But to me, at least, no such indications were visible in the deportment of the Captain, though his thrashing the arm-chest with the slack of the spanker-out-haul looked a little suspicious. But any one might have been doing that to pass away a calm.
“Depend on it,” said the top-man, “he must somehow have thought I was making sport of him a while ago, when I was only taking off old Priming, the gunner’s mate. Just look at him once, White-Jacket, while I make believe coil this here rope; if there arn’t a dozen in that ’ere Captain’s top-lights, my name is horse-marine. If I could only touch my tile to him now, and take my Bible oath on it, that I was only taking off Priming, and not him, he wouldn’t have such hard thoughts of me. But that can’t be done; he’d think I meant to insult him. Well, it can’t be helped; I suppose I must look out for a baker’s dozen afore long.”
I had an incredulous laugh at this. But two days afterward, when we were hoisting the main-top-mast stun’-sail, and the Lieutenant of the Watch was reprimanding the crowd of seamen at the halyards for their laziness—for the sail was but just crawling up to its place, owing to the languor of the men, induced by the heat—the Captain, who had been impatiently walking the deck, suddenly stopped short, and darting his eyes among the seamen, suddenly fixed them, crying out, “You, Candy, and be damned to you, you don’t pull an ounce, you blackguard! Stand up to that gun, sir; I’ll teach you to be grinning over a rope that way, without lending your pound of beef to it. Boatswain’s mate, where’s your colt? Give that man a dozen.”
Removing his hat, the boatswain’s mate looked into the crown aghast; the coiled rope, usually worn there, was not to be found; but the next instant it slid from the top of his head to the deck. Picking it up, and straightening it out, he advanced toward the sailor.
“Sir,” said Candy, touching and retouching his cap to the Captain, “I was pulling, sir, as much as the rest, sir; I was, indeed, sir.”
“Stand up to that gun,” cried the Captain. “Boatswain’s mate, do your duty.”
Three stripes were given, when the Captain raised his finger. “You——,[[3]] do you dare stand up to be flogged with your hat on! Take it off, sir, instantly.”
[3] The phrase here used I have never seen either written or printed, and should not like to be the first person to introduce it to the public.
Candy dropped it on deck.
“Now go on, boatswain’s mate.” And the sailor received his dozen.