Jack in the Forecastle | Page 6

rapidity. "Hard up your helm!" said he;
"Hard up! Lower away the mainsail! Let go the peak halliards! Why
DON'T you put the helm hard up? Let go all the halliards fore and aft!
Clew down the fore-topsail! Haul in the starboard braces! There steady
with the helm!"
The mate and sailors were running about the decks, looking frightened
and bewildered, eagerly casting loose some ropes, and pulling
desperately upon others; the sails were fluttering and shaking, as if
anxious to quit the spars and fly away to unknown regions; the brig felt
the force of the wind, and for a few moments was pressed over on her
side until her beam ends were in the water; and what with the shouting
of the captain, the answering shouts of the mate, the unearthly cries of
the sailors, as they strove to execute the orders so energetically given;
the struggling of the canvas, the roaring of the winds and the waves, the
creaking of the cordage, the beating of the rain against the decks, and
the careening of the vessel, it is not remarkable that I felt somewhat
alarmed and excited, as well as deeply interested in witnessing for the
first time in my life A SQUALL AT SEA.
The squall was of short duration; although the rain continued for a time,
the wind, after a few minutes, gave but little inconvenience. In the
course of an hour the murky clouds had disappeared, the sun shone out
brightly as it was sinking towards the horizon, and the brig was again
pursuing her way towards her destined port, urged slowly along by a

light but favorable breeze.
Having got my sea legs on, I could proudly strut about among the
lumber and sheep-pens without fear of rolling overboard. I found the
sailors a rough but good-natured set of fellows, with but little
refinement in ideas or language. Although they amused themselves
with my awkwardness, and annoyed me with practical jokes, they took
a pride and pleasure in inducting me into the mysteries of their craft.
They taught me the difference between a granny knot and a square knot;
how to whip a rope's end; form splices; braid sinnett; make a running
bowline, and do a variety of things peculiar to the web-footed gentry.
Some of them also tried hard, by precept and example, but in vain, to
induce me to chew tobacco and drink grog! Indeed, they regarded the
ability to swallow a stiff glass of New England rum, without making a
wry face, as one of the most important qualifications of a sailor!
The "old men-of-war's-men" had passed through strange and eventful
scenes; they were the type of a class of men which have long since
passed away; they could spin many a long and interesting yarn, to
which I listened with untiring eagerness. But no trait in their character
astonished me more than their uncontrollable passion for intoxicating
drinks. As cabin boy, it was my duty to serve out to the crew a half pint
of rum a day. These old Tritons eagerly looked forward to the hour
when this interesting ceremony came off; their eyes sparkled as they
received their allotted portion of this enemy to the human race; and
they practised every art to procure, by fair means or foul, an increased
allowance. If by accident or shrewd management one of them
succeeded in obtaining half a glass more than he was fairly entitled to,
his triumph was complete. But if he imagined he had not received the
full quantity which was his due, ill humor and sulky looks for the next
twenty-four hours bore testimony to his anger and disappointment.
These men ignored the good old proverb that "bread is the staff of life,"
and at any time, or at all times, would prefer grog to bread.
In those days it was believed that ardent spirit would strengthen the
constitution, and enable a man to endure hardship and perform labor to
a greater extent that would be the case if he drank nothing stronger than
water. Rum was, therefore, included among the ship's stores as an
important means of keeping the ship's company in good humor,
reviving their spirits and energies when overcome with fatigue or

exposure, and strengthening them for a hard day's work.
Those days have passed away. It is now known that those doctrines
were false; that spiritous liquors, as a drink, never benefit mankind, but
have proved one of the greatest scourges with which the human race
has been afflicted. It is no longer believed that grog will insure the
faithful performance of a seaman's duty, and it is excluded from our
ships, so far as the forecastle is concerned; and if it were never allowed
to visit the cabin, the crews, in some cases,