n long. 24 deg. 24' W. I
now, for the first time, felt at liberty, according to the old usage, to
call myself a son of Neptune, and was very glad to be able to claim the
title without the disagreeable initiation which so many have to go
through. After once crossing the line you can never be subjected to
the process, but are considered as a son of Neptune, with full powers
to play tricks upon others. This ancient custom is now seldom allowed,
unless there are passengers on board, in which case there is always a
good deal of sport.

It had been obvious to all hands for some time that the second mate,
whose name was F----, was an idle, careless fellow, and not much of a
sailor, and that the captain was exceedingly dissatisfied with him. The
power of the captain in these cases was well known, and we all
anticipated a difficulty. F---- (called Mr. by virtue of his office)
was but half a sailor, having always been short voyages and remained at
home a long time between them. His father was a man of some property,
and intended to have given his son a liberal education; but he, being
idle and worthless, was sent off to sea, and succeeded no better there;
for, unlike many scamps, he had none of the qualities of a sailor--he
was "not of the stuff that they make sailor of." He was one of that
class of officers who are disliked by their captain and despised by the
crew. He used to hold long yarns with the crew, and talk about the
captain, and play with the boys, and relax discipline in every way.
This kind of conduct always makes the captain suspicious, and is never
pleasant, in the end, to the men; they preferring to have an officer
active, vigilant, and distant as may be, with kindness. Among other
bad practices, he frequently slept on his watch, and having been
discovered asleep by the captain, he was told that he would be turned
off duty if he did it again. To prevent it in every way possible, the
hen-coops were ordered to be knocked up, for the captain never sat down
on deck himself, and never permitted an officer to do so.

The second night after crossing the equator, we had the watch from
eight till twelve, and it was "my helm" for the last two hours. There
had been light squalls through the night, and the captain told Mr.
F----, who commanded our watch, to keep a bright look-out. Soon after I
came to the helm, I found that he was quite drowsy, and at last he
stretched himself on the companion and went fast asleep. S