasionally given, which -is another disturbing element in calculating a true course. So that -each of the eight courses must be carefully calculated, and then the -mean of the whole obtained. It is then a simple problem to find at -what point she has arrived, which must be done within one mile of a -correct result. Then the problem of how to find the ship's latitude by -a meridian altitude of the sun (very simple), the time of high water -at any given place, a longitude by chronometer, etc. Definitions of -terms used in navigation come next, which must be written out more as -a test of penmanship and spelling than anything else; an exercise on -the sextant, showing the candidate's ability to adjust as well as use -it, and the navigation examination is over. As I think I said before, -it should present no difficulty to any intelligent school-boy at the -age of sixteen, while many would be able to do all the problems by -trigonometry instead of by the rule-of-thumb method almost universally -employed. For, as the candidate may do the work in whatever way he is -accustomed to, it follows that the great majority do it in what, to -them, is the easiest way, _i.e._ by the use of such tabular matter as -is necessary and very easy to learn. - -But once the _school_ work is over the candidate's real trial begins. -Now he finds the value of having attended to his business while at sea -and the futility of cramming up seamanship from manuals written for the -purpose. For the examiners are all old captains, and the examination is -_vivâ voce_. In my own case I followed the usual routine. As soon as I -came home I went to a navigation school, or crammer's, and paid my fee, -not imagining that I should learn anything, but expecting to have what -I did know marshalled in the most useful order. I afterwards found that -I need not have spent my money. I can honestly declare that in my case, -at any rate, I got no good whatever. Indeed, I got a certain amount -of harm, which, however, did no damage beyond making a bit of fun, -as it happened. One of the last things my crammer did was to test my -sight for colour-blindness. It was the first I had ever heard of such -a thing; and when he held up various squares of coloured glass between -me and the light, I named them promptly according to their shades, -having a very keen and acute eye for colour. To my petrified amazement -he suddenly slammed the glass into the box he was holding, and said, -"You are absolutely colour-blind. Whatever do you mean by inventing all -those names for these glasses? There are only two colours here, red and -green; the others are white and black." I promptly selected a glaring -gamboge glass and asked him what _that_ was. He said, "Green." A bright -purple puzzled him for a moment, but was then cheerfully pronounced -green also! Secretly I felt sure that there was a blunder somewhere, -but I had long learned not to argue with those in authority, so I said -resignedly, "Well, I suppose I must take my chance." But I confess I -felt very uncomfortable. Then he brought out an amazing diagram of -his own invention for teaching the "rule of the road." I had seen the -thing before, but carefully avoided having anything to do with it. I -felt sure that I knew the rule of the road in actual practice, as well -as all the articles, by heart, and the late Thomas Gray's admirable -rhymes, and I didn't propose being worried by any old diagrams. -However, he insisted, so with a sigh I submitted. And before ten -minutes he solemnly assured me that I was a hopeless ass to think of -going before the examiners at all; that I didn't know the first little -thing about the rule of the road, which was the most important part of -the examination, and that my only hope was to go home and sweat it up. -As if any man could learn the rule of the road for practical use out of -a book ashore! I didn't say anything, but as soon as I got outside I -dismissed him and all his discomforting remarks from my mind entirely, -amusing myself in various ways unconnected with either navigation or -seamanship until bedtime. - -In the morning I went straight to the Board of Trade office opposite -the Mint, and paid my fee, which is the first step. From thence I -was sent into a room where sat a gentleman with a boxful of slips of -coloured glass before him. He began at once testing my eyesight, and a -cold shudder ran through me as I realized that if my sight _was_ wrong -my career would be permanently stopped. And I could not help reflecting -how shameful a thing it was to allow a man to enter a profession -without applying so radical a test as to his fitness for it until just -as he was about to step up the ladder of promotion. Yet this wickedness -still goes on. You may send your son to sea, paying large money for -his apprenticeship, and doing all that lies in your power to make him -fit for any post, only to find out when he has reached manhood he is -colour-blind, and, of course, cannot be allowed to go any farther. -It would be _so_ easy to enforce a rule that no one should become a -sailor at all who was colour-blind. Well, bearing in mind what my -crammer had told me, I began describing the various shades the examiner -held up before me as red or green, according as I judged them to be -nearest to one or the other. I thought he looked queerly at me, but -he said nothing until I called a vivid magenta red. Then he said, "I -have never met a more perfect case of colour-blindness than yours." In -despair I implored him to listen to me a moment, while I told him of my -lesson. His face darkened, and turning to the box again, he held up a -slip, saying, "Tell me just what _you_ think this colour is, without -reference to Mr. So-and-so." I did, and all was peace. My sight was -pronounced perfect. - -Thence I went into the navigation room, feeling better, and did very -well until I came to the third paper, which, on taking it up to the -examiner, was pronounced wrong. I stood still, not knowing what to do. -He said nothing, until I asked, "Have I failed, then, sir?" "If you -can't get it right you have," he replied. I needed no second hint, -returning joyfully to my table and going over it again until I had -discovered the error. I was now sure of passing this portion of the -examination, because I had carefully trained myself to find errors in -examples I had brought to a wrong result, instead of just letting them -go and beginning another one. But I had no more trouble. The rest of -that part of the exam, passed without a hitch, and I light-heartedly -bounded off. I was immediately recalled, however, and told that I must -go on with the seamanship now. I had been under the impression that two -days were always allowed. But I was wrong. - -Feeling rather sick, I was ushered in before a very handsome old -gentleman, who was courtesy itself--Captain John Steele. Noticing that -I was nervous, he said a few pleasant words on ordinary topics, just -to put me at my ease, and then quietly, without any parade, asked me -how I would begin to stow a cargo of beer in casks. Question after -question followed, without any particular sequence, but in such a -manner that it must have been impossible for a book-instructed sailor -to have answered them. Then he came to the "rule of the road." Handing -me one model of a ship, he took two others himself, and bidding me -consider myself at the helm of the ship I was holding, he began to -manipulate his models and ask questions. At the expiration of ten -minutes he was good enough to say that he had rarely come across -any one with a clearer knowledge of this most important part of an -officer's education. In thanking him, I could not help telling him of -my experience with the schoolmaster's diagram, at which he laughed -heartily. Thenceforward the examination proceeded smoothly to its -close, which was considerably before the expiration of the time allowed -for doing the navigation part only. - -With my blessed slip of blue paper in my pocket, which I should -exchange for my certificate as soon as the latter was prepared, I -returned to the school to tell the crammer my good news. As soon as -he saw me come in, he asked, "Have you got through your navigation?" -"Yes," I replied. "That's good," said he; "now you must just hammer -away at the rule of the road to-night as long as ever you can. If you -do, you may squeeze through." I answered carelessly that I didn't think -I could do much good like that. "Oh, well," he snapped; "do as you -like, of course. Only, don't blame me for your failure." For all answer -I handed him the order for my certificate. - -As compared with some examinations I know, the above appears a very -trivial business, and yet I am firmly persuaded that, as far as the -seamanship goes, nothing could be more searching and complete. The -navigation part is, no doubt, very easy, even the extra master's -examination presenting no serious difficulty to a well-educated lad. -That part may be learned--often is learned--without the learner -possessing any knowledge of the sea at all. But the other, especially -for master, with its searching questions into maritime legal matters, -knowledge of the coasts added on to the intricacies of ship-handling -under all circumstances of peril, is, I should say, perfect for its -purpose, and such as no mere theorist can hope to pass. It may be -true--I express no opinion--what I have been told about the laxity of -examiners in some outports allowing duffers to slip through, but that -is certainly not the fault of the examination as arranged. - -And now I must apologize for having taken up so much space over this -portion of my subject, and proceed to discuss the second mate's -position in sailing ships. Before opening a fresh chapter, however, -to which the importance of the matter fairly entitles it, I should -like to say that there is an intermediate certificate which may be -taken, of a higher grade than second mate, which is for use in small -sailing ships which are not compelled to carry three certificated -officers. It is called "Only Mate," and is rarely used. Its possession -entitles a man to act as mate of a ship of a certain size trading to -any part of the world. When an only mate is carried there will also be -a second mate, but he need not be a certificated man. In practice he -is usually a first-class seaman without any knowledge of navigation in -the arithmetical sense, although I have been in two vessels as mate -where my coadjutor in each case was a Russian Finn of fine mathematical -qualifications, who had never troubled to take an English certificate -nor ever practised his knowledge, confining himself solely to such -practical seamanship as required doing, and also acting as carpenter -and sailmaker. Both these men were perfect treasures, but only found -scope for their varied abilities in small ships, where a man must be -a jack-of-all-trades. Such men may also be found in the "down east" -ports of the United States, and in British North America--seamen in the -truest and fullest sense of the word; and I trust it may be long ere -the advance of steam leaves them without occupation. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -THE SECOND MATE (OF A SAILING SHIP). - - -It may be taken for granted by the uninitiated that there is almost as -much difference to the beginner between taking charge of a steamer and -a sailing ship as there is between wheeling a perambulator and driving -a four-in-hand. In fact, I do not know but that I should be justified -in saying that there is more. The young officer of a steamer has only -to forget what gigantic forces he is controlling, be perfect in the -"rule of the road," and he may go on serenely. But a new second mate, -who has never in his life trimmed a sail to the changing wind, who -has never had to exercise his judgment as to the taking in or making -sail, whose knowledge, in fact, is as yet all theory, does not, as -a rule, have a very good time when he is first compelled to put his -theory to practical use. I was very fortunate. I joined my first ship -as second mate in Port Lyttelton, New Zealand, the _Bulwark_, of 1300 -tons, belonging to Messrs. Shaw, Savill & Co. Her master was an elderly -gentleman named Seator, one of the most lovable of men, and withal a -first-rate seaman. He received me as if I had been a veteran, instead -of a man coming straight from the fo'c'sle. And the mate, who was also -elderly, was kind in a quiet way. I was then barely twenty-one years -of age. My first assumption of responsibility took place when the ship -was lying out in the bay ready to sail. The mate had unfortunately had -a severe fall, which confined him to his berth, and the master was -ashore. At about 10 p.m. the wind had increased to a gale, and anxious -watching had assured me that she was dragging her anchor. Therefore -I took upon myself to let go a second anchor. Just as I did so the -master arrived, and seemed gratified that I had acted so promptly. We -left the next morning, and I very proudly took the mate's usual place -on the forecastle while getting under way. Never once did the master -interfere with me in the conduct of the work, his apparent confidence -in me giving me such confidence in myself that I felt as if I could not -make a mistake. And when night came the good old man on going below and -leaving me in charge, said, "If you want me, don't hesitate to call me -at once. But don't call me if you can help it, as I am very tired; and, -besides, I want you to feel free to do your own work." - -Under such cheery and sensible treatment I naturally developed rapidly, -as any man not absolutely worthless would have done. Yet I am sure that -had I met on this, my first venture, with the skipper I was unfortunate -enough to serve under two voyages after, I should have been completely -spoiled at the outset. I have, however, alluded to this matter before, -and gladly drop a very disagreeable subject. - -The first duty of the second mate is to work his watch under -the orders of the mate or the skipper. With regard to what I may -call the secular work of the ship--repairs to rigging, cleaning, -painting, etc.--it is etiquette for the second mate to receive all -his instructions from the mate. But with regard to the working of the -ship, setting or taking in sail, the second mate, being in charge of -his watch while the mate is below, must receive any orders that may be -given from the skipper direct. Really the starboard watch, which is -always presided over by the second mate, is the master's watch, which -the second mate keeps for him; and while it would be a decided slight -to the mate for the master to come on deck during his (the mate's) -watch, and begin giving orders over his head as it were, there is -nothing of the kind involved in the master's doing so while the second -mate is on watch. It is a usual practice in sailing ships when any -large evolution is to be performed, such as tacking or wearing ship -(that is, turning her round in the first case against the wind, in the -second away from the wind), all hands shortening sail, getting under -way or coming to an anchor, for the master to take charge. Then the -mate goes forward, the second mate remains aft, and all general orders -are issued by the master. I was, however, second mate of one fine ship -where the master merely issued his order to tack or wear ship, as the -case might be, to the officer of the watch, whether myself or the mate, -and take no further part in the matter himself. This was very nice -indeed for me, for it gave me practice. Up till that time I had never -had an opportunity of putting a ship about; and although I knew very -well how to do it, there is nothing like practice. And some men are -never better than bunglers at this beautiful evolution. - -Whether he is respected by his watch as an officer should be depends, -of course, upon himself in the first instance. Sailors are always keen -to take advantage of a second mate, whom they regard as "everybody's -dog;" and if he has not a masterful air, allied to a thorough knowledge -of his duties, their behaviour towards him will very soon degenerate -into downright insolence. Especially at night, when the sails require -trimming. They know as well as he does that it is essential that he -should have this done immediately it becomes necessary, and if he -hesitates to do it from any fear of their grumbling, they will never -do anything without a rumbling accompaniment of cursing, and he will -soon find himself in hot water with the skipper for neglecting his -most obvious duty. But if, on the other hand, he be ever so smart and -willing, and the skipper be continually finding fault with him before -the men, or taking work out of his hands, he will need all his patience -to save himself from becoming utterly discouraged. In very few ships -will he be allowed to do any navigation. Never once in the whole course -of my experience did I see a second mate "taking the sun," and, in -consequence, unless he be careful to practise in his watch below, he -will find his navigation soon growing rusty. - -In large ships where a boatswain is carried his position is peculiar, -for the boatswain, being on deck all day, gets his orders from the -mate, and the second mate has no business to interfere with him unless -the yards want trimming or sail is to be made. And as in very few -large ships is it the practice for the second mate to stick to the -quarter-deck and attend solely to the handling of the ship by day as -well as by night, he is often at a loss what to do. He cannot work -under the boatswain; he cannot work with him, because there would be -a conflict of jurisdiction; he must find some little job of his own. -Where there is no boatswain this awkwardness does not arise. Here the -second mate must carry on the work in his watch, and he will be thought -all the more of if he be a good sailor-man. He will have to work as -hard as, generally harder than, the crew; but that will do him no harm, -rather good, for sailorizing is interesting work. Few sailors (who can -do it) ever growl at being put to a job of splicing or kindred work. -They feel it a dignity; and if you want to make a sailor quite happy -and contented, the envy of all his shipmates, put him on sailmaking. He -will never give any trouble, never shirk his work, and will seldom have -any objection to working overtime. - -So much for the second mate's duties while at sea. It will at once be -seen that the best place for a second mate to get a thorough grip of -his profession is in a small sailing ship, although he will, of course, -look upon such a position only as a stepping-stone to something bigger -and better as soon as possible. - -In harbour his duties are very clearly defined. Whenever any cargo -is being dealt with his place is in the hold, unless, indeed, it be -such a cargo as coal. He is held responsible for the careful stowage, -the careful discharge of cargo. In the majority of ports there are -professional stevedores, who have made the placing of cargo in ships' -holds their business, and understand it thoroughly. These are always -engaged where they can be got, for obvious reasons, chief among which -are the facts that good stowage makes a ship hold more, and that, -especially with certain cargoes, bad, careless stowage renders a ship -unseaworthy. But they always require careful watching, because there -are certain fundamental details which they will neglect in almost all -cases unless there be some one on the watch. Moreover, there are many -things, in a general cargo for instance, that are easy to pilfer, and -this necessitates a close watch being kept. - -Where no stevedores are to be obtained, the second mate is expected -to be competent to stow the ship. And he then becomes, if he has -thoroughly mastered the details of the work, quite an important -personage, with nearly all hands under his command. Yet it must be said -that a young second mate suddenly called upon to stow a ship would be -very unfairly handicapped. His knowledge of the business would almost -certainly be theoretical; and to be suddenly expected to put it into -practice in an extensive manner, with perhaps twenty men under his -orders, would be a severe strain. It would not be lessened, either, by -the consciousness that most likely several of the men under his command -would have had considerable practice, and would be by no means backward -in their criticisms upon the young officer's movements. - -Herein lies the essential difference between second mates in English -ships and those in American and Canadian vessels. Here, in the majority -of cases, the second mate is a youngster, gentlemanly, well educated, -but unpractised. In handling neither ships nor men has he had any -extended experience. He is really still at school, and he will often -be made to feel the truth of that statement very acutely. But in the -Yankee or Blue-nose ship the second mate will be generally found a -large man with horny fists and hairy chest, a voice of thunder, and a -will of iron. Long and arduous service at sea has raised him no higher -than this, for he thinks scornfully of "book-larnin';" but he is a -sailor of the very best type. As old seamen are wont to say, "Every -hair of his head's a rope-yarn, an' every drop of his blood Stockholm -tar." He never has any trouble with his men, for he will probably -begin the voyage by knocking a few of them down on the first shadowy -appearance of insubordination, which thereafter never dares to show -its head. Woe unto the sleepy man who, at the cry of "Lee-fore-brace" -in the middle watch, should heave himself slowly up from some -comfortable corner, and grunt loud enough to be heard, "---- and ---- -the lee-fore-brace, an' the ship'n everybody aboard of her"! But such -a thing on board of a Yank or a Blue-nose is unthinkable. In the first -place, the unemployed members of the watch on deck would be well in -evidence near the break of the poop, marching up and down to keep -themselves awake--if, indeed, they were not at work scraping woodwork -bright--and on an order being given they would spring, without other -remark than a repetition of the order, cheerfully. No; the second mate -does not suffer from insubordinate men there. - -One of my earliest recollections of the prowess of a second mate was -in Bombay, on board that ill-fated ship, sunk the other day by the -ironclad _Sanspareil_, the _East Lothian_. Her second mate, one of the -ordinary, mild, callow, just-out-of-his-apprenticeship type, had been -discharged, and the skipper had shipped a fresh one ashore who had been -for some time in Nova Scotian ships. He was a splendid specimen of a -seaman, not too tall, but finely proportioned, and of a very pleasant -face. The first morning he was on board we were washing decks under -the boatswain's direction. Mr. Eaton, the new second mate, was having -a look round the ship, and strayed forward, where two men were passing -water out of the big wash-deck tub. As Mr. Eaton passed, one of them, -carelessly slinging a bucket towards the other, dropped it, cutting -the deck badly with its edge. With a glance at the new officer, he -burst out into furious cursing at the other man for not catching it, -and wound up with a few remarks about the ship and all on board, as -the custom is in such exercises. Mr. Eaton turned quietly to him, and -said, "If you don't shut that foul head up, I'll shut it for you." -The man, a huge New York nondescript, stared aghast for a moment, and -then, deceived by Mr. Eaton's pleasant look, strode up to him, swearing -horribly, and threatening to cut his liver out, among other pleasant -things. For all answer the second mate leapt at him, seizing him by the -throat and waistband, and next moment he was flying over the rail into -the sea! Turning swiftly, Mr. Eaton was just in time to catch the other -man in mid-rush at him with a squarely-planted blow on the chin, which -landed him a clucking heap in the scuppers. But by this time the other -men had seen the fray, and rushed forward, shouting, "Kill him!" with -many lurid accompaniments. The boatswain did not stir to interfere, -and presently Eaton was the centre of a howling gang threatening his -life. But he had armed himself with a "norman," a handy iron bar from -the windlass, and none of them dare face him with that terrible weapon. -The skipper and the mate came rushing forward, and, like sensible men, -ranged themselves by the side of the second mate. In two minutes the -whole tone of that ship was altered. It was never again necessary to -resort to violence, for the men were respectful and willing, whereas on -the passage out the unhappy second mate was afraid for his very life to -give an order at night for fear of the volley of abuse to which he was -invariably subjected by his watch. So he neglected or, rather, put off -things which he should have done, until the skipper could stand it no -longer, and gave him a severe scolding, and at his request discharged -him in Bombay, a broken-spirited, almost worthless young man. - -I earnestly hope that it will not be supposed from this that I love -bullying or violence, or would advocate it. But where there is no -weight of force behind an order, men will always be found to disobey or -neglect it; and in the British Mercantile Marine it will often be found -that a promising young officer's career is ruined just because he has -once allowed a truculent bully to tell him to "go to hell," and has not -knocked that man down. Often and often my blood has boiled when I have -been before the mast to hear the language used by my shipmates to the -second mate, who was only doing his duty in giving necessary orders at -night. Foremast hands will growl at this, I know full well; but they -_know_ it is true. And it is a shameful thing that in ships where a -man is simply treated as a dog, knocked down and jumped upon for half -a word or even a wry look, the discipline should be perfect, the work, -far harder than in any British ship, be smartly and willingly done; -while in our own ships, where such brutality is impossible, and the -work is reasonable, except in cases of emergency, discipline is almost -unknown, and officers are subjected to the foulest abuse by men who -thus take a mean advantage of our kindly laws. - -I have dwelt upon this at so much length, because I do believe that -it has a most distinct bearing upon the most important question -concerning our Mercantile Marine of to-day. I allude to the matter -of the employment of foreign seamen. Foreign seamen, especially -Scandinavians, are not only biddable, they do not growl and curse at -every order given, or seize the first opportunity to get drunk and -neglect their work in harbour. Occasionally a truculent Norseman will -be found who will develop all the worst characteristics of our own -seamen, usually after a long service in British ships. And he is then a -bad man to deal with. But insubordination in the absence of any means -of maintaining discipline is a peculiarly British failing. There are -no finer seamen in the world than British seamen, English, Irish, or -Scotch does not matter; but they must have discipline. If any proof of -this be needed, I have only to point to the _personnel_ of the Navy. -There are no aliens there. And for smartness, for the ability to rise -to the occasion, and do deeds at which even our enemies stand amazed, -they have no equals. Why? Because no breach of discipline can be made -without its being swiftly followed by its due punishment. At least that -_was_ the reason. Now, I believe that a race of men-o'-war's men have -arisen who are capable of maintaining discipline among themselves, -having so high a pride in their service, that they do not need any -disciplinary restraint to keep them what they are--the finest body -of men in the world. A state of things exists where, for the pure -joy of service, the blue-jacket yields ready, implicit obedience to -the youngest wearer of the Queen's uniform, even though the obeying -one may, and probably will, be so able a seaman as to be capable of -training, in all the intricate duties of a man-of-war, any officer on -board. Loyal, earnest, and fearless, the man-o'-war's man of to-day is -the fine flower of the sea; and if only it were possible to raise up -such a body in the Merchant Service, no price would be too high to pay -for the benefits it would confer upon Great Britain. - -I have dwelt upon this subject more fully in this chapter, for the -reason that I know there is more of the spirit of insubordination in -the second mate's watch than in the mate's; because I feel sure that, -if the second mate were only more thought of and more loyally supported -by masters and owners, something might be done to make our Merchant -sailors a more decent lot all round. At least, so it appears to me. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -THE THIRD MATE. - - -We have now exhausted, as far as the present work goes, the three -official titles used in the Merchant Service; that is to say, with -regard to the certificates issued. Master, mate, and second mate are -alone recognized as responsible officers by the Board of Trade. Yet, -with the growth of the steamship, it has become inevitable that more -officers should be employed, and so, as I have pointed out before, in -some big ships you may have eight or more officers, of whom only two -have officially recognized titles. Notwithstanding this, they will all -be certificated men, and some of them, perhaps all, will have passed -through all the grades before beginning at the bottom of the ladder -in the great company whose service has attracted them. Thus, in many -cases it will be found that the third mate of a fine steamship holds a -certificate as master extra, and is as good a seaman and navigator as -can be found anywhere. His duties are responsible and important, for -he keeps a watch, taking charge of the great ship alone. From what has -preceded this, it will be seen that he must be eminently fitted for -such a responsible position, and not only he, but the fourth or fifth -mate likewise, with neither of whom, however, do I propose to deal -here. Their position being, as I have said, unofficial and abnormal, -and their duties varying with the ship and her peculiar service, it -would be impossible for me to deal with them extensively. But let no -one imagine, therefore, that they are to be ignored. True, their pay -is small, but their prospects are good. They are in the direct line -of succession to the hierarchy of the sea, and in due time, failing -accident, they will command one of those splendid leviathans that are -the pride and glory of ocean traffic. - -Of these unofficially-recognized officers the third is the _doyen_. -At any moment he may be called up higher and become one of the great -three. And no one connected with the great liners thinks lightly of -him. He holds an honourable post and leads a not at all unpleasant -life, always cheered by the prospect of immediate promotion. He is very -seldom called the third mate, but the third "officer," in the endeavour -to add, if possible, a more dignified air to his rather commonplace -title. It almost seems a pity that these great steamship lines do not -have a system analogous to that of the Navy, where, once a lieutenant -has passed his examinations, he is then eligible for the highest posts, -his promotion being only a matter of time. And once he takes his place -as a lieutenant he is on perfect equality as regards rank with all the -other lieutenants on board, with the sole exception of Number 1, the -first lieutenant. None is afore or greater than another. So I should -think it might be in a great liner, where all the officers will likely -hold the same certificate. Below the second, or navigating officer, -they might all rank alike as watch officers, or some such title, and -their pay should be on the same level, as with the naval lieutenants, -where the only difference is in small increases for special duties. - -When we step down from the liner into the tramp there is a woeful -collapse. Of course only the very best type of tramp and the largest -will carry a third mate at all, and he has no position worth talking -about. From what I have said in the foregoing pages about the life of a -second mate on board a tramp some idea will be gathered of what sort of -a post a _third_ mate would hold in such a ship, where one is carried. -It is an even chance that he would not receive the poor compliment of -a handle to his name. Thus it comes about that he is usually in evil -case, without respect from the crew, and generally looked upon as a -loblolly-boy to the mate, or a call-boy to the skipper when going in -or out of harbour, standing by to work the engine-room telegraph when -required. Yet he does get some practice on the bridge at sea, where -the mate will use him for a relief at times, and as he gets experience -allows him to take a watch in the day while he (the mate) is busy -elsewhere. - -Nor is his position greatly different in a sailing ship. Of course -only the largest sailing ships will pretend to carry a third mate, -who is almost always the senior apprentice in the last year of his -time, or making another voyage after his time is up, on an able -seaman's wages but with quarters aft. It may be stated at once that -he has no settled duties. He is always attached to the mate's watch, -and may be of considerable use to that hard-worked officer, or a -source of much annoyance to him. Where (and I have personally known -such cases) he is a blockhead, but has sufficient owners' interest -to keep him in a post where he is of no use, he will make the mate -so angry that he will implore him to do whatever he likes as long as -he doesn't get in the mate's way. And he will probably then divide -his energies to killing time, lounging in the boys' house, yarning, -and generally exhibiting that sad spectacle--a young man wasting his -life, squandering opportunities that many a friendless youngster would -give all he possessed to obtain. The men make a butt of him except in -harbour, where, as he is usually well supplied with money by his fond -parents, they are full of compliments to him in exchange for sundry -drinks or the price of them. He is to be seen in all his glory, with -a well-fitting uniform on and his gilt-badged cap stuck right on the -back of his head, dawdling about the bars in Melbourne or Sydney, or -parading the streets with questionable lady friends, who, when his back -is turned, allude to him as the "poop ornament." - -Now, I would not have it supposed for a moment that I intend this to be -a picture of the average third mate. By no means. But this particular -type of third mate is very well known to most officers of fine sailing -ships and as cordially detested. He is bred of careless skippers, -influential friends, and parents who dote on him and supply him with -far too much money. There is, happily, a far more general type of -third mate, who is thoroughly anxious to make himself fit for the -position he hopes presently to occupy. He is not noticeable for being -extra well dressed when at sea, for he is too fond of having his fist -in the tar-pot or manipulating a marline-spike to admit of his wearing -much finery. And in bad weather it is his pride to be first aloft at -shortening sail; and if he can only beat the smartest man forward in -getting out to the weather earing, at reefing top-sails or a course, he -is delighted beyond measure. Such a young mate, if he has the master he -deserves, will often find, on the passage home, the mate's watch handed -over to him entirely at night, the mate remaining on deck all day and -devoting all his energies to getting the ship as spick-and-span as -possible for going into dock. In this way he gains just the experience -he needs for taking up his position as second mate when the opportunity -arises, and he becomes an officer who can not only tell a man to do a -thing, but can show him how to do it if he doesn't know. - -In a fine ship which I will not name there was a third mate of the -dandy type I have endeavoured to portray on the preceding page. The -master was a gentleman who tried to have man-o'-war conditions on board -as far as possible, and consequently never interfered with the work -of the ship beyond consulting with the mate. And the mate, a splendid -seaman of the old school, was so disgusted with the third mate that he -allowed him to loaf away his time just as he chose. He never reported -him to the master for inefficiency, but just ignored him. Upon the -vessel's arrival in Adelaide the second mate received an offer to -go mate of another ship, and the master allowed him to go. Now, had -Mr. Third Mate been any good he would of course have stepped into the -second mate's berth, but, as the mate said, "He's about as much fit to -be second mate of this ship as I am to be Prime Minister of England." -I joined the ship in Adelaide as second mate, being two years younger -than he was. But I was strongly recommended by my old skipper, whose -ship was laid up for sale, and I obtained the post with ease. This so -exasperated the third mate that he actually dared to sulk in his cabin, -and refused to even pretend to work on the passage home. I cannot -tell how it was he was allowed to do this, but it was even as I say, -until, when we put into Cape Town to land some passengers, the skipper -discharged him. He went ashore a disgraced man, who stood no possible -chance of getting a ship again as an officer, and probably went to the -dogs entirely, all the money that had been spent upon him entirely -wasted. - -In many of the large American and Blue-nose ships a third mate is -carried, but he is of a different type altogether. As these ships do -not carry apprentices, they usually breed their officers up from lads -who are _protégés_ of the master or mate. They come on board young, -and while they have an exceedingly good time, they are rigorously -trained both in seamanship and navigation. They are taught that the -cardinal virtues are smartness and cleanliness. So well is this -training pursued, that I verily believe no smarter young men are to -be found anywhere, and while they are still mere boys they are made -third mates with full authority and a handle to their name that no man -dare refuse to give them. They are expected to lead the way whenever -anything of importance is being done aloft, and are encouraged to lift -up their voices with no uncertain sound in giving orders. What splendid -men they do make, to be sure. There are, it is true, many foreigners -in Yankee ships who have by sheer merit risen to be officers, having -first perforce become citizens of the Great Republic; but for the -_beau-ideal_ of a smart sailing-ship officer commend me to the pure -American lad caught young and trained in a big ship. One I have in my -mind's eye now, who was second mate of the _Pharos_, of Boston: tall -and lithe, with a clean-shaven, boyish face (he was just twenty), -close black curling hair, sparkling eyes, and a springy step. We had -a hard bitten crew, shipped in London, and I heard one of the hardest -of them, an Englishman who boasted that he had been in gaol over forty -times, say, as he caught sight of the second mate for the first time, -"What a ---- baby. Boys, we're in for a soft thing here." But he was -quite mistaken. Ten minutes afterwards there was a melodious thundering -voice reverberating along the decks, "Lay aft, here, an' rush this -hawser forrard. Lively now." And the astonished crowd skipped aft, the -gaol-bird at their head, to find the clean-limbed "baby" looking quite -unlikely to bear trifling with. They recognized the able man at once, -and thenceforward there was never any trouble. I never saw men work -harder than his watch did for him, or speak more highly of a man than -they did of this bright-faced youth, who not only knew his own work -thoroughly, but knew how to get the last ounce out of the men under -his command. The only thing that puzzled me about him was the almost -abject reverence he had for the skipper, who was an old man, but by no -means one whom I should have thought capable of commanding respect. But -that grand young second mate always spoke to him with bated breath, -esteeming his lightest word as a dread law, nor did he ever, even in -jest, speak of him but as one should speak of their sovereign. - -The third mate of an American ship is, however, often a man of mature -age, who takes the place that would be taken in an English ship by the -boatswain. He is no mate's loblolly-boy. So far from that being the -case, he often is the "bucko" of the ship, the man who may be depended -upon to leap, striking with hands and feet, like an enraged tiger -into the midst of a mutinous crew. He has often a lurid history, and -can show you a network of scars, each one a palpable reminder of some -furious struggle in such lawless ports as Callao or San Francisco. In -fact, he is the fighting man of the ship, and, as such, is treated with -due respect. But he has not seldom the defects of his qualities; and -though he may be depended upon to drive his men till they drop, working -harder than any of them, and cursing them all at the finish for a set -of weaklings, he sometimes gets out of hand himself. Had it not been -for the drink, he would long ago have been master; but he cannot resist -its temptations, and when in port (never at sea, for American ships are -strictly teetotal) he gets a drop too much, he is far too apt to start -a fight for the pure frolic of the thing, and his fighting is usually -of the nature that ends in manslaughter. On the whole, I am very glad -that we do not carry this kind of third mate in British ships, although -there have been times when I could have wished for his aid for an hour. -But his habit of kicking or striking with little or no provocation, his -utter disregard for human life--either his own or anybody's else--and -his incessant blasphemy, are hardly compensated for by his tremendous -courage, his magnificent seamanship, or his power of command. One feels -that he is out of place on board a peaceful merchantman--he should -command a pirate or a privateer. - -With this brief sketch of the third mate we must leave the -"afterguard," as the officers who live aft are called on board ship, -and come to the "idlers," or petty officers. It is hard they should be -labelled "idlers," since they are usually the hardest working men on -board; but Jack only means that they do not keep a watch at night. