them were true bills, however," observed another post-captain.
"I was a midshipman under him when he commanded the old _Turk_. Though
good-natured he was somewhat hot-tempered. One of our marines had been
bred a barber, and Jerry, discovering this, made the man come in every
morning to shave him, the steward following with a jug of warm water.
It had just been placed on the table as the barber had finished
lathering the captain's face, but instead of being only warm was
scalding hot. The marine, not reflecting on this, dipped in his razor,
and intending to commence operations on the captain's upper lip, touched
the tip of his nose with the back. As Jerry felt the pain, on the
impulse of the moment up went his fist, which he planted with a
knock-down blow between the eyes of the unfortunate jolly, who rolled
over, half-stunned, on the deck. I, at that moment, went into the
cabin, having been sent on some duty or other, and heard Jerry shout out
in a voice of thunder:--

"`Take that, ye spalpeen, and think yourself fortunate to get it instead
of the three dozen you would have had as sure as you're alive for
burning your captain's nose.' The captain, in half a minute, sitting
down as if nothing had happened, the jolly picked himself up and went on
with the operation, taking very good care, you may be certain, not to
burn Jerry's nose again. Some time after this, our captain received an
intimation from the Admiralty, as did other captains, that flogging was
as much as possible to be avoided, and other punishments substituted.
On this, Jerry, who was possessed of an inventive turn of mind, set
himself to work to devise such as would to a certainty be so hated by
the men that they would answer the purpose of maintaining discipline
fully as much as flogging. The ship's cook was a one-legged negro, a
jolly, fat fellow with a comical expression of countenance, Sambo
Lillywhite by name, generally known as Sam Lilly. Sam had a white mate
called Tim Dippings, an incorrigibly idle rascal. One day Tim--not for
the first time--had neglected to clean the galley, and on being
reported, both he and Sam Lilly were put in the black list. Jerry,
exercising his inventive genius, ordered Tim to walk the deck the whole
of the afternoon watch, with a cauldron slung round his neck half full
of slush; while the black cook, with a huge frying-pan held at arm's
length in each hand, had to pace up and down for the same period. As
each be