<h2><SPAN name="chap27"></SPAN>CHAPTER XXVII</h2>
<p class="letter">
I acquire the friendship of the Surgeon, who procures a warrant for me, and
makes me a present of clothes—a battle between a Midshipman and
me—the Surgeon leaves the ship—the Captain comes on board with
another Surgeon—a dialogue between the Captain and Morgan—the sick
are ordered to be brought upon the Quarter-deck and examined—the
consequences of that order—a Madman accuses Morgan, and is set at liberty
by command of the Captain, whom he instantly attacks, and pummels without mercy</p>
<p>While I was busied with my friend in the practice. The doctor chanced to pass
by the place where we were, and stopping to observe me appeared very well
satisfied with my application; and afterwards sent for me to his cabin, where,
having examined me touching my skill in surgery, and the particulars of my
fortune, he interested himself so far in my behalf, as to promise his
assistance in procuring a warrant for me, seeing I had already been found
qualified at Surgeons’ Hall for the station I filled on board; and in
this good office he the more cordially engaged when he understood I was nephew
to lieutenant Bowling, for whom he expressed a particular regard. In the
meantime, I could learn from his discourse that he did not intend to go to sea
again with Captain Oakum, having, as he thought, been indifferently used by him
during the last voyage.</p>
<p>While I lived tolerably easy, in expectation of preferment, I was not
altogether without mortifications, which I not only suffered from the rude
insults of the sailors and petty officers, among whom I was known by the name
of Loblolly Boy, but also from the disposition of Morgan, who, though friendly
in the main, was often very troublesome with his pride, which expected a good
deal of submission from me, and delighted in recapitulating the favours I had
received at his hands.</p>
<p>About six weeks after my arrival on board, the surgeon, bidding me to follow
him into his cabin, presented a warrant to me, by which I was appointed
surgeon’s third mate on board the Thunder. This he had procured by his
interest at the Navy Office; as also another for himself, by virtue of which he
was removed into a second-rate. I acknowledged his kindness in the strongest
terms my gratitude could suggest, and professed my sorrow at the prospect of
losing so valuable a friend, to whom I hoped to have recommended myself still
further, by my respectful and diligent behaviour. But his generosity rested not
here; for before he left the ship he made me a present of a chest and some
clothes that enabled me to support the rank to which he had raised me.</p>
<p>I found my spirit revive with my good fortune; and, now I was an officer,
resolved to maintain the dignity of my station, against all opposition or
affronts; nor was it long before I had occasion to exert my resolution. My old
enemy, the midshipman (whose name was Crampley), entertaining an implacable
animosity against me for the disgrace he had suffered on my account, had since
that time taken all opportunities of reviling and ridiculing me, when I was not
entitled to retort this bad usage; and, even after I had been rated on the
books, and mustered as surgeon’s mate, did not think fit to restrain his
insolence. In particular, being one day present while I dressed a wound in a
sailor’s leg, he began to sing a song, which I thought highly injurious
to the honour of my country, and therefore signified my resentment, by
observing that the Scots always laid their account with finding enemies among
the ignorant, insignificant, and malicious. This unexpected piece of assurance
enraged him to such a degree, that he lent me a blow on the face, which I
verily thought had demolished my cheek-bone. I was not slow in returning the
obligation, and the affair began to be very serious, when by accident Mr.
Morgan, and one of the master’s mates, coming that way, interposed, and,
inquiring into the cause, endeavoured to promote a reconciliation; but, finding
us both exasperated to the uttermost, and bent against accommodation, they
advised us either to leave our difference undecided, till we should have an
opportunity of terminating it on shore, like gentlemen, or else choose a proper
place on board, and bring it to an issue by boxing. The last expedient was
greedily embraced by us both; and, being forthwith conducted to the ground
proposed, we stripped in a moment, and began a furious contest, in which I soon
found myself inferior to my antagonist, not so much in strength and agility, as
in skill, which he had acquired in the school of Hockley-in-the-Hole at
Tottenham-court. Many cross buttocks did I sustain, and pegs on the stomach
without number, till at last my breath being quite gone, as well as my vigour
wasted, I grew desperate, and collecting all my strength in one effort, threw
in at once, head, hands, and feet, with such violence, that I drove my
antagonist three paces backward into the main hatchway, down which he fell, and
pitching upon his head and right shoulder, remained without sense and motion.