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -THE BO'SUN. - - -It is impossible to help regarding the boatswain as a great figure of -romance. His title rings on the ear like the voice of the sea. And -although not one person in ten thousand among our crowded populations -could give a definition of his position that would not be a caricature, -there are few, very few, who do not feel a responsive thrill when -the word is mentioned. But I am compelled to take for granted that -the average man or woman has formed some hazy idea of what a bo'sun -is like. For one thing, it is certain that to speak of a gentlemanly -bo'sun would be considered as absurd as to speak of a fair negro. -He is, of course, to the general, the _beau-ideal_ of a "Jack Tar," -a magnificent monster with a bull's voice, burned almost black by -the tropical sun, with eagle eyes forth-looking from a thicket of -beard, and great hairy arms whose innumerable devices of Indian ink -or gunpowder are almost hidden by a hirsute covering that would shame -an ape. Brave as a man can be, he is terrible in his wrath, yet his -heart is tender as a little child's, and any tale of pity never fails -to empty his pockets. Now, it has so often been my ungrateful task to -shatter old beliefs in the untrue and impossible, that I am quite glad -that no necessity is laid upon me for doing so at this present. There -are bo'suns to whom the above fancy description would apply precisely, -only it would not be complete. Other qualities, not so picturesque, -perhaps, but far more useful, would have to be added to finish the -picture. And then you have a man whose better it would be almost -impossible to find in the wide world. - -In the Navy, the bo'sun, upon rising to the full height of that -position, becomes for picturesque purposes spoiled. He wears a -frock-coat, a "boiled" shirt, and carries a sword. He is a warrant -officer at the head of his profession, as far as concerns any man who -enters the service as a seaman. No amount of ability, education, or -conspicuous courage can elevate him another step. But his mates, who -may go barefoot, who wear the characteristic and eminently suitable rig -of the blue-jacket, distinguished only by devices upon their sleeves, -and a silver whistle or pipe--these are the typical bo'suns of the -popular fancy, the fine flower of the naval seamen. - -As with all the rest of the officers, there are differences, not -exactly in status, but in duties, between bo'suns of the highest class -of steamships and the sailing ships which are big enough to carry -bo'suns properly so called. But these differences are not nearly so -great as among the certificated officers, for the bo'sun, whatever his -ship may be, is essentially a foreman, a working man who, by reason of -his superior qualifications, has risen above his fellow workers, and -takes the oversight of them. It is his duty, not to originate work, -but to see it carried out. He is no theorist, but a practical seaman of -the best kind. In steamers his seamanship is seldom called upon, but -his power of carrying on work is tested to the utmost. And in case of a -sudden emergency, such as the outbreak of fire, breakdown of engines, -or falling in with a helpless sister that requires a tow, the boatswain -is of the utmost importance. A good boatswain in a big steamship is a -treasure of great price, although he does not command very high wages. -He it is that makes all the difference to the mate between a happy life -and one full of those minor worries that whiten the hair and wrinkle -the face. - -It cannot need any argument to enforce this fact. When the mate can -call the boatswain to him, and give his orders, secure in the knowledge -that the work will proceed without hitch or neglect, he may attend -to his other duties with an easy mind. The boatswain looks to the -mate, and to him alone, for his orders, and would be indignant at -interference by any officer of a lower grade. That is, supposing him to -be, as usual, a man fully competent. Where, by some accident, he has -slipped into the position without ability to command or knowledge to -carry out, he will generally be glad to curry favour with anybody, not -merely junior officers, but with the men under him--which is fatal. - -The boatswain's position is not affected greatly by a change from a -liner into a big cargo steamer, unless it be in cases where, from -mistaken notions of economy, he is called bo'sun and lamp-trimmer. This -degradation of an ancient and honourable position is quite unfair -to the man who in a moment of folly or being hard up accepts such a -queerly-associated employment. For how can a sailor be expected to show -due deference to a man who, after all, is only "lamps"? In all the -steamers of the Australasian colonies a lad is carried as lamp-trimmer, -and his duties are confined to that and cleaning brass-work, both tasks -that are quite unfit for a man who is a leader and commander of the -crew, as a bo'sun is. Small tramps, of course, do not carry a bo'sun. -The duties which he should perform fall upon the hapless officers, as -aforesaid. - -But if you would see the bo'sun in his glory go on board a large -sailing ship. There he has room and scope for his talents, can show of -what metal he is made. Even the radical changes that have taken place -in the rigging of sailing ships during the last quarter of a century do -not affect him much, except in so far as undermanning has reduced the -number of men available to carry out his directions. I am old enough -to remember the stately ships of Messrs. Green or Wigram or Devitt and -Moore coming into Melbourne and Sydney with crews more than double what -they would now carry if afloat. The bo'sun with his two mates were most -prominent figures, while their hoarse voices and the shrill scream -of their pipes resounded over the adjacent water as the vessel came -up to her berth. Those grand old vessels are gone, and with them the -fine complement of British seamen they used to carry, men who were so -disciplined that transference to a man-o'-war would have come as the -easiest and most natural thing in the world. - -Yet it must not be supposed that the type of bo'sun they carried is yet -extinct. Fortunately, no; for he would be a heavy loss indeed. He has -grafted the old on to the new, and may be found to-day aboard the great -sailing ships, that still do a fair share of ocean traffic, carrying -on the work under the changed conditions, even as his forerunners did. -One of the greatest changes made in modern sailing ships has been the -substitution of wire rope for hemp. First of all wire was used for the -standing rigging, that is, for the great stays which support the masts. -Then came the invention of mild steel, and the discovery that ropes -made of mild steel wire were sufficiently pliable to be used for a -great deal of the running gear, that is, ropes that had to run through -blocks or pulleys. Then it was found that, instead of having a cumbrous -arrangement of stout ropes called lanyards to "set up" (tighten) the -standing rigging, stout screws would answer the purpose equally well; -and instead of needing a large number of men, much complication of -tackles, and many hours to "set up" the rigging, one man with a short -iron bar to turn the screws could do all that was required in about -a couple of hours. But this innovation, although it lessened labour -in one direction, did not make any difference to the work of the ship -aloft, where, on account of increased sail area and the practice of -carrying an additional mast, the work was more onerous than ever. - -So the bo'sun of to-day must, in addition to the knowledge possessed -by those of bygone days, be an expert at handling wire rope, that -is, splicing the refractory stuff. He cannot be content with simply -knowing how it should be done, but he must be prepared to educate a -crew such as he may very easily find under him--a crew whose only -previous experience has been in steamers, and who hardly know one end -of a marline-spike from the other. He must be able to keep a ship in -thorough repair, going over the mastheads himself, and prying into -every detail for little defects, which may bring disaster if not -attended to in time. And his mastery of ships' work should be such -that it will be sufficient for the mate to say to him, "Bo'sun, I want -so-and-so done to-day," and then turn away completely easy in his mind, -because he knows that the work will be done, and done well. - -I have had the misfortune to be once shipmates with, I was going to -say, a bad bo'sun; but perhaps the better description of him would be -that he was not a seaman at all, much less a bo'sun. We used to call -him "the Curiosity," abbreviated to "Curio." He said that he had been -bo'sun of the ill-fated _La Plata_. That may have been so, because the -vessel was lost only two days after leaving port, although none of us -could in the least understand how he had been able to obtain such a -berth. At any rate, he managed to get shipped with us in the _Herat_ as -bo'sun, and as she was a 1300-ton sailing ship, there was a fair scope -for his abilities. We found him out on the first day, although, as -nearly all hands were suffering from the last drunk, little notice was -taken. But before we cleared the Channel he was made of less account -than one of the boys. He was actually ignorant of how to do the most -trivial job. Even as a foremast hand he would have had a bad time; as -a bo'sun, his sublime audacity took our breath away. The officers were -all good men, and were able to carry on the work easily enough, leaving -nothing to him but such matters as washing decks or repeating their -orders. Then he took to coming into the fo'c'sle, and trying to curry -favour with the men by telling them of his varied experiences ashore. -By his own confession, he had been a salesman at Mortlock's in Oxford -Street, a door-keeper at a West End restaurant, something in the ring -at a circus, and other equally curious, out-of-the-way employments. His -impudence as well as a certain _bonhomie_, which, however out of place -in a bo'sun, would have been admirable in any of the positions he had -occupied ashore, softened the crew towards him, and really he did not -have such a bad time. - -Of course he was discharged as soon as we reached Calcutta, the master -informing him that he would not carry him but for ballast, giving him -a "declines-to-report" discharge, which is equivalent to useless, -but paying him on the seamen's wages scale. Three days afterwards -he visited us, an overpowering swell of _distingué_ appearance, and -grandly informed us that he was ring-master in a great travelling -circus. After distributing orders lavishly, and inviting all hands -to come ashore and drink at his expense, he left, and I saw him no -more--the most amazing bo'sun I have ever even heard of. - -At the other end of the scale I place the bos'un of the _Harbinger_, -a man of rot more than thirty, a giant in stature and strength, and -completely master of his profession. Of all the seamen I have ever -known, he was the most perfect specimen as far as rigging work was -concerned, and the handling of a ship's company. So splendid was his -work that, in conversation with him one day, after watching him splice -a two-inch wire grummet round the goose-neck of the spanker-boom with -far greater ease than most men would have done the same thing in rope, -I asked him whether he had not received some special instruction in -handling wire. He then told me that he was a Blackwall rigger, _i.e._ a -man whose trade is rigging ships in harbour, and that he only went to -sea when he could find a ship that suited him. That explained a great -deal; but I must admit that he was just as smart at handling sails -aloft in bad weather as he was at rigging work proper, so that I should -say he never allowed himself to get in the least rusty. - -Other bo'suns I have known intimately by being shipmates with them, -good men as one would wish to sail with, but never one that came quite -up to this paragon among sailor-men. For some were perfect in all -their ways as far as "sailorizing" was concerned, yet could not get -the work out of their men; others were good drivers, but were weak -in their technical knowledge--at least, not quite so good at certain -work as some of the seamen under them; others were lazy, and one -especially do I remember, although a splendid seaman, was so great a -coward, that he was a by-word fore and aft. He was an Alsatian from -Metz, who had somehow got to sea, and after serving several years in -British ships, had become a bo'sun, a post for which his one defect -eminently disqualified him. And he never learned to talk intelligible -English. Sailors can understand almost any jargon that is spoken at -sea under the guise of English, but this man's talk was too funny for -anything. He would come to the fo'c'sle door as the watch was turning -out, and say, "Now, poys, gum lonk. Ve shrub und shrabe mit sant unt -racks alla now;" which, being interpreted, was, "Now, boys, come along. -We'll scrub and scrape with sand and canvas to-day." Poor fellow, his -abilities and long service deserved a better fate than he met with at -last. A couple of years after I left the ship I met him in Old Gravel -Lane, hopelessly crippled by a fall from aloft on his last passage -home. He was hobbling off to the workhouse to try and get in, to be -saved from starvation, for there is no redress for the sailor who is -maimed in the execution of his duty. - -As I have said in the previous chapter, bo'suns are seldom carried in -American ships, where the third mate or second mate, as the case may -be, will efficiently perform a bo'sun's usual duties. But where they -are carried, they will be found, like all the other American officers -of whom I have spoken, the best seamen that can be found anywhere, but -in general conduct undoubtedly brutal to those under them. One case -of a "brevet" bo'sun is, I believe, sufficiently quaint to be noticed -here. A friend of mine, a man of rather small build, was second mate -of a Nova Scotian barque bound from New York to Hong Kong. When the -crew came on board--eight of them--he saw with some trepidation that -they were all huge negroes, and he did not feel any too comfortable -at the prospect of keeping them in order if they should turn out to be -a rowdy lot. But, putting a bold face on the matter, he mustered them. -As they trooped aft he noticed that, big as they all were, one towered -above all the rest, a black giant. A bright idea struck him, and as -soon as they had answered to their names he turned to the monster and -said, "Now look here, bo'sun, I want you t' hurry up 'n git these -spars lashed." "Ay, ay, sah," bellowed the delighted black man, "I put -de b'ys froo, sah." And put them through he did. There was never any -trouble from that day, the black bo'sun doing his work well, just for -the sake of the title with which he had been so suddenly honoured. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -THE CARPENTER. - - -How shall I do fitting justice to the dignified, invaluable petty -officer (warrant officer in the Navy) whose title stands at the head -of this chapter? The honest journeyman ashore hearing the same title -has always had a peculiar fascination for me, whether joiner or -cabinetmaker. But he is no more to be compared with the carpenter of a -ship than a hod-carrier is with an architect. It is not every port that -can produce ships'-carpenters. Any shipyard where work is specialized, -as it is in many that I could name, is fatal to the breeding of such -men as ships'-carpenters must be. Like all the rest of the officers -I have written of, there is, of course, considerable difference in -the duties of a carpenter in steam and sail, the former being much -the easier billet for him. In a fine passenger steamship his duties -are mainly confined to seeing that certain gear is in working order, -attending to the shipping and unshipping of gangways, etc., but of -actual constructive work he seldom does any at all. That, owing to -the shortness of the voyages, is done when the vessel reaches home; -but it is essential that any needed repairs or alterations should be -noted during the voyage; and for this particular oversight a carpenter -is invaluable. And any remarks such as have been made hitherto about -incompetent men may be safely left out when considering the carpenter. -I do not go so far as to say that there is no such thing as an -incompetent ship's-carpenter. But I do declare that I never yet met or -heard of one. He is the man who may be relied upon to give less trouble -than any other man on board a ship. - -As to his position, it is unique. He is a tradesman, of the mysteries -of whose craft the sailor does not pretend to knowledge. But he is -usually an old salt of keen observation, able to criticize sailor -work in all its branches, and with the proud conviction that he is -indispensable to the safety of the ship, a conviction that is based -upon expert knowledge of the constructional needs of the ship. The -real glory of a ship's-carpenter, however, does not shine out in any -steamer. It is in the sailing ship that he finds his opportunity for -the display of those abilities in which he is not to be approached by -any other man on board. I have often spoken in the highest terms of -admiration of the wonderful versatility of Canadians, Down Easters, and -Finns, who seem to be born with the power to use either marline-spike, -adze, plough, or sextant with equal facility. But their carpentry, -though sufficient for sea needs, is rough. It is, as they would be -the first to admit, only to be used where poverty or pressure of -circumstances forbids the employment of a man who has been through the -curriculum of the "yards" and has emerged ready to do all that a ship -in her utmost need can require at the hands of a man. - -Perhaps the best ships'-carpenters known come from Scotland. In all -my experience I have only met with one who did not, and he was one of -the fine old school that used to be bred forty years ago in Thames -shipbuilding yards. But on the Clyde and in Aberdeen they breed a race -of men as ship-carpenters who are silent, thoughtful, and strong, men -who study the requirements of their ship as a great surgeon studies -his patients, and who never need telling what should be done. And this -is so recognized by masters that it is popularly supposed on board -ship that if the chronometer went wrong the carpenter would be called -upon to put it right. For he is no mere specialist. A ship's-carpenter -who was _only_ a carpenter would be of very little use on board a -modern sailing ship. He must be also a blacksmith, a block and spar -maker, a joiner, a sartor, and a boat-builder. Of course he must be a -caulker. I should not mention the latter were it not that in the minute -subdivision of labour, that for economical purposes obtains almost -everywhere to-day, caulking, roughly the stuffing of seams between -planking with oakum to keep out the water, has become a trade by itself. - -The pumps are under the carpenter's charge. He knows not only how -to fit their boxes and renew the packing--many sailors have that -knowledge--but he can invent in time of need substitutes for leather, -and by all sorts of devices make it possible to keep the hold clear -of water. Also he is responsible for the due working and up-keep of -the iron-work aloft. The great trusses and goose-necks upon which the -massive yards are balanced, so that they swing from one side to the -other, are his care; he visits them at regular weekly intervals with -oil feeder and scraper, and with minute scrutiny assures himself that -there are no flaws in them which may in a moment of stress extend into -breaks, and let half the ship's company go howling to leeward, and be -swallowed up in the hissing vortex of white foam that surges hungrily -upward. He attends to the due working of iron block and sheaves, and -examines with a critical eye both masts and yards for flaws. To do -this, it is necessary that he be able to climb in any weather, since -the gear is permanently fixed aloft, and thither he must go to examine -it. But it is seldom that he is called upon to work aloft unless he be -an ardent seaman as well as a carpenter. Some members of the honoured -family of "Chips" I have known who scorned to be left on deck when a -rising gale demanded the services of all hands to shorten sail. They -were as keen and eager to wrestle with the mighty wings thundering at -their confining gear as any purely seafaring man that ever hung on to -a jackstay by his eyebrows, or scorned to secure himself on a yard by -thrusting his arm through a becket. There was never any need to call -them specially when it was all hands; they were always on deck with a -leap, as if they had been waiting ready rigged for the word, although -had one gone into their berths for anything an instant before the -cry was given he would have found them sleeping with the care-free -soundness of the sailor. - -The bo'sun, carpenter, sailmaker, and cook generally live together in -a compartment of the forward house on deck. Formerly their berth was -known as the "half-deck," a survival of ancient days, when they were -really berthed in a horrible dungeon that rightfully bore the name. -But now the title is often carried by the berth set apart for the -apprentices, and the petty officers' quarters are as often divided in -two, one for the bo'sun and carpenter, and the other for the sailmaker -and cook. They are attended in simplest fashion by a boy, not at all -as a servant, but just to carry in their simple fare, wash their -mess-traps, and scrub out the berth. They may feed a little better than -the men, but not much, and the manner of their table is practically -the same, the "table," indeed, being often non-existent, as they eat -their meals in the good (?) old way, that is, with their plates upon -their knees or on a chest at their sides. But the carpenter has, in -addition to this home, which he shares with one or two others, a place -of retreat, sacred to him alone, wherein no man has any right to enter, -save the master and mate, and I am doubtful about the mate. It is his -"shop." Here is his bench; here he does such small work as comes under -the head of carpentering proper, or, on a long passage, makes cabinets, -writing-desks, or bookshelves for the skipper. It is a temple of peace, -fragrant with the scent of new wood, with a sub-tone of pungent tobacco -smoke, for here the presiding genius may, and does, smoke, with no one -to say him nay. - -Unlike any other officer in the ship below the rank of mate, Chips -finds his own work; unless, indeed, the master may have some special -piece of work that he wishes done. And even then it would probably -not be undertaken if Chips did not think it was feasible. Under -ordinary circumstances the carpenter goes on his own even way, no -man interfering with him, and few knowing what he is employed upon. -Once, when on the homeward-bound passage of a long voyage, I asked our -carpenter whether he was not sometimes puzzled to know what to find to -do. It was a piece of daring on my part, for he was a dour Aberdonian -of middle age, so taciturn that his voice was seldom heard, and with a -grim expression on his face that discouraged familiarity. But he had -thawed out a bit on this occasion, and told me several yarns, so I -ventured to put the question, which had often occurred to me. "Mahn," -he growled, with lowering brow, "Ah cud fin' wurrk fur seven year, 'f -we wur oot sae lang. Fat du Ah fine tae dae? ye say. Did ye ever see ma -idle in wurrkin' oors?" I shook my head vigorously, feeling that I was -on exceedingly delicate ground. "Nah," he muttered, "there's nae lack -o' wurrk, but ther's plenty wantin' wull tae dae it. But Ah niver hahd -ta worry aboot siccan a thing in a' ma life." And I said no more, being -no wiser than I was before, but feeling that what he said was true. - -On the other hand, it may very well be that a ship's-carpenter -sometimes comes in for an overwhelming pressure of work which taxes all -his energies to cope with. On one occasion, in my own experience, the -skipper of a big ship, as we then considered her, bound from Liverpool -to Bombay brought with him to sea a number of huge rough spars, bought -cheaply, I suppose. These he purposed to replace the yards that were -already doing duty aloft, and as soon as opportunity offered the work -was begun. It was a tremendous task for one man to undertake; but our -Chips, although it was only his second voyage to sea, was fully equal -to the demand made upon his skill and strength. More than that, he was -able to train sundry members of the crew in the handling of broad axe -and rip-saw, so that they could take off him the most laborious part of -the work. During a calm that persisted for eight weeks, we practically -shifted every yard in the ship, working all day long, and--shall I say -it?--sleeping all night. I will not go so far as to say that the man -at the wheel went to sleep, but I dare not say that he did not, for no -demand was made upon his steering skill by the ship--she lay as nearly -motionless as a ship can lie upon the ocean. It was then that I learned -how wonderful a tool in the hand of an expert is the adze. Our Chips -seemed to prefer it to all his other tools, and the way he made it -serve him was marvellous. I heard him tell a story of how some braggart -was boasting in the yard of his skill with the adze, when an old -carpenter challenged him to take off a shaving under his foot, staking -his week's wages that he, the challenger, would take off the thinnest. -The boaster tried, and succeeded in slitting the sole of his new boot, -at which there was much laughter. Then the veteran, taking off his -shoe and stocking, placed his naked foot upon the plank, and swinging -his adze over his head, brought it down with a whir. On removing his -foot, a shaving no thicker than note-paper lay upon the broad blade -of the adze. And the old man slyly said, "Ah dinna keer fur reskin' a -guid peyr o' butes in a ploy laik this yin. But it'll mebbe teach ye -no' to give way tae ungodly boastin' agin." I have no difficulty in -believing the story, having seen the truly marvellous way in which this -awkward-looking (to a novice) but ancient tool is handled by an expert -shipwright. - -That same carpenter mended the skipper's wife's sewing-machine, -"sorrted," as he would say, the same lady's bracelet. In fact, he was -always being called upon to do some job as far removed from carpenters' -work as one could well imagine, and always-succeeded. - -Carpenters in American ships are, of course, super-excellent, but they -are not so good at iron-work as a Scotchman. For a Scotch carpenter -seems equally at home in handling wood or iron, as a result, I suppose, -of the thorough training he receives while an apprentice. But in -woodwork, in extensive repairs to a ship, the Yankee cannot be beaten. -Indeed, he must needs be good, for otherwise he "would almost certainly -find some of the officers who "would offer to teach him his trade. -And in British North American ships a carpenter is not often carried, -since nearly every Blue-nose sailor is a born worker in wood, and would -consider the carrying of a carpenter a superfluous expense, quite -unwarranted by any ship needs whatever. - -Although not strictly within the purview of the present work, I may -be pardoned for paying a belated tribute to the excellence of the -American carpenters carried in the whaleships. Their strong point -was in boat-building; and to see what they could and did do with a -batch of broken boats, some of them indeed with hardly any vestige of -a boat remaining! Without any help, without rest for a couple of days -and nights, except for necessary food, they would toil until they had -again made it possible for the pursuit of the whale to be undertaken; -and they had to work in such cramped quarters, not free from the -all-pervading greasiness of trying out, that how they managed to do -anything at all in workmanlike fashion was a mystery. One of them that -I knew was also an artist in ivory and bone. He had a lathe of his -own construction, and by its aid he turned out such exquisite pieces -of ornamental work that they would not have been put to shame in any -exhibition in the world. - -These ships also carried another artisan--the cooper--whose province it -was to make casks, barrels, tubs, buckets, piggins; anything that could -be made with hoops and staves. Consequently utensils that in other -ships would have been of iron were in the whalers of wood, and I once -heard our old cooper declare that he'd undertake to make a lady a pair -of stays if he was favoured with the order. And I have no doubt that he -would have done so, a pair that would have lasted a lifetime. No one on -board would have had the slightest difficulty in believing that, given -a sufficient number of trees and a little iron, these two worthies -would have speedily constructed a ship, in case of our vessel's loss, -in which we might have sailed round the world. - -One more old carpenter I must mention who, with a broken leg and -covered from head to foot with suppurating mosquito bites, crawled from -his bunk when our vessel was found to be on shore in the middle of the -night. In this pitiable condition of body he immediately began to caulk -the only serviceable boat we had, which, lying bottom upward upon the -skids, had got so impoverished by the sun that her seams were gaping -wide, rendering her absolutely useless. And from thenceforward, without -one word of complaint, for over twenty hours that heroic man laboured -on until all that he could do was done. He did not seem to think that -his doing so was in any way extraordinary. - -Perhaps the carpenters who read this may smile at the presumption of a -mere sailor in praising their work, but I hope they will believe that I -do but express toward them the ordinary sentiments of their shipmates -of all grades. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE SAILMAKER. - - -This most useful man's position on board ship will give me less trouble -to deal with than any other that I have either handled or shall handle; -for the sufficient reason that steam knows him not--has no need of him. -It is quite true that on board ships of war the sailmaker is still in -evidence, is still most busily employed, but not in making sails. His -work is much simpler now. It consists of making deckcloths, awnings, -mast and yard covers, and all the varied canvas screens whereby alone -it is possible for so complicated a machine as the modern ship of war -to be kept in anything like cleanliness. People are apt to inquire -what can be found for so large a crew to do as a man-of-war carries. -They either forget or do not know how defiling, how all-pervading is -the grime from the funnels and the dust of the coal used. As far as -making work goes, it far more than compensates for the disappearance -of sail power. Even with all the canvas protectors that are made and -kept in repair by the sailmaker and his crew, the dirt is so persistent -that one is tempted sometimes to cry despairingly, "All the protection -we get from these covers is so inadequate that it is more than -counterbalanced by the necessity for keeping _them_ clean; we should -be better off without them." - -On board the sailing ship, however, going as she does for long voyages, -sometimes extending to two or even three years before returning home -again, the sailmaker is indispensable. Not that even in ships like -these a sailmaker as such is always shipped. Sailmaking has always -exercised a certain fascination upon seamen, and it will sometimes -happen that a master or mate will be so excellent at the business that -they will dispense with a sailmaker altogether, relying upon finding -among the crew some men sufficiently expert to do the stitching as -it should be done, while they design, cut out, and fit. But where it -is any one else than the master who thus adds the sailmaker's duties -to his own, the practice is rather dangerous. For there may be many -things happen which will cause the amateur sailmaker to declare rather -suddenly that he will have no more to do with it, that he has quite -enough of his own work to do; and then the consequences may be awkward. -Owing to the tremendous stress of competition, and the resultant -cutting down of crews, a far less number of sailmakers are carried than -used to be, ships of 1000 tons now being turned into barques, and all -their complement reduced, until it seems marvellous how she is handled -at all. In vessels of this size the sailmaking must be done by the -seamen, and with the decrease in number of thorough seamen who along -with their other accomplishments are capable sail-sewers (it would -hardly be fair to call them sailmakers), the problem of how to keep the -vessel clothed aloft is not an easy one to solve. - -Possibly landsmen think very little about the matter, but they may -be assured that the making of a sail is by no means what they might -suppose--say, as easy as preparing a pair of sheets for a bed. There -is considerably more art required in cutting out a jib, for instance, -than there is in cutting out a suit of clothes. In a properly equipped -sail-loft ashore the various measurements may be laid off upon the -floor in chalk, and then it is comparatively easy to cut the numerous -cloths of canvas out by simply laying them down. There need be no -calculation of angles, only allowances made for "roach," _i.e._ curves -at the edges, so that the sail shall set properly, not hang like a -wrinkled rag when it is hoisted. But to do this on board ship in the -same way is impossible, so the sailmaker must make a tiny draft of the -sail to scale. From this he must calculate the length of each cloth -required, and, what is more important still, if possible, the number -of cloths which the width of the sail will take. For a cloth of canvas -is only two feet wide, and from this must be deducted the width of -the seam, which is usually about an inch and a half, but varies a -little according to individual fancy. Then there are the angles to -be calculated, and certain allowances made, which only practice can -estimate so correctly as to insure a well-fitting sail when finished. - -Even with all the care imaginable in cutting, a bad workman will spoil -the set of a sail by not keeping the right amount of stress upon each -cloth as he stitches. It would not be an easy task to cut out a sail -if the material were all in one piece; when it is made up of a number -of pieces as it is, the work needs a master of the trade in order to -produce a well-finished article. And when it is remembered that some -sails will contain forty-five cloths of canvas, each ten yards long, -canvas, too, that is stout enough for the heaviest work that ship-sails -are called upon to do, it ought to be seen that sailmaking has nothing -in it of the nature of unskilled labour at all. In fact, so much skill -is required for sailmaking, so much innate ability, that it may be -truly said of the perfect sailmaker that, like the perfect tailor's -cutter, he is born, not made. Even then the dead hand of tradition -weighs heavily upon the sailmaker. Certain fashions in sail-cutting -exist in this country which are scouted in America as being in the -last degree clumsy. And the Yankee sailmaker goes so far as to say -that a British sailmaker cannot cut a sail! This taunt does really -seem justified to an impartial observer when looking at the difference -between a British and American ship's sails set side by side. I have -often seen a new set of sails hoisted on board a British ship that -looked more like a miscellaneous collection of rags hung out to dry -than the "white wings" famous in song. And it was not till long after, -when a great deal of stretching and humouring had taken place, that the -sails came to look at all neat and unwrinkled. - -I don't know whether it is justifiable in a work of this kind to say -so much about sails; but I feel that since the popular imagination -is so stimulated by a sight of that most beautiful picture, a ship -under full sail, that it would hardly be fair to pass the subject -over perfunctorily, especially when it is so deeply studied and argued -upon board ship. There is nothing in a ship's equipment that excites -so much interest among her crew as the sails. Every one on board who -has any claim to be called a sailor poses as a critic when a new sail -is set, or when another ship heaves in sight, and as many intelligent -opinions may then be heard as might be expected from a party of trained -workmen going through an exhibition of work with which they were well -acquainted. - -It must not be supposed that sailmaking is merely a matter of stitching -together a certain number of pieces of canvas of a certain shape. Far -from that being the case, the strength of the sail lies in its borders. -These are first "tabled," _i.e._ a broad piece is turned over and -stitched down all round the sail. Then a tarred rope, technically "bolt -rope," of the very best make, is carefully stretched, having a number -of turns taken out of it to prevent its cockling up the sail when it is -wet. It varies in thickness, not only on each sail, but on different -parts of the same sail, according to the strain that it may be expected -to bear. When duly prepared it is stitched on to the tabling with -several parts of stout twine (roping twine) well tarred. This work -demands considerable skill, for the canvas must be gathered up in the -process, so that the strain shall come on the rope, yet not so much as -to leave wrinkles in the sail. And at intervals small loops of rope -(technically "cringles") must be worked on the rope, from which they -stand out at right angles. They have grooved iron rings fitted into -them, so they be not chafed through by wear, and they serve to secure -the sail by "sheet," "tack," or "earing" (although the earing cringles -are seldom iron-lined). Of late years the fine hemp bolt-rope has been -much discarded in favour of flexible wire rope, neatly covered with -canvas and spun-yarn to prevent rust. This is stronger and more durable -in itself, but it makes the sail far more refractory to handle, and -cannot be stitched on to the canvas as of old by pushing the big needle -in between the strands of the rope. It has to be "marled" on, a method -of securing it that always looks clumsy and insecure. - -But I fear that in all this I am straying far away from the sailmaker -himself. It may very reasonably be supposed that on leaving her -home-port a ship would have a sufficient supply of sails to last her -(barring accident) for the voyage. That is really so in all well-found -ships. Two, and sometimes three, complete suits of sails are carried, -the best or newest suit for seas where the stormiest weather may be -expected, the next best suit for general use, and the fine-weather suit -for regions where light, variable airs are always found, and where it -would be a great waste of money to allow good canvas to bang itself -all to pieces against the masts as the vessel rolls idly upon the -sleepy swell. Now, the sailmaker's first duty is to keep these sails -in repair; and since they have a great deal of wear, it will usually -be found that he has not only quite sufficient to do himself, but can -find constant employment for some favoured seaman out of each watch -at sewing seams. Generally speaking, he is a man who has served his -apprenticeship to the trade, although a good discharge from his last -ship where he has been engaged in a similar capacity is all that a -skipper looks for from him upon engagement. That is hardly correct, -though: many skippers will ask in addition for a written personal -reference, regarding the official certificate of discharge as a mere -formality that signifies little concerning the quality of the man. But -this applies generally to all seamen above the rank of A.B. - -It will often be found, however, that a master who is an observant man -will have noted during the voyage that one of his A.B.'s has shown -a special aptitude for sailmaking. Then, at the end of the voyage, -he will inform such a man that if he cares to come next voyage as -sailmaker he will employ him--of course at a lower wage than he would -give a regular tradesman. In this way many seamen have risen from the -forecastle to be sailmakers. Very good men they are, too; but I never -saw or heard of one of them who had attained to the competency of -cutting and fitting new sails. Not that there is any personal reason -why they should not do so, but they do not get sufficient practice. -They are smart hands with the "palm and needle" and the "fid," that -is all. Of course regularly trained sailmakers are very wroth at this -cheating them of their privileges, as they consider it, but they are -quite powerless in the matter. - -Sometimes, however, they have their revenge, as in the case of a ship -carrying an amateur "sails" that meets with a dreadfully sudden squall -and "carries away" all her sails. This term does not mean that the -sails are stripped entirely from the yards, but that they are rent into -ribbons, mere outlines of sails. An enormous amount of construction -as well as repairing sailmaking is thus thrown suddenly upon the -sailmaker, and every available stitcher on board is then pressed into -his service. Then, if he be a regular tradesman, he is in his glory; -but if a promoted seaman, he will usually be just a terrified unit -of the crew, badgered by the master and flouted by the men. And the -ship herself suffers accordingly. It is false economy, saving at the -most but a few shillings a month, and should never be indulged in. -The sailmaker, poor man, useful though he may be, is never very well -paid, fifteen shillings or a pound a month more than the A.B.'s wages -being about his maximum. And, like the carpenter, although not so -indispensable, he is almost always a good, reliable man whom it is well -to have on board a ship in a position of some responsibility. - -As with the bo'sun, it will be found in American and Canadian vessels -that a sailmaker as such is rarely carried. The business of sailmaking, -like carpentry, is in those vessels considered tacitly to be part -of the education of a thorough seaman, and it would be a rare thing -to find one of them without an expert amateur sailmaker among the -officers. They get some beautiful patterns to work from when leaving -home, and doubtless study them deeply, for, in spite of their habit of -not carrying professional sailmakers, it is an unknown thing to meet -one of them anywhere with badly-fitting sails. I know of no lovelier -sight than a full-rigged American ship on a bright day with a new -suit of sails set to a good beam wind. The canvas being of cotton -(ours is made of flax unbleached), is dazzlingly white. Catching the -glint of the sun, it gleams against the deep blue of the sea or the -lighter azure of the sky like the wing of a mighty angel, so pure and -clean that the eye cannot bear more than a passing glance at it. Not a -thread is slack, not a curve untrue; she has the very poetry of motion -induced by a gloriously beautiful arrangement of wings, that make her -look like nothing earthly. Alas, that this splendid canvas should, when -wet, become like a plank for stiffness, so that in the stormy Atlantic, -when searching cold, howling gale, and drenching rain combine, and -the hapless sailors are strung aloft to furl those fiercely-straining -wings, the task is too terrible for words! The naked hands, torn and -bleeding, cannot bend the stiffened canvas, and in the fight many a -broken sailor has gone to the rest that was denied him in life. