“Give way,” came the command, and the cutter began to move over the water toward the becalmed ship, Ned setting a swift, deep navy stroke.
As they came alongside, a Jacob’s ladder was snaked over the side of the old craft, and her crew ranged along the bulwarks looking admiringly at the trim, sun-burned navy men in the cutter.
A tall man, of gangling build and with a gray goatee came to the gangway.
“Right glad you could help us out,” he drawled with a strong New England accent. “We’ve bin uncommon short of water fer ther last ten days an’ it looked like we would be a floating Sahary afore long, when you hove in sight.”
The ensign scrambled upon deck and Ned took charge of the conveyance of the water kegs on board. While they loaded the water into the Victory’s tanks the captain, whose name was Abner Samuels, was explaining to the ensign how he had bought the old convict ship as a speculation and had made quite a lot of money exhibiting her at different points. The young officer, in his turn, informed the down-east skipper that he ought to feel highly flattered at halting the United States fleet to supply his needs.
“Wa’al, Uncle Sam is always powerful good to his nevvys,” responded the old captain, who was quite a character.
When the transferring of the water was finished, the skipper invited all hands to look over his unique craft.
“Everything’s just as it was in the old days when seven hundred convicts used to be packed aboard,” he said, “all the torture instruments and thumb-screws and whipping posts and all. She’s a right interesting old ship.”
The ensign agreed to allow the Jackies then on board to make a hasty survey of the old craft, and they scattered through her while the skipper took charge of the ensign.
The old ship was just as interesting as her owner and captain had proclaimed. Her gloomy holds were partitioned off into tiny cells in which a man could not stand upright, and iron manacles and wooden stocks were on every side. Ned and Herc felt oppressed and gloomy as they viewed the venerable craft, and saw unmistakable evidences of the suffering and torment that the unhappy human beings on board her must have endured.