"The 'old man' was a Dane, or some kind of a Dutchman, named Johnson; that's all I know about him or his wife, except that the passenger told me in 'Frisco,' that he wrote home to his friends, that the captain was a demon and his wife was a she devil.
"While we were making sail on the ship, the mate travelled about the decks, raving like a madman. He thought one man didn't haul hard enough on the main-topsail halyards, so he cursed him and called him a bad name. The man gave him a 'black look' in return, and Clarkson knocked him down senseless, with a big gash cut in his head, with an iron belaying-pin. When the yard was mastheaded he sung out, 'haul that thing out of the way and belay.'
"All hands were kept up in the afternoon and, if there was any excuse to be found for doing it, the watch below would often be called out in the forenoon. Every order was accompanied by an oath, and belaying-pins, and leading-blocks were hurled about the deck at any one that didn't move on the 'clean jump.' Things went on this way for about a fortnight, without anything very particular happening, except that somebody got licked nearly every watch, and then we had a little the biggest row that ever I saw aboard of a ship.
"We were running down the north-east trades with all our port stu'n'sails set, and at eleven o'clock one night in the second mate's watch, a very heavy squall struck her. The mate jumped out on deck and called all hands, without saying anything to the 'old man.' We didn't get out of the forecastle quick enough for him, and he and the third mate stood by the door on one side, and the second mate and boatswain on the other side of the deck, and every man as he came out got struck.
"Jackson said to me, 'Hold on, Bangs, don't you go out till I do.'
"Just then the mate looked in and said, 'Bangs you hurry, get out on deck!'
"'He's coming out when I do,' said Jackson.
"'Jackson,' said the mate, 'when you're ready come out on deck,' and he went away. He never tried to impose on Jackson, and I thought I'd keep close to him to secure my own safety. As the third mate struck one of the sailors, the man drew his sheath-knife and cut him slightly. Then there was a race. The man ran aft and the third mate after him. Away they went around the poop and forward again, until the third mate tumbled over a man that the second mate had knocked down, and so lost the chase.
"When Jackson and I got out there was a general fight going on; some of the watch on deck had pitched in, and belaying-pins and handspikes were flying round at a lively rate. The 'old man' got on deck in the midst of all this, and I guess he thought the Old Nick was let loose, or else his officers had gone crazy. The man at the wheel had run her off before the wind to save the sails, but there hadn't been the first thing done about taking in anything.
"'Haul down that main-topmast studding-sail,' shouted the captain; for the tack had parted and the sail was blowing all to pieces.