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -THE STEWARD (IN STEAM). - - -The consideration of this worthy official's position has flung me back -again into all the difficulty of differentiation from which my dealing -with the sailmaker was free. More; because of all the men who serve -in the Mercantile Marine, there are none who know such changes of -fortune, such a range in value of their position as does the steward. -From the chief steward of an Atlantic liner to the cook-and-steward of -a small foreign-going brig what a tremendous distance there is! And -yet, given push, a gentlemanly appearance, and ability in organization, -there is really no reason why the holder of the latter position should -not aspire to, and reach, the former, with all its emoluments and the -command over a couple of hundred men. These hierarchs of the steward -order are really very closely allied to the managers of great hotels. -In fact, speaking from an outsider's point of view, I am inclined to -think that a man who can manage the domestic arrangements of a couple -of hundred people at sea--that is, in a floating hotel which is quite -cut off from any external source of supply for a week or more--has a -far greater task in hand than any hotel manager ashore can have. Such -an official has naturally enormous weight in deciding the question -of a certain ship's popularity. Her master may be one of the most -splendid and genial of seamen, her officers the best of their kind, -but after all, if the creature comforts are not well looked after she -gets branded as an uncomfortable ship. Therefore the chief steward is -in close touch with the office ashore. He and the purser--an officer -whom I have left out of my list, because he is really one of the -shore officials carried to sea for business purposes--are really the -autocrats of the passenger department. Like every one else on board, -they are under the master's command, but he has nothing else to do with -them. Carefully selected men as they are, they take care that their -part of the business shall not trouble his majesty. If he were troubled -by them the chances are that there would be changes in the _personnel_ -of their department very soon. - -Most people will need no argument to convince them that the position of -chief steward of a big liner is a most lucrative post. It is also one -whereof the holder should be a man of good appearance and gentlemanly -manners. Yet--and I say this delicately, because I would not for -a great deal give pain to any member of a most estimable body of -men--every seaman, no matter how humble, feels towards them, no matter -how high, a certain disdainful sense of superiority. He can never -quite get rid of the feeling that they are menials. I do not excuse or -encourage such a feeling, but that it exists is quite certain. Nor, in -spite of the rich prizes that are to be won in the business, do you -ever find parents who can afford to pay a premium for their youngsters -being apprenticed to the sea contemplating their being made stewards. -I see no reason why the steward's post should not be considered as -honourable as the master's myself, and certainly, taking the chances of -promotion one with the other, the prospects of fortune are far brighter -for the accomplished steward than they are for the most valuable master -to-day. But there is among sailors a marked repugnance to the _tip_, -to being expected to do body-service to other people, unless in an -emergency or as an act of charity, and this feeling can by no means be -explained away. - -Below his high mightiness the chief steward in a liner come a host of -subordinates in as many varying grades as are to be found in a big -hotel. Unto each is allotted work, which goes on like clock-work, day -and night, in fair weather or foul. Efficient service in your hotel -means a great deal, one cannot help feeling, not only a great deal -of thought on the part of the management, but a great deal of hard -work and manual dexterity on the part of those who actually do the -work. And these toiling ones are always expected to wear a smile, no -matter what their physical condition may be; must always be ready to -spring at your call, and do for you whatever you choose to desire. -But what does such service as this mean at sea? When what the sailor -calls a stiff breeze is blowing, with "a nasty bit of a cross sea on," -and the big ship is writhing her way through the green masses with -a perfectly indescribable combination of pitches and rollings, the -seasoned passengers must have their meals in due order, with all the -usual accompaniments; the helpless ones must be waited on. How is it -done? Only by the most loyal, eager subordination of self in the desire -to please, backed up, if you will, by a wish to get on, and tempered -by the prospect of a substantial tip by-and-by. Whatever the motive, -the work goes on with a regularity that is so unostentatious that the -passenger ceases to wonder at it after a day or two, and accepts it as -he does the unseen machinery below. - -At the head of each department of bed-room stewards, waiters, -pantrymen, and what-not--I do not know the designations--is a gentleman -who is steadily working his way to the top, climbing to the giddy -height where he may go about all day long in the dress of a private -gentleman, and use only his brains, not his hands, for the prosecution -of his work. As in all businesses, efficient devolution is the whole -secret of success. But let the work be devolved as much as it may, -every one beneath the chief has quite as much as he can do by steadily -working on with little sleep, little rest, but abundant food. This is -so in the finest weather at sea and in harbour; in bad weather at sea -work is greatly added to, not only in quantity, but in the difficulty -of doing it. There is no mere child's play in the distribution of food -alone, without the arrangement of all the paraphernalia of the meal -tables. And in the cleaning up afterwards, and carrying away of china -and glass, the washing and stacking thereof in secure places while -the decks dance beneath the feet and every little bit of panelling -complains, there is very much severe toil, done no less thoroughly -because out of sight. - -This ocean hotel service has grown to great dimensions, but not without -dragging into its toils a great many burden-bearers, whose labours -are essential to the luxurious comfort of latter-day passengers. It -is to be hoped that those who enjoy this wonderful attendance while -crossing the great and wide sea do at times give a thought to the human -machinery ever at work on their behalf. For a little thought would -surely make them less intolerant of mistakes or seeming neglect. - -As we come down the scale of passenger steamers and lengthen the -voyages, the position of the stewards gets worse, while their wages -(that is to say their entire gains, which means wages _and_ backsheesh) -get less. Their labours increase by reason of the shortness of hands -and lack of accommodation provided for them. They are not to be envied -at all. Yet they are a cheerful crowd and a respectable, for any -dereliction of duty, misbehaviour of any kind, means dismissal from the -ship, a serious matter, which often carries with it a great difficulty -in finding another. - -Coming down still lower, to the cargo-carrying steamer, or tramp pure -and simple, the stewards have dwindled to one, and a mess-room boy, -who waits upon the engineers; and although the steward of a tramp does -not get much of a salary, his duties are simple and his masters are -few. Indeed, he may be said to have but one master--the skipper--if -he be well up to his work. With that proviso and civility, no other -officer in the ship will ever interfere with him. Even here he is a -most responsible man. Upon him devolves the outlay of the consumable -stores. They are placed under his charge, and he is expected to see -them duly served out to all, keeping due record of their going, so -that he may not be unable at any time to answer a question put to him -by the master as to how the ship is prepared for the next portion of -her voyage. His part it is, too, to do battle with wily "dhubash" or -"compradore" in the far East, who will cheat not only in quantity, but -quality of stores on every possible or even impossible occasion. Upon -entering ports abroad, one of these worthies, or their prototypes, is -always engaged to supply harbour-food, fresh meat, vegetables, fruit, -etc., and a good, honest steward will make a tremendous difference to -the comfort and well-being of the ship's company. A dishonest one is of -the devil, because bribes will be offered him to wink at short weight -and inferior quality, and he will accept. Then there is discontent, and -often blame cast upon the wrong shoulders. - -His other duties consist in keeping the saloon and the skipper's berth -clean--the officers must get _their_ berths cleaned by somebody else, -usually a deck-boy, the steward being no body-servant of theirs--and -waiting at table. Where the cook is incompetent, the steward will have, -in addition, the duty thrown upon him of preparing food for cooking. -In fact, some stewards prefer to do this, considering that their -pastry-making cannot be excelled by anybody. But the practice is by no -means so common in steam as it is in sailing ships. - -I can hardly close this portion of the subject without an allusion -to the curious principle that obtained when I was sailing in -inter-colonial steamers, and may still be in force for all I know to -the contrary. It was there usual for all the ship's provisions to be -supplied by a speculator on shore, whom we called the _providore_, at -a fixed rate per head for every member of the crew, _i.e._ so much for -a sailor per day, for a fireman, for an officer, for a second-class -passenger, for a saloon passenger--the rate varying from one shilling -to half a crown a day. For this the _providore_ not only supplied food, -but cooks and attendance. The chief stewards were always supposed to -be deeply interested in making the scheme pay, but their peculiar -position often led to their being very unjustly abused. Any attempt -on their part to stop waste was almost certain to be met by the -accusation that they were stinting the food in the interests of the -_providore_, and naturally they could look for no countenance from the -master or officers. And as the waste forrard was simply abominable, -they were always in more or less hot water. Of course they could, and -did, control the expenditure of food aft and among the passengers, but -the crew did as they liked. I have seen a man go to the galley for -breakfast, and receive a tin dish containing four or five pounds of -chops and steaks for six men. It is true that they were vilely cooked, -and therefore usually as tough as leather. The fellows would turn the -meat over, saying bad words the while, and presently one would say, -"Well, this isn't good enough for me." Then taking the tin to a port, -he would cast its contents overboard, and go calmly to the galley for -more. And if he were refused he had only to complain to the master, who -would, of course, give no sympathy to a _providore's_ man. Enough food -was wasted on that ship to feed a large ship's company every day, and -by men who had all known what it meant to be very hungry. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -THE STEWARD (SAILING SHIPS). - - -There are even now a few sailing ships which carry passengers, but in -these no such luxury is to be expected as in steamers, for obvious -reasons. Nevertheless, a great deal of comfort may be got out of a -voyage in one of these grand flyers--comfort of a kind that, while it -does not appeal to the passenger pressed for time, is to the invalid a -perfect godsend, one of the most sumptuous rest-cures in the world. In -such vessels the steward is a man of some importance, as well as skill, -for he must do a great deal of contriving in order that such food as -may be carried on a passage lasting, perhaps, for over a hundred days -without a break by calling at any port, may not become too monotonous -to a landsman's pampered appetite. Live stock is carried--poultry, and -sheep, and pigs; and the steward is a good deal exercised about the -care of these useful passengers, although it is a matter over which -he has little control. He attends to their feeding, but the cleaning -of them and their protection from the weather does not rest with him, -while it makes all the difference possible to their condition. A bad -feeling towards him by the crew may often mean serious trouble in -respect of his live-stock. Or for other reasons trouble may be made. -As, for instance, in one ship wherein I was an ordinary seaman there -were two fine sets of coops on the forward-house, which contained ducks -and geese. Now, geese at sea are a great nuisance, owing to their noise -and wakefulness. We had many passengers; and it was well known among -the crew that not one fragment of the meat we carried alive would ever -find its way to their mouths, although the food supplied to the crew -forward was disgraceful to the last degree. Therefore, after enduring -the brutal cackling of the geese for a few nights, some revengeful -fellow's climbed up to their quarters in the darkness, armed with -belaying pins, and as the long necks were thrust out between the bars -to give vent to strident songs, one after another received a blow which -quieted them effectually. - -In the morning there was not one left alive. The steward was -inconsolable, but all efforts to find out the perpetrators of the deed -were in vain. - -It is, however, rather late in the day, I fear, to talk about stewards -in passenger sailing ships. Their palmy days are over. But in the -ordinary sailing cargo-carrier they still flourish, a race apart, and -as distinct from the steamship steward as can well be. Their berth is -by no means a bad one, assuming that they know their duty and do it. -There are many instances where a steward has sailed so long in the -same ship as to be almost as much a part of her as the mizen-mast, a -faithful servant of the owners, and a privileged member of the ship's -company, who is a prime favourite with all on board. Occasionally a -master will make a favourite of the steward, allowing him privileges -which he denies to any of his officers. This is exceedingly bad, -leading to all sorts of trouble on board with both men and officers; -for it is too much to expect that any man occupying such a position, -and pampered in such a way, should retain his respect for those whose -rightful claims to authority are ignored by the head of affairs. I have -in mind two such cases. In one of them the steward was undoubtedly -a clever man, who ran his department like clock-work, and although -undoubtedly petted overmuch by the skipper, did not take the advantage -that he might have been expected to do; at least, not until we arrived -in India, where he suddenly exhibited an amazing aptitude for getting -drunk, and keeping so for intervals of about a week at a time. This -led to complications of various sorts, and disagreeable scenes in -the cabin, where the skipper, when he was exasperated beyond measure -by the filthy behaviour of his favourite, often went the length of -rope's-ending him. But he (the skipper) expected his officers to endure -all the drunken abuse and neglect that the steward was inclined to -favour them with, and make no demonstration. The whole thing ended in a -fierce fight between the master and the mate, much to the edification -of the crew, peace being restored only by the discharge of the steward. - -The other was in a big ship where I was second mate. I joined her in -India, and on the first day of my service was struck by the calm way -in which the steward bandied doubtful jokes with the mate and third -mate. Me he had not yet become sufficiently acquainted with. Not, -of course, that there was anything wrong or unpleasant in that of -itself; it might, I reasoned, be merely exercising the freedom of an -old servant, who meant nothing like insolence. But I could not help -wondering very much at the way in which that steward omitted to give -the mate his title of Sir, or Mr. Evans. I had never heard a chief mate -called by his surname, all short, before, by any inferior, without -a full measure of immediate trouble ensuing. Yet this man did this -amazing thing, while the mate made no objection. The master was not at -the table. I, of course, said nothing, but meditated much, and at the -earliest opportunity broached the subject to the third mate, a very -fine young officer just out of his time in that ship, asking him what I -was to understand by it. His explanation was that the steward, a gross, -flabby man, by no means smart or remarkable for ability in any way, -was so great a favourite with the skipper that he was allowed to do -practically whatever he chose. And this was the more remarkable because -the skipper was not only part owner, but a man who was very sharp with -his subordinates as a rule. - -For a month I was very comfortable. The master used to chat with me -amicably during my dog, or first watches, and even went out of his way -to compliment me on the way I did my work, until, in an evil hour, I -offended the steward. It was in this wise. He came to my room door -in my watch below, saying to the third mate as he passed his door, -"Where's that feller Bullen?" And then he flung my door open, crying, -"Here, you, I want a cask o' beef got up as soon as the devil'll let ye -after eight bells." Now, I maintain that if an officer is to have any -authority on board a ship, such language from one of his subordinates -to him cannot, must not be permitted at all. The man was not drunk; -he was deliberately insolent, because backed by a foolish skipper. -Of course I resented his words, receiving more insolence; and then, -instead of knocking him endways, as I ought to have done, I went and -reported him to his master, who jeered at me, and warned me that I had -better let _his_ steward alone. I tried to explain, but only succeeded -in drawing abuse from the skipper. And from that day forward my life -was utter torment, such misery as I have never experienced on board -ship before or since. - -But such cases as these are by no means common. The average -sailing-ship steward of to-day is a quiet, inoffensive man, who does -his duty unostentatiously, lives rather a solitary life, since the only -person he can associate with is the cook, and endeavours to serve out -the provisions to the men with perfect justice. If the master carries -his wife with him, the steward may be very happy or very much the -reverse--he can never plod along in the same easy, jog-trot way as is -usual when there is no woman on board. In American and Canadian vessels -he is often a negro, and sometimes a Chinaman; but it may be taken -for granted that whatever countryman he may be, he is also a paragon, -because the American skipper will have nothing less than perfection -in cleanliness and service. That must be rendered him whether the -steward be white, black, or yellow. And he is ready to enforce it by -the rudest and readiest means to hand. Wherefore it follows that he is -served as probably no other seafarers in the world are served. - -But even here the officers are not personally attended by the steward, -except when they are at meals. It is the commander who must needs have -his every wish anticipated, his linen kept spotlessly white, and the -woodwork and the adornments of his cabin as clean, yea, cleaner than -on the day they were first fitted into place. Many of the old ships -carried stewardesses instead of stewards, often the wife of the cook; -and although to some people such an experiment might seem to be one of -the extra-hazardous kind, it was not so. The American is a wonderfully -chivalrous man towards all women-folk, especially when under his -protection. - -Stewardesses are carried, of course, in British steamers--must be, for -attendance upon the ladies. They are well treated by everybody on board -except their charges, but some of them can tell some queer stories of -endurance at the hands of these, who owe them so much comfort. These -quiet, deft-handed women, who balance themselves so featly, roll the -ship never so heavily, could tell many strange tales. Strange, is it -not, in these days of reminiscence-writing, how carefully they hold -their peace? Once I was shipmate with a lady passenger, one of the -most accomplished ladies that it has ever been my privilege to speak -to. She knew all that a woman should know, and many things that good, -useful men did not know. And whatsoever she learned, if it seemed good -to her, that she would put into practice. She was going out to that -far country with a little capital, to prove to a sceptical world that -a lady who could ride, shoot, swim, and run a farm as well as play the -piano, sing, paint, and talk several languages, could make her way -alone in a new world as well as any man. But fortune was unkind to her, -and she failed in those days. Then she took on a stewardess's berth in -a coasting steamer that carried some hundreds of passengers from port -to port around one of the stormiest coasts in the world. We met when -she had been at this for some months, and she had aged ten years in -appearance. She was weary of life by her look, but she made no moan. -Then in an awful gale her ship went ashore on an outlying reef. There -were ninety female passengers on board, whom she considered a sacred -charge. That charge she fulfilled, seeing them all safely boated away, -while she retired to her cabin and locked herself in to meet the death -that she had grown to look upon as a delivering friend. - -I would not close this all-too-brief account of the steward without -again emphasizing the fact of his heavy claim to the consideration of -all men. His business is not a showy one, and Jack is far too fond of -hurling the opprobrious epithet, flunkey, at him; but there is a great -deal of quiet heroism in his annals, and, in any case, his work is just -as important as any other seafarer's. For men must be fed and their -food taken care of. The doing of this with regularity, cleanliness, and -cheerfulness is the part of the steward, and how well he does it let -all sailors testify. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -THE COOK (IN STEAM). - - -In many respects the cook is the most interesting figure on board ship. -From him of the vast floating hotel, where the cook is a man of many -attainments, an artist in foods, who should, but does not, command -as great a salary as the chef of a first-class London hotel, down to -the miserable urchin who crouches low over his scarcely-shielded pot -on the open deck of a foreign-going barge, they not only deserve our -attention, they demand it, dumbly yet imperiously. How are the cooks -of first-class passenger steamers trained? Whence are obtained those -able manipulators of provisions who are always to be found on board -of excursion steamers that are laid up half the year, as soon as they -commence running? What do they do in the dead seasons, these magicians -who, in a space no larger than a reasonably-sized cupboard, succeed -in turning out a dinner of several courses for five hundred people, -no matter what the weather may be? Magician is surely the word, if -only for the marvellous way in which every corner of cramped space is -utilized, every trick of the culinary art--whereby the same thing is -presented under two or three totally different aspects and flavours, -and roasting, boiling, frying, and stewing go on apparently in the -same glowing chamber at the same moment--is practised. These things -amaze me; but, after all, much of the work may be done ashore, or in -the quiet of the moorings before starting-time in the morning, and -pastry may be bought all ready for table, also cold side-dishes. - -But none of these adjuncts are available to the sea-going ship. His -dinners must be prepared, down to the smallest item, by the cook -himself and his subordinates. It is true that he has a large staff in -a liner, and that those assistants are carefully selected for their -several duties; but he has not, as his far better paid brother ashore -has, the power of dismissing any assistant summarily if that assistant -be incompetent or worse. That is, he has not such a power at the -time when it would be of use. In the day of battle, when the great -organization of an Atlantic liner's catering is going on, he must use -such men as he has; they cannot be exchanged for others. But how very -striking is the moral to be drawn from such a state of affairs. It is -that, considering the excellence of the work performed by these men, -there must be a most exalted standard of quality among them. And they -would seem to be a contented folk. We know, most of us, that the great -steamship companies have a reputation for treating their servants -generously, but generously-entreated workpeople are not always the most -contented. The cook and steward class in these vessels must be, or we -should hear them, for they are by no means a feeble folk. You will find -them occupying comfortable positions ashore while still in the prime of -life, having earned sufficient within a few years to enable them to -abandon the strenuous toil demanded of them at sea. They have earned -every penny, and have not been compelled to "carry the banner" in order -to get more. And in strangest out-of-the-way places of this wonderful -England of ours, you will come across quiet, gentlemanly men who, -upon opportunity arising, will inform you that they were cook of the -steamship _So-and-so_, or steward of such another one. They enjoyed the -life, but presently, like sensible men, they felt the need of a wife -and home and children, and they therefore looked about for something -suitable ashore, found it, and made room for a younger man. - -No one, unless he belongs to the cooking-staff, has much opportunity -afforded him for prying into the galley on board a big passenger ship -during working hours. Those splendidly-fitted hives of industry may be -viewed at other times, but then they reveal nothing to the outsider. -This exclusiveness is not malicious, or for fear of being found fault -with. It is solely because there is no room for any but the workers, -who work indeed. Every inch of space is needed. Look down through the -hatch above, or peer in through the ports, and you will be astounded -at the way in which the cooks are handling the food, how in a space -where, by all ordinary rules of cookery, they should not have room to -move, they are turning out with conjurer-like dexterity a state dinner -of ever so many courses for a couple of hundred saloon passengers. And -then contrast their surroundings, if your previous experience enables -you so to do, with the palatial spaces of a grand hotel kitchen. Only, -you must remember at the same time the gale raging over the wide sea, -and the complicated movements indulged in by the ship as she strides -over the tremendous waves. So shall you acquire a respect for the -sea-cook that will endure all your days. - -To compare great things with small, this mental picture brings before -me by association the cooks in the Australian coasting steamers. We -have nothing like the same lavish arrangements for cooks and stewards -on our own coasts, because our system is different. Here the fare is -exclusive of food. You may dine or not as it suits your purse or your -appetite. When you dine, you pay. But in the colonies the fare between -ports includes sumptuous feeding arrangements for the first-class -passenger, for the second--there are no third or deck passengers, as -with us--rough accommodation, but an unlimited supply of excellent -plain food. Australasia is truly the land of plentiful eating. And -the cooks--well, they are good, some of them super-excellent, and all -of them trained by hard experience to do much work in a very small -compass and with a tiny staff. The cook of the _Wonga Wonga_ stands -out boldly in my memory as one of the characteristic figures of my sea -experience. A huge negro with a voice of thunder, and an effervescing -humour that made him a prime favourite, he succeeded in his vocation -where many a better man might have failed. He was a fairly good -cook, but in his details of work reminded me strongly of the elderly -negress in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," who dished up a dinner out of chaos -and old night somewhere down below. Such an extraordinary jumble of -pastry-making, poultry-trimming, and all the varied operations required -in the preparation of a dinner was surely never seen. And out from -the weird confusion of things Sam would burst, smeared with blood and -grease and dusty with flour, brandishing a big knife and declaiming -Shakespeare on the slightest provocation. But in spite of the fact that -the whole preparation of a dinner for sometimes as many as five hundred -people, except peeling potatoes and the actual cooking, devolved upon -Sam alone, he was always up to time. It was dangerous to come near him, -though, as that time drew near. For then he drew perilously near being -a howling maniac. Yet no sooner had the last dish disappeared aft, than -Sam would sally forth from the galley, his ebony countenance aglow with -satisfaction, and a big pipe in his mouth. Down anywhere he would fling -himself, ready to discuss any question in the world, from the ruling of -an empire to the winning moves in a game of draughts. His successor, -when he got promoted to the _City of Melbourne_, was a far better cook, -and a paragon of order and cleanliness, but there wasn't a man in the -ship to say a good word for him. He was a shy Englishman. - -Then, dropping still lower, I have every reason to remember the cook -of the _Helen M'Gregor_, sweetest of small passenger steamers had she -been on the London-Margate route, but a grisly terror when scaling the -steeps of the Southern Pacific waves in a "southerly buster" between -Grafton and Sydney. She was far too small for such an arduous service. -Yet we carried over a hundred passengers when full. All her cooking -was done in a caboose--just such a square box as may be seen on the -deck of any old sailing barque--a cube of about eight feet clamped to -the deck by iron rods. There was no table within it, only a locker seat -which contained coals running across it in front of the stove. Two men -could not pass between this locker and the stove without careful edging -or one of them getting burnt. Most of the implements had permanent -abiding places on the stove, but a few lived on racks above when not in -use; and when the skittish little ship was dancing they would clatter -down at intervals. Outside, in an angle between the back of the galley -and the steam-chest, was a movable board for pastry (and other things). -Its dimensions, with liberal measurement, may have been two feet -square--not another inch, if I were bribed to say so. - -The presiding genius of this most primitive of arrangements was a -hunchback, a shrewd little Yankee with a French face, who received £11 -per month and earned £50. He had one assistant, a nondescript man of -indefinite age, who never wore an apron, and whose duties were confined -to peeling potatoes, stoking the fire, plucking fowls, and washing up -pots. But these things he would do as long as there were any of them -_to_ do, mechanically, even though, as was frequently the case, the -conditions all about us looked as if another ten minutes would see us -all at the bottom of the sea. He earned £5 a month. But what he lacked -in ability or initiative was more than made up by his chief. That -man was a miracle. On that two-feet slab he would make pastry of all -kinds, prepare most elaborate dishes, yes, although the salt spray -whistled around him, and on occasion an eddy of the gale would flip -a dish with its contents off his board far away to leeward. He would -shout an order to his acolyte for half a dozen fowls and a bucket of -boiling water. A few rapid motions of the hands, and they were all -gyrating in the scuppers, while one after another he plunged them into -the steaming bucket and slithered the feathers off, flinging each as he -did so to his waiting henchman for the minor picking. Thus I have seen -him serve six fowls at noon--at 12.35 they were being eaten. Ask me not -how, for the details are unpalatable. - -But his great achievement was butchering in bad weather--butchering -sheep. Stolid Joe would bring the sacrifice along, mercurial Bill -would seize it, stab it, and unaided commence to rip off its hide -immediately. There, on the deck, outside his galley door, the struggle -would go on as if it were a fight to the death, so great was the fury -that little man displayed. And it was one of the commonest sights to -see, in the midst of the operation, a green comber of a wave come -hissing along, embracing carcase and cook, and sweeping them clean off -in a dishevelled heap bang aft up against the second-class berths. -Knife in one hand, half-skinned sheep gripped by the other, he had no -buffers wherewith to ward off bruises; but he had a voice. And he used -it, not in canticles of praise. Yet punctually the meal for which that -sheep was being prepared would appear on the table. And it would not -be an unsavoury dinner, either. The one thing that always seemed to -dishearten him was the lifting clean out of its fiery bed of a copper -or kettle, that fitted into a hole on the stove-top, by a vicious -plunge of the vessel. And as such an event was usually followed by a -green sea thundering over all, and flooding him and his lieutenant -clean out of the galley amid a smother of steam, coal grit, and spoilt -food, his temporary subdual could not be wondered at. - -But I must forbear. Mental pictures of that super-excellent cook's -doings arise before me in almost interminable succession, tempting me -to forget the fact that there were many others doing almost precisely -the same things unsung, and unrewarded save by the meagre pay they -drew. Who, for instance, could envy the cook of a "weekly" tramp?--a -steamer, that is, which, making quite long voyages, has engaged her -crew at so much a week and find themselves. Perhaps there are no cooks -at sea who are more worried than these. For Jack, left to his own -devices for supplying himself with food, does some of the queerest -things that ever were or could be recorded. And each individual expects -his own mess to be as carefully looked after as a whole saloon dinner. -Natural, perhaps, on his part, but for the hapless cook purgatorially -inconvenient. I was once a passenger from an Irish port to Liverpool in -a weekly boat, and in the grey of the dawn was waiting at the galley -door to buy a cup of coffee. Men came and went incessantly, banging -oven doors and flinging utensils from side to side of the red-hot -stove-top. The cook was absent, engaged aft in some business or other. -Presently he appeared with a teapot, and immediately snatched at a -huge copper kettle which stood on the stove in the middle, where the -top plate was almost transparent with heat. The kettle flew up in his -grasp, being empty. "Why, there's nothin' in it!" he screamed. "No," -replied a fireman who was groping in the starboard oven; "I tried it -ten minutes ago, and it was empty then." "An' you putt it back on that -stove!" said the cook tragically. "Course I did," was the calm reply; -"think I was goin' ter fill it?" I really thought the cook would have -died of suppressed emotion before he found words wherein to express -himself. But his tongue was loosened presently, and then his remarks, -if sulphurous, were fairly comprehensive. The fireman only laughed. - -What shall I say of the cook of the tramp pure and simple? Only this, I -am afraid that, while he has a bitter, hard berth of it, he gets little -better pay than his brother of the sailing ship. One consolation he -has, and that not a little one--he has more to cook, and consequently -he is, taken generally, a better workman. For there is nothing tends -to disgust a man more, no matter of what trade he be, than the being -compelled to make bricks without straw. And there can be no doubt that, -hard as are the tramps in many respects for their crews, the food is -much better than that provided in sailing ships, taking the average. -Having such a rough crowd to cater for, however, does not tend to -improve the quality of the cooks carried in tramp steamers. A decent -man hardly cares to face the possibility of being violently assaulted, -for no fault of his own, by members of a gang of ruffians of every -nation under heaven save his own countrymen. And this is the state -of affairs that any man in such a position as a cook holds must be -prepared to face in most tramps. If he be fortunate enough to get into -one of the north-east coast tramps, owned by canny firms, who like to -have their ships manned by their own people, and whose highest ambition -is to see efficiency combined with comfort on board of them, he will be -as well off as any sea-cook, not an artist, can reasonably ask to be. