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- 1239
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:14.838Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 1174
- text
- After looking round, I found a stick and went to scraping out the pen,
which was awkward work enough, for another boat called the
“jolly-boat,” was capsized right over the longboat, which brought them
almost close together. These two boats were in the middle of the deck.
I managed to crawl inside of the long-boat; and after barking my shins
against the seats, and bumping my head a good many times, I got along
to the stern, where the pig-pen was.
While I was hard at work a drunken sailor peeped in, and cried out to
his comrades, “Look here, my lads, what sort of a pig do you call this?
Hallo! inside there! what are you ’bout there? trying to stow yourself
away to steal a passage to Liverpool? Out of that! out of that, I say.”
But just then the mate came along and ordered this drunken rascal
ashore.
The pig-pen being cleaned out, I was set to work picking up some
shavings, which lay about the deck; for there had been carpenters at
work on board. The mate ordered me to throw these shavings into the
long-boat at a particular place between two of the seats. But as I
found it hard work to push the shavings through in that place, and as
it looked wet there, I thought it would be better for the shavings as
well as myself, to thrust them where there was a larger opening and a
dry spot. While I was thus employed, the mate observing me, exclaimed
with an oath, “Didn’t I tell you to put those shavings somewhere else?
Do what I tell you, now, Buttons, or mind your eye!”
Stifling my indignation at his rudeness, which by this time I found was
my only plan, I replied that that was not so good a place for the
shavings as that which I myself had selected, and asked him to tell me
_why_ he wanted me to put them in the place he designated. Upon this,
he flew into a terrible rage, and without explanation reiterated his
order like a clap of thunder.
This was my first lesson in the discipline of the sea, and I never
forgot it. From that time I learned that sea-officers never gave
reasons for any thing they order to be done. It is enough that they
command it, so that the motto is, _“Obey orders, though you break
owners.”_
I now began to feel very faint and sick _again,_ and longed for the
ship to be leaving the dock; for then I made no doubt we would soon be
having something to eat. But as yet, I saw none of the sailors on
board, and as for the men at work in the rigging, I found out that they
were _“riggers,”_ that is, men living ashore, who worked by the day in
getting ships ready for sea; and this I found out to my cost, for
yielding to the kind blandishment of one of these _riggers, I_ had
swapped away my jackknife with him for a much poorer one of his own,
thinking to secure a sailor friend for the voyage. At last I watched my
chance, and while people’s backs were turned, I seized a carrot from
several bunches lying on deck, and clapping it under the skirts of my
shooting-jacket, went forward to eat it; for I had often eaten raw
carrots, which taste something like chestnuts. This carrot refreshed me
a good deal, though at the expense of a little pain in my stomach.
Hardly had I disposed of it, when I heard the chief mate’s voice crying
out for “Buttons.” I ran after him, and received an order to go aloft
and “slush down the main-top mast.”
This was all Greek to me, and after receiving the order, I stood
staring about me, wondering what it was that was to be done. But the
mate had turned on his heel, and made no explanations. At length I
followed after him, and asked what I must do.
“Didn’t I tell you to slush down the main-top mast?” he shouted.
“You did,” said I, “but I don’t know what that means.”
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- Chunk 2