"What was that man doing hanging in a bow-line over the side of your ship, to-day and yesterday?" asked our mate of Mr. Winthrop, the second mate of the "Example," as several of us were seated on the poop-deck of the "Dublin" one evening, while the captain was on shore.
"What! did you notice him?"
"Yes;" said Mr. Morrison, "I'm no friend to sailors, but I think it's a shame to hang a fellow out all day long in that way."
"When he's got a broken back, too, eh?" said Mr. Winthrop.
"A broken back!"
"Something of the sort. But I'll tell you all about it. We've been away from home now about nine months, and the sailors get fourteen dollars a month, so they've got near a hundred dollars due them. Sailors are plenty here now, and wages are only twelve dollars. Our ship can't get a freight at present. I don't know how true it is, but one of our consignee's clerks told me that last time our old man was here, he cheated his broker out of a commission; and this same man is now doing all he can to prevent the ship from chartering. He gives bad reports about the seaworthiness of the ship, I believe; but it's a lie if he does, for she's as able a craft as there is in these waters; I don't care where the next comes from. When the old man found he'd got to stay here some time, he wanted to get rid of his crew, but the consul wouldn't let him pay them off, unless he gave them three month's extra wages, and he thought it would be a nice thing if he could make them run away, and put a thousand dollars or so in his own pocket, or his owner's, I don't know which. So about a month ago he began to work them up. He made us cockbill the lower and topsail-yards, and then the sailors had to scrub them with a piece of canvas and a bucketful of salt water, beginning at the lower yard-arm and scrubbing above them all the time as they crawled up. The water of course ran down on them, and six of them he made us keep soaking and steaming for about a week. This made most of 'em sick, and Saturday night four of 'em came to the old man and told him if he'd give them ten dollars apiece, they'd go ashore. This he did, and made four hundred dollars out of the operation; and I tell you what, if ever men earned their wages those fellows have done it since they've been aboard of that packet, for they've been worked like jackasses day and night.
"The next week we drove five more out of the ship by hard work and poor grub. The old man was greatly tickled by his good luck, and he thought if he could get rid of one more he'd let the rest stay, because he thought the ship might get too bad a name if every one left.
"The fellow he picked out was an English chap, and he told us to "keep him going." One evening, after we had knocked off work and put on the hatches, I sent him down in the 'tween decks to see if there wasn't a stray broom left down there; and it being dark and the 'tween deck-hatches off, the chap walked right down the main hatch and fell on the stone ballast in the hold. We heard him singing out blue-murder, and got the hatches off and hauled him up on deck in a bow-line. He said his back was broken; but I guess it was only badly bruised. When the old man got aboard, and we told him of it, he tore round as though there was something to pay and no pitch hot. The man wanted to go to the hospital; but the captain didn't relish giving him his pay and three month's extra, so he let him lie in the forecastle a week and have his back rubbed with soap-liniment. But the man swore there was some bone out of place in his back; and the captain got mad and told the mate yesterday morning to sling the fellow in a bow-line, and make him scrub the copper all round the ship outside. I wish you could have been aboard to hear the rest of the fun, for the mate stepped up to him and said:
"'Capt. Murphy, I've done enough of your dirty work; if you want that job done you had better ship a new mate to do it.'