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS). - - -It may, perhaps, have appeared strange to many that, in dealing with -the cook in the preceding chapter, I hardly mentioned anything about -the materials with which he is called upon to deal. Most people have -heard something about the badness of food in the Merchant Service, -and therefore it might seem at first sight a great mistake to write -a chapter on the sea-cook, and say nothing about the kind of food. -My excuse must be, that in the kind of ships with which I have been -dealing the food question rarely causes any trouble. In the finest -steamships I doubt very much whether the workers are not fed quite as -well as are any corresponding class of toilers ashore; and even in the -lowest tramps there is not that general lack of decent food which does -press so hardly upon the seamen in sailing ships. - -For one reason, the steamship is never so long away from port, except -she breaks down, as to give the same excuse for carrying the kind of -food considered necessary in sailing ships. And in many, as I have -said, there is a system in vogue of paying the men so much per week, -and permitting them to "find" themselves--a hateful system, and one -that can only be indulged in by the authorities at the cost of much -suffering and loss of efficiency by the improvident men who are under -it. How can a man do his work who, without more forethought than a -babe, comes to sea for a fortnight's passage with a few ship-biscuits -and a dozen salt herrings? Without any of the minor comforts, such as -tea, coffee, cocoa, or sugar, he is in misery all the time, besides -being an unmitigated nuisance to those of his shipmates who have come -provided with what they need. Then when the vessel arrives in port, and -such a man gets his pay, it is but rarely that his bitter experience -results in his being more careful. He will have an extensive drunk, and -again face the passage in a condition of starvation. But, in any case, -his behaviour does not affect the cook. - -Therefore, to see what manner of man it is whom sailors have had to -deal with their food in the majority of vessels up till the advent of -the great passenger-steamers, and who is carried as a cook of to-day -in thousands of sailing vessels, it is necessary to take a trip in a -vessel dependent upon sail-power for propulsion--a vessel wherein you -may be a matter of five or even six months at sea without making a call -anywhere, for ever so short a time. It is perfectly safe to say that, -even at the present day, seven out of ten sailing-ship cooks are only -so styled by courtesy, or for want of a better name to give them. And -this is in despite of the well-meant, and, in most cases, philanthropic -efforts that have recently been made to train cooks for ship work. -The good people who, with the welfare of the seaman at heart, take -so much pains in order that he shall have his food properly prepared -are undoubtedly doing a good work for their pupils; but the unhappy -sailing-ship man seldom gets the benefit from those educated cooks that -their teachers hope for. And this for the simple reason that, when -once a ship's cook has really learned cookery, he will use his utmost -endeavours to get a ship where there is something that requires skill -in cooking. So he gets into steam, and, once there, only some dire -misfortune will bring him back to a wind-jammer again. - -Yet, strangely enough, even the elementary skill required for cooking -the staple food served out in the great majority of sailing ships -to-day is generally wanting. Surely it is only reasonable to expect -a man who engages to serve as cook of a ship to be able to boil salt -beef and pork, make pea-soup, and bread, and boil rice. Nothing more -is required of him at sea than this, for the better food carried for -the cabin is prepared by the steward, who will generally give an eye -to it also during preparation. But it is seldom that you will find a -sailing-ship cook who will, or who can, do these things properly. And -as to taking a little trouble to make this coarse food palatable by -varying its treatment, such cooks would be astounded, indignant, at the -revolutionary idea. Then, when in port the fare is changed to that of -fresh meat and vegetables, the only thing that the cook seems capable -of doing is to make one kind of soup. That is usually good, but soon -becomes monotonous. As to roasting meat or cooking potatoes nicely, -such a thought is not to be entertained; or, if the cook does try to -do such a thing, the meat is usually so hard as to be uneatable by any -one but a sailor or a savage. - -Now, I am aware that these statements of mine will be met with -indignant denials in some quarters. I shall be told that things have -altered so much for the better since my day (sixteen years ago) that -I should hardly recognize them. Unfortunately for the makers of such -remarks, I have taken pains to find out whether this is really the -case, ready and eager to rejoice in the fact, if it were a fact. And -I have found to my sorrow that among sailing ships the improvement -is practically _nil_. When I was going to sea there were good-living -ships, where plenty of preserved meats were carried, and the crews -treated periodically to fresh messes; ships where abundance of potatoes -and turnips and onions were put on board, and served out liberally to -the crew forward as well as the officers; where a regular allowance of -butter and pickles was made, and in cold weather oatmeal porridge was -served out for breakfast. And there were lines of sailing ships where a -scale of provisions such as these was drawn up on generous lines, and -incorporated in the ship's articles instead of the shameful Board of -Trade scale. There are such ships to-day, but their proportion is no -greater than it was then. And if any will speak of official inspection -of provisions, in order to ensure a high standard of quality, I would -respectfully call their attention to the innumerable statements made -and uncontradicted this present winter of the abominable condition of -the food supplied on board many of the transports to our troops on -their way to South Africa. Not that I believe such food would find its -way into the kids of the crews of those transports in the ordinary -course of things. No; but such food as that is in the ordinary course -of things carried by sailing ships, the majority of them for the supply -of their foremast hands. - -Now, in these days such behaviour on the part of those whose business -it is to supply ships with food is unpardonable, not only because -it is cruel, but because it is unbusinesslike. It would be cheaper -to supply preserved fresh meat than salt, cheaper to vary the food -instead of giving hapless men the infernal monotony of beef and duff, -pork and pea-soup, every other day for a matter of a hundred to a -hundred and fifty days on end. There is really no reason why every ship -afloat should not have a pound of butter per week served out to each -sailor, or why a sufficient quantity of such easily kept vegetables -as potatoes, turnips, and onions should not form a regular portion of -a sailor's dietary. It is also very well to talk of the healthiness -of sailors; but you will very seldom find a hale, deep-water sailor -over fifty years of age. Nor is this due to volcanic outbursts of -intemperance and other forms of vice while on shore. It is due to -privation of vegetables, and bad, highly-salted meat as the only flesh -food for long periods. Dried peas can never make up for the want of -fresh vegetables, although apparently they are expected to do so, -even when flavoured by the boiling with them of pork so salt that if -allowed to remain in the soup for more than half an hour the latter is -rendered uneatable. And then so many cooks are fond of an over-dose -of carbonate of soda in the soup in order to ensure the peas bursting. -No one ashore can have any idea of the craving which seamen on long -voyages feel for fresh vegetables, the thought of them at times being -almost maddening. - -It may be said--although, from the real importance of the subject just -touched upon in the few preceding paragraphs, I sincerely hope it -will not be--that I have been making a purely gratuitous digression -from my text. At any rate, I will now drop the subject-matter of -cookery, and proceed to deal with the cook himself as fairly as I may. -Unfortunately, my experience has been so unhappy that it is rather -difficult for me to remember that there must be many good cooks in -sailing ships, even if I have not had the good fortune to be shipmates -with them during my sailing-ship voyages. However, I will do my best to -be impartial. - -In the first place, the routine of a cook's duties in a sailing ship -is fairly fixed; there is not much room for variation. We will suppose -that it is Monday morning in the middle of a long passage. At 4 a.m., -when the middle watch is relieved, the cook is called. Going at once -to his galley, he lights his fire with a handful of tarry yarns and -a little wood, and pops the kettle on. Then a grating noise and a -pleasant smell are manifest; he is grinding coffee. While the water is -boiling he will attend to the mixing of the sponge set overnight for -bread or duff, whichever it is his custom to make out of the half-pound -of flour which every man is entitled to on that day of the week. At -two bells (five o'clock) he puts his head out of the galley door and -cries "Coffee." On the word every man of the watch on deck, except the -steersman, brings his pannikin to the galley door and receives a little -more than half a pint of--well, we'll call it coffee; but really, when -you come to think of it, the name is somewhat misapplied. For the daily -allowance is half an ounce of green beans, which, by the time they are -roasted and ground, are hardly capable of yielding sufficient caffeine -to make a pint and a half of drinkable infusion, or rather decoction, -since the cook must boil it to get any flavour at all. But that is a -detail. At any rate, the liquid is hot, and it may be sweet, if the -drinker is economical with his twelve ounces of sugar, careful enough -to make it last him the week. - -This morning coffee is a great institution. However unsavoury it may be -as a beverage, it is looked forward to as no other meal of the day is, -for it breaks up the long and sleepy morning watch, it ushers in the -day, and its medicinal effects are undoubted. After it has been drunk, -the man at the wheel relieved for his share, and a smoke indulged -in, the cry of "Wash decks" is heard, and the day's work begins. The -cook's duties are light. He has nothing to prepare for the men's -breakfast--that is, in eight ships out of ten--except another jorum of -questionable coffee, about a pint for each man. In most ships breakfast -for the men is the grimmest farce imaginable. A few fragments of dry -ship-biscuit, and a pint of coffee, cannot by any stretch of courtesy -be called a meal. A little butter would go far to make it one. A few -potatoes wherewith to make dry hash or lobscouse with a few remaining -fragments of meat left from the two preceding meals, and an onion to -flavour it with, would cause the ship to be gratefully regarded as a -"good-living" packet. In American ships this is the rule; few indeed -of them are to be found where a good breakfast is not provided for -the men, and, what is quite as important, the quality of the bread -(biscuit) supplied is usually superior to that found in the cabins of -British sailing ships. Not so in Canadian vessels. It is a profound -mystery to me, the way in which Canadian sailors, or, for the matter -of that, longshoremen in Canadian coast villages feed. The fattest of -fat pork, potatoes, and salt cod seem to be the staple food in the -coasters, and as often as not "coffee" is made with burnt bread, and -sweetened with exceedingly dubious molasses. - -Lying in a Nova Scotian harbour once, loading lumber from a large -schooner, I went on board at breakfast time. I found the skipper -preparing breakfast for all hands--four of them. They did not muster -a cook. He unearthed a mass of cold cooked potatoes and a block of -pale pink fat, got out a big square tin, which he put on top of the -hot stove, and, carving up the lump of fat into dice, sprinkled them -over the bottom of the pan. He then peeled his potatoes, and dropped -them into the pan on top of the hissing fat, stirring them round with -his knife. As soon as the mass was warm through, breakfast was ready. -The "coffee" was warmed up from yesterday, and its aroma was enough to -kill a mosquito. I should think it would have made a fine disinfectant. -Yet in that splendid country there is no want of the best food. There -is a serious lack of cooking ability. I stayed in a "hotel" in one -coast village for nearly two months one winter, where at least thirty -always sat down to meals. Those meals never varied. Fried blocks of -meat, potatoes boiled in their skins, soggy bread, and "pies," a sort -of stew of cranberries or dried apples, spread over a dough-covered -plate, and indurated in an oven, always formed the menu: never a bit -of green vegetable, or any suggestion that even the same kind of meat -might be made just as palatable, if not more so, by being treated in -a different kind of way. I suppose these strong men look down with a -certain contempt upon any careful treatment of food as being effeminate. - -But to return to the British sailing-ship cook getting ready for -breakfast. As I have said, the men's repast does not burden him. He may -have in the oven a panful of "cracker-hash," a mess of pounded biscuit, -chopped beef or pork mixed with water, and plentifully anointed with -grease skimmed from the cook's coppers. This will have been got ready -overnight by the younger members of the forecastle crowd. In many -ships, however, this form of filling is strictly forbidden; that is to -say, the cook is not allowed to have it in his oven, because it is well -known to be most unwholesome, producing various intestinal disorders, -and covering the men with boils. But the temptation to invent some -means of distending the craving stomach is great, so most men break -up the biscuit into their coffee, and shovel it down soaked, to the -ruin of their digestions. Meanwhile the watch on deck are getting a -razor-keen edge on their appetites. The strong, pure air, and the -vigorous exercise of thoroughly cleansing the decks with a flood of -water and much scrubbing, from stem to stern, is enough to do this, -even if it were not aided by an occasional appetizing whiff from the -galley of frying bacon or cunning stew, which is being got ready for -the officers' morning meal. Those who have been sleeping in the crowded -forecastle are naturally not so sharp set; they can do with a drink -of coffee and a smoke. But when at eight bells (8 a.m.) the watch is -relieved, and those who have been at work all the morning come below to -the mockery that awaits them, there is much bitterness and bad language. - -No sooner has the cook cleared off the cabin breakfast than he turns -his attention to the duff or bread. The former curious compound is -peculiar to British Merchant sailing ships. It is really boiled bread. -It is made, like bread, with hop yeast, but a certain quantity of -grease is mixed with it, and it is not put into the bags dry, like -dough, but slack enough to run. The bags are made of canvas, conical in -shape, to allow of the duff being turned out easily. Before the mixture -is poured into them they are dipped in hot water--salt, of course; you -cannot afford to use fresh at sea for such cooking purposes, except in -steamers, where a condenser is always at work. When the due amount is -poured into each bag it is loosely tied to admit of its rising, and -plunged into a boiling copper, whence, if all be well, it will emerge -at seven bells light and spongy. Usually a modicum of molasses is -provided, to give it some flavour; but I have been in ships where even -that poor adjunct was wanting. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -THE COOK (SAILING SHIPS)--_continued_. - - -Having got the duff off his mind--and allow me to assure you that a -sailing-ship cook's reputation hangs principally upon his ability to -turn out a satisfactory duff--there is the beef. It has been soaking -in sea water since the previous evening, to mollify in some measure -its terrible salinity, and now the cook removes it therefrom, unless, -as often happens in small ships, the steep-tub is the wash-deck tub -also, in which case the meat must be taken out at 6 a.m. in order to -allow the tub in which it has been soaking to play its part in the -cleansing of the ship. But that is only a detail. If the cook be a -clean man he will now wash the meat carefully (it needs washing badly) -before putting it in the copper. But he may, and often does, think that -process not at all necessary; it will be clean enough by the time it -is cooked. With the duff bubbling fiercely, and the beef on the other -side of the stove keeping in tune with it, the men's dinner needs -no more thought on his part except to keep the fire going; so that -he will be able to do a bit of cleaning up, if he has a weakness in -that direction, or he may sit and smoke and meditate. The steward is -preparing the cabin dinner aft in his pantry: a fruit pie, some tasty -combination of tinned meat and potatoes, or even a fowl, if they are -carried. In any case, as a rule the cook has only to see the food for -the cabin through the actual cooking. - -At seven bells (twenty minutes past eleven, the ten minutes to the -half-hour being allowed for the men to turn out) some one, usually an -ordinary seaman, or boy where they are carried, in other cases the -"cook of the mess," comes to the galley for the dinner. It must be -ready, and is, almost invariably. Any delay is unpardonable, for there -is only the "chunk" of beef and the "phallus" of duff. Since they -have probably been fasting since the previous supper time, except for -such few morsels as they have been able to get down at breakfast or -"coffee-time," the arising watch are usually very sharp set, and the -duff disappears like magic. The beef, too, although there be nothing to -eat with it but the flinty biscuit, receives considerable attention, -but is generally spared for supper, as it is better cold--if "better" -can be used in connection with it at all. - -But the watch that have been working all the forenoon on an empty -stomach are ravenous. At eight bells (noon) they come below, and eat -like starving men. If it were not for the filling "whack" of duff, -though, their hunger would soon be destroyed, not satisfied. In some -ships the cook is not allowed to make duff, for the same reason that -he is not allowed to cook cracker-hash; and then the men's principal -meal on flour days is a sad business. A roll of just-made bread, -seldom palatable, and a chunk of salt beef, is not a fair meal for a -hard-worked man under such conditions; and in these days of cheap, -good, and tasteful food ashore, it is not to be wondered at that seamen -before the mast embrace the earliest opportunity available of quitting -such positions and getting work ashore, where even the convicts in our -prisons are far better fed. This is the more to be deplored because -it is so totally unnecessary. The difference between a good-living -ship and a bad one to the sailor may be expressed in the simplest -terms. It is not true that the sailor is never satisfied. Men will -speak for years afterwards of a ship in the most grateful terms where, -instead of the incessant salt meat, they had a fresh mess three times -a week, where potatoes and onions were served out occasionally, and -where butter and pickles were given. And these things make a mighty -small difference to the total expenses of the voyage--nay, by slightly -reducing the quantity of salt meat, the expenditure might be kept -almost, if not quite, at the same level. And then good cooks would -become the rule. - -American ships have earned their reputation for good living solely -on the strength of their bountiful supply of potatoes and onions and -flour, their lavishness in the matter of dried apples and cranberries, -and their high standard in the matter of cooks. And Americans are not -extravagant in business matters, either. They know how to run a ship -economically as well as any seafarers in the world, and they think it -is the most wasteful thing imaginable to starve a ship's company for -the sake of a little attention to detail. This is a vital principle -with them. They will work their crew to the last ounce, often in what -cannot by any stretch of courtesy be called necessary tasks. I have -been with men who have actually known what it is to be slung aloft -scraping yards in a gale of wind at night; but they said that when they -got below there was always a tasty meal ready for them, and any neglect -on the part of the cook would have resulted immediately in his feeling -the burden of severe suffering. - -Once the dinner is over and the gear washed up, the cook's work is -practically done for the day. He may find a few minutes' relaxation in -"burning coffee," as the sailors call it--that is, roasting it in the -oven. But that is about all. He has nothing to prepare for the men's -supper. He may have a little dry hash to get ready for the cabin, but -in many cases the steward will do even that; so that there is really -no excuse for his being dirty. Yet, unless the skipper is a man who -rigorously practises that most essential part of a shipmaster's daily -round, _i.e._ goes all over the ship every day, a cook will often get -so dirty that it is a wonder the men are not poisoned. And I am sorry -to say that this is by no means confined to negroes and Asiatics, who -have the worst reputation. I can remember three cooks, each of whom was -my countryman, and I do not believe it would have been possible to find -dirtier men. - -Tuesday's work is like Monday's, except that instead of bread or duff, -pea-soup is the staple; and since board-ship pea-soup is simply peas -boiled in water, with a piece of pork allowed to simmer with it for -about half an hour to give it flavour, one would think that on pea-soup -days, at any rate, the poor sailor would be sure of getting his meal -properly prepared. But if you ask a foremast hand bow often he gets -good pea-soup, please look out for strong language. He will most -probably tell you, although that would be an exaggeration, that the -only time the pea-soup is good is when there's a heavy sea on, so that -the tumbling about of the ship renders stirring unnecessary--otherwise -it is almost sure to be burned, because the cook is too lazy to stir -it. And therefore it is often burnt. Now, burned pea-soup is perhaps -one degree worse than burned oatmeal porridge, which, it is said, a -pig will refuse. Or it may be that the cook cannot learn the secret of -getting the peas to mash, so that the soup is like yellowish water with -a collection of yellow shot at the bottom, a food that would disarrange -the digestion of an ostrich. - -Another thing that always seemed radically wrong to me was the making -of tea and coffee in the same pot used for soup, and making these -infusions as if they were soups; serving them out, too, like soup, -by ladlefuls, stirring up the leaves or grounds, as if afraid of -defrauding some critical sailor of his due allowance. Surely it should -not be so difficult to utilize a kettle for making tea and coffee. But -these observances grow into the most conservative of customs, and it is -like suggesting mutiny if some enterprising individual dares to hint at -a change. One cook that I was shipmates with, a Maltese, perpetrated a -piece of cookery that I am never able to forget. Some one had caught -a dolphin, and, instead of frying it (in the oven) as usual, the cook -boiled it, and indeed it was very palatable. But the next morning at -coffee-time the coffee was too funny for anything. We were not at all -dainty, but that mixture would _not_ go down. So one of our number, a -sarcastic old Yankee, went to the galley and said, "Hyar, cook, what in -thunder hey ye ben improvin' th' coffee fur? It may be all right, but -I'll be doggoned ef I kaint do better with it ez before. I've gut used -t' it." So saying, he held out his pannikin invitingly. The cook took -it, smelt it, tasted it, looked puzzled for a second or two, and then -said triumphantly, "Oah, yez, I know. I boil him in de same pot I boil -de fish las' night, 'n' I don' wash her out, see!" He was quite struck -with his ingenuity in finding it out. And he wasn't punched either. - -I mentioned the cook of the mess just now--but that is a term applied -solely to a man who takes his turn with the others, where there are no -boys or ordinary seamen in the fo'c'sle, to carry in the food, wash -up the plates, or clean the fo'c'sle out, and trim the lamp. Now, in -an American ship the crew's plates are washed by the cook, who also -keeps the tin dishes in which their food is served to them as bright -as silver. That, again, is a point where an American ship's cook -differs widely from his British _confrère_. Indeed, it is not too much -to say that a cook who would be called a very clean man in a British -ship would be looked upon as dirty on board of a Yank, so high is the -standard maintained there in matters of cleanliness. - -Really I am half afraid to say what I have seen done by cooks on board -British ships, it seems so incredible to landsmen. But the subject is -so important in its bearing upon the well-being of the men, that one -hardly likes to leave it without telling all the truth. I have seen a -cook who did not know how to open a tin of meat, who tried to chop it -in half with an axe; who was too lazy and filthy to wash the saucepans -out, but _wiped_ them out instead; another, who made duff without -yeast, and boiled it in salt water without a bag--a lump of dough that -was like a piece of grey india-rubber when it was served up; another, -who did not use a frying-pan for steaks in harbour, but flung the -chunks of meat upon the top of the red-hot stove, and unblushingly sent -the charred flesh into the fo'c'sle for the men to eat. - -But the strangest thing of all, a thing that puzzles me to this day, -was the action of a crew in one vessel where we were cursed with the -queerest specimen of an incapable for cook. We shipped a man in Rangoon -as A.B. who was really a good cook as ship-cooks go; and as soon as -he found out how things were, he volunteered to teach that wretched -food-spoiler his duties in his (the seaman's) own time. Then, wonderful -to relate, the very men who were suffering from the vile messes the -pseudo-cook was making, turned round upon that volunteer, saying that -if _they_ were the cook they wouldn't allow no ---- interloper to -meddle with their work, so they wouldn't. Of course this discouraged -the reformer, and he desisted from his laudable efforts, with the -result that we were in a state of semi-starvation all the way home. -Truly a sailor is a strange being. - -There is a lower depth still, impossible as it may seem--in small -vessels where the galley dwindles to a "caboose," a sort of sooty -cupboard on deck, too small for the miserable youth who is both cook -and steward to get into. So he stands on deck, often swathed in -oilskins, his head in the grimy hole, with the smoke from the stove -nearly stifling him, doing his "cooking." Does this state of things -need any comment? Fancy cooking under such conditions, if you can. In -bad weather, of course, the fire cannot be kept alight, so that the -crew must go without any other comfort for their craving stomachs than -biscuit and cold water. A short meditation upon such conditions of -living should bring to many of us a sense of shame for our complainings -at food which, were it ten times as bad, would be an unheard-of luxury -to the sailors on board some of our ships. - -Let me conclude with one more reminiscence. In a brig of which I was -mate, on the East African coast, we shipped two Zanzibar Arabs as -cook and steward. The skipper had his wife on board, and she, poor -woman, on the passage home, was in danger of being starved to death. -So the bo'sun and myself took it in turns to oversee those savages, -cannily, too, for they valued not their life one jot, and would as -soon have murdered us as look. Oh, how we suffered! At last we reached -St. Helena, and got some fresh beef and vegetables. I cooked a dinner -of these luxuries, and when it was brought into the cabin, the lady -actually wept with delight at the prospect of one decent meal. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -THE APPRENTICE (SUGGESTIONS). - - -I may as well admit at the outset of this chapter that I approach -it with a heavy sense of responsibility. For many reasons. I am -exceedingly anxious about the future of our Merchant Service; and -the decay of the apprentice system at sea is full of menace for that -future. Again, I know that many dear friends throughout the length -and breadth of this land of ours are looking with pathetic eagerness -for some guidance upon this subject. They want to gratify their sons' -inbred craving for a sea-life; but what are the prospects? How will it -affect their boys, supposing they find, after a short acquaintance with -the sea, that they are not fit for it at all? - -In short, there are so many middle-class folks ready to apprentice -their boys in the Merchant Service, if that service is worth their -attention as a probable life occupation, and they are so pathetically -eager and earnest to obtain reliable information and enlightenment on -their utter ignorance of all the details of a nautical life, that it -behoves all who have that information, to give it carefully, without -bias, and intelligibly. That is therefore no reason why they should -withhold it altogether, from craven fear of being upbraided for -after-consequences of following the advice they had given. - -With this in my mind, I would say at the outset that I believe the -system of apprenticeship might be revived, with great advantage to -the country and to individuals, but it needs revision. As it exists -at present its only effect is to flood the Merchant Service with an -enormous number of certificated men, who cannot get ships as officers, -and who find the fo'c'sle society disgusting, having trained themselves -to expect something better. Worse still, it will be found to have -unsettled many lads for any steady land occupation, while completely -disenchanting them as to the fine life they expected at sea. It -has just aroused in these well-brought-up, home-keeping youths the -nomad instinct that is latent in every human breast, and the love of -wandering once established, nothing short of main force will make that -man a settled citizen again until he reaches middle age. - -Apprenticeship is often spoken of as a means to the laudable end of -replenishing the British Merchant Service with British seamen. But in -its present form such a suggestion about apprenticeship is utterly -absurd. Respectable people who have spent money upon their sons' -education do not pay a heavy premium, and apprentice him to a ship, -with the object of his becoming an able seaman. They expect him to be -an officer as soon as possible, and that is the goal to which the lad -looks forward. Now, it must be said at once, plainly and frankly, that -the supply of officers far exceeds the demand. The fact that there are -many foreign officers in our Merchant Service does not affect this -statement at all. All that it means is, that as the pay of officers is -a matter of individual bargaining, and not a fairly fixed quantity like -that of the seamen, there is always an opportunity for underselling. -Let me give an instance. Before my last voyage I had been prowling -about the docks, looking for a ship, until I was in very low water -indeed, and glad of almost anything. Yet, as I was married and had one -child, there was a minimum wage below which I could not go without the -prospect of my dear ones starving. Receiving information that there was -a brig in the St. Katherine dock wanting a mate, I hastened down to -her, finding the master a pleasant, genial man, and English. I told him -my errand, showed my credentials, and was asked what wages I wanted. I -suggested £6 10_s._ per month, feeling as I did so that I might as well -ask for the moon while I was about it. We finally agreed upon £5 15_s._ -a month, which made my wife's income while I was at sea about 14_s._ a -week. But I went home light-hearted enough in the feeling that I was no -longer a dock-slouching mendicant, and that _something_ was sure for at -least twelve months. - -The next morning, when I came on board to work, the skipper told me -that he had received an offer from a German, fully certificated, to -come as mate for £3 a month, and one from an Englishman, who said that, -as he had money of his own, and only wanted to get his time in for -master, he would come for _nothing_. "I didn't take the German," said -Captain W----, "entirely because I had given you my word, but because -I hold that it is a national crime to permit foreign officers to have -charge of our ships, apart altogether from the shame of having them -cut the already too scanty wages. And I didn't take the other fellow, -because I wanted a man to earn his wages, and I knew that he was likely -to earn what he offered to go for--nothing." So I kept the berth, but, -as the skipper truly remarked, had the owner known that he was paying -much more for my services than there was any necessity for him to do, -he would have been very angry. - -My contention is that the apprentice should be classified. If there -were two grades established, one with a view to making foremast hands, -and another for training officers, I think much good might be done. -For instance, the poor lads who go in such charitable training ships -as the _Warspite_ and _Chichester_, the _Exmouth_, _Shaftesbury_, and -_Cornwall_, should not be sent adrift as they are now, shipped as boys -in whatever ship will take them, and discharged with the rest of the -crew on their return to the home port. It is true that the authorities -ruling the training ships are always ready to befriend these young -sea-boys when they return, to a certain extent; but it should be -remembered that there are always many fresh lads to be disposed of, -boys who have finished their training-time, and are waiting for a -ship in which to begin their sea-life. It is not always an easy task -to provide ships for them either, and therefore it is hardly fair to -expect the training-ship people to handicap them by looking after -the shipment of old boys as well. But if those lads were apprenticed -without premium, at a small wage, increasing each year, and with the -definite object of making good foremast hands of them, I am sure much -good might be done. They would certainly be no worse off than any lad -ashore who serves his time as a mason, a carpenter, or a plumber. In -the vast majority of cases the horizon of such apprentices is bounded -by the prospect of becoming a _good_ journeyman, for which the demand -is always greater than the supply. If they develop habits of thrift, a -faculty of organization, and power of command, the way is open for them -to become master, and in like manner there would be nothing to prevent -the non-premium apprentice from rising higher than a mere "journeyman" -sailor, if I may thus use the expression, in the fact that he had been -apprenticed on a lower grade than those intended for officers from the -beginning. - -The treatment of such apprentices would be no different to that in -force now on board ship for "boys" so called. They would probably live -in the forecastle among the men, or with the petty officers. I know -that some people will raise an outcry against the idea of boys being -sent to live in the forecastle with the men, but from experience I am -sure that this would not be detrimental to the boys at all. When a -boy has spent two or three years on board a training ship (I do not -mean a training college like the _Worcester_ or _Conway_, although I -don't suppose all the boys there are unfledged angels), he has nothing -to learn in the way of evil in a ship's fo'c'sle. Please, my good -friends the officers in charge of these ships, don't imagine that I am -casting _any_ reflections upon you. You do your best, but it is simply -impossible for you to keep such a crowd of young rascals as you have -to deal with like an ideal Sunday school. I have been shipmate with -a great number of these boys--good, bad, and indifferent; but in one -respect their education was never wanting: the knowledge of such evil -as we do not write about, only hint at in conversation. - -I have heard--of course I do not assert it--that even our great public -schools are not above suspicion in these matters. But there they are -all sons of gentle parents; they have led a guarded life from their -childhood, the foul innuendo and salacious gabble of the streets have -never reached their ears. So that if they in the carefully-guarded -precincts of these homes of education acquire a knowledge of the -grosser forms of evil, we need not be surprised at the poor street boy -who joins the _Arethusa_ or the _Cornwall_ being wiser even than they -are. I have often seen a boy checked in a ship's fo'c'sle for using an -expression that was not, well, fit for ears polite, although the man -who checked him was constantly in the habit of talking in that strain. -It is perfectly true that one occasionally finds a low-minded beast of -man's age, who will deliberately encourage a boy to swagger in foulness -for his private ear, but it is always in private; such a practice -would never be tolerated in the midst of the watch. And such loathsome -company will always be open to the boy, whoever he lives with on board. - -No; it is not nearly as dangerous for boys to live with the men in the -open fo'c'sle as it is for them to live with one or two petty officers, -or, worse still, by themselves. The latter should never be allowed -at all--it is as bad as it can be. Living with the men they hear foul -language continually, but they have always heard it; most of them have -long been proficient in its use, and none of its shades of meaning -are lost on them. But they must not use it themselves, now. They will -not be ill-used, that is, beaten, because of that growing tenderness -for the young which is such a fine feature of our day, and one that -has been just as fully developed on board ship as it has ashore. They -must be civil and obliging, and if willing to learn, will always find -some one willing to teach. The fact of their being bound to serve for -a period of four years would operate powerfully against that tendency, -so fatal to the replenishment of our Merchant Service with young -British seamen, to quit the sea after the first voyage or two, and -get some job, requiring no skill, ashore. At present, when first the -training-ship boys go to sea, they are sure to find some fellow who -will lay before them a lurid picture of the hopelessness of ever doing -any good at sea. He will din into the young ears continually the advice -to sweep a crossing, become a dung-puncher, anything rather than lead -such a dog's life as he says the common seaman always endures. With -what results let the Registrar-General of Shipping and Seamen's Reports -tell. According to them, there is a constant drain of young men out of -the Merchant Service, lads who had served one, two, or three years, -and, consequently, the supply is cut off at its source. - -Now, this sad thing is distinctly traceable, in my mind, to three -great causes. The first is the want of provision made for keeping -these lads a reasonable time at sea by some binding agreement like -apprenticeship indentures. The second is the utter carelessness -manifested in the majority of cases about food and accommodation. And -the third is undermanning. These last two do not in any way apply -to the highest class of liners, which is above reproach in these -matters. But it does apply to most of the ships we own in Britain; and -until the European standard of what is due to a workman's needs more -closely approximates to our own, either by our sinking to their level -or them rising to ours, it will continue to operate in the direction -of displacing British subjects by aliens. I do not believe that the -question of wages enters into it at all. Wages do not affect the -officers, who, as I have before said, make their individual bargains, -but if a crew of Scandinavians or a crew of Britons are shipped before -the mast, the wages paid will be the same in both cases. And when you -come to think of it, foremast hands are not at all badly paid. When the -A.B. was a skilled mechanic and received £2 10_s._ a month, while a -carpenter, a joiner, or a mason was getting 35_s._ a week ashore, the -former had some ground of complaint; but when, as is the case now, the -majority of seamen before the mast, in steamers at any rate, are really -little more skilled than labourers, £3 10_s._ to £4 10_s._ per month, -with board and lodging, is better pay than any of their fellows ashore -are getting. Sailing-ship A.B.'s deserve more, but they get less than -steamboat men, for some strange reason that has always puzzled me. - -It must not be supposed that I am advocating anything revolutionary. -What I propose with regard to this second grade of apprentices is -already in operation, owing to the far-sightedness and liberality of a -north-country firm, Messrs. Walter Runciman and Co. of Newcastle. Of -course they are steamship owners--tramp owners, if you will; but, as I -have before hinted, tramps hailing from the north-east coast of England -have good reputations. The canny Geordie has made a speciality of -tramp-owning, and, backed as he is by a long course of most successful -experiences in all matters pertaining to the sea, he is going -remarkably strong. The men of the "Coaly Tyne" have the well-deserved -reputation of being the pioneers in several of our most notable reforms -in shipping matters. To quote only two: Board of Trade certificates -and Lifeboats will give an idea of what our hard-headed north-country -folk are capable. Mr. Walter Runciman says that his system of carrying -non-premium apprentices is most successful, and I am sure that his word -may be relied upon. - -Then there is the premium-paying grade. A great many alterations might -be made on their behalf, to the end that a parent who is put to the -expense of outfit, premium, etc., may have something definite for his -money. It need hardly be said that if a boy is a born duffer, one -can hardly expect any skipper or officer to make him anything else; -but there is a medium in all things, and every sailor knows that -there is no trade in the world where the first duty to an apprentice -is so much neglected as it is at sea. I can honestly assert that I -was never on board of but one ship in my life where any attempt at -all was made to teach the apprentices their trade. That ship was the -_Harbinger_, before she was taken over by Lord Brassey's committee, and -made a special sea-training ship for cadets. In my day she was just -a fine merchant ship, belonging to Messrs. Anderson, Anderson, and -Co., and commanded by Lieutenant Henry Y. Slader, R.N. he formulated -stringent rules that every apprentice on board should have a share in -all sailorizing that was going on; that, as far as lay in their power, -these young gentlemen should work the sails on the mizen, the smallest -mast of the three; that one apprentice should always be on duty on -the poop, so that he might be in touch with the officer of the watch, -who was supposed to lose no opportunity of imparting to him practical -instruction in handling sails, trimming yards, etc. In addition to all -this, Captain Slader was himself in the habit of taking these young men -through a practical examination in navigation at stated intervals, and -inviting them to dine at the saloon table in rotation on Sundays. - -Now, this treatment had its due effect in the building up of those -apprentices into first-class seamen and officers, as indeed it might -have been expected to do. Yet it was only on a par with common-sense -workshop treatment, and it was certainly no more than any parent who -had paid a premium of £70 to £80 had a right to expect. But even on -board that fine ship the lads were left entirely to themselves in -their watch below. They all lived together in the fore part of a -small afterhouse, and unless the senior apprentice happened to be a -young man of fine, forceful character, the tone of their "diggings" -could not help being bad. Be it noted that among that splendid set -of youngsters, the midshipmen of the Royal Navy, there is always to -be found a sub-lieutenant who is responsible for the behaviour of -the gun-room--who rules it, in fact, in despotic fashion. And the -conditions there are very different to what they are in the Merchant -Service. The lads don't sleep in the gun-room. They are not herded -together in one small apartment which serves as bed-room, bath-room, -dining-room, and sitting-room. - -In the United States, the two great cities of Philadelphia and New York -maintain out of their public funds a fine vessel each, the _Saratoga_ -and the _St. Mary's_. These are sea-going ships, especially set apart -for the training of men and officers for the Mercantile Marine. The -idea is distinctly a good and public-spirited one, and might, one would -think, be advantageously copied over here. But I fear that such a thing -is too much to hope for. At least not until our shore-folks are aroused -to the enormous importance of our Mercantile Marine. - -If only we could get one-tenth as much interest manifested in the -gigantic business by means of which we are all fed, as is shown in one -great horse-race or a dozen first-class cricket matches, I should feel -hopeful. But I am afraid that is far too great a blessing to expect. