Following this extraordinary being through a labyrinth of boxes, hampers, deal boards, carpenter’s tools, and carpet-bags, we arrived at the door of a cabin, seizing the handle of which, Mr. Jenkins cautioned me not to be disappointed, and gently opened it. Being in the after part of the ship, I expected to find a small cabin, but not the miserable dog-hole now revealed to me. It was barely six feet in length, and its extreme breadth scarcely five feet.
To my exclamation that “there must be some mistake!” Mr. Jenkins replied:—
“No, sir; he never makes mistakes! You see, sir, you’re a ‘government,’ as I told you before, and that is why he has given you this cabin.”
After some exercise of patience and temper, I learned from Mr. Jenkins that he meant W.S.L., and that the term a “government” applied to myself, referred to my being a government passenger, a certain number of whom are carried by all steamers belonging to lines which have a contract for carrying the mails.
To my observation that I was surprised that W.S.L. was not afraid to treat the government passengers in such a shameful manner, by putting them into cabins which he could not possibly let to any other passengers, Mr. Jenkins stated that “W.S.L. was not afraid of any government, that he hated all ‘governments,’ and when he got them on board of his ships he always served them in that way.”
To this I could only remark, on more minutely examining the cabin, that it was a most disgraceful place to put a lady into. Jenkins, ever ready with an answer, immediately replied:—
“You see, sir, all ‘governments’ are supposed to be gentlemen—‘governments’ are not supposed to be married.”
“But surely, Jenkins, there must be some better cabin than this still vacant?”
“No, sir, not one; take my advice and make the best of it. You see, sir, outside here in the steerage we have little enough room at any time, but, considering we are bound to a hot climate, it will be stifling in a fortnight’s time—well, the Admiralty insist upon his taking the full number of ‘governments’ with him this voyage. Well, he has already let all the cabins and got paid for them; the consequence is that for one of ‘the governments’ he has ordered this ‘structure’ to be built. Just come and look at it, sir.”