l. It came from a
Scottish able seaman who had served long in American sailing
vessels. The orator promptly struck out at the
semi-inanimate Sandy, who woke up, went for his man in true
British style, and had him howling for mercy in less than
two minutes. The Scottish sailor became the idol of the
captain and crew, and the Yankee bullies deserted at the
first port the vessel touched at. In 1871 I shipped aboard a
barque in Liverpool as chief officer. I was very young, and
what perhaps was more sinful, very youthful looking. The
captain was only two years my senior, and the second mate
four. There was a scarcity of desirable men available, which
resulted in our having to engage what we could get, and,
with the exception of three respectable men, the rest were
"packet rats," though few of them had sailed in packets, and
those who had were stamped with the mark of it. We left
Birkenhead in tow. There was a strong wind blowing. It was
my duty to see the anchors stowed properly. I gave orders to
man the fish tackle, and directed one of the men to pinch
the flukes of the anchor on to the gunwale while the crew
were hauling on the tackle. He looked at me for a minute or
two as though he were undecided as to the condition of his
hearing and his eyesight. I repeated the order in
authoritative quarter-deck style. He gaped in amazement
apparently at my audacity, and told me in language that
could not be overlooked there (or repeated here!) to do
myself what I had ordered him to do. I became at once
conscious of my youthful appearance! I assured him that I
would stand no nonsense, and perhaps to awaken him to the
possibilities of a physical encounter, I used some
Americanisms that were obviously familiar to him and to the
others who were ready to act with him. I insisted that the
orders I had given should be carried out. He sneered at my
youth, and intimated, with a grin that foreboded
cannibalism, that he had eaten many a more manly-looking
person than myself before breakfast, and that he would stand
no G---- d---- cheek from a son of a---- like me! "Do it
yourself," said he, "I won't," and suiting the action to the
words, he tossed the handspike on to the top-gallant
forecastle. I instantly picked it up, and it was all over
his body before he had time to recover from the effect of so
sudden an attack. The captain had told me that I was to
beware of treachery, and to remember the advantage of the
first blow. "Hit," said he,