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -THE APPRENTICE (SOME FACTS CONCERNING HIS LIFE). - - -Perhaps it may be thought that in hammering away at this point of the -apprentices' lodging-place I am doing an unwise thing, as no alteration -is likely to be made; but I beg to say that I am speaking from -practical knowledge of the subject, allied to absolute conviction that -the worst possible thing you can do with a boy fresh from school is to -put him with half a dozen other lads about his own age into a house -with no authority therein to keep them in order, save, perhaps, one of -themselves who has made a voyage. Such a lad is usually to be found -among them, and is better than no one, for he has had some experience; -but in cases where all the lads are new to the sea it is absolutely -shameful to cast them thus upon their own resources. If the master made -it his business to give them a visit every day, things would not be so -bad, because presumably he would tell them what to do; but even then -it must be remembered that there are twenty-four hours in the day, and -mischief may be going on in every one of them. - -To take the simplest matter, personal cleanliness. How many lads are -there to be found, I wonder, leaving good homes, such as the majority -of sea-apprentices do leave, who have ever washed a shirt or a plate, -made a bed, or sewn on a button? Not one in a thousand. These things -have always been done for them, and had they decided upon going into -any trade or profession ashore would have still been done for them. -It is one of the gravest defects of modern education, to my thinking, -that it leaves a man so helpless when thrown upon his own resources. I -would have every lad, no matter what his position in life, taught to do -for himself those personal services which, under settled conditions of -shore-life, are done for him by the other sex. He might never be called -upon to exercise these abilities; but what of that? The knowledge that -he was able to help himself could not fail to be of service to him in -any event. - -The cadet ships do a great deal for sea-apprentices in this respect. -Not that they prepare a lad for the utter reliance upon himself which -will be suddenly thrust upon him in almost any ship he joins, for -parents would object; but still it may be taken for granted that a lad -who has been through a _Worcester_ or a _Conway_ course will not be -nearly so helpless as one who has come direct to sea from some quiet -country home. I was once on board a large barque as A.B., where every -apprentice (there were six) was on his first voyage. Sixty pounds each -had been paid as premium for them, and an average of thirty-five pounds -each for their outfit. They were nice boys; but one day, when we had -been a month at sea, I was invited into their house. And the first -thing I said to my host was, "I wonder what your poor mother would say -if she could see this place." It _smelt_; that rank aroma which is the -product of deficient ventilation, foul clothes, and stale food, caught -me by the throat as I entered. The bunks of those young gentlemen were -like the bins in a rag-dealer's shop, their chests were little, if -any, better, and there was a thriving population of vermin of various -sorts. Not a plate, knife, fork, spoon, or mug had been washed since -our departure from London. In short, the place was like the abode of a -group of savages, who had suddenly been introduced to 'board-ship life, -and given the habiliments and utensils of civilization to play with. - -I made a few remarks to my young friend upon the state of affairs, to -which he replied, with a shrug of his shoulders-- - -"Yes, it's pretty bad, I know; but what can we do? Nobody ever comes -in here, nobody seems to care what we do when we're below, as long as -we're out on deck at eight bells. I'm sick of it. I've written a letter -to my father to tell him I've had enough of it already. I didn't know -I was coming to sea to live like a pig, and to be taught nothing but -sweeping up decks and cleaning out pig-sties and water-closets." - -I had nothing to say to that, because I saw the full force of his -remarks myself. But I made him an offer to wash his clothes for him for -a pound of tobacco a month, and I told him that I was sure the other -fellows would find plenty of chaps forward who wouldn't mind doing them -the same service on the same terms. But, as he said, how was he to know -that he could get such things done for him unless somebody told him? -He wouldn't have dared to ask anybody such a question, for fear of -giving offence. Then he confided in me to the effect that during his -period of sea-sickness he had spoiled a large quantity of clothing, -which, becoming offensive, he had flung overboard under cover of night, -and that out of his expensive outfit he was afraid he should have -hardly enough left to carry him home. He was quite astonished when I -told him that was no news to me. Over and over again I have seen an -apprentice come on board ship with an outfit costing between £30 and -£40 who at the end of a twelve-months' voyage has not had enough to -dress himself decently. And then the lad scarcely ever looked decently -clothed. - -The fact of the matter is that one of the first necessities of an -apprentice at sea is a little personal supervision by the master or the -mate. Some, esteeming it their duty, give this supervision; others, -and these the majority, look upon the hapless apprentices as a rather -troublesome and unhandy portion of the crew, more bother than they are -worth at any time, and certainly not entitled to any personal care. -I do not understand what kind of mind a man must have who will thus -deliberately neglect the interests of a crowd of youngsters committed -to his charge, but there is the fact. If any evidence to the truth of -it were needed, there are hundreds of men scattered about the country -who have served the whole or a portion of their time and have then -quitted the sea for good, who could and would supply it. - -So much for their private life. As to the prime purpose for which they -become apprentices, it may be said roughly that they are more likely to -learn their profession in a ship where they are used dishonestly than -in one where they are treated with the contemptuous neglect which is so -often their portion. By dishonest treatment I mean their being utilized -to make good the deficiency of a purposely-reduced crew. Again I draw -upon personal reminiscences. I have often seen the sons of well-to-do -parents, who had given them a costly education, paid a heavy premium -with them, and provided them with a gorgeous outfit, driven harder -than any other item of the ship's company. Now, I do not suggest that -hard work is bad for anybody who is otherwise well-treated, but I do -assert with emphasis that to carry premium apprentices and make them do -what the men refuse, to make them the lackeys of the men, in fact, is -scandalous dishonesty. There is a certain amount of dirty labour to be -performed on board of every ship--any one will see that this must be -so; but that is no reason why the apprentices should be set to do it -because of the shorthandedness of the men. Moreover, in properly manned -ships this is not allowed. Such work would naturally fall to the lot of -the lower grade of apprentice to which I alluded in the last chapter, -whose preparation should be for an A.B.'s life. Some one must do it, -and as it is generally boys' work, boys are usually carried to do it. - -Still, where apprentices are thus served it cannot be denied that they -do learn thoroughly the rougher part of a sailor's curriculum. They -speedily become expert sail-handlers and helmsmen, because in that way -they can best replace men. Sailorizing--a comprehensive term which I -am of necessity continuously using, but am leaving the explanation of -for a fitting occasion--they do not learn so readily, because they are -not allowed to watch a man at work unless they are told off to assist -him. The handling of a ship very often remains a sealed book to them -during the whole of their apprenticeship, because, treated as they are, -they acquire the habit of mind which is characteristic of the foremast -hand--that is not to bother their heads about anything except what they -are told to do. Besides, they are so hard worked that they are usually -weary and disinclined to waste one minute of their watch below in an -endeavour to gather information; while in their watch on deck at night, -a good opportunity for learning many things, they will be trying to do -as they see the men do--steal as much sleep as possible. - -In a word, they are just ship-boys, fed like the men, worked harder -than the men, but living apart from the men in a little den of their -own, where they may, unhindered, sink into savagery. This is a lurid -picture, I admit, yet I dare not soften its details one iota. I can -only say that it is not universal. There are fortunately a good number -of ships in which conscientious masters consider themselves in honour -bound to act towards their apprentices as honest guardians of their -best interests, who would no more think of allowing them to be set -to cleaning out latrines, pig-sties, and fowl-coops, while the men -were comfortably engaged upon cleaner work, than they would think of -putting their own children to do it. But such treatment ought to be -made impossible. It should also be very distinctly laid down that no -apprentice with whom a premium is paid should be put to work cargo -in tropical ports. That is a task under which the strongest European -sailors often fail. Shovelling coal, guano, or nitrate, for instance, -with a temperature of over 100° in the shade in a ship's hold, is an -employment that no boy on board ship should ever be subjected to, much -less a lad whose parents have paid for him to be well treated. - -So curiously are some men constituted, that I have seen two lads from -the _Chichester_ on board one vessel in which I was A.B. much more -carefully taken care of than I ever saw apprentices but once. Those two -boys were not even allowed to grease down any of the masts, because -it was their first voyage; they were never sent into any position of -danger on any pretext whatever; they were taken in hand by the mate in -their watch below, educationally; in fact, they received what I should -call the ideal treatment for an apprentice. Yet in my next vessel there -were three apprentices, two on their first voyage, with each of whom -£50 premium had been paid, whose treatment was so scandalous that even -the men cried out against it. I did not join the ship until half the -voyage was over, so I did not witness their early training; but while -I was on board they did _all_ the greasing down, and all the extra -dirty work of the ship, while for a season one was acting cook (?) -and another was acting steward. I am glad to say that one of them had -the _nous_ to prevail upon his widowed mother to write to the owner -upon the ship's arrival home, protesting against the most scandalous -treatment of her son. In this case the owner was certainly not to -blame, but that mother's letter had the effect of opening his eyes to -what might be going on in his ships without his knowledge or privity. -But in one most painful case which recently came under my notice, a -boy was actually done to death by overwork and neglect, both of which -crimes against him were abundantly proved, but went unpunished, owing -to official shielding of the criminal. And the broken-hearted mother -was advised to let the matter drop, as she could not possibly do any -good, and, in any case, she could not bring again her dead to life! - -From all of which it may be gathered that I am of opinion that the -sea-apprentice system needs considerable overhauling. At present -everything depends upon the master. Where he is an energetic and -conscientious man, the apprentice will doubtless be thoroughly well -looked after, will be taught his profession, and his lot will compare -favourably with that of an apprentice in any other trade or profession -going. But such an important matter should not be left to individual -caprice at all. Certain rules for the treatment of apprentices by the -officers should be laid down by the owners, and it should be insisted -upon that those rules shall be carried out. Ashore, if a man binds -his son to any profession, he is in constant touch with him, able -to ascertain whether he is being taught, or just being used for an -errand-boy or odd-man. And if he be not satisfied, his remedy is always -at hand. But once a lad has gone to sea he is cut off from everybody -who might help him; he is at the absolute mercy of the skipper, and it -has not seldom happened that he has run away in a foreign port, to the -terrible grief of his parents. - -It has long been the current remark concerning sea-apprenticeship, that -it is the only apprenticeship in the world where a lad is supposed to -learn his profession without being taught, as if in some mysterious way -he could absorb practical knowledge without ever having an opportunity -to do any of those things he is to be examined in presently. In no -other trade in the world would it be possible for a young man who had -spent four years at it to be so ignorant of its working details as to -require coaching in them when going up for an examination. I have seen -young fellows at the crammers' in London being taught such elementary -matters as sending up spars, bending sails, etc., for the purpose of -facing examiners, but I never heard of any of them "passing" until they -had learned it in the proper way, _i.e._ by assisting in the doing of -such work at sea, and taking careful note of how it was done. - -It is quite true that there are some youngsters who will learn, no -matter how great may be the difficulties in their way. They belong to -the class from which spring all our leading men in every profession, -fellows whose thirst for knowledge and industry of application is so -great that, no matter where you put them, they would speedily rise. -But they are few. The great majority need to be taught, to be spurred -on, to be scolded for laziness or inattention, to be driven with a -tight rein. Having all the thoughtlessness of youth, they need to be -continually reminded that its days are brief, and that very soon they -will be called upon to stand alone, to take a hand in the working of -the world's big machine, no longer boys, but men. - -In the United States and Canada, as I have before hinted, the -apprenticeship system finds no favour. It may be taken for granted -that every youth carried in those ships for the purpose of becoming -an officer has not only every facility afforded him of learning his -profession most thoroughly, but is compelled either to learn or quit. -Usually the master or mate has a personal interest in him (it is seldom -that more than one is carried), and they spare no pains to teach him -all that they know themselves. He is well looked after. No dingy -berth, shared only by other boys, for him; no hard and scanty fare, -differing in no respect from that of the sailors, as in most British -ships. He lives in the cabin, eats at the cabin table, associates -with the officers, and breathes the air of authority. Therefore it -is no wonder that when he has grown old enough to become an officer -himself, his promotion comes perfectly natural to him: he has had for -it the best preparation that could be given him. It may be said, and -with truth, that such a system would not answer our heavy needs, even -if a sufficient number of masters could be found to give so careful -an amount of attention to aspirants as is here indicated. But surely -some middle course might be taken, more closely approximating to the -treatment of midshipmen and naval cadets on board of a man-o'-war, but -without giving the youngsters the status of officer from the outset. -I believe, however, that a definitely drawn up programme for the -treatment of apprentices by officers such as I have hinted at in a -preceding paragraph would answer all needs. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -THE APPRENTICE (SOME PRACTICAL INFORMATION). - - -And now, as a relief to all this gloom and vituperation, I wish to -give parents and guardians a few practical hints as to the course they -should pursue if their sons or charges insist, as so many do, upon -making trial of a sea life. Perhaps it is hardly necessary, after what -I have already said, to repeat that the ideal preparation for a lad who -is destined to become an officer is a preliminary training on board of -either the _Worcester_ or the _Conway_. Here a lad will not only be -thoroughly grounded in navigation and such seamanship as can be taught -on board a stationary vessel, but he will become familiar with life on -shipboard, in itself no small item. And his general education will not -be neglected either. In fact, whether a lad is intended for the sea or -not, I know of no more profitable place for him to spend a couple of -years than on board H.M.S. _Worcester_ or (although I have not the same -personal knowledge of the matter) H.M.S. _Conway_. - -But there are many estimable people whose incomes will not bear the -modest strain put upon them by the fees chargeable in these floating -colleges--a much lower fee, by the way, than would be payable at any -public boarding-school of repute. It is as much as they can afford to -pay a premium of, say, sixty pounds and provide the lad with an outfit. -And this last word brings me to a subject that I have often wished to -enlarge upon for the benefit of parents sending their sons to sea as -apprentices in merchant ships. It is associated in my mind with a great -deal of downright robbery, heartless swindling. The Registrar-General -of Shipping does his best to warn parents and guardians of the wiles -of those landsharks who lurk in our great shipping ports ready to prey -upon the unwary, but often his warning does not reach those for whom -it was intended. Therefore I would say, beware of all advertisements -in the newspapers for sea-apprentices. Remember that no ship-owner of -repute needs to advertise for apprentices. If you go to a firm like -Messrs. Devitt and Moore, for instance, you will probably, almost -certainly, find that they have no vacancies--that if you wish to enter -your boy with them you must put his name at the bottom of their list, -and he must await his turn. - -It will be found almost invariably that these advertisements emanate -from shady firms of outfitters, or shadier firms who are nothing at all -but blood-suckers--people who can most assuredly do nothing for you -but that which, with a very little trouble, you could do much better -yourself, and who will mulct you in heavy fees and commissions before -you get out of their clutches. And, in addition, be quite sure that -you are unlikely to find through such agencies a good ship for your -son. You may, but all the chances are dead against it, because, as I -have said, firms of repute do not do business in that way. Moreover, -in handing yourself over to the apprenticeship-broker, or whatever he -calls himself, you will surely be let in for a far heavier expenditure -upon outfit than there is any necessity for, and in addition you will -surely get an outfit that will not be worth carrying away. I well -remember one case in particular, of a young friend of my own, whose -outfit cost the modest sum of thirty-five pounds. It was bought from a -great firm of outfitters in London that I dare not name, for fear of -the law of libel, and would certainly have been dear at one-third of -the money. Indeed, I believe I should be justified in saying that it -would have been dear at any price, since it was of the veriest shoddy -throughout. When my friend showed it to me, or rather what remained of -it after a month at sea, I was almost speechless with indignation. I -should say that such rubbish must be specially manufactured for such -purposes, since I cannot imagine anybody ashore buying such stuff. -A pair of sea-boots to reach below the knee was among this precious -outfit. Their price was forty-five shillings. Now, a sailor can always -get a really good pair of sea-boots for twenty-five shillings--a -swagger pair of best make, with high fronts to cover the knees, for -thirty-five shillings. The first time my friend put his sea-boots on -they naturally got wet, and when he came below, four hours after, they -hung in graceful folds about his ankles. As to keeping out water, -you might just as well expect a sponge to keep out water. They could -be wrung like a piece of flannel. In a word, they were absolutely -worthless, and the sale of them was a heartless fraud. - -This outfit business requires only a little common sense to be -conducted economically. In the Navy a list of articles required for -a naval cadet or midshipman is supplied to him, and no deviation -therefrom is permitted. But no such hard-and-fast rule obtains in the -Merchant Service. Uniform, of course, is compulsory, but beyond that -the parent may use his own discretion. In the matter of underclothing, -for instance, it may be taken for granted that what the lad already -possesses will answer excellently well. Flannels, too, boating or -cricketing, come in very useful; in fact, any of his old clothes are -good enough to work in. In any case he should not have too large -a stock, for however many clothes he may take with him, they will -certainly require washing before a long sea passage is over; and -too great an accumulation of dirty clothes is, for many reasons, -undesirable. If I were asked to draw up a list of the requirements of -a lad on his first voyage as apprentice in a southern-going ship, it -would be something like this:-- - -A strongly-made chest, of three-quarter inch pine, dovetailed -throughout, and without any iron about it, the lid and bottom very -carefully fitted, should first be procured; such a chest as a working -carpenter would be willing to make for a pound, but would cost at least -double in a shop. It should have a small mirror fitted inside the -lid, but removable, and also a tray dividing it into upper and lower -compartments. Above all, it should be perfectly watertight when closed. - -It should be painted black, with brass drop-bandies, and inch -rising-pieces on the bottom. - -Two suits of uniform clothing--one of fine blue cloth, the other of -good blue serge. - -Six white and French pique shirts for shore wear, with collars and ties. - - Three woollen shirts { Not necessarily new, but such - Three cotton shirts { as he has been wearing at - { home or at school. - -Three thick vests. - -Three thin vests. - -Three thick pairs of pants. - -Three thin pairs of pants. - -Six pairs of socks--three heavy and three light. - -Four pairs of working trousers. (Any old ones that he has been wearing.) - -Three pairs of blue jean overalls (Dungaree). - -Three blue jean blouses. - -Three coarse towels. - -Several caps. (Old golf or cricketing caps are just the thing.) - -A stout, wide-brimmed straw hat for harbour use in the country. - -One dozen coloured cotton pocket-handkerchiefs. - -One pair of woollen mittens without finger spaces. - -Two pairs of suspenders. - -A leather belt with a sheath attached for holding an open knife. -(Note.--The above should never be worn tightly for the purpose of -keeping the trousers up. Such a practice is a most frequent cause of -rupture.) - -A horsehair mattress, cot size. - -A full-sized feather pillow, with three stout slips. - -Three coloured cot blankets. - -One pair of shore-going boots. - -Two pairs of canvas shoes of very best quality. - -Two pairs of working boots without any iron in their soles. - -One pair of sea-boots reaching to the knee, and either sewn or pegged -soles, preferably the latter. - -A box of dubbin, also blacking, and a pair of very small shoe-brushes. - -A small clothes-brush. - -A tooth-brush, hair-brush, and two combs. - -A housewife, well supplied with needles and thread (not cotton), and -mending wool, scissors, and tweezers. - -Three bars of good yellow soap. - -One dozen boxes of safety matches. - -One block-tin plate. - -One block-tin basin. - -One block-tin quart pot. - -One block-tin pint cup. - -Knife, fork, and spoon. - -A complete suit of _good_ oilskins. - -A pilot coat. - - * * * * * - -From this it will be seen that much of his old clothing will come in -useful; but it should be remembered that he will probably grow rapidly, -so that he may not be sent away with clothing that will presently be of -no use to him. If the supply be thought meagre, I would suggest that a -larger quantity would probably only lead him to waste; the above will -be found quite sufficient for all his needs, and he should never miss -a single opportunity of having his clothes washed, or, better still, -washing them himself. Provide him with some good books, especially -a copy each of the Bible, Shakespeare, and some good book of poems; -lighter reading at discretion. He must have an epitome of navigation, -and a blank book to work examples in, also plenty of writing-paper and -envelopes to encourage him in writing home--a duty that lads are prone -to shirk. A pair of good binoculars are very useful things to have, but -not at all necessary; while a sextant, for the first couple of voyages -at any rate, had better be left at home. It usually receives very rough -treatment, and its use requires little practice to make one perfect in -when the time arrives that it is necessary. - -But I would strongly advise, in addition to this outfit, that a boy -be provided with the ability to wash a shirt, to sew a button on, -and to keep his eating utensils clean. A few lessons in the kitchen -before he goes away will save him a world of trouble in this respect, -besides saving the parent a good deal of expense. I need say no more on -this head, as I have spoken very strongly about it before. Of course -the list I have given, although I consider it quite sufficient for a -twelve-months' voyage, represents the minimum. Any additions may be -made that are considered desirable, but it can be taken for granted -that to burden a lad with the care of too much clothing at sea is to -invite him to fling some of it away on very small provocation. - -Then as to the choice of a ship. It is here impossible to give any -written advice. If you have no seafaring friends the matter is -difficult. There is really no recognized medium of communication with -ship-owners for this purpose. This is why one is so often tempted to -reply to the specious advertisements, since they seem to provide a -royal road out of the difficulty. A little, very little knowledge of -shipping matters would enable them to select from the columns of the -Mercantile Navy List a good firm of sailing-ship owners; but assuming -that they do not know that much, the next best thing would be to apply -to the shipping master in any of our large shipping centres. He would -almost certainly forward a list of the best reputed shipping firms. But -the services of an old seafaring friend (not naval) would here be of -great value, not only in the selection of a suitable firm, but in the -little matters of advice to the boy himself. There are many dangers -which beset the path of the young sailor, especially in foreign ports, -against which a word of warning from the initiated is worth much fine -gold. It is not fair to send a gently-nurtured boy to sea unwarned of -these things, lest he learn of them by bitter experience, which may -cost him a lifetime of fruitless repentance. - -Having found a ship and gone through the official routine, it is always -wise to try and enlist the sympathies of the skipper and the mate. -They have probably heard it all before; but, in spite of that, it is -pleasant to be consulted, pleasant to feel that their importance is -recognized by any one ashore. And if you cannot do much good, you will -at least do no harm by reminding a skipper that you are entrusting him -with one of your most precious possessions. - -As to the duties of the apprentice, they may be dismissed in a very -few words. His first duty is implicit obedience. He has come to sea to -learn, and he can only learn by obeying. It is unlikely that he will -learn much on his first voyage besides familiarity with his ship, on -deck and aloft, by day or by night, and to be of use in assisting to -furl sails, etc. And this is no trifle. He should remember, too, that -it is not enough to obey in a lazy, sulky manner; he must, if he would -ever be worth anything, cultivate smartness, the habit of ready and -cheerful obedience. He must not slouch, he must spring; he must not -skulk, he must keep in evidence--not merely for the sake of gaining the -good word of those in authority over him, but for his own sake, because -he is now laying the foundation of his future career as an officer. -The lazy, skulking, slouching apprentice becomes the miserable, -discontented, and generally worthless seaman, if indeed he ever becomes -a seaman at all, which is in the highest degree problematical. Let -him never be afraid to ask anybody for information, never ashamed to -inquire what he had better do, and especially, emphatically, avoid -becoming dirty in his personal habits because he has not on board ship -the conveniences of home. Some day, perhaps, our fine sailing ships -will provide a bath-room for lads and men, and water to wash with more -frequently than once a week; at present it must be admitted that the -way of personal cleanliness on board a sailing ship is hard. - -And I earnestly hope that the few hints I have been able to give may be -of good practical service to many. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -THE A.B. (GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS). - - -And now we approach the discussion of the A.B., the man of the rank -and file, the "common sailor," as he is sometimes contemptuously -termed by those who, God forgive them, know absolutely nothing of -his uncommon trials, virtues, and temptations. It is most probable, -nay, almost certain, that for what I have written in the preceding -pages the A.B. will bear me little good-will. He will most likely set -me down in his own mind as another mercenary scoundrel, paid by the -owners to vilify the fo'c'sle man. When you come to look at the matter -you will see that it must be so. Such a one-sided view of themselves -is not confined to the sailor. It is rampant among men who should be -able to weigh questions impartially--intelligent workmen ashore of -all kinds. As a general rule, they lay themselves open to the charge -of grossest unfairness, because they will not abide the truth about -themselves. One need not use any names, because they will occur to -all who keep in touch with current events--names of men who have been -chosen from among their fellows for their exceptional abilities, and -empowered to represent them in various councils. As long as such -representatives could see in capital no white and in labour no black -they were popular, cheered to the echo; but as soon as they learned the -fundamental fact that there are two sides to every question, and wisely -endeavoured to use that knowledge, they were subjected to much abuse, -gross misrepresentation, and perhaps the mildest suggestion made about -them was that they had been "got at." - -But although the foremast hand finds it impossible to be fair; although -he, taken collectively, regards all owners as blood-suckers, and all -officers as traitors or tyrants, every one of his well-wishers--of whom -I claim to be one of the warmest--can, and do, find many excuses for -him. Please to consider his position. For the great majority of his -days he lives in the utmost ignorance of what is going on in the world. -He is like the inhabitants of some undiscovered country where-into none -of the latter-day adjuncts of civilization had penetrated. From year's -end to year's end he never reads a newspaper, at least not until it is -long out of date. During his quiet voyaging from one side of the world -to the other, the whole political aspect of the planet may be changed, -but he knows nor recks nothing of it. Speak to him of the rise and -fall of governments, the strife of parties, the hubbub of a general -election, and he will look upon you as one that talks in an unknown -tongue. To those of his class who read, supposing that they possess -the right books, this aloofness from the world-movement is all to the -good: they can enter into the spirit of those giants of literature -as no other men can. Bringing to the consideration of immense topics -minds unfettered and undisturbed by the petty squabbling and sordid -tricks of politics, whether Imperial or local, they enjoy their reading -as few other men do. One of my chief delights when I was before the -mast was to sit on deck in the brilliant tropical moonlight, or on a -lotus-eating evening before the dark had arrived, and read aloud to -the assembled watch. I had no inattentive listeners. Hardly breathing, -except to keep their pipes aglow, they drank in every syllable, -their long acquaintance with all sorts of hybrid variants of English -enabling them to catch the sense, even if they were unable to grasp the -full meaning of the sonorous sentences. For I never would read them -rubbish, or what I considered rubbish. I carried with me for years -three volumes of the Chandos Classics, the "Odyssey," the "Æneid," and -Longfellow. Shakespeare I always had, and I should be puzzled indeed -to say which of the two, the "Odyssey" or Shakespeare, they relished -most. They did not favour discussion of the books read very much; they -were content to enjoy. I grieve to say that their discussions were -usually most trivial and unprofitable. They would start an argument -upon some question about which none of them knew anything, and carry it -on with the utmost fierceness and heat, even unto blows. Once I used -to intervene with some reliable information, but I found that when, in -reply to the query, "Who told you that?" I admitted that I had learned -it from books, I was thenceforward scouted as a purveyor of second-hand -information, and I desisted. - -It is a poor task bringing book evidence to the average sailor. Marshal -your authorities as you may, you will ever be met with the stolid -question, "How do _you_ know? You _wasn't_ there!" etc., until you -retire like a man who in the dark has run head first against a stone -wall. It is no good to argue with the average sailor, either. He lives -in a little world of his own, its horizon bounded by the blue sky, -and unbroken by any vision of the movements of shore-dwellers except -at long intervals. Then when those brief periods of contact with -landward folk arrive, he is like a boy suddenly let loose from school. -He forgets his sea-troubles, his long confinement, in the strange -sensation of liberty. How can these men be expected to use their -freedom wisely? Their experience of it is so limited, their ignorance -of shore ways so pathetic, that it would be surely a miracle to see -them behave themselves in reasonable fashion. But one peculiarity I -have often noticed among sailors is their preternatural suspicion, -allied to a blind trustfulness--two opposite qualities meeting. Only, -with the perversity of poor human nature, they exercise suspicion -where they should be trustful, and confidence where they should be -most cautious. Any scoundrel that lays himself out to cajole and cheat -a sailor is almost certain to succeed, while a philanthropist, aiming -only at the seaman's highest welfare, will find it a most difficult and -disheartening task to gain his confidence or even attention. And so it -comes to pass that at seamen's missions, wherever anything is being -done for destitute sailors, the greatest care has to be exercised, the -wisest discrimination used, in order that meals, etc., provided are not -entirely monopolized by longshoremen, and the sailor conspicuous by -his absence. It must always be borne in mind that the sailor is just -a big child, whose opportunities for being understood by shore people -are almost _nil_, who cannot tell you what he wants, and whose life is -hidden from you. Herein is one of the greatest difficulties confronting -missions