"That all sounds very fine," said the captain, "and perhaps you'd better knock off going to sea and set up for a parson. But you mark my words, if you go to sea, you'll have to give up your principles sooner or later, and you may as well make up your mind to it now. I've seen a good many that started as fair as you've done, but it didn't last long. But here we've got proof right alongside of us. Just look at Mr. Howard's watch there. Every time he opens his mouth you see them piling along like greased lightning, and he gets half a dozen answers for every order. But your men don't answer you half the time, and they move slower than real estate in Chelsea. "Now if you saw a man walking alongside of a high brick wall, and you politely asked him to step along a little faster, he'd stop and look at you; but if you told him the brick wall was tumbling down over his head you'd see how quick he'd make the dust fly. It's just so with a sailor, if you are civil to him he won't care a curse for you, but if you let him know there's something coming down on his head he'll move quick and respect you. A man didn't answer Mr. Jones once, and he just picked up the carpenter's caulking mallet and hit him over the head. He never had to speak twice to him after that." Finding the captain had got back to his favorite Mr. Jones, I thought it was of no use to prolong the talk, and it being my watch below I went to my room. Sitting down upon my chest I thought of the contrast between the captain's instructions and the teachings of home, and wondered if I must abandon the latter. It was very evident that there was not the strict discipline in the mate's watch that there was in the second mate's, and the captain's comparisons galled me; but it seemed to me that the discipline in our watch was good enough; the men did their duty well and were respectful, except that they were not always particular about answering and sometimes walked along the deck to ordinary work, whereas the second mate's men always ran, knowing that a belaying pin or stick of fire-wood would be hurled after them if they didn't. I felt the captain was right in saying that such strict discipline could not be maintained, except by working on the fears of the men, but the question with me was whether it was necessary to be so strict. Our men in a squall, or gale of wind, would be just as smart as the second mate's. It was only in ordinary and comparatively unimportant work that they were at all behind-hand, and I made up my mind that a system which necessarily required inhumanity and a sacrifice of honorable principles must be wrong, and I would have as little to do with it as possible. Opening my chest I took out a bundle of letters and selected one from my father. It was an answer to one I had written from City Point, in which I spoke of the severe discipline which was maintained on board the "Dublin," and the course which was required of the officers, and asked for advice.