Morgan, looking down, and seeing him lie in that condition, cried, “Upon
my conscience, as I am a Christian sinner, (look you,) I believe his pattles
are all ofer; but I take you all to witness that there was no treachery in the
case, and that he has suffered by the chance of war.” So saying he
descended to the deck below, to examine into the situation of my adversary, and
left me very little pleased with my victory, as I found myself not only
terribly bruised, but likewise in danger of being called to account for the
death of Crampley; but this fear vanished when my fellow-mate having, by
bleeding him in the jugular, brought him to himself, and inquired into the
state of his body, called up to me to be under no concern, for the midshipman
had received no other damage than as pretty a luxation of the os humeri as one
would desire to see on a summer’s day. Upon this information I crawled
down to the cock-pit, and acquainted Thompson with the affair, who, providing
himself with bandages, etc, necessary for the occasion, went up to assist Mr.
Morgan in the reduction of the dislocation. When this was successfully
performed, they wished me joy of the event of the combat; and the Welshman,
after observing, that, in all likelihood, the ancient Scots and Britons were
the same people, bade me “praise Cot for putting mettle in my pelly, and
strength in my limbs to support it.” I acquired such reputation by this
rencontre, which lasted twenty minutes, that everybody became more cautious in
behaviour towards me; though Crampley, with his arm in a sling, talked very
high, and threatened to seize the first opportunity of retrieving on shore the
honour he had lost by an accident, from which I could justly claim no merit.</p>
<p>About this time, Captain Oakum, having received sailing orders, came on board,
and brought along with him a surgeon of his own country, who soon made us
sensible of the loss we suffered in the departure of Doctor Atkins; for he was
grossly ignorant, and intolerably assuming, false, vindictive, and unforgiving;
a merciless tyrant to his inferiors, an abject sycophant to those above him. In
the morning after the captain came on board, our first mate, according to
custom, went to wait on him with a sick list, which, when this grim commander
had perused, he cried with a stern countenance, “Blood and cons!
sixty-one sick people on board of my ship! Harkee, you sir, I’ll have no
sick in my ship, by G—d.” The Welshman replied, “he should be
very glad to find no sick people on board: but, while it was otherwise, he did
no more than his duty in presenting him with a list.” “You and your
list may be d—n’d,” said the captain, throwing it at him;
“I say, there shall be no sick in this ship while I have the command of
her.” Mr. Morgan, being nettled at this treatment, told him his
indignation ought to be directed to Cot Almighty, who visited his people with
distempers, and not to him, who contributed all in his power towards their
cure. The bashaw, not being used to such behaviour in any of his officers, was
enraged to fury at this satirical insinuation, and, stamping with his foot,
called him insolent scoundrel, threatening to have him pinioned to the deck, if
he should presume to utter another syllable. But the blood of Caractacus being
thoroughly heated, disdained to be restricted by such a command, and began to
manifest itself in, “Captain Oakum, I am a shentleman of birth and
parentage (look you), and peradventure I am moreover.” Here his harangue
was broken off by the captain’s steward, who, being Morgan’s
countryman, hurried him out of the cabin before he had time to exasperate his
master to a greater degree, and this would certainly have been the case; for
the indignant Welshman could hardly be hindered by his friend’s arguments
and entreaties from re-entering the presence-chamber, and defying Captain Oakum
to his teeth. He was, however appeased at length, and came down to the berth,
where, finding Thompson and me at work preparing medicines, he bade us leave
off our lapour to go to play, for the captain, by his sole word, and power, and
command, had driven sickness a pegging to the tevil, and there was no more
malady on board. So saying, he drank off a gill of brandy sighed grievously
three times, poured fort an ejaculation of “Cot pless my heart, liver,
and lungs!” and then began to sing a Welsh song with great earnestness of
visage, voice, and gesture. I could not conceive the meaning of this singular
phenomenon, and saw by the looks of Thompson, who at the same time shook his
head, that he suspected poor Cadwallader’s brains were unsettled. He,
perceiving our amazement, told us he would explain the mystery; but at the same
time bade us take notice, that he had lived poy, patchelor, married man, and
widower, almost forty years, and in all that time there was no man, nor
mother’s son in the whole world who durst use him so ill as Captain Oakum
had done. Then he acquainted us with the dialogue that passed between them, as
I have already related it: and had no sooner finished this narration than he
received a message from the surgeon, to bring the sick-list to the
quarter-deck, for the captain had ordered all the patients thither to be
reviewed.</p>
<p>This inhuman order shocked us extremely, as we knew it would be impossible to
carry some of them on the deck, without imminent danger of their lives: but, as
we likewise knew it would be to no purpose for us to remonstrate against it, we
repaired to the quarter-deck in a body, to see this extraordinary muster;
Morgan observing by the way, that the captain was going to send to the other
world a great many evidences to testify against himself. When we appeared upon
deck, the captain bade the doctor, who stood bowing at his right hand, look at
these lazy lubberly sons of bitches, who were good for nothing on board but to