to seamen. They have but a very short time to work upon any -individual sailor, only a few days wherein to teach him things that -shore people, when they learn them at all, often take years to acquire, -and then the exigencies of his calling remove him from all those -hallowed influences for perhaps four or five months on end. On shore -it is recognized by all the Churches that if you would do good it is -not sufficient to preach godliness to people: you must provide for them -the right kind of society in lieu of that which they must abandon, you -must nurse them through their period of babyhood in grace until they -are able to stand, or walk, or run, in the way of righteousness. But -the poor sailor gets no such nursing. Before he has scarcely awakened -to the fact that old things have passed away, all things have become -new, he is back again to the fo'c'sle. And now he is very lonely, -because he knows that the only things that are continually talked of -are those that should not be so much as named. His quietness is taken -for moroseness, he gets nicknamed the "queer fellow," all sorts of -influences are brought to bear upon him, tending to push him back into -the slough; and if he stand firm, be very sure that he is a man, in the -highest sense of that much-abused word. - -I feel, however, that I must apologize for straying into this side -issue, which, although it is so important to me, hardly comes within -the scope of the present work. Perhaps I ought to have begun this -chapter with a definition of the A.B.'s position. It is popularly -supposed, even at sea, that the able-bodied seaman, a term whereof -the initials "A.B." are the recognized official contraction, is a man -who can "hand, reef, and steer." These three duties mean, first, the -furling of sails--that is, rolling them up, and making them secure; -secondly, the reducing of a sail's area by enfolding a portion of it, -and securing it by a series of short pieces of rope sewn into a doubled -or trebled band of canvas across it, technically "reef points;" and the -third requires no explanation for any one. But while it is undoubtedly -true that a seaman who can do these things, and no more, cannot have -his wages reduced for incompetency, it is absolutely certain that an -A.B. on board a sailing ship, at any rate, who could do nothing more -than these things would be looked upon as an impostor, not only by the -officers, but by his shipmates. Yet there are an immense number of -A.B.'s whose qualifications are hardly up to that primitive standard. -More than that, their number is increasing; for in steamships the -handling of sails is reduced to a continually lessening minimum, -reefing is a vanished art, and as for steering, well, steamships of any -importance carry quartermasters, who do all the steering, receiving a -few shillings a month extra pay therefor. So that you shall often find -a man occupying an A.B.'s position who is really only an unskilled -labourer. Placed on board of a sailing ship he would be as helpless and -useless as any landlubber, except that he would not be seasick. - -An A.B., properly so called, is a skilled mechanic with great -abilities. In the first place, he is able to splice hemp- or wire-rope, -work that requires a considerable amount of technical skill, for -splicing is not by any means simply the joining of two pieces of rope -together in a certain way. There are many kinds of splices: short -splices, long splices, eye-splices, sailmakers' splices, grummets, -etc., etc. And it is not sufficient to be able to make a splice; -it must be done neatly, in workmanlike fashion, so that when it is -"wormed," "parcelled," and "served," it shall only show as a smoothly -graduated enlargement in the rope, or, as in the case of a sailmaker's -long splice, be without any covering, hardly visible at all as a -splice. He must be able to make all the various "seizings," or securing -of two parts of a rope together by a neatly passed lashing of tarred -cord or wire--make them, too, in any position aloft, while the ship -is tumbling about, and not merely in a comfortable corner on deck. He -must know the right method of "bending" sails--that is, of fastening -them to yards or stays, for setting by "robands" and "earrings," so -that they shall remain doing their work, no matter how severe the -weather. He must understand the technique of sending up or down yards -and masts, be able to improvise lashings for the securing of sails when -carried away in a gale, or broken spars dangling aloft like fractured -limbs. He should know how to handle a "palm and needle"--that is, sew -canvas for making or mending sails, and understand the manipulation -of "purchases" (pulleys and ropes), the rigging of derricks, and the -distribution of strains; how to "set up rigging," "rattle down," and -"heave the lead," of course. - -Now, all these queer-sounding names of duties that the good A.B. must -be able to perform would require a vast amount of laborious explanation -to make their meaning and purpose clear to any landsman, and it is -doubtful whether one person in ten thousand would take the trouble to -master their details if an attempt were made to give them. But I think -that few will assert that a man who can do all these things as they -must be done at sea can be in any sense classed as an unskilled man. -And I must add that what I have given are only the broad features, as -it were. There remain still an enormous number of smaller matters, -knowledge of which is expected of an A.B. But I must admit that the -class of A.B. which is capable of answering to such a description as -this is growing yearly smaller and smaller. That, of course, is the -fault of steam. While sailing ships endure there will always be some -of them--there must be--but they are not wanted in steamships, and so -the supply dwindles with the demand. But it is a great pity, because -these men are capable of rising to the height of an emergency. They -have individuality and resource as well as technical ability. And when, -as so often happens, a steamer gets into trouble at sea, breaks down, -or is overtaken by a gale against which her low power is helpless, the -need of skilled seamen is often sorely felt. - -An old shipmate of my own was telling me the other day of a case in -point. He was one of the A.B.'s in a large steamer called the _Bengal_, -outward bound to Japan. They were overtaken in the Bay of Biscay by -a tremendous gale, before which they scudded with the huge square -foresail set, in order to keep her ahead of the sea. (It was being -overtaken by such a sea that caused the awful loss of the _London_.) -But at last it became necessary to take in that foresail, and heave -the ship to; it was unsafe to run her any longer, especially as the -sail might carry away at any moment, and the very evil they dreaded -come upon them instantly. So all hands were called aft, eight of them, -and the skipper said, "D'ye think ye can take that foresail in, my -lads?" At which question they were amazed, for none of them had ever -heard such a question put before. After a moment's silence one fellow -shouted, "Take it in! Why, 'course we can, sir. We c'd _eat_ it!" - -That comforted the old man, and he gave orders to haul it up, at the -same time manipulating the spanker so that she came round cannily, head -to sea, and did not ship any heavy water. They furled sail without any -difficulty more than usual; but when they had cleared up the gear, the -old man's voice rang out again, "Splice the main-brace." Pelting aft -at the double, they received each a glass of grog, and the old man's -heartfelt thanks. He told them that on the previous voyage he had a -crew of steamboat sailors, who in just such a night as that refused -to go aloft--they were afraid; and he had to see the sail blow away, -see also a great deal of damage done to his deck-gear, and at one time -it looked as if the vessel would be lost. So this voyage he had been -careful to select sailing-ship sailors, and the result had entirely -justified him. "Yes," said one man, "that's all very well for you, -sir. But how about our getting a ship next voyage? We shall be called -steamboat sailors now." Of course the poor shipper had no answer to -that, but I have no doubt he felt the full force of the remark. For -therein lies the great difficulty. No skipper of a sailing ship dare -take steamboat men, unless he has absolute proof that they know the -work on board a sailing vessel. And even then he is sure that a few -months in steam rusts a sailor; he is not likely to be very smart -getting aloft, or to be as expert as a man in training when he gets -there. More than that, the steamboat sailor being, as I have said, -almost invariably better fed than he is in any sailing vessel, does not -take at all kindly to a return to the same miserable way of living, -neither does he appreciate being so long at sea. And all these things -tend to assist the influx of the foreign element which, flocking into -our sailing ships, speedily overflows into steamers, and, having once -obtained a secure foothold, never returns to its own place again. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -THE A.B. (HIS ROUTINE). - - -Nautical routine, although in certain broad features alike in all ships -of all nations, varies almost indefinitely in detail, not merely in -ships belonging to different countries, but in ships of the same flag -and of the same character. And this is not only true of the details of -duties to be performed, but of the method of rigging, sail-setting, -etc. The master, having a free hand, may, and does, use his own -discretion as to how and when he will have work done. There is no one -to gainsay him, although his fads will certainly be keenly criticized -in the fo'c'sle. But where a certain routine is fixed and universal -there are no exceptions to its rule; as, for instance, the incidence -of the watches. The first thing to be done after a vessel has cleared -her home-port outward bound is to muster the crew by their names. Then -the mate and second mate face the assembled seamen and draw each a man -alternately, the mate beginning, until each has a moiety. If there is -an odd man the mate gets him, unless some private arrangement is come -to between the two officers. The number of men under each officer is -called his watch, and for further convenience of definition the mate's -is called the "port" watch and the second mate's the "starboard" watch, -the left side of the ship, looking towards the bows, being the port -side, and the right the starboard. Thus divided, the crew select their -bunks on the side of the forecastle answering to their watches, and so -they remain throughout the voyage. - -Now, there is an unwritten sea law which says that "the cap'n takes -her out, and the mate brings her home," which, being interpreted, only -means that the starboard watch have the eight hours out on the first -night of the outward passage, and the port watch the first eight hours -out on the homeward passage: which again needs explaining. A simple -method of dividing the twenty-four hours into watches would be to have -six of four hours each, but it would have the demerit that the same men -would be on watch for the greater part of every night. So a simple plan -was long ago devised for the continual change of watches. The day was, -indeed, divided into six watches of four hours each, but the last watch -of each working day, viz. that from 4 to 8 p.m., was subdivided into -two "dog" watches of two hours each. Nearly all the pleasant memories -of fo'c'sle life cluster around the second of these. From 4 to 6 p.m. -(I speak of an ordinary British ship) the watch on deck round up the -day's work, put things away, sweep up decks, etc., preparing for the -night. The men of the watch below get their tea (supper it is called -on shipboard), and at four bells (6 o'clock p.m.) the members of the -other watch go below and get their evening meal. The watch that have -relieved them have now no work, unless sails require trimming, with the -exception of the helmsman, and when supper is finished all hands can, -and do, foregather on deck or in the forecastle, according to the state -of the weather, and exchange yarns or read. All smoke if they list. It -is the time of the day when all hands meet, and it is looked forward -to with a good deal of interest in every ship where things are as they -should be. At eight bells (8 p.m.) the night begins. The watch that -have the eight hours out, that is, the watch that cleared up decks from -four till six, begin their vigil, which will last till midnight; the -watch below turn in. - -In every decent ship the bell is struck every half-hour, increasing by -single strokes, _i.e._ half-past eight, one bell; nine o'clock, two -bells; and so on up till four, when the helmsman and the look-out man -are relieved; then five, six, seven, until five minutes to twelve, -when "little one bell" is struck, and the watch below are called to be -ready for appearance at eight bells (midnight), when they are mustered -by the appearing officers. The watch going below then turn in, and the -bells begin again and go on up till 4 a.m., eight bells again. Then the -"eight hours' out" men reappear, and at two bells (5 a.m.) "coffee" is -called. At four bells "wash decks" begins, and with it the "secular" -work as distinguished from the mere handling of the ship's sails, etc., -steering, and look-out. At seven bells (7.20 a.m., really 7.30, the ten -minutes being slipped in for "coming up," as we say) the watch below -are called for breakfast, and at eight bells (8 a.m.) they come on deck -ready for work, the retiring watch going to breakfast and afterwards to -bunk, or whatever they think fit, until seven bells (11.20 a.m.). Then -they rise for dinner, and at noon, which is made by the sun, and never -by the clock, unless the sun is obscured, they come on deck for the -afternoon's work, while the other watch retire. With their going below -again at eight bells (4 p.m.) the twenty-four-hours' day is completed. -And it will be found that at 8 p.m. the watch coming on deck are the -watch that on the previous night were at that time turning in. - -Now, this routine of watch-keeping is universal, but not so by any -means the distribution of work. I have just sketched the outlines of -duty in a commonplace sailing ship or tramp steamer under the British -flag. But when we come to a smart liner or an American ship this -humdrum, jog-trot round is shattered like a bubble. In the former it is -necessary for the comfort of the passengers that their promenade decks -shall be clean and dry at an early hour, therefore the deck-scouring, -paint-washing, etc., must be got through before the time at which work -is usually commenced in a non-passenger-carrying ship. I do not suppose -that any one can be so thoughtless as to wonder "what on earth the -sailors find to do" who has ever made a passage across the Atlantic -in a big liner. Such a foolish question is often asked about ships in -general, but surely even the dullest must comprehend that the splendid -cleanliness and order on board those floating hotels means a vast -amount of work done while the passengers are sleeping, since it is -never obtruded upon them in their waking hours. It must also occur -to the more thoughtful among them that the modern sailors duties are -largely made up of housemaid's work. Yet, with so little opportunity -for keeping up his acquaintance with the higher duties of his calling, -he is expected to rise to the fullest heights of a sailor's duty at the -first call. I submit that the meagre drill he gets in boat-handling and -fire stations can hardly be sufficient for that purpose, _i.e._ the -keeping him up to "sailor" pitch. - -In American ships, on the other hand, sailing ships, that is to say, -no such easy-going precession of duties is allowed. The first thing -that a seaman learns when introduced to an American ship is that -his time belongs to the ship, that if he is allowed to have any for -himself at all it is a matter of grace, not of right. He must at all -times hold himself at the disposal of his officers, and whatever work -they consider it necessary to undertake he must, on the word being -given, throw himself into it as if it were a matter of life or death. -Theoretically this is the case in all ships, but it is nowhere carried -out as it is in American vessels. It is their tradition, and they -have a pride in its maintenance. What it means to the sailor under -the despotic rule of a bowelless master and iron-fisted officers it -is impossible to convey to any one who has not seen the process. It -sometimes happens in British ships that all hands will be kept at work -in the afternoons at sea, usually on the passage home, when the vessel -is being thoroughly overhauled and renovated, but where this is done a -great deal of laxity is permitted at night. The watch on deck during -the hours of darkness, with the exception of the man at the wheel and -one on the look-out, are allowed to sleep, unless the sails require -trimming, and even this very necessary work is performed with a great -deal of grumbling and bad language. But in American ships it is often -the proud boast of a skipper that he keeps his men at work in the watch -on deck throughout the voyage, by day or night, in gale or calm; and -as for an afternoon watch below--absurd, makes men fat and lazy! No -grumbling is permitted, no dilatoriness of movement, and due attention -to all these severe rules is enforced by blows, and, if necessary, by -shooting. It is the other extreme of the scale. We are much too slack -in our discipline; the Americans, as a rule, are far too severe. Of -course there are exceptions on both sides, but I speak of the rule. - -Sailors often wonder whether landsmen realize what it means for a ship -to be always watched and tended, from the time she leaves port until -she arrives at her destination; whether, when coming on board a ship -in harbour, and looking curiously at the deserted wheel aft, they -appreciate the fact that for every minute of perhaps five or six months -there is a man at that wheel, steering the ship over the trackless -sea, guided alone by the compass. This ceaseless care of the vessel -has always struck me as a very impressive thing, especially where, as -in an ordinary sailing ship, every man in the fo'c'sle takes his turn, -or "trick," as it is called. At the commencement of the voyage the -men settle among themselves, in an informal manner, the order in which -they shall follow each other at the wheel, and, subject to alterations -in their number, this order is preserved throughout the voyage. Some -curious terms are current among them about the steering turns. For -instance, when a man has neither "wheel" nor look-out occurring in a -watch he solemnly announces he is a "farmer;" when it happens that his -"wheel" occurs from 4 to 6 a.m. he growls at the idea of his having the -"gravy-eye" wheel, a coarse but most expressive designation for that -sleepiest of watches. This is the time when more accidents, through -lack of watchfulness, occur than any other in the twenty-four hours. - -His duty of steering varies greatly with the ship and the man. Some -vessels are beautifully docile, responsive to the lightest touch on -the wheel, and actually sympathetic--I can use no other word--to a -good helmsman. I have been in vessels that one could almost steer -blindfold by the feel of the wheel, where the making of a serpentine -course was a certain proof that the helmsman was either a bungler -or grossly careless. It is popularly supposed that a ship is always -steered by the apparent movement of the compass, and this is fairly -true of steamships, but it is ridiculous when applied to sailing -ships. The compass must be watched, of course; but the man who keeps -his eye fixed upon it will soon find that not only must he work like a -slave, but that no amount of wheel-twisting will keep his ship steady -on her course. He must watch the movement of the ship's head against -the sky, the clouds, the stars, for he can then see instantly what -amount of helm she requires, whereas the compass does not tell him -until too late, or it is so lively that it is no guide at all, except -that its average swing from side to side of the point he is told to -steer by will be approximately the same. I have often been steering a -large iron ship running before a heavy westerly gale in high southern -latitudes when the compass has swung continuously round through its -whole thirty-two points. Some men get so bewildered by this that they -are useless as helmsmen. Others, again, when steering before a heavy -following sea, will lose their nerve. The mighty waves thundering up -astern like ravening monsters, only to be satisfied by the overwhelming -of the vessel, are terrible to see, and a prudent officer who notices -the helmsman looking astern at such times, with a wild eye and a -blanched face, will have him relieved at once, before that appalling -disaster "broaching to" takes place. This occurs when a ship running -dead before a gale of wind, with her yards square, is suddenly caught -a little on one side by a furiously rushing wave and whirled round -until her sails get caught aback, the sea thunders over her broadside, -and she is in the greatest danger of being dismasted, turned over, -or smashed up altogether. Many a ship posted as missing has thus -been destroyed; she has disappeared from the face of the sea in five -minutes, without giving any one on board the slightest chance of life. - -As far as the A.B.'s workaday duties are concerned, the same rules that -apply to other workmen ashore do not apply, for obvious reasons. If a -carpenter, for instance, were employed in the building of a house, -and it were found that he could only boil glue, sweep up the shop, -or turn a grindstone, he would be discharged on the instant. But you -cannot discharge a sailor until his return home, unless he is willing -to go, and, in a foreign country, unless the consul is also willing to -allow him to be discharged. He may be absolutely worthless from the -seaman's point of view, which, as I have shown, must be considered -in relation to the ship, whether she is a steamer or a sailing ship, -but unless he is unable to steer, it is almost impossible to reduce -his wages. I well remember a case, years ago, tried before the late -Mr. Raffles, where the master of a ship had reduced one of his A.B.'s -wages for the voyage by £1 a month, that is to the level of an O.S. -(ordinary seaman). There was no doubt whatever as to the kind of man -the quondam A.B. was. He had never been to sea before that voyage, but -some enterprising boarding-master had supplied him with another man's -discharge, rigged him up like a seafarer, and got him shipped in a -big southern-going sailing ship as an A.B., at £3 a month. But he had -the wit to put his case into the hands of a smart lawyer, who bullied -the master to the verge of desperation. Among other things, he said, -"Did you have your ship's decks washed, Mr. Brown?" "Of course I did," -replied the sorely-tried skipper. "Oh, you did. Was this man able to -assist in washing decks?" "Oh, well, I suppose he could do _that_." -"I don't require any of your supposing, sir; could he do his duty in -this respect, or could he not?" thundered the counsel. "Yes, he could." -"Thank you" (ironically). "Now, did you carry any pigs?" "Yes," -answered the bewildered commander; "there was----" "That is sufficient. -Kindly answer my questions without comment. I suggest to you that those -pigs required their sty to be cleaned occasionally." "Yes; and it----" -said the skipper, getting redder in the face as the lawyer stopped him -again. "Could this man clean out the pig-sty? Yes or no?" "Yes, he -could; but----" "_Answer_ my questions in a proper manner," roared the -lawyer. - -And so on, until, in triumphant tones, the legal gentleman exclaimed, -"Then I submit that you have no right at all to deduct one penny from -my client's miserable earnings. By your own admission he could perform -all those duties, very necessary duties, about which I have questioned -you. They had to be performed by some one, and surely you do not expect -to get the work of your ship done for nothing," etc. In the result the -man got his wages in full, and the skipper went away in the belief -that the law was a dangerous thing to meddle with, even if you knew -you were right. But every sailor worth his salt knows what it means to -get a few of these yokels foisted upon a ship. They can be, and they -are, put upon the dirty work, the unskilled labour, of which there is -so much to be done; but, in addition to the fact that they cannot do -even that work in sailor fashion, all the work which they cannot do -at all falls upon their shipmates who can. This often means terrible -overwork and suffering for everybody on first leaving home, before -"useless articles" have been taught their work aloft. I know of no more -difficult position to be in than aloft on a top-gallant yard, for -instance, in a snowstorm in the Channel, with three other men, for the -purpose of furling the sail, and finding that two of them are not only -useless, but helplessly in the way. Poor wretches, they are suffering, -too, no doubt, clinging to the yard in an agony lest they shall fall, -sick with fright; but the men who _must_ do their work are the ones -deserving of pity. They get neither pity nor pence for the extra work -they do. - -Of all the injustice from which the sailor suffers, I know of none -that he feels more keenly than this. To be shipmates with half a dozen -wasters who are getting the same pay and treatment as himself, to be -overworked because they cannot do the first thing at sailorizing, and -as likely as not obliged to keep very quiet in the fo'c'sle, because -of them being in the majority, is a bitter pill to swallow. One very -unpleasant recollection of my own is of a ship where I was an A.B. In -my watch, besides myself, there was a Swede, a very good man; a little -Frenchman from St. Nazaire, who was also a smart sailor-man; a Finn, -who knew how to do his work, but was so slow and stupid that he was -very little good; another Frenchman from the vicinity of Nice, who, -strange to say, was useless, and, in addition, knew only about half -a dozen words of English; a big, brutal bully of a fellow, who was a -Briton, I grieve to confess, and one of the basest sort; also a negro -ordinary seaman. With such a watch, those of us who could do what we -were asked had a very hard time of it; and, to make matters worse, the -big Briton was, although as worthless an animal as ever stepped on a -ship's deck, the "boss" of the forecastle. I was working hard for my -certificate, and did not care to complain; until at last, in Hong Kong, -while that great loafer was quietly sitting in the shade, toying with -the task of chipping the iron rust off the cable, I was sent over with -the negro to scrape the ship's side in the blazing sun. I went, feeling -very hard done by; but presently the fine dry dust of coal tar which I -scraped off the planks stuck to my sweating face and began to blister -it, just as a mustard-plaster would have done. - -Then I felt that, under these conditions, life was not worth living, -so I left my job and sought the mate. I appealed to his sense of -justice. "Here is a man," I said, "who has not been able to do a single -job of sailor-work, except take his trick at the wheel (and he's a -gorgeous helmsman), since we left Cardiff. I, on the other hand, have -been continuously at work, splicing, serving, sailorizing in all its -details, with never a complaint of my work. Yet because this man is -a truculent beast, who growls blasphemously whenever he is put on a -job, he is allowed to carry things so pleasantly that he might as well -be on a perpetual picnic. Is it fair or just?" To the mate's credit I -record it that the champion loafer was immediately sent overside to -scrape, and I went below to poultice my blistered visage. But even -there he scored, for he quietly shifted his stage under the counter, -where he could not be seen, and there sat in the shade and smoked his -pipe. Still, the business did not suit him, and two days after, to the -delight of every one on board, he deserted. He had the assurance to -come back for his kit; but he was not allowed to come on board, so I -lowered it over the bows to him. He knew that the skipper was too glad -to be rid of him to prosecute. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -THE A.B. (HIS POSITION). - - -From all of the foregoing it will doubtless be rightly assumed that the -A.B. is in a most anomalous position at the present time. He may be a -skilled mechanic, a man of energy, resource, and great abilities, or -he may be just an unskilled labourer, with precisely the same pay and -treatment as the best seaman afloat of the same grade. This is a bad -state of things, but it is to be hoped that the system of continuous -discharges now being introduced will make some alteration for the -better. The maritime nations of Europe have long ago recognized the -importance of having some definite record of a seaman's service, some -means whereby it could be told at a glance whether he was a sailor or -not. So that each French, or German, or Italian sailor has a little -book wherein is entered what manner of man he is in appearance, and -the date of every shipping and discharge he has experienced during his -seafaring career. His behaviour also is there set down, and _viséd_ -by consul or shipping-officer, as the case may be. Without this book -he can in nowise get a ship of his own country's flag, but he can, -and does, ship in British vessels where the rules are lax; where a -discharge may be bought from a brother seaman outward bound, and used -with impunity; where a man may be a worthless loafer, and yet suffer no -penalties for taking a job for which he has no qualifications whatever. -Let us hope that the system of continuous discharges will be all to the -good. - -But the prime cause of the lowering of the A.B. and of the anomalies in -his position is undoubtedly the advent of the steamship. Blink the fact -how we may, it remains true that what is wanted in a steamer is only -a burly labourer who is able to steer--that is, as long as all goes -well; and the percentages of disaster year by year are so small that no -steamship owners need fear to take the risk of sending their ships to -sea without a sailor, properly so called, except the officers on board. -As I have said, matters are very different in the sailing ship. There -the _sailor_ must be had, but the supply of British seamen dwindles so -fast, that the foreigner from Scandinavia, from Germany, from Italy, -comes in ever-increasing numbers for the sake of the higher pay and the -easier life. And if the influx of foreign seamen was only confined to -the sailing fleet the situation would not be so perilous. In one sense, -of course, it will always be a danger, as long as sailing ships are -considered, and rightly so, the only real training places for seamen. -Because it means that we are not raising any more seamen to fill the -places left vacant by death, and by men leaving the sea for shore-life. -But, unfortunately, foreign seamen flow into the steamships as well, -also in ever-increasing numbers. This is not at all easy to understand -in the face of the facts that so little technical ability is required -of the A.B. in steamers, and the number of unemployed men there are -about our streets. - -It may be that what is frequently said by our critics at home and -abroad is true: that Britons are getting more and more loth to work -at all; that when they get a job their first care is not to see how -they can best satisfy their employer, but how little they can do for -their money. If this be so, it is a fatal mistake on their part. It -would be bad enough for themselves personally, if they had the monopoly -of the world's labour markets; but, confronted with the down-trodden -millions of Europe, who will work till they sink from exhaustion, -without a complaint, who learn our language easily, and swarm into -every opening that presents itself, such behaviour on the part of our -workers is surely suicidal. This is especially true of seamen, where -no restrictions are placed upon the number of foreigners employed, -and when they can always be obtained. If a shipmaster happens to have -had much trouble with a crew of his own countrymen on a voyage, he is -almost sure to look out that he has foreigners next time. They are -fully qualified--it is the rarest possible thing to find a foreign -sailor who cannot do his work--and they will obey orders without -grumbling. - -Personally, I feel absolutely sure that the British seaman, properly so -called--I do not mean a ship-navvy, who couldn't make a short splice, -or seize a ratline on properly to save his life--is the finest in the -world. For endurance, for skill, for reliability in time of danger, -for resource in time of difficulty, he has no better. But, alas for -the truth, he is departing; and I fear it will be no long time before -his place in the Merchant Service will know him no more. What British -seamen are capable of may be seen in the Navy, whose splendid handy-men -are the envy of the world. Is it too much to hope that by some better -method of training and treatment we might get just as fine a body of -men in the Merchant Service? Perhaps it is, and yet--and yet there are -those among us who do dream such a dream as this. We think that by -means of a properly fostered and trained Naval Reserve we might build -up a magnificent body of Merchant seamen with characters to lose; men -who would take a pride in their position, and be a real bulwark to the -country. - -But such a Reserve would require the whole-hearted support of the -Admiralty, not hardly-veiled enmity. Every seafaring man, with the -best interest of his country at heart, knows full well how pitifully -the grand opportunity afforded by the institution of the Royal Naval -Reserve has been allowed to go to waste. Perhaps some day, before it is -too late, the history of the Royal Naval Reserve will be written with -inside knowledge of all the facts, and an amazing document it would -make, though not more amazing than many similar documents dealing with -the non-understandable ways of the great departments who spend the -country's money. - -Theoretically the Royal Naval Reserve should be a success. As far as -the obtaining of officers is considered there is little doubt that it -_is_ a success, even though Merchant officers who seek to pass into -the Navy _viâ_ the Royal Naval Reserve are known by the invidious -sobriquet of "the hungry half-hundred." Great shipping companies make -it known that they wish their officers to belong to the Reserve, and -straightway the thing is done. There is no compulsion, the suggestion -is sufficient, and the retaining fee, being quite a nice little sum -per annum, is also an inducement. But the numbers of the seamen in -the Royal Naval Reserve do not increase. Why? There is a retaining -fee of £6 per annum; there is also a guinea a week pay during drill, -of which every member is supposed to put in six weeks a year. Seeing -what sailors are, one would have thought that such a bait would have -allured them in large numbers. And yet there is only about one-quarter -of the number there should be. It is to be hoped most devoutly that, -in the present agitation about the Navy and its various shortcomings, -this will not be forgotten, and that it will be fully recognized that -the only possible source of supply for the Navy in case of war is the -Mercantile Marine. - -To secure such a supply, it is imperative that the A.B. shall be looked -after, made to feel that he is a man of some importance to the state, -and that the good men shall not be handicapped by the wastrel; that a -man shall earn the title of A.B. before he is permitted to take it, and -that every man shipping as an A.B. who has no qualifications for that -honourable post shall suffer for his misdeeds, his fraudulent burdening -of his shipmates with work that he is unable to perform. Then I believe -that we should get in the Merchant Service a good class of seamen, men -who would not say that the sea was a life fit only for dogs. Under -proper conditions, such as may even now be found, that statement is a -libel. Speaking for myself, I can say with perfect candour that I have -been as happy in ships before the mast as any workman could hope to -be ashore. Where there is a good crew of men who know their work and -will do it, decent food of good quality, and experienced officers, a -sailor before the mast may, and does, have a very good time--infinitely -better than any journeyman ashore, with all the worries attendant upon -loss of employment, rent, strikes, etc. Only get the sailor to see that -his business is a business that requires a trained man to make any -hand at it, that the door into it is closed against the dock-walloper -and the loafer, and that the same consideration that is meted out to -mechanics ashore is accorded to him, and I am sure there would be a -steady increase in the number of British seamen in British Merchant -ships: aided, of course, by the institution of such a feeder as the -non-premium apprenticeship I have already spoken about would be. - -I am quite sure that British seamen are to be got and kept, if the -powers that be will only go the right way to work, remembering that -what is wanted is not so much fresh legislation as a little more use -of the legislation already existing. Ship-owners are not anxious to -carry foreign seamen, except, perhaps, in eastern trades, where lascars -and Chinese come in handy. And even in those ships there will usually -be found a stiffening of most excellent white seamen, who are usually -British. No; the only question for the average ship-owner is, "How, -in the face of the fierce and unscrupulous competition against which -I have to fight, can I get my ships efficiently manned?" He wants men -to earn their pay, pay which is higher than that of any other country, -except America and Australia, and he does not at all concern himself -about the nationality of those men. He leaves them, very properly, to -those who will have to command them; but if masters of ships are made -to believe that, no matter how good the pay and provisions given, they -can never rely upon getting, in the first place, sailor-men of their -own race at all, and, in the second, men of their own nationality who -will work cheerfully for their pay without a constant succession of -worrying rows, it must not be wondered at if they prefer the foreigner, -who comes already broken in, trained in seamanship, polite, and -hard-working, no matter where he hails from. - -In bidding farewell to the A.B., I again earnestly express my full -sympathy for and with him, and trust that ere long I shall have the -joy of seeing A.B.'s of my own race again increasing in the British -Merchant Service. