Windjammers and Sea TrampsRunciman, Walter Runciman, Baron
History
Windjammers and Sea Tramps
Runciman, Walter Runciman, Baron
Seafaring life
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, "right between the eyes, and see
to it that it makes sparks!" I did not expect that the
necessity would arise so soon after leaving the docks, and I
must plead guilty to inaccurately carrying out the captain's
suggestion, except in so far as the first blow was
concerned, which was quickly and decisively struck, although
not precisely between the eyes. There were visible signs
that the head and face of the rebel had sustained damage;
and it may be taken for granted that other parts of his body
did not escape. He intimated that for the present he wanted
no more, and I was secretly glad of it because I had been
severely punished myself, although my general appearance
did not show it much. Surely the only course open to me
after so unjustifiable an attack was to resent not only the
insubordination, but the filthy personal attack on myself.
We had not arrived at the N.W. lightship where the tug was
to cast off the tow-rope when this rebellion began, and it
continued more or less until the vessel arrived at her
destination, where the whole of the refractory ones were put
in prison and kept there until she was ready to sail. They
were then brought aboard by police escort. Prison diet and
prison treatment had knocked a lot of the fight out of them,
but the ship food soon revived the devil in them again. We
had not been at sea many days before they commenced to
revolt even against steering and making or shortening sail.
It was only by the application of stringent measures that
they were kept in subjection. It was found necessary for the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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