I had scarce
time to wonder at his sudden departure, when the master-at-arms
came to the place of my confinement, and bade me follow him to the
quarter-deck, where I was examined by the first lieutenant, who
commanded the ship in the absence of the captain, touching the
treatment I had received in the tender from my friend the midshipman,
who was present to confront me.
I recounted the particulars of his behaviour to me, not only in the
tender, but since my being on board the ship, part of which being
proved by the evidence of Jack Rattlin and others, who had no great
devotion for my oppressor, I was discharged from confinement, to
make way for him, who was delivered to the master-at-arms to take
his turn in the bilboes. And this was not the only satisfaction I
enjoyed, for I was, at the request of the surgeon, exempted from
all other duty than that of assisting his mates, in making and
administering medicines to the sick. This good office I owed to
the friendship of Mr. Thompson, who had represented me in such a
favourable light to the surgeon, that be demanded me of the lieutenant
to supply the place of his third mate, who was lately dead. When
I had obtained this favour, my friend Thompson carried me down to
the cockpit, which is the place allotted for the habitation of the
surgeon's mates; and when he had shown me their berth (as he called
it), I was filled with astonishment and horror, We descended by
divers ladders to a space as dark as a dungeon, which, I understood,
was immersed several feet under water, being immediately above the
hold.
Pages:
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281