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -THE O.S. (ORDINARY SEAMAN). - - -In the days when the A.B. was properly considered to be a man who had -learned his trade, and would have been ashamed to ship as an A.B. -unless he were fully capable of doing any job of sailorizing that was -given him, the O.S. was quite an institution. He was a young seaman -who had been through a time of considerable tribulation as a ship-boy; -but, having grown bigger and stronger, able to take his trick at the -wheel, and make himself felt in furling sails, he ventured to take a -step up the ladder. There was no specified manner in which this was to -be done. With that haphazard disregard of the seamen's best interests -which has characterized our Mercantile Marine for many generations, it -was left to chance. One would have thought that a recognized method -would have been for a boy to present himself before certain properly -constituted authorities for an examination into his qualifications, and -that, having satisfied them that he was able to do all that an ordinary -seaman should be capable of, they would grant him a certificate to that -effect. - -Nothing of the sort. Sometimes a boy would make friends with an -officer, who would report favourably upon him to the master at the end -of a voyage, and then that master might, if he remembered it or felt -so disposed, give to the boy an ordinary seaman's "discharge." Or if -he were a big fellow, the boy might get a master to ship him as an -O.S., even though he had nothing but a boy's discharge to show. The -whole business was as slipshod as it could well be, for it depended -entirely upon the caprice or kindliness of the master granting it. -There was just this in its favour, that it recognized an A.B. as a -seaman who had been through the regular routine of boy and O.S. before -he became an A.B., so that the presumption was entirely in favour of -his having learned his business. But, as I have shown, perhaps with -what might be brutal clearness, in the preceding pages, that has all -been changed. Under present conditions you _may_ occasionally find an -ordinary seaman on board of a ship, but be very sure that if you do he -is having it drummed into him every watch that he is a fool. "Why," he -will be asked, "should you ship as O.S. when there's plenty of A.B.'s -going that don't know the knight heads from the main-brace, bumpkin? -Don't be a fool. You might just as well have the other pound or thirty -shillings a month as them fellows that ain't half as good as you are!" -And presently he thinks so too, so that he makes up his mind that he'll -never be an O.S. any more. - -That determination is mightily strengthened if he happen to be on board -of a ship where there are two or three modern A.B.'s, wastrels who -would be dear if they came for nothing a month and found themselves; -as, for instance, when I was an O.S. in a big ship going out to New -Zealand. There was never a job of work came my way that I didn't do as -if it was going before a Bench of Examiners. I was as nervous of blame -and delighted at commendation as if I had been striving for a valuable -prize. But we had among our A.B.'s four men (if I can call them so) who -were not worth a penny a day, and one black night it was my hap to be -on the main royal yard with one of them for the purpose of furling the -sail. Had the weather been what it should at the furling of this, the -loftiest sail in the ship, I should not have so much minded; but our -redoubtable skipper was always loth to waste one breath of a fair wind, -and so he had "hung on" until it looked as if the three huge masts -would have been blown clean out of her. Then all hands were called in -hot haste, royals, top-gallant-sails, and other top-sails were lowered -all at once, and a pretty fine job it was with our crowd. However, as I -have said, I found myself up there on that giddy height, with all those -vast sails battering far below me, a gale of wind roaring against me, -a sail before me that was straining madly to tear itself away from its -confining gear, and a helpmate who was absolutely paralyzed with fear, -an A.B. an't please you. - -I did not know what was the matter with him. Being on the weather-side -of the yard, I was doing my best to get the sail quiet; and although -I wondered greatly what had become of Johnnie, I could not go round -and see. At last, after a hard struggle, I succeeded in getting the -sail snug, only to find that there were no "gaskets" on the yard -(gaskets are small ropes used to wind round the sails and the yards -to keep the sails fast when they are furled). All there was available -for the securing of what I had gained was the "bunt-gasket," a little -criss-crossed piece of plaited spun yarn, which is fitted to hold -fast the centre or bunt of the sail when it is furled--a feeble thing -at the best, but, such as it was, I made use of it to the best of my -ability. Then, twisting my legs round the royal back stay, I slid down -to the deck, rushed below into the bo'sun's locker, and cut off several -fathoms of ratline stuff (small rope). I must here admit that she was a -very slackly ruled ship. Such a piece of impudence by any seaman would -never be allowed, because it would not be necessary, on board of a -properly managed vessel. - -Having secured my gaskets, I hurried aloft and made the sail fast. When -the work was done, I discovered Johnnie, clinging like a bat to the -extreme lee-end of the yard. I shouted to him till I was hoarse, but -he made no sign, so I left him, for I did not care to run the risk of -putting two men's weight upon the lift; and, moreover, I was something -scornful at that A.B.'s behaviour. I went below and helped in the work -that was being done until the time came for us to go below, and there -was Johnnie, the A.B., talking as boldly as the rest, and ordering me -to do this, that, and the other. Then a little explanation ensued, -and from that night forward I took orders from him no more. But I had -learned something, and when the time came I met the bo'sun, and put the -question to him whether he did not think I was as well worthy of an -A.B.'s discharge as some of the fellows who had been unable to do the -work that I had undertaken. In the result I got my coveted piece of -paper, and never sailed as O.S. afterwards. - -The precise definition of an ordinary seaman's duties has never been -laid before me. But I fancy that those three qualifications which are -often spoken of as the desiderata for an A.B. should more properly be -applied to the O.S., viz. that he should be able to hand, reef, and -steer. Once, and once only, was any question raised with me when I was -an O.S. about my qualification, and that was by a man who was very sore -indeed at having to pay £3 per month for my services. I joined the -vessel in Sydney, where A.B.'s wages were, at the time, £5 a month for -deep water, resisting all the skipper's efforts to get me for £2 10_s._ -a month. This so annoyed him, that he tried in various ways to pick -holes in my work, and at last declared that I could not steer (although -I never missed a trick during the whole voyage), and also that I was -not competent to "cross a royal yard," which was fantastically untrue. -I should very much like to explain how this piece of work is done, but -am almost afraid, because of the inevitable use of technical terms. -Still, I feel that I have not worried my readers much, so far, with sea -language, and that perhaps some would like to hear just a little bit of -sailor-talk. - -It must be understood that this piece of work is one of the smallest -of rigging manœuvres that is performed on board ship. By "rigging -manœuvres" I mean work aloft which is not always being done or undone, -such as furling or setting sails. In fact, the work aloft of a ship -may be divided into three categories--the temporary, the sub-permanent, -and the permanent. Under the heading of temporary work comes the -setting and furling of sails. Sub-permanent work is the shifting of -sails--heavy-weather canvas for that carried in the doldrums and -trades, and the manipulation of studding-sail gear--although this -latter, except in old ships, rarely troubles sailors much to-day. - -But permanent work, by far the most important, and demanding the -greatest amount of seamanship, includes all the care of the standing -rigging, the sending up or down of masts and yards, and the thousand -and one repairs that are necessary in order that the mazy fabric of a -sailing ship's top-hamper may do its work of propulsion in association -with the wind. Of all the heavier work of this kind, _i.e._ shifting -the yards and masts, that of handling the royal and sky-sail yards is -the most frequently indulged in; for many skippers commanding old ships -dare not put too much strain upon the lighter masts in heavy weather, -and they therefore make a rule of sending down the loftiest yards when -they bend their heavy-weather sails. Now, a royal yard _in situ_ is -a spar of, say, thirty-five feet in length (varying, of course, with -the size of the ship), seven or eight inches in diameter in the slings -(the centre), and tapering at both ends, or yard-arms, to four inches, -or even less. By means of three (sometimes only one) encircling iron -sling-bands in its centre, it is attached to an iron, leather-lined -collar, which goes round the royal mast, and is called the "parral." -It is also suspended by a chain "tye," which leads through a -sheave-hole at the masthead, and is connected on the after-side to a -purchase for hoisting the yard, the whole tackle constituting the royal -"haulyards," "halliards," or "halyards," the latter for choice. - -From each yard-arm to the masthead run pieces of rope, which are tight -when the yard is lowered. They are called "lifts," and are for the -purpose of keeping the yard horizontal, and of sustaining the extra -weight put upon it by men who go upon it for any purpose. Looped abaft -the yard are the "foot-ropes," upon which the men stand when furling -or bending the sail, and attached to each yard-arm are the "braces" -for the purpose of slinging the yard from one side to the other. All -this gear is for the yard alone. Then there is the sail, with a rope -running through a block under both quarters of the yard, and down -to the corners of the sail abaft all, the "clew-lines," while from -a block at the masthead another rope runs down through a block or -bull's-eye seized on to the tye close down to the yard, and so, being -forked before-all to the foot of the sail, where it is seized, one leg -on either side to the foot. This is the "bunt-line." The clew-lines, -bunt-lines, halyards, and braces are worked from the deck, and -constitute the "running-gear" of the sail. - -From the foregoing perfunctory description of the gear attached to -_one_ of the lightest yards in the ship, some slight idea may be -gathered of the immense combination of cordage required to work about -thirty sails, some with much more gear than a royal, of course. But my -principal object in attempting to describe the gear of the royal yard -was to show what used to be considered fair work for an ordinary seaman -in "crossing" it. The running gear was, of course, already aloft; the -standing gear and the sail were sent up with the yard, which was swayed -aloft by a long rope running through the sheave-hole in the masthead, -from which the halyards were temporarily unrove. The youngster charged -with the duty of crossing the yard goes aloft as it is swayed up, -guiding it clear of the rigging as it jerkily ascends. Of course it is -so secured that it rises vertically, and the work of keeping it clear -of the rigging when the ship tumbles about is by no means easy; and, of -course, the higher it ascends the greater is the motion, until, when -it is high enough, it often taxes the utmost strength and skill of -the smartest youngster to deal with it. As the upper yard-arm reaches -the top-gallant masthead he must put on the brace and lift for that -side and cast off the "yard-arm stop," then, as speedily afterwards -as possible, get the lower brace on, and the lift for that side also -secure. As soon as that is done, he can, by casting loose the quarter -stop, allow the yard to be lowered in its proper horizontal position. -It will now be supported by the lifts, so that he can fix the parral to -the mast, and those on deck having steadied the braces tight, the worst -of his troubles are over. - -He can now "come up" the yard rope by which the yard has been hoisted, -and, letting it run down on deck, reeve the tye of the halyards in its -place. Then he must secure all the gear to the sail properly, sheets, -clew-lines, and bunt-lines, loose the sail, sing out "Sheet home the -royal," "light up" the gear, and, when the sail is set, "stop" it -loosely with one turn of roping-twine, so that it will not chafe the -sail by being stretched tightly over it, and come down. If he can do -all that smartly and well, in spite of the ship's uneasy motion, he is -superior to two-thirds of the so-called able seamen of to-day. - -In the absence of a boy, the ordinary seaman is also the lackey of the -watch in an English ship. The law in this respect is unwritten, and -I have seen a sturdy youngster successfully appeal against it. There -is really no reason why an O.S. should be compelled to sweep up the -fo'c'sle after every meal, keep the men's plates, knives, and forks -clean, trim the lamp, make the cracker-hash, etc. But few indeed are -the fo'c'sles where an O.S. would be able to claim exemption from such -servitude. And if he did get off from dancing attendance upon the -men in his watch below, he would almost certainly be made to do much -of their legitimate work during the watch on deck. For that is one -of the worst features of British ships--that, owing to the peculiar -want of discipline which obtains, so much work that should be fairly -distributed falls upon those who are either indisposed to grumble or -are in a junior position. - -For instance, in a sailing ship, let us say, which carries no boys -or apprentices, but an O.S. in each watch, that young man during his -watch on deck will certainly be expected to keep on the _qui vive_. -If he have the good fortune to be commanded by a thoughtful officer, -he will probably be allowed to take a regular trick at the wheel, in -spite of the grumbling of the men, many of whom will be no better than -he is, if as good. But in the great majority of cases he must mount -guard near the break of the poop during his watch on deck at night, -solely in order that he may pass the word along to the sleeping men, -or do himself any job that he can manage without disturbing them. When -any work has been done that requires them all, he will do the lion's -share of it--I have often seen the whole watch standing waiting for an -O.S. to do something, because every one of them was too lazy to make -a start, and the young officer did not care to risk a row by sending -any particular man; and when the pulling and hauling is done, the last -"belay" or "well" has been cried, the men all slouch off to their -corners and pipes, or sleep again, leaving the O.S. to go the round of -the ship and coil up all the ropes. - -Of course I am not quoting this as a great hardship. I only mention -it to show how peculiar are the notions held by foremast hands of -the duties of boys and ordinary seamen. It was doubtless a very good -training for the latter, this being made to do everything possible -while the men looked on criticizingly, but it was often carried to -cruel lengths. I have myself seen as well as experienced such treatment -of an O.S. in a ship's fo'c'sle at the hands of men, who certainly did -not deserve to wield any authority, as was sufficient to make a lad -wish himself dead. Worse, remember, for the O.S. than the boy. What do -you think of a fine young man being compelled to wait for his food till -every one else in the fo'c'sle is served, to find then that of his poor -allowance he had been robbed nearly half; made to feel at all times -that the only object of his existence during his watch below was to be -the body-servant of eight or ten men, to preserve before them a silent, -respectful demeanour, and to consider himself honoured if any of them -addressed him in any other than terms of opprobrium? Yet all this might -be changed, has often been changed, in a moment. If one of the little -kings in a burst of magnificent rage at some dereliction of duty on -the part of his slave--fo'c'sle not swept clean, or plate not washed -quickly--struck the O.S. a shameful blow, and the latter had the grit -to return it with interest, following it up with a victory over his -aggressor, thenceforward that fo'c'sle would not be a bad place for the -hitherto-put-upon junior. But under the altered conditions of modern -sea-service this fo'c'sle etiquette is being swept away, and soon will -have as completely disappeared as the reluctance to sail on Friday has -before the necessities of steam. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. - -THE BOY. - - -At last we have arrived at the very bottom of the social scale of -board-ship life. The "boy," as distinguished from the "cabin" boy, has -long posed as a hero of romance in sea fiction. We all know that boy. -His marvellous deeds have inspired generations of home-bred youths with -an unquenchable thirst for the sailor's life, where, to quote one of -the most charming of song-writers, - - "We watch the waves that glide by our vessel's stately side, - Or the wild sea-birds that follow through the air; - Or we gather in a ring, and with cheerful voices sing; - Oh, gaily goes the ship when the wind blows fair." - -How many youngsters, lured by the mysterious air of adventure pervading -all things connected with the sea, have run from comfortable homes, -and, after hardships innumerable, have compassed the goal of their -desire--have found a shipmaster willing to take them to sea with him -as boy! And then--well, happily, the young seafarer soon develops a -wonderful capacity for patient endurance of evils not to be avoided, -and, if of the true grit, in time looks back upon his probationary -period of suffering as a training which he was glad to have endured. -And the older he grows the more complacently does he recall the -days when he learned to expect the blow first and the explanation -afterwards, learned to eat what he could get with an appetite like an -ostrich, could sleep in drenched clothing with a bare plank beneath -him, and find all his consolation in the fact that soon he would be -able to look down upon a newcomer with the lofty superiority of the -full-blown mariner. - -At the risk of being thought tedious, I must repeat that for the ship -boy, as for boys everywhere else in our favoured land, a brighter day -has dawned. Within the memory of middle-aged men a boy on board a ship -was the butt, the vicarious sacrifice to all the accumulated ill-temper -of the ship. To-day tales are told of the treatment of boys in -"Geordie" colliers that are enough to make the flesh creep to hear. In -those days it was the privilege of every man on board to ill-treat the -boy; and if, as very often happened, the poor little wretch died under -it--well, what of it?--it was only a boy. And the peculiar part of it -all was that the brutes who did these evil deeds prided themselves that -their actions were right and proper. There was only one way of training -a boy--with a rope's-end if it were handy; if not, a fist or a boot -would do, but he must be beaten. One man, whom I shall always remember, -as smart a seaman as ever trod a ship's deck, beat me until there was -not a square inch of my small body unbruised. Scarcely a watch passed -that I did not receive some token of his interest in my welfare, and -on two occasions he kicked me with such violence that, with all the -will in the world to obey his orders, I was perfectly helpless. My only -wonder is that he did not kill me. - -Yet when I left the ship he bade me quite an affectionate farewell, -bidding me remember how hard he had laboured for my benefit, that every -blow he had given me was solely aimed at making me more useful, and -fitting me for my duties. At the time I felt that he was lying, and -that his treatment of me was dictated by that savage lust of cruelty to -an unresisting victim that grows alarmingly with the yielding thereto, -and that had I only possessed the strength and courage to retaliate, -he would speedily have altered his mind. But now I do not know. I -feel that perhaps he _may_ have been sincere. Men were self-deceivers -ever; and there are few self-deceptions more common among mankind -than this--that cruelty is a splendid aid to education. But here let -me say that cruelty to boys was far more common among the officers -than the men. If a boy was willing and respectful and clean, it was -very seldom that he got beaten in the fo'c'sle. There was almost -always a certain amount of public spirit which made for justice where -half a dozen of even the roughest men were gathered together. I have -known one exception to this good rule--have experienced it in my own -person--where out of a whole crew of eight there was not one man enough -to protest against the daily practice of cruelty to me. More than that, -they encouraged a big boy, who was getting the same pay as myself, but -whose qualifications, except strength, were far inferior to mine, to -pummel me too. Such a gang I have never met with before or since, and -I am sure that the combination is uncommon. - -The majority of the boys going to sea to-day unapprenticed are drawn -from the training ships, those good schools for the boy who is said to -be unmanageable ashore. Coming from the wild and precarious life of the -streets into such a ship as the _Warspite_, _Arethusa_, or _Cornwall_, -is such a revelation to a boy, that for a little while he feels as if -the bottom had fallen out of his world. For the anarchical condition, -tempered by a salutary dread of the policeman, under which he has -been living, there are substituted law and order, cleanliness and -discipline; for regular short commons and dog-like snatching of sleep -come good food regularly eaten, regular sleep at set times, regular -play, and a sound prospect of benefits, very real indeed, for the -patient worker in well-doing. Here the boy is taught all the essentials -of seafaring except the actual going to sea, and in at least one -instance that practical want is supplied, in that a small square-rigged -vessel is kept, which, with selected boys for a crew, under the charge -of experienced seamen, plies up and down the river under sail. And it -may truly be said that a boy who has passed a couple of years under -such treatment as this is as well prepared for becoming a good seaman -as it is possible for a boy to be. - -But, strangely enough, the training is of very little real service to -the lads when they go to sea to earn their living. For at once they -find themselves under such conditions as they never before dreamed of. -In place of the perfect discipline and stringent rules to which they -have been accustomed, they find the greatest laxity prevailing. Rules -are almost non-existent. In the training ship each of them had his work -allotted to him. When the signal was given he knew just what to do, and -how to do it; and when it was done, he was done too. In the merchant -ship the rigging is different, the method is different, and instead -of his having any set duties, he is at everybody's beck and call, -given tasks to accomplish single-handed that he has been taught to do -man-of-war fashion--that is, with so many hands that the work was done -like magic, and in a few seconds a sail was furled or set, or a mast -was sent up or down. - -They cannot now keep themselves clean and smart-looking. For, in the -first place, they have little time allowed, and, in the next, there -is not much water (in sailing ships). No longer is it necessary that -they should present themselves at stated hours for inspection; no -longer is every movement of theirs regulated as if by clock-work. They -may be as slovenly, as dirty as they list, there is no one to enforce -upon them the keeping of the good rules they have so long been under; -and that principally because those who bear rule over them know that -such enforcement is impossible. So that the carefully instilled habits -of order, regularity, and cleanliness are broken down at once, and -in place of the smartly-clad, well-set-up youth who joined the ship, -there is presently seen a slouchy, shifty-eyed gamin, who is a profound -student of the art of "dodging Pompey," who gets the well-deserved -character from his shipmates of being "a young sailor, but a d---- old -soldier." There is a greater evil, if possible, than this impending. It -is that all the careful training of the lad shall presently be of no -avail whatever; because, mixing freely with the crew, he is sedulously -taught that the sea as a profession or calling is played out. "Why, -just look at it a minnit," says his mentor. "You've never got no time -to call yer own" (which is a lie, in an English ship, at any rate), -"yer everybody's dorg, yer fed wuss'n a pig, and what y' got t' look -forrward ter? T' die in the wukkus. 'Sides, 'n Englishman don't like -ter be mucked up all the time with a lot er foreigners in one of his -country ships. Why, they looks down on us now 'sif we wus a---- lot -of interlopers wot got no right to sail under owr own flag. 'N, after -all, wot are yer? Never nothin' but a dirty sailor all yer days. Nobody -'shore knows nothin' about yer; 'n don' care neither. Y' ain't got no -vote, y' ain't got no home, y'r jest a bit of wreckage. Quit it, me -son, 'n git a job ashore, where, if you're a bloomin' scavenger, you've -got yer pull on the vestrymin, because you've got a vote, an' if they -don't look after your interests, w'y, out they goes; see!" - -This is the kind of pernicious stuff (all the more dangerous because -of its half-truth) that the boy is regaled with, along with a great -deal more that cannot be reproduced, for reasons that need not be -given; and again I say, without fear of being hauled over the coals -for repetition, it is quite sufficient to account for the falling off -in the numbers of young British seamen. But I feel certain that some -such scheme as I have sketched out in the Apprentice chapters would -be efficacious in preventing this wholesale waste of good material. -From the lowest class of seamen up to the second mate (except in -the first-class liners) the evil to be battled with is the lack of -continuous employment. It does not admit of the sailor acquiring any -interest in his ship. Moreover, there is ever dangling before his eyes -the terror of being "outward bound"--those two fateful words that -convey such a mountain of meaning to every seafaring man. To be outward -bound means that he is ashore penniless, dependent upon the kindness -of a boarding-master for a little food; to prowl about the docks, -boarding ship after ship, in the remote chance of securing a berth, -and to meet with black looks everywhere; to be told continually that -he is a cumberer of the ground, a loafer, a fellow that might, if he -would, get a ship, but prefers instead to hang around maritime liquor -shops, keeping a keen look-out for homeward bounders who will treat -him, instead of being, as he really is in nearly every case, feverishly -anxious to get back to sea again: these are some of the greatest -drawbacks to a deep-water sailor's career. - -And they tell with tremendous force against the boy. Friendless and -homeless in many cases, or with parents so poor that they can do -nothing to help him, earning such small wages that he can hardly -purchase necessary clothing, much less pay for board and lodging, and -with all a boy's natural carelessness, he is sorely tempted to take -the first job that comes in his way, and quit the sea altogether as a -means of livelihood. If he does so, even though the new employment may -only last for a few months, he will hardly go to sea again. And no one -knowing the peculiar difficulties of his lot will be able to blame him. - -I have often wished that it were possible to make lads who at school -chatter so glibly about "running away to sea," understand how -impossible it is to do any such thing nowadays, except, indeed, in -such vessels as are the last resort of the unfortunate. Even after -I had been at sea for a couple of years I found it difficult to get -a ship, on account of the competition of the training-ship lads, -who, with their well-replenished outfits and sturdy appearance--to -say nothing of the persistence of the agent charged with the duty -of getting them shipped--were readily accepted by skippers, to the -exclusion of outsiders. The "unfortunate" vessels of which I speak are -those small sailing craft which still drag out a precarious existence -in competition with steam. They may be seen in all our smaller ports, -often lying disconsolately upon mud-banks at ebb-tide, or, looking -woefully out of place, at some wharf belonging to a seaside place like -Margate or Ramsgate. Oh, so dirty, so miserable they look! They only -carry such rough cargoes as it does not pay to put in steam, and, in -consequence, their freight-earning capacity is very low. That, again, -reacts upon the equipment. Worn-out gear, wretched food, and not enough -men or boys to do the heavy work, they provide a hard school for the -young seaman. In them may still be found lingering some of the bad -traditions of half a century ago. - -Yet among even these poor relations of the sea may be found varieties -of grade. The great majority of them are coasters--that is to say, -they do not leave the vicinity of our shores except for ports just -across the Channel. In these, though the conditions of life are hard -for a boy, who usually does the cooking (?) at an open stove on deck, -the food, if coarse, is much better than it is on vessels of the same -kind going "deep water." There no relief can be found for months, while -in the home trade it is but a few days from port to port, so that the -ill-used or aggrieved youngster has but to step ashore and be off. And -under the peculiar slipshod method of engagement and discharge in these -vessels there is little danger to the deserter. - -In my day there used to be regular houses of call for men and boys -shipping in such vessels in London. One public-house of the kind I knew -well, having, when very young, spent many a weary hour in its dingy -tap-room waiting for a chance of shipment. To it used to come burly -skippers clad in pilot-cloth, with blue jerseys in lieu of vests, and -fur caps. They sought first a stout, well-spoken man, who was always -hanging about there from ten till six, and told him their requirements. -He knew what men and boys were available, and where to find them--in -the tap-room or just at the door. He introduced master to man, and -the first preliminary was always to feel the applicants' hands. If -they were horny enough to satisfy the skipper that their possessor -had not been too long out of work, a few questions ensued relative to -wages, destination, etc. There was seldom any difficulty raised by -the sailors. Poor fellows, by the time they had got to waiting at the -King's Head or Arms, they were in no mood for haggling, and in this -way wages were often cut down very low for men, while I have seen boys -going for five shillings a month. When the bargain was made, a handsel -of a shilling was given to the sailor. Whether he gave the agent -anything I never knew, for although I waited there a long time--some -three months off and on--I never got a ship or a barge there. Of course -the skipper paid something to the agent, who looked fat and prosperous; -but beyond the shillings I never saw any money change hands. And that -money was always spent forthwith in the same manner--it was like -performing a mystic rite. Two pots of four ale and two half-ounces of -shag were purchased at the bar, and all the waiting hands, without -being invited, stepped up and partook. It looked so strange to me, I -remember, for many of the poor fellows looked as if a meal would have -done them so much more good. - -There were never lacking participants, either. No matter if the -tap-room was quite deserted by candidates when the bargain was -concluded, the appearance of the beer and tobacco always found them -present--drawn thither, I suppose, by some mysterious influence. -Another peculiar thing about that place was that men with money did -not frequent it--sailor men, that is to say. It had its own customers -among the workers of Thames Street, but they never intruded upon the -apartment sacred to the shipping interest. - -It was all very sordid and pitiful, a side path of seafaring that must -have lent itself to many abuses, through which many a poor misguided -lad got away to sea, and found no place for repentance until too late. -I have only mentioned it here, because in speaking of the boy I am -painfully reminded of the great number of miserable little sea-drudges -who are still to be found in these vessels, leading the hardest of -lives, and uncared for by any one. They are worthy of all sympathy, -being so helpless, so unable to raise themselves. Their environment is -as bad as it can well be, for, whether ashore or afloat, the company -they are in is usually of a very bad kind. Now and then, of course, -such a vessel will have a good, steady seaman, who has an interest in -her, for a skipper. A man like that will often carry his wife, and will -endeavour to keep a respectable crew with him voyage after voyage. And -as likely as not he will take an interest in the boy, and try to make -something of him. - -Here, as far as the sailor _personnel_ of merchant ships is concerned, -my task ends. Several times during its performance I have felt that -perhaps I should have done better to begin with the boy and end with -the skipper, as being the more natural way. But I hope that what I have -done, as well as the way in which it has been done, will be acceptable -to shore-folks, for whom it is written. Sailors do not require any -information of the kind. - -And now for a few words on behalf of the men of iron who toil below. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. - -THE ENGINEER. - - -These concluding chapters should be written by an engineer; for no -sailor, whatever his position may have been, is fully competent to -judge of the work performed by the handlers of marine engines. Much -less is he able to appreciate the position of those toiling helots of -civilization, the firemen and trimmers. The benefits of steam are vast -and undeniable; but it is not good to forget that the service of steam -to-day means a truly awful burden of labour and risk laid upon a large -army of civilized men. I believe I shall carry with me the assent of -every one who knows anything about the facts when I say that of all -modern occupations there is not one so terribly exhausting, so full of -peril, as that of the servants of the marine engine at work. The marvel -of marvels to me is that men can be found to undertake the task so -readily. And if this be true of the Merchant Service, as I hold it is, -plain unvarnished truth, it is doubly true of the same work, or what -answers to the same description of work, in the Royal Navy. For there -the manifold complications of ship-propelling machinery are immensely -more intricate, the conditions under which the men labour are far more -arduous, and, in addition, there is always the fighting risk superadded. - -But I must not stray into the fighting line of engineering--I have -said, perhaps, more than enough on that subject recently. Nevertheless, -I honestly believe that I have only been able to put in the tamest -and most colourless way what I feel about these men. When I say that -such a chapter as this should be written by an engineer, I mean that -only an expert in the wonderful profession can fully appreciate the -difficulties and dangers thereof. Outsiders may, as I do, admire and -wonder, but we cannot fully enter into these things as an engineer can. -The country badly needs a writer on engineering matters who knows his -business thoroughly, and at the same time is able to tell the people -who don't know, what marine engineering means. No amount of sympathy -and admiration can make up for lack of expert knowledge, yet, as far -as it is possible, I feel constrained to draw the attention of my -countrymen to the work of the men who, far below the water-line, amid -the clanging chorus of their gigantic slaves, bend watchful brows to -their mighty task; who for the four hours of their watch on deck (see -how the sailor crops up), no, their watch below at work, know not -one moment's respite. Vigilance unremitting is theirs; the price of -effective manipulation must be paid, for no eastern Afrit was ever more -jealous of the power over him held by the enunciator of the master-word -than is the high-pressure marine engine of the governance of the -engineer. - -The casual observer, glancing down into the engine-room of a sea-going -steamer, is apt to imagine that the men who wait upon the engines have -an easy time of it. He is inclined to think that once the engines are -started--"full speed ahead" sounded--watch after watch need only sit -and look at them doing their work. Nothing could well be more false, -while nothing is more natural. For engineers, like the best workmen -everywhere and of every sort, make no fuss about their work. Quietly, -without ostentation, they tend their engines, their trained ears noting -the faintest change of tone in the uproar which sounds so chaotic -to the ear of the outsider. Every single part of those engines, the -amount of strain that it is bearing, the need for nursing, lubricating, -watching that it has, is in the mind of that quiet, nonchalant man -who steps cat-like into the thick of the flying steel cranks, and -accommodating his movements to the swing of the thrusting shafts, feels -their temperature, the amount of lubricant they are carrying, and -regains his perforated platform with an air of indifference as if he -had merely looked over the side on deck, instead of having been on the -most intimate terms with an unspeakable form of death. - -Perhaps the most noticeable feature about the marine engineer in the -Merchant Service is the high respect in which he is held by every -one. The merchant seaman instinctively recognizes in him a man whose -attainments are not merely theoretical, but eminently practical. -Every merchant seaman realizes that with the engineer has arrived a -new stamp of seafarer, whose stern stress of duty cuts him off from -those enjoyments common to all seamen. For him there is no meditative -contemplation of the glories of the tropical night, when in the midst -of the mighty solitudes of the untainted ocean man draws near to the -great heart of Nature, feels himself akin to the stars and the wind and -the waves; no heart-uplifting view of the apocalyptic splendours of the -dawn, when the grey shadow of night melts away before the palpitating -glow of the approaching sun; no speechless delight in the indescribable -panorama sweeping past when the swift ship skirts closely the wonders -of many shores. - -At such times the engineer and his crew, deep in the bowels of the -ship, are shut in from all sights and sounds and perfumes save those -of the engine-room and stokehold, which are akin to those of Tartarus. -And when through the swart night the vessel plunges madly athwart -the raging seas, remorselessly driven against the combined forces of -wind and wave and current, the engineer works on, all depending upon -him. Then do his anxieties enormously increase, as at one moment the -whirling blades of the propeller are buried deep beneath the surface -and their thrust vibrates through every fibre and rivet of the ship, -and the next by a downward plunge of the vessel's head they are lifted -into the air, spinning madly with a frightful acceleration of speed on -their release from the element in which they have been toiling. Then, -see the engineer erect upon his iron platform, facing his Titanic -charges, throttle-valve in hand, and steady eye fixed upon index -glasses; every sense on the alert, muscles tense to shut off the supply -of force sooner than the "governor" can act, so that the engines shall -not be torn from their foundations by the fearful strain imposed upon -them by the sudden taking away of their work while the driving steam is -still bursting in through the main feed and slide-valves. - -No other engineering in the world can for one moment compare in vital -importance with this. The conditions are so onerous, the complications -are so many, the need for watchfulness is so great, that a new race -of men has been bred to compete with them. The engineer ashore may, -and does, have all his repairs done by other people; the engineer at -sea must, in the very nature of things, be not only the prince of -engine-drivers, whose care of his charge, under the most severe tests, -not applied occasionally but continuously, is beyond all praise, -but he must be ready at any moment by day or night to undertake the -most radical repairs. With improvised adjuncts he must undertake on -the instant to do such things with masses of steel that if they were -described would sound impossible except to the large room and full -equipment of a first-class factory ashore. Not only so, but the work -must be done under conditions of heat, imperfect lighting, and cramped -space that render the duty enormously more difficult. - -Yes, it _must_ be done, because if not----? Well, they have taken away -the steamship's masts, so that the sailor, even with the best ability -and good-will in the world, can hardly get steerage way on the vessel -by means of sails, and then there is a great ship, perhaps with an -immense perishable cargo and a large number of passengers, lying like -a log upon the ocean, at the mercy of currents that are most likely -to be drifting her away out of the track of ships, away into the ocean -solitudes that are to-day, owing to the method of following beaten -tracks which is so universally pursued, more solitary than they have -been for centuries. - -The performance of duties like these calls for the highest qualities -of mind and muscle ever possessed by men. The forces dealt with are -so terrific, the dangers so great, that a weak man could not so much -as face them, much less perform the wonderful pieces of work that are -necessary in opposition to them. Occasionally a curt paragraph appears -in the shipping papers, conveying to underwriters and owners the -information that the steamship _So-and-so_, long overdue, has arrived, -her broken-down machinery having been repaired by the engineer. Beneath -that brief intimation lies a volume of tragic story--the dauntless -conflict of man with fire, steam, and steel, and his final triumph over -them. But these stories are never told as they ought to be. Some day, -perhaps, an engineer-writer will step forth and unfold to an admiring -world the Iliad of the engine-room. May I live to read it. - -For the evolution of a marine engineer, it is first of all necessary -that he serve his apprenticeship in a "shop" where