From Lower Deck to Pulpit

by Henry Cowling

I was at this time put in charge of the small-arm magazine, and whenever the ship was in mock-action—usually on Friday mornings—it was my duty to descend into the magazine, and hook on boxes of ammunition, which were pulled up by marines to the lower deck. Carriers would then run away to the upper deck with them, from which place they would be hoisted aloft, for the sharp-shooters in the fore and main tops. The duty of the men aloft in the time of war would be to shoot the officers on board the enemy's ships.

Occasionally the bugle would sound 'Action' by night. No specified night was set apart for this evolution, hence it always came as a surprise. "Coming events cast their shadow before," but this is not applicable to 'Action' by night at sea; it is left entirely to the captain's pleasure. The response to the bugle call is a sight never to be forgotten. Every man dresses hurriedly—no, that is the wrong word, for I have known them in their haste put the leg of their trousers over their head in mistake for their jumpers, and others, including myself, put their feet through the sleeves of the jumper, mistaking them for trousers. And what wonder such errors are made, when at sea no light is allowed on the lower deck by night, and all is like sevenfold darkness! Each man has to put three hitches around his hammock—seven are the uniform number—but the enemy is in sight, therefore three hitches have to suffice to keep blanket and bedding together. The hammock is then unhooked, and if the bluejacket belongs to the former part of the ship, he has to bear it away for storage on the topgallant forecastle; if to the after-part, he carries it away to the poop. The reason for the hammocks being stowed on these two places, is to provide a breakwater for the enemy's shots.

Every man rushes away to his respective station. Sharpshooters seize their rifles and climb the rigging; captains of broadside guns and guns' crews repair to their guns and cast off the securing chains; magazine men with a lantern descend the magazines. One who had never seen this sight would find it difficult to believe with what rapidity the movement is carried out. Two minutes after the bugle has sounded, some such order as this is given from the officers' bridge. "Enemy off the port bow! make ready with shrapnell shell. Distance three thousand yards. Elevation twenty degrees." The gun loaded, the breech-block closed, every captain of his gun stands to the rear with the lanyard in his hand awaiting the order "Fire!" which when given, the gun is fired, sponged and reloaded. The order might then be given—"Prepare to ram," in which case the sights are made ready for eight hundred yards, and the guns are fired by electricity, the guns' crews lying down under cover of their respective guns. Other drills are engaged in, until the bugle sounds:—"Cease firing," "Return stores." The men after obeying this command take their hammocks below deck, and providing they belong to the watch below, 'turn in' and resume their sleep; if to the watch on duty, they repair to the upper deck.

One night whilst engaged in action an ammunition box fell upon my hand, taking off four finger-nails. This is only one of the accidents which happen at sea when the ship rolls heavily.

As a ship's company our character would compare favourably with that of any other crew on the station. There were only eight desertions, and one court-martial case in three years. The 'Emerald' was anchored off Dominica. One evening an order was received to prepare for sea immediately, and proceed to St. Lucia to undergo the Admiral's inspection the next morning. The capstan was rigged, the anchor weighed, and soon we were at sea, and every man as busy as a bee. The main yard was lowered and scrubbed, decks received special attention; in fact, we were cleaning all night. In the morning we took up our anchorage at St. Lucia. "All hands" were rushing about their work like madmen. There was no help for it, so short had been the Admiral's notice of his inspection. One bluejacket was whitewashing the inboard part of the cable. The boatswain, believing he was not doing it as quickly as he might, passed a deprecating remark. The sailor in an instant seized a broom which lay near, and lifted it to strike the boatswain, but hesitated, and laid it down. He was put under arrest then and there, the charge against him being "Attempting to strike a superior officer." The boatswain demanded a court-martial, which was held later at Jamaica, the court passing a sentence of eighteen months' imprisonment upon the doomed man. This poor fellow in former years had been a heavy drinker, but during our commission had not taken a drop of liquor—not even his daily allowance of rum. It was understood that ere he left England he had promised a dying sister that he would not touch intoxicants again, and hitherto was faithful to his vow. He received the sympathy of the captain, officers and crew. As his pay would henceforth be stopped, though he were supporting a widowed mother, this sympathy took a practical form. A subscription list was opened, and all subscribed. In this way his poor mother received her half-pay as formerly, the captain sending it home monthly.

As a matter of fact he had served a previous term of imprisonment, which was much in his disfavour, and he knew full well this would be taken into consideration by the court. With this thought weighing upon his mind, and whilst waiting his turn to appear before his judges, he wept like a child—he who was always so brave, courageous and manly. This is a touching instance—an instance of a poor soul striving to do right, striving to be faithful, amid daily temptation, to a sister who had gone before, yet because in a moment of weakness he was overtaken in a fault, he was treated in such a harsh and cruel manner. Certainly discipline must be maintained in the service, and had the matter been settled by the captain, his punishment would have been very lenient in comparison with that meted out by the court. But the boatswain demanded a court-martial. I will not dilate on his action, but remember the Master's words—"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."

Concerning minor punishments, they were meted out almost daily, such as fourteen days in a cell, seven days IOA or IOB. To be confined in a cell is the penalty for returning on board ship intoxicated, or for breaking several days' leave. For prudential reasons the knife and lanyard of a seaman is taken away when the sentence of cell confinement is passed. In his cell he has to pick a pound of oakum daily, which is weighed every night by the ship's corporal, and his food consists of bread and water, and for the greater part of the confinement he is deprived of his bedding. Let me give an amusing incident in connection with cell punishment. We had shipped at St. John's a young man as an assistant to the captain's cook. Departing from the naval rule of discipline, he received seven days' cell seclusion. One night when the doctor went his usual round asking each prisoner if all were well, this poor fellow replied: "No, sir, I have not enough to eat; I should like a pound of cheese from the canteen." Needless to add he obtained no cheese, and his very request indicates how greatly he lacked knowledge concerning naval discipline, but he learned it in the school of experience.

I mentioned seven days IOA. Now, although I passed through my training days without being beaten by many stripes, I was not so fortunate in the 'Emerald,' though my punishment is but a pin-prick, hardly worth mentioning, but I do so in order to point out that I was no superior being. Strange man indeed would he be who, on such a ship as the 'Emerald,' never stood as a defaulter on the quarterdeck. Yes, I once received seven days IOA, which being interpreted means—That the bluejacket's rum is, stopped; that he is not allowed to smoke; that he only gets thirty minutes to dinner, and has to eat it with other IOA men off a piece of canvas spread out on the upper deck, and the other half of the dinner hour he has to whitewash spare cells: moreover, that he has to rise at 4 a.m. mornings and scrub decks—all this included in IOA. My readers will readily notice that the first clause is a means of strengthening the temperance cause, and non-smokers will see no punishment in the second clause, whilst those who are fond of picnics will consider the third clause a pleasure, but the pinch is felt in the fact that during IOA one's leave is cancelled. Now, IOB is similar to IOA with one or two slight modifications.

Although I was not a smoker I once spat on the deck, and was marked doing so by the first lieutenant. He ordered me to patrol the deck in my spare time with a cutlass, and to capture the first man who repeated the sin, Next day I discovered a transgressor and took him aft to the officer of the day, before whom he confessed and was ordered to relieve me of the cutlass. The sin was a general one, I take it, if judged by the number of men to whom the sword was transferred.

The Third Newfoundland Cruise.