eat the king’s provision, and encourage idleness in the skulkers. The
surgeon grinned approbation, and, taking the list, began to examine the
complaints of each as they could crawl to the place appointed. The first who
came under his cognizance was a poor fellow just freed of a fever, which had
weakened him so much that he could hardly stand. Mr. Mackshane (for that was
the doctor’s name), having felt his pulse, protested he was as well as
any man in the world; and the captain delivered him over to the
boatswain’s mate, with orders that he should receive a round dozen at the
gangway immediately, for counterfeiting himself sick; but, before the
discipline could be executed, the man dropped down on the deck, and had well
nigh perished under the hands of the executioner. The next patient to be
considered, laboured under a quartan ague, and, being then in his interval of
health, discovered no other symptoms of distemper than a pale meagre
countenance and emaciated body; upon which he was declared fit for duty, and
turned over to the boatswain; but, being resolved to disgrace the doctor, died
upon the forecastle next day, during his cold fit. The third complained of a
pleuritic stitch, and spitting of blood, for which Doctor Mackshane prescribed
exercise at the pump to promote expectoration! but whether this was improper
for one in his situation, or that it was used to excess, I know not, but in
less than half-an-hour he was suffocated with a deluge of blood that issued
from his lungs. A fourth, with much difficulty, climbed to the quarter-deck,
being loaded with a monstrous ascites, or dropsy, that invaded his chest so
much, he could scarce fetch his breath; but his disease being interpreted into
fat, occasioned by idleness and excess of eating, he was ordered, with a view
to promote perspiration and enlarge his chest, to go aloft immediately. It was
in vain for this unwieldy wretch to allege his utter incapacity; the
boatswain’s driver was commanded to whip him up with the
cat-and-nine-tails; the smart of this application made him exert himself so
much, that he actually arrived at the puttock shrouds; but when the enormous
weight of his body had nothing else to support than his weakened arms, either
out of spite or necessity, he quitted his hold, and plunged into the sea, where
he must have been drowned, had not a sailor, who was in a boat alongside, saved
his life, by keeping him afloat till he was hoisted on board by a tackle.</p>
<p>It would be tedious and disagreeable to describe the fate of every miserable
object that suffered by the inhumanity and ignorance of the captain and
surgeon, who so wantonly sacrificed the lives of their fellow-creatures. Many
were brought up in the height of fevers, and rendered delirious by the injuries
they received in the way. Some gave up the ghost in the presence of their
inspectors; and others, who were ordered to their duties, languished a few days
at work among their fellows, and then departed without any ceremony. On the
whole, the number of the sick was reduced to less than a dozen; and the authors
of this reduction were applauding themselves for the services they had done to
their king and country, when the boatswain’s mate informed his honour,
that there was a man below lashed to his hammock, by direction of the
doctor’s mate, and that he begged hard to be released; affirming, he had
been so maltreated only for a grudge Mr. Morgan bore him, and that he was as
much in his senses as any man aboard. The captain hearing this, darted a severe
look at the Welshman, and ordered the man to be brought up immediately; upon
which, Morgan protested with great fervency, that the person in question was as
mad as a March hare; and begged for the love of Cot, they would at least keep
his arms pinioned during his examination, to prevent him from doing mischief.
This request the commander granted for his own sake, and the patient was
produced, who insisted upon his being in his right wits with such calmness and
strength of argument, that everybody present was inclined to believe him,
except Morgan, who affirmed there was no trusting to appearances; for he
himself had been so much imposed upon by his behaviour two days before, that he
had actually unbound him with his own hands, and had well nigh been murdered
for his pains: this was confirmed by the evidence of one of the waiters, who
declared he had pulled this patient from the doctor’s mate, whom he had
gotten down, and almost strangled. To this the man answered, that the witness
was a creature of Morgan’s, and suborned to give his testimony against
him by the malice of the mate, whom the defendant had affronted, by discovering
to the people on board, that Mr. Morgan’s wife kept a gin-shop in
Ragfair. This anecdote produced a laugh at the expense of the Welshman, who,
shaking his head with some emotion, said, “Ay, ay, ’tis no matter.
Cot knows, it is an arrant falsehood.” Captain Oakum, without any farther
hesitation, ordered the fellow to be unfettered; at the same time, threatening
to make Morgan exchange situations with him for his spite; but the Briton no
sooner heard the decision in favour of the madman, than he got up to the
mizen-shrouds, crying to Thompson and me to get out of his reach, for we should
see him play the devil with a vengeance. We did not think fit to disregard his
caution, and accordingly got up on the poop, whence we beheld the maniac (as
soon as he was released) fly at the captain like a fury, crying,
“I’ll let you know, you scoundrel, that I am commander of this
vessel,” and pummel him without mercy. The surgeon, who went to the
assistance of his patron, shared the same fate; and it was with the utmost
difficulty that he was mastered at last, after having done great execution
among those who opposed him.</p>
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