" I acquired such reputation by this rencontre, which
lasted twenty minutes, that everybody became more cautious in
behaviour towards me; though Crampley, with his arm in a sling,
talked very high, and threatened to seize the first opportunity
of retrieving on shore the honour he had lost by an accident, from
which I could justly claim no merit.
About this time, Captain Oakum, having received sailing orders, came
on board, and brought along with him a surgeon of his own country,
who soon made us sensible of the loss we suffered in the departure
of Doctor Atkins; for he was grossly ignorant, and intolerably
assuming, false, vindictive, and unforgiving; a merciless tyrant
to his inferiors, an abject sycophant to those above him. In the
morning after the captain came on board, our first mate, according
to custom, went to wait on him with a sick list, which, when this
grim commander had perused, he cried with a stern countenance,
"Blood and cons! sixty-one sick people on board of my ship! Harkee,
you sir, I'll have no sick in my ship, by G--d." The Welshman
replied, "he should be very glad to find no sick people on board:
but, while it was otherwise, he did no more than his duty in
presenting him with a list.
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