marine engines are -made. This is essential, and a moment's consideration will convince any -one that it must be so. Then, having mastered all the details of engine -construction, if the aspirant has a desire for the sea, he will, in -some way, of which I do not pretend to understand the details, obtain -a subordinate position in an engine-room of some sea-going steamship. -Here will he become conversant with the duties expected of him as an -engineer-in-charge, and will, moreover, devote all his spare time to -scientific study, in order that he may be fit to pass his examination -in theoretical engineering. And if he shows himself worthy of the -position, there will be little doubt that, having passed the required -examination before the Board of Trade officials appointed for that -purpose, and received his second engineer's certificate, he will find -little difficulty in getting a berth as junior engineer. His foot once -upon the ladder, the ascent is easy. There is only one more examination -to pass compulsorily, that of chief engineer, although there is, as in -the seafaring branch, a voluntary examination which all self-respecting -engineers will take, "Chief Engineer Extra." Now he may rise to be -chief engineer of the _Oceanic_ or the _Lucania_, with twenty or thirty -engineers under him, and a whole host of firemen and trimmers. - -It would ill become a mere sailor like myself to say anything about -the polity of the engine-room, even if I had ever been in a position -to study it. No doubt there are occasional hitches, instances of petty -tyranny, of jealousies, of hindrances to getting on, since, with all -their virtues, engineers are but human. But I do not know. I know -that, except in the way of official routine, such as the control of -the engines from the bridge, the officer of the watch has nothing to -do with the engineer at all. The chief engineer is responsible to the -master, and to him alone. Only the master can punish, and all cases of -insubordination, etc., among the "black gang" must be reported to him. -The master is in supreme command, and knows quite well what is due to -the engineer. More, he seldom fails to grant him his full due. But I -should be sorry to sail in any steamships where the officers took upon -themselves to meddle with engineering matters. There would be much -unpleasantness, from which the officers would suffer most. In brief, -the engineer's importance is recognized. - -They live, too, in a little world of their own. They have their -mess-room, with a steward to wait upon them, and the best food the ship -can supply. Their accommodation, too, is good, and their pay--well, it -varies much with the class of ship, but, taken all round, it is much -better than the officers'. _And they are British to a man._ I would -not give much for the peace of a foreign engineer who by any chance -found himself in a British ship's engine-room. The engineers in this -respect enjoy peculiar advantages. Some people begrudge them their -unique position in the seafaring world, and profess to see danger ahead -because of it. I do not. I confess that my feeling with regard to the -engineer is that, remembering the awful stress of his duties, the way -in which he is not only cut off from home delights, like the sailor, -but is also debarred from participation in the real joys of the sea, he -deserves every advantage in pay, position, and prospects that he can -obtain. - -The unique position he holds among seafarers of which I speak is, -that he is in close touch with powerful Trade Unions ashore. Since -every engineer must learn his business ashore before going to sea, he -becomes a member of the hierarchy of mechanical workers. Let him go -to sea for never so many years, he must remember the workshop where -he received his training; he has numbers of associates and relatives -who are still working ashore, and who, in safeguarding their own -interests in parliamentary ways, are all unlikely to forget him. They -are his proxies, can speak for him, can use their votes on his behalf. -Presently we shall find this great organization having something to -say about the prototype of the Mercantile Marine engineer in the Navy, -the engine-room artificer. The Admiralty, in their wisdom, have chosen -to train up the naval engineer officer themselves, so that he shall be -free from the influence of the workshop, shall become a class apart -from and above the mechanical engineer. But in the doing of this they -have been compelled to build up another corps to do the work. They are -known in the Navy as E.R.A.'s (Engine Room Artificers), and it may -be said, without any fear of contradiction, that they are, as far as -ability and experience go, always the equals, and often the superiors, -of the merchant engineer. Indeed, their period of service and the -knowledge required of them before they can become Chief E.R.A.'s in the -Navy is much greater than the Board of Trade require for the granting -of engineers' certificates for the Mercantile Marine. - -Then comes the great anomaly--the immense gulf that divides the two -classes of men. As I have said, the merchant-ship engineer knows no -superior on board the ship except the master. He deserves the best -treatment, the best pay, and the greatest respect; and he gets them. -His work cannot be made lighter, it must always be full of danger and -toil, but all that can be done by way of mitigation of these onerous -conditions is done. On the other hand, the E.R.A. in the Navy is a -nobody. His pay is trivial compared with his congener in a merchant -ship, he gets no respect from anybody, the youngest officer in the -ship is his despot, whom to answer back means degradation and loss -of pension, and he is berthed and fed much as a fireman is on board -a merchant steamer; so that he continually smarts under a sense of -injustice, and looks with longing and envious eyes upon his chums who, -wiser than he, have gone into the Merchant Service. More than that, he -knows full well that there are no reserves of E.R.A.'s, there are not -nearly enough of them to man properly the ships that are now afloat; in -case of an outbreak of war with a European Power, huge bribes would be -offered to merchant-ship engineers to come and help in the Navy; knows, -too, that not one of them would come without being rated as an officer, -and receiving all the deference due to an officer in her Majesty's -service. And so he may find himself, after years of the most arduous -experience, ruled by a nephew who was a babe in arms when he served his -time, who has all his life been engaged in one steady occupation on the -same kind of engines, never hurried, never bullied, and probably with a -sea experience of one-third of his uncle's, the E.R.A. - -Therefore, because of these reflections and this knowledge, the E.R.A. -is continually warning youngsters from the home shops not to enter the -Navy by any means. The Merchant Service is the place for them if they -want to be treated properly; the Navy is a place where they will never -be anything else but a "dirty Tiffy," looked down upon by the youngest -blue-jacket, and liable to be docked of many years' hard-earned pension -for pointing out a mistake to an officer who, instead of accepting -expert information gratefully, reports them for insolence. - -I trust that these remarks about the E.R.A.'s may not be considered -malapropos, remembering the great importance of the subject; -remembering, too, that in the engineer of to-day we have not a mere -mechanic, a man with no thought beyond his day's work and the receipt -of his wages. I am afraid that the importance of the engineer, -especially at sea, is insufficiently recognized by non-engineers. Every -class of the community is benefited by the work of the engineer, and in -modern sea-traffic he is, as Kipling has finely said, the kingpin of -the ship. He cheerfully takes upon himself a burden of toil and danger -such as the ancient world never knew--takes it, too, with the full -consciousness of what he is doing; holds himself ready at any time to -sacrifice his body for the safety of those whom he is serving,--and the -least we who are thus served can do, is to recognize his value to the -full. - -For my part, I look upon the modern marine engineer as the true -nineteenth-century hero. Some day I hope that a roll of honour will be -drawn up, giving a list of heroic deeds performed by engineers out of -sight, unostentatiously, just as a part of their duty. It would be -an inspiring record; and from no source would more details be drawn -than from the engine-rooms in the Navy, where, as has been abundantly -proved, the engineer is thought but little of; so little, indeed, that -all his efforts to obtain some meed of official recognition are at -present in vain. Good for us that this does not obtain in the Merchant -Service. There the engineer is estimated by his shipmates at his proper -worth. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. - -THE FIREMAN AND TRIMMER. - - -It is a standing mystery to me however men can be found who are -willing to become the firemen of marine boilers. Use dulls the edge of -apprehension, of course, and in time the mind refuses to be impressed -by the sense of imminent danger. Whether on the battle-field or in -the stokehold this is so; but apart altogether from that, the nature -of the work is such that I always wonder what the state of a man's -mind can be who is willing to undertake it, or who, having undertaken -it, remains in such a business. The engine-room of a large steamship -is a terrible place, with its infinite suggestions of incalculable -forces exerting themselves in orderly ways under the steady control -and guidance of man; but there is a sense of exultation, of high -satisfaction, in the realization of their own powers that goes a long -way towards compensating the engineers for the dangers they confront, -the discomforts they undergo; and where, as in the Mercantile Marine, -their high abilities and undaunted courage are fully recognized, their -treatment in pay and provisioning and accommodation as good as can -be got, they have also something which atones for a great deal of -physical suffering. Yes; I can understand a man choosing to become -a marine engineer. But a fireman! The very thought of such a life is -terrifying. The sailor in his watch on deck at night is seldom called -upon to do anything but stand quietly at the helm or on the look-out. -If he be a man of any observation, he may hold sweet communion with -Nature, may meditate in the sweetest solitude in the world, gazing out -upon the ever-beautiful face of the deep. In any case he may smoke, or -doze undisturbed by any call to duty, except some shift of wind calling -for trimming or setting sail. It is a pleasant mellow time for the -sailor, the night watch at sea. - -The fireman is called with the sailor at eight bells. Hastily putting -on his shirt, trousers, and boots, he descends by many iron ladders -past grim walls of iron that glow with fervent heat, and give out a -vibrant hum, telling of the pent-up power within. Down, down he goes, -until at last he stands upon an iron floor slightly raised above the -very bottom of the vessel. Over his head there is a circular opening, -down which comes a steady draught of cool air--that is, if the ship be -in regions where the temperature will allow of the air being cool. At -any rate, this air is fresh. It is conducted below by the intervention -of those huge bell-mouthed ventilators, which are so prominent a -feature of every steamship's deck equipment. In front of him towers the -face of the boiler, that now claims him as its slave for four hours. -It is ornamented by divers strange-looking taps and gauges and tubes, -with the use of which he must be familiar. And it has a voice, an -utterance that, while not loud, is so penetrating that soon it seems to -a novice as if it were reverberating within his skull. It is the speech -of imprisoned steam that finds no outlet by any channel except the one -provided for it, the complaint of the awful giant who is rending at -every square inch of his prison walls in the one supreme, never-ceasing -effort to escape. It is utterly disregarded by the fireman: doubtful, -indeed, whether he even hears it, or is in any way conscious of it, for -it is more to be felt by the whole of the nerve centres than merely -through the ears. His concern is with the three vast throats that -occupy the lower third of the boiler. And there is no time to be lost. -Seizing a shovel, he lifts with it the latch of one of the doors, and -flings it wide open with a clang. The ship may be rolling furiously, -tumbling to and fro with that peculiarly disconcerting motion that -seems to a landsman the subversion of all principles of uprightness, -but he must balance himself somehow. With legs spread wide apart, he -stands upon that slippery iron floor, stoops, and peers within at the -roaring cavern of almost white-hot coals. His trained eye can see just -how they are burning; where clinkers are forming, whether perfect -combustion is going on, or certain expert manipulation is necessary in -order to make it do so. If all is satisfactory he shifts his position -slightly sideways, so that he can swing his shovel on one side to the -bunker door, at the sill of which a heap of coal is lying, fill it, -and then, with a peculiar stroke, send its contents broadcast over -the lambent surface of the furnace bed. The mere shovelling of coals -into a fire has no relation to the careful, intelligent stoking -of a steamship's furnaces, as engineers are never weary of saying. -There is as much difference between a good fireman and an incompetent -one--although the latter may work far harder than the former--as there -is between a good and bad carpenter, or any other skilled worker. - -When I was lamp-trimmer in the A.S.N. Company's employ on the -Australian coast I was shipmate with an old Scotch fireman whose -invariable practice it was to get most methodically drunk every time -we left port. So drunk did he always become, that he could not stand, -much less walk. But, crawling to the fidley, sometimes on hands and -knees, he would somehow get down into the stokehold when his turn came, -and there, balancing himself in some mysterious fashion, he would feed -his fires. No sooner had he slammed to the furnace door than he would -collapse, his legs bending every which way, as if they had been made of -india-rubber. Yet the chief engineer used to declare that Andra could -keep steam better drunk than any other fireman in the ship could sober. -I have known him after a watch of firing to be still so drunk that -he could not climb on deck, but lay huddled up in one corner of the -stokehold like a heap of rags, utterly oblivious of the work going on -around him. - -It must, however, be remembered that pitching coal into the furnace, -though it is the principal work of a fireman, does not by any means -complete his work. After he has been "firing" for a certain length of -time he perceives the necessity for "cleaning fires." He has been -carefully raking and poking his fires at intervals so that no clogging -of the bars shall hinder the free upward draught, and this operation, -performed with long tools called a slice, a rake, and a devil, is -very severe. The operator must stand very close to the furnace mouth -and peer within at the fervent glow, while he searches the vitals of -his fire as quickly and deftly as may be, lest the tell-tale gauge -shall reveal to the watchful engineer that the pressure of steam is -lessening, bringing him into the stokehold on the run to know what the -all-sorts-of-unprintable-words that particular fireman is doing. But -this is only the merest child'splay to cleaning fires. When that time -comes the other furnace or furnaces (each fireman has two or three -under his charge) must be at the top of their blast, doing their very -utmost. Then the fireman flings wide the door of the furnace to be -cleaned, plunges his tools into the heart of the fire, and thrusts, -rakes, and slices, until he presently, half roasted, drags out on to -the stokehold floor a mass of clinker. This sends out such a fierce -upward heat that it must needs be damped down, the process being -accompanied by clouds of suffocating steam-smoke. But there is no time -to be lost. Again and again he dives into the heart of the furnace, -each time purging it of some of the deadening clinker, until, at -last, with smarting eyeballs, half choked, half roasted, and wholly -exhausted for the time, he flings a shovelful or so of coal upon the -now comparatively feeble fire, and retires to call up his reserve of -strength. - -And this work, of course, must go on continuously, no matter how -the vessel is behaving, even if, as often happens, there descends -occasionally from on high a flood of sea-water as waves break right -over the labouring ship. The fireman must, to be efficient, nurse -his fires, keep them clean, and hand them over to his successor in -first-class going order, with the steam up to its ordered pressure; and -failure to do this is provocative of bad language and much ill-feeling. -Surely it hardly needs pressing upon the reader that such an occupation -involves a truly awful strain upon the human animal, especially in -tropical climates. The amount of strain has been officially recognized -in the arrangement of firemen's watches. Instead of getting four hours -on and four hours off, as do the sailors, they have four hours on -and eight hours off, so that the exhausted frame may be able in some -measure to recuperate. And in addition, wherever it is possible to do -so, they get somewhat better food. I do not know certainly whether the -institution is general, but I have been in several steamers where, at -supper time, the firemen received a mess from the galley called the -"black pot." It consisted of the remains of the saloon passengers' -fare, sometimes made into a savoury stew, sometimes simply of itself, -according to its component parts. But it was looked upon as the -firemen's right, and no sailor ever participated in its contents. - -It has probably occurred to the reader before this to ask the question, -"How, if the fireman is so hard-worked in the stokehold and the space -there be so limited, does he manage to get at the truly enormous -quantity of coal that must be required to feed those devouring -furnaces?" The explanation of this brings us to the lowest deep of all -on board-ship life to-day. The providing of the coal for the use of -the firemen is the duty of the "trimmer," the nature of whose work is -so terrible that he should receive the sympathy of every kindly man -and woman whom he serves. The coal is kept in vast magazines called -bunkers, giving on to the stokeholds by means of watertight doors. In -merchant ships these bunkers are placed so as to be most convenient -for the transmission of coal to the stokeholds, and are as little -subdivided as possible. What their capacity is may be imagined from the -fact that some ships require three thousand tons of coal for a single -passage, it being consumed at the rate of between twenty and thirty -tons per hour! At the commencement of the passage the trimmer's work -is comparatively easy. The coal lies near the outlet, and by a little -skilful manipulation it is made to run out upon the stokehold floor -handy for the fireman's shovelling. But as the consumption goes on, and -the "face" of the coal recedes from the bulkhead, the trimmer's work -grows rapidly more heavy. His labour knows no respite as he struggles -to keep the fireman's needs supplied. And there is no ventilator -pouring down fresh air into the bunker. In darkness, only punctuated -by the dim light of a safety-lamp, in an atmosphere composed of the -exhalations from the coal and a modicum of dust-laden air, liable at -any moment to be overwhelmed by the down-rushing masses of coal as the -ship's motion displaces it, the grimy, sweat-soaked man works on. By -comparison with him the coal-hewer in the mine has a gentleman's life. -Darkness and danger and want of breath are his inevitable environment. -What wonder is it that he becomes a hard citizen? The fact is that -no man with longings for decent life would or could remain in such -employment. Only those who by carelessness and disregard of all that -for the majority of us makes life worth living stay in it, and enable -the ocean traffic of to-day to go on. - -It is absolutely impossible to exaggerate the miseries of such a mode -of life, made necessary by the imperious demand for swift travel. Yet, -severe as is the lot of the coal-trimmer in an ocean liner, it again -is comparatively easy when compared with the lot of the second-class -stoker in her Majesty's Navy. For him another set of conditions comes -into play. The necessity for using the coal as a means of protection -from shot and shell leads to the bunkers being subdivided into a -host of "pockets" holding but a few tons and communicating with each -other deviously. The work of getting the coal passed from one to the -other of these is far worse than anything of the kind in the Merchant -Service, as much worse as is the firing under forced draught for a -Belleville boiler than the steady supply of fuel to a well-equipped, -natural-draught stokehold of any of our great merchant steamships, -where Belleville boilers, thank God, will never be used. And, coming -deeper still, there is the firing and trimming of a "destroyer." That -occupation defies any attempt to describe it. No words could give an -adequately forceful idea of what the firemen, trimmers, and E.R.A.'s -must endure in order that a vessel no larger than an above-bridge -steamer shall be driven by engines of five thousand horse-power at the -rate of thirty miles per hour. We do not seem to have reached finality -yet in this direction; but I should think that since human endurance -has its limits, there must of necessity be a halt soon from the utter -impossibility of finding human beings able to live and work under such -awful conditions. When you find the long quivering hull of a destroyer, -only a plate of steel not much thicker than a crown piece keeping out -the sea, packed full of boilers, whizzing machinery, and coal, the tiny -air space left containing something, of which one inhalation would -make you or me, reader, feel as if we had been suddenly strangled, and -the heat greater than one would find in the hottest room of a Turkish -bath, it seems time to consider whether there can be any justification -in compelling our fellow creatures, whom the need for bread has driven -to accept such employment, to endure imprisonment like that, let alone -_work_ in it. - -It is somewhat comforting to know that the exigencies of peaceful -travel, severe as they are undoubtedly, do not require such suffering -as that from their servants. Of course there are times, such as upon -the outbreak of fire or the sudden springing of a leak, when the -toilers below are literally between the devil and the deep sea. Also -in the case of a boiler explosion or a sudden breakdown of machinery -in full career, when the danger and attendant suffering are very -great. But then, we all have to face dangers at times in burning -houses, railway accidents, and so on, which come so seldom that we do -not lose any sleep in anticipating them. Therefore we do not reckon -the possibilities of calamity among the drawbacks to a fireman's or -trimmer's business. It is the steady stress of such conditions of -labour which is to be deplored. - -Before the black watch below can be relieved there is always a duty -to be performed that makes no unfitting climax to the preceding tale -of toil. It is "ashes up." Some steamers have been fitted with a -contrivance for obviating this piece of hard work--the fitting of a -sort of valve in the ship's side or bottom through which the ashes -and _débris_ of the fire can be blown into the sea. These, however, -are few. The usual way is for the ashes to be filled into long iron -buckets, just as much as a strong man can lift when full, down in the -stokehold. Some of the trimmers go on deck (how sweet the sea air -is after their long sojourn below!), and sliding open a door in the -tube of one of the ventilators, discover there a winch. The chain of -this winch runs down into the stokehold, where it is hooked on to -the ash-bucket. The trimmers on deck heave away with all their might -(for when their task is ended they may go below), and when the bucket -reaches them, they snatch it and carry it to the ash-shoot, where they -dump its contents overboard. In some very well-found ships there is a -small steam-winch for doing this work, but usually it is performed as -described, and a heavy piece of business it is, involving the raising -of several tons of ashes from the bottom of the ship. - -Here I must leave the fireman and trimmer. I hope that engineers -and their crews will forgive me, being a sailor, for having had the -hardihood to say anything about them at all. They know very well the -prejudice that even now exists against them in the minds of most -sailors, and they will probably look closely into what I have written -for some sign of sneering depreciation. But they will not find it. My -sympathies are most fully with them. My admiration for them is great. -And I think that as regards the firemen and trimmers, that their work -in tropical seas is so utterly unfit for white men to do that, in spite -of the hardship attendant upon loss of employment at first, it would be -a good thing if stokeholds were entirely manned by negroes, who, from -their constitutional experience of heat, must be far better fitted to -endure the conditions of the stokehold. Many southern-going ships carry -them now. I should not be sorry to see them the rule, and my countrymen -doing something better. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. - -CONCLUSION. - - -And now, approaching the conclusion of the whole matter, the end of -what I feel to have been an important task, while the way in which it -has been performed is an open question, I ask myself, "What is likely -to be the effect of this book upon the minds of those for whom it -has been written? Will they think that the British Mercantile Marine -is a profession which they should exert all their influence to keep -their young friends and relatives out of, or will they feel, as I do, -that, in spite of all its obvious drawbacks, it should be by no means -neglected as an opening for enterprising adventurous youngsters, the -right stuff of which British sailors are made?" - -I have been compelled, in truth, to say many hard things of the -Merchant Service, but there is such a thing as speaking the truth in -love. And as I love the Merchant Service with all my heart, and desire -most earnestly to see it flourish and prosper more and more, I am the -more anxious that nothing I have said will be taken as spoken in a -carping or pessimistic spirit. I want to see the Mercantile Marine -purged of the foreigner, not because I hate the foreigner of any -nation, but because this peculiarly and particularly maritime nation -of ours cannot afford, in the face of the undoubted hatred manifested -towards it by practically every continental people, to allow the -life of its citizens to be dependent upon the good-will of aliens. -In spite of what not only continental writers, but many of our own -scribes, may and do say about our unctuous hypocrisy, there can be no -doubt that the chief characteristic of the British nation to-day is -its careless magnanimity. Warned by innumerable writers of the risks -we wilfully expose ourselves to, we go on with a good-natured shrug -of the shoulders in the same reckless fashion. We welcome, as if we -were in a new colony with millions of acres undeveloped, with all our -resources at their spring-tide, a continuous flood of aliens to our -shores and in our ships. We not only give them all the advantages we -ourselves possess, but actually strain a point, wherever possible, in -their favour. Finding no reciprocity anywhere, no feeling of kindliness -for all our generous treatment of aliens, we are unmoved, nor is our -policy, or want of policy, altered. And this grand air of indifference, -which is not assumed, but real, is to the last degree galling to our -continental neighbours. Their attitude becomes daily more difficult -to understand. Rejoicing to see how we are, as they firmly believe, -exposing all our most vital, most vulnerable points to their attack, -both in matters of war and peace, they are yet almost frantic with rage -at what they are pleased to call our abominable insular insolence, our -refusal to be frightened of them. I do not pretend to justify our -insouciant attitude, I only note its universal presence. - -In the matter of our Mercantile Marine, I feel sure that we are heaping -up for ourselves a most awful mountain of disaster in the way in which -we are allowing it to become really a foreign service. One thing we -could do, and should do at once--apply the same rule to the Merchant -Service that is in force in the Royal Navy. There no alien, unless he -has become naturalized, can hold any post whatever. It sounds a small -reform; but it would have, I am sure, the most far-reaching effects. -At present it is quite possible--indeed, it will be found actually -the case in some instances--for a British ship to be wholly manned -by foreigners, from the master to the boy--sailing ships, that is. -Foreigners in steam are mostly confined to the crew; and, as I have -said before, I know of no instance where foreign engineers are employed -in our ships at all. Because, in the first place, they, our home-bred -engineers, are the best in the world; and, secondly, because they have -behind them the support of a great Trade Union, that--although I do -not suppose many sea-going engineers are active members of it--would -speedily make its voice heard and its influence felt, if any attempt -was made to bring in foreign engineers. - -For reasons which I hope I have made abundantly clear in the preceding -pages, such support cannot be found for the seaman--that is, for the -foremast hand. But the officers might do much more than they are -doing. There are several societies for the mutual help and defence -of Mercantile Marine officers, some doing excellent work, others -doing scarcely anything at all. I will not particularize, for that -would do no good. I will merely say that if all these societies -would amalgamate, would all pull together and enlist the sympathy -and active support of shipmasters and officers, retired as well, -they would be a body extremely powerful in their influence on behalf -of the best interests of their profession. Such a body, composed of -serious-thinking, well-informed, and trustworthy men in full touch -with the subject, could do more in one year for the upraising and -nationalizing of the Merchant Service than will ever be done by -isolated efforts, however earnest. For their own sakes they would not -neglect the foremast hand; in the best interests of the service they -could not. Even by the present local efforts of some of these societies -much good has been done, enough to show what might be done were they -all united. - -As to the ships themselves, perhaps enough has been said already to -indicate the transition stage through which we are passing. For while -it is undoubtedly true that the sailing ship is doomed to extinction in -the near future, at the present day there is still an enormous amount -of sailing tonnage afloat. Thousands of good seaworthy sailing ships -still come and go between distant shores, doing good work, not only -in earning profits for their owners, but in rearing sailors for the -British Mercantile Marine. But we are not building any more to replace -them. We have come to the conclusion that the future of sea-traffic is -to the steamer. Doubtless many ship-owners, in the present abnormally -inflated state of the coal market, are sighing over the fact that they -are so dependent upon the black dirty stuff for the due working of -their ships, and vainly wishing for the days to return when the clean -free winds furnished all the motive power needed. But we cannot go back -again to sail. Even the Norwegian timber droghers are taking to steam, -and that is a portent indeed. It is the beginning of the end. The end -will come, for all sailing ships still making long voyages, with the -opening of the Panama Canal. Then, at one fell swoop, the 'Frisco trade -in grain, the South American trade in nitrate, will pass into the hands -or holds of the steamships. Huge cargo carriers, able to stow eight or -ten thousand tons away with ease, will go lumbering steadily down the -gulf and through the canal. They will range the western sea-board of -the Americas, sweeping into their capacious maws every ounce of cargo, -and stimulating production in an amazing way. - -Presently also will come the petroleum-propelled ship, the -electrically-engined ship, as the carriage of coal becomes more and -more of a burden, while its price steadily rises. Meanwhile, the -inventive genius of America will surely find some way of re-creating -for herself a splendid Mercantile Marine. I cannot think that she -will always be content to see all her vast carrying trade over-sea -practically in the hands of Britain and foreigners. At present it seems -to be evident to all, except the average Americans, that such efforts -as have recently been made with that object in view are foredoomed -to failure. Only one thing is required for the rehabilitation of the -American Mercantile Marine, and that is, that owing to the rapid -filling up of all uninhabited land on the American continent, the -teeming millions along her sea-board shall turn their earnest attention -to the possibilities of money-getting that there are in ship-owning and -sailing. Then they will insist upon some reasonable laws being passed -that shall help, not hinder, the expansion of American sea-traffic, and -the thing will be as good as done. - -That, however, will require some considerable time yet. Meanwhile, the -sailing ships, wooden ships too, will probably linger longest in our -North American colonies. But they too must disappear. Already they are -feeling the pinch very sorely, with economically run tramp-steamers -cutting them out everywhere. This is obvious now when the thrifty -Norwegians are running tramp-steamers in lieu of the ramshackle -old craft with which they have so long monopolized the lumber and -ice trade. To a seaman the spectacle of steamers in the home ports -discharging ice comes as something of a shock, for he remembers what -class of vessels have always been used for this, perhaps the roughest -of all the carrying trades known. - -But the great work to be done is the dissemination of popular -information with regard to maritime matters. To burn into the minds -of our people at home what the merchant ship means to them; to make -the villager understand that the cheap and abundant food, which may be -purchased even in remotest inland hamlets, has been brought thus to -his door from the other side of the world by the unceasing strenuous -labours of seamen and the sleepless enterprise of ship-owners. I -look earnestly for the day when every newspaper in the kingdom will -be considered incomplete without its column of readable shipping -matter--true tales of latter-day daring, of courage as high as any -manifested in the attempt to destroy life in battle; when the British -seaman shall no longer feel that he is as completely isolated from the -thoughts and sympathies of his countrymen as if he were an inhabitant -of another planet; when the British man-o'-war's man, whether he be -blue-jacket or stoker, shall know of a truth that his friends at home -realize what he is doing during his long absence from home: how he, for -their sakes, in order that the steady stream of food-bearing ships from -prolific lands far away shall never cease by day or by night through -the years, keeps sleepless watch all round the world. - -Let no one think that this is a small matter. The acquisition of -knowledge like this is not only of the highest importance in itself, -but it will bring with it a vast amount of cognate information that -now is much neglected. Geography will become what it should be, a -popular science, because the immense value of it will be recognized. -Economical science will also assume an interest which it has long -lacked for all but the minutest percentage of fairly well-educated -people. Politically, such an education of the people will be of the -highest value, preventing them from being led away by clap-trap and -jargon, and enabling them to understand why our country has risen to -its present enviable height of prosperity, and how essential it is to -the well-being of every man, woman, and child in the community that -the peaceful flow of over-sea traffic shall never be interrupted. - -Beyond and above all this there is the liquidation of the debt due to -the sailor; the recognition of the fact in practical ways that without -him we should not merely be without at least half of what he has taught -us to look upon as the necessities of life, necessities which less than -a century ago were looked upon as the highest luxuries, but that we -should be a feeble population of slaves groaning under the iron rule of -some military continental despot, who would rob us of our very blood -and marrow, and give us in return leave to live that we might toil for -him and his satraps until, early worn out, we were flung aside to die -and obtain that liberty in death that we were denied in life. We want -to atone as far as we may for our long neglect, through ignorance, -and by our united intelligent efforts to show that at last we have -awakened to the fact that in our Mercantile Marine we possess the most -magnificent heritage ever built up for a free people by the courage and -endurance of its sons. - - -THE END. - - -PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED, LONDON AND BECCLES. - - - - -WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR. - - -Sixth Impression. With 8 Illustrations and a Chart. - -Large post 8vo, 8_s._ 6_d._ - - THE CRUISE OF THE 'CACHALOT' ROUND THE WORLD AFTER SPERM WHALES. By - FRANK T. BULLEN, First Mate. The Volume includes a Letter to the - Author from Rudyard Kipling. - - _TIMES._--'Mr. Bullen has a splendid subject, and he handles it with - the pen of a master.... "The Cruise of the 'Cachalot'" is a book - which cannot but fascinate all lovers of the sea, and all who can - appreciate a masterly presentation of its wonder and its mystery, its - terrors and its trials, its humours and its tragedies.' - -_The Rev. Dr. HORTON, in his Sermon on behalf of the British and -Foreign Bible Society, referred to Mr. Bullen's 'Cruise of the -"Cachalot"' in the following terms_:-- - - 'It is a very remarkable book in every way: it seems to me worthy to - rank with some of the writings of Defoe. It has absolutely taken the - shine out of some of the romantic literature of such writers as even - Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling. By the strange law that truth is more - wonderful than fiction, this book is more wonderful than the wildest - dreams of the creator of imagination.' - - -Second Impression. With 8 Full-page Illustrations specially drawn by -ARTHUR TWIDLE. Large post 8vo, 8_s._ 6_d._ - - THE LOG OF A SEA-WAIF. Being Recollections of the First Four Years of - my Sea Life. - - _WORLD._--'In "The Log of a Sea-Waif," Mr. Bullen has surpassed all - his previous efforts. We have read many stories of sea life, but do - not remember to have been so fascinated and enthralled by any of them - as by this masterly presentation of the humours, hardships, and minor - tragedies of life in the forecastle.' - - _TIMES._--'Full of thrilling adventure, admirably told.... We - must leave Mr. Bullen's touching story of his early struggles and - adventures to speak for itself. His descriptive powers are great, his - literary imagination is vivid, and he finds abundant opportunities - for the display of both.' - - _REVIEW OF REVIEWS._--'To most of us "The Log of a Sea-Waif" will - come almost as a revelation. We know of no other book, with perhaps - the sole exception of "Two Years before the Mast," which can compare - for a moment with Mr. Bullen's work.' - - _LITERATURE._--'The book is one of uncommon interest. Mr. Bullen - has the art of the narrator, and a power of putting a scene - vividly before the reader, with occasionally a masterly vigour - of description. It is well worth buying; the stamp of reality is - impressed upon every page.' - - _BOOKMAN._--'A mine of information and of interest for those who - concern themselves with seafaring folk.... A brave and inspiriting - story.' - - _PALL MALL GAZETTE._--'Those who love the sea, and have a soft spot - in their hearts for the men who make their living upon it, will - heartily enjoy Mr. Bullen's book, as we have done.' - - -Crown 8vo, paper covers, 1_s._; cloth, 1_s._ 6_d._ - - THE WAY THEY HAVE IN THE NAVY. Being a Day-to-Day Record of a Cruise - in H.M. 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