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Books: Mr. Midshipman Easy

F >> Frederick Marryat >> Mr. Midshipman Easy




Jack did not altogether dislike this view of the subject, and the
captain took care not to dwell too long upon it. He then entered upon
other details, which he was aware would be more agreeable to Jack. He
pointed out that the articles of war were the rules by which the
service was to be guided, and that everybody, from the captain to the
least boy in the ship, was equally bound to adhere to them that a
certain allowance of provisions and wine were allowed to each person
on board, and that this allowance was the same to all; the same to the
captain as to the boy; the same in quantity as in quality; everyone
equally entitled to his allowance;--that, although there were, of
necessity, various grades necessary in the service, and the captain's
orders were obliged to be passed and obeyed by all, yet still,
whatever was the grade of the officer, they were equally considered as
gentlemen. In short, Captain Wilson, who told the truth, and nothing
but the truth, Without telling the whole truth, actually made Jack
fancy that he had at last found out that equality he had been seeking
for in vain on shore, when, at last, he recollected the language used
by Mr Sawbridge the evening before, and asked the captain why that
personage had so conducted himself. Now, as the language of Mr
Sawbridge was very much at variance with equality, Captain Wilson was
not a little puzzled. However, he first pointed out that the first
lieutenant was, at the time being, the captain, as he was the senior
officer on board, as would Jack himself be if he were the senior
officer on board; and that, as he before observed, the captain or
senior officer represented the country. That in the articles of war,
everybody who absented himself from the ship, committed an error, or
breach of those articles; and if any error or breach of those articles
was committed by anyone belonging to the ship, if the senior officer
did not take notice of it, he then himself committed a breach of those
articles, and was liable himself to be punished, if he could not prove
that he had noticed it; it was therefore to save himself that he was
obliged to point out the error; and if he did it in strong language,
it only proved his zeal for his country.

"Upon my honour, then," replied Jack, "there can be no doubt of his
zeal; for if the whole country had been at stake, he could not have
put himself in a greater passion."

"Then he did his duty; but depend upon it it was not a pleasant one to
him: and I'll answer for it, when you meet him on board, he will be as
friendly with you as if nothing had happened."

"He told me that he'd soon make me know what a first lieutenant was:
what did he mean by that?" inquired Jack.

"All zeal."

"Yes, but he said, that as soon as he got on board, he'd show me the
difference between a first lieutenant and a midshipman."

"All zeal."

"He said my ignorance should be a little enlightened by-and-bye."

"All zeal."

"And that he'd send a sergeant and marines to fetch me."

"All zeal."

"That he would put my philosophy to the proof."

"All zeal, Mr Easy. Zeal will break out in this way; but we should do
nothing in the service without it. Recollect that I hope and trust
one day to see you also a zealous officer."

Here Jack cogitated considerably, and gave no answer.

"You will, I am sure," continued Captain Wilson, "find Mr Sawbridge
one of your best friends."

"Perhaps so," replied Jack, "but I did not much admire our first
acquaintance."

"It will perhaps be your unpleasant duty to find as much fault
yourself; we are all equally bound to do our duty to our country. But,
Mr Easy, I sent for you to say that we shall sail to-morrow; and, as I
shall send my things off this afternoon by the launch, you had better
send yours off also. At eight o'clock I shall go on board, and we can
both go in the same boat."

To this Jack made no sort of objection, and having paid his bill at
the Fountain, he sent his chest down to the boat by some of the crew
who came up for it, and attended the summons of the captain to embark.
By nine o'clock that evening, Mr Jack Easy was safe on board his
Majesty's sloop Harpy.

When Jack arrived on board, it was dark, and he did not know what to
do with himself. The captain was received by the officers on deck,
who took off their hats to salute him. The captain returned the
salute, and so did Jack very politely, after which, the captain
entered into conversation with the first lieutenant, and for a while
Jack was left to himself. It was too dark to distinguish faces, and
to one who had never been on board of a ship, too dark to move, so
Jack stood where he was, which was not far from the main bitts; but he
did not stay long; the boat had been hooked on to the quarter davits,
and the boatswain had called out--"Set taut, my lads!"

And then with the shrill whistle, and "Away with her!" forward came
galloping and bounding along, the men with the tackles; and in the
dark Jack was upset, and half a dozen marines fell upon him; the men,
who had no idea that an officer was floored among the others, were
pleased at the joke, and continued to dance over those who were down,
until they rolled themselves out of the way. Jack, who did not
understand this, fared badly, and it was not till the calls piped
belay that he could recover his legs, after having been trampled upon
by half the starboard watch, and the breath completely jammed out of
his body, Jack reeled to a carronade slide, when the officers who had
been laughing at the lark as well as the men, perceived his
situation--among others, Mr Sawbridge, the first lieutenant.

"Are you hurt, Mr Easy?" said he, kindly.

"A little," replied Jack, catching his breath.

"You've had but a rough welcome," replied the first lieutenant, "but
at certain times, on board ship, it is every man for himself, and God
for us all. Harpur," continued the first lieutenant to the doctor,
"take Mr Easy down in the gun-room with you, and I will be down myself
as soon as I can. Where is Mr Jolliffe?"

"Here, sir," replied Mr Jolliffe, a master's mate, coming aft from the
booms.

"There is a youngster come on board with the captain. Order one of
the quarter-masters to get a hammock slung."

In the meantime Jack went down into the gun-room, where a glass of
wine somewhat recovered him. He did not stay there long, nor did he
venture to talk much. As soon as his hammock was ready, Jack was glad
to go to bed--and as he was much bruised he was not disturbed the next
morning till past nine o'clock. He then dressed himself, went on
deck, found that the sloop was just clear of the Needles, that he felt
very queer, then very sick, and was conducted by a marine down below,
put into his hammock, where he remained during a gale of wind of three
days, bewildered, confused, puzzled, and every minute knocking his
head against the beams with the pitching and tossing of the sloop.

"And this is going to sea," thought Jack; "no wonder that no one
interferes with another here, or talks about a trespass; for I'm sure
anyone is welcome to my share of the ocean; and if I once get on shore
again, the devil may have my portion if he chooses."

Captain Wilson and Mr Sawbridge had both allowed Jack more leisure
than most midshipmen, during his illness. By the time that the gale
was over, the sloop was off Cape Finisterre. The next morning the sea
was nearly down, and there was but a slight breeze on the waters. The
comparative quiet of the night before had very much recovered our
hero, and when the hammocks were piped up, he was accosted by Mr
Jolliffe, the master's mate, who asked, "whether he intended to rouse
and bit, or whether he intended to sail to Gibraltar between his
blankets."

Jack, who felt himself quite another person, turned out of his hammock
and dressed himself. A marine had, by the captain's orders, attended
Jack during his illness, and this man came to his assistance, opened
his chest, and brought him all he required, or Jack would have been in
a sad dilemma.

Jack then inquired where he was to go, for he had not been in the
midshipmen's berth, although five days on board. The marine pointed
it out to him, and Jack, who felt excessively hungry, crawled over and
between chests, until he found himself fairly in a hole infinitely
inferior to the dog-kennels which received his father's pointers.

"I'd not only give up the ocean," thought Jack, "and my share of it,
but also my share of the Harpy, unto anyone who fancies it. Equality
enough here! for everyone appears equally miserably off."

As he thus gave vent to his thoughts, he perceived that there was
another person in the berth--Mr Jolliffe, the master's mate, who had
fixed his eye upon Jack, and to whom Jack returned the compliment. The
first thing that Jack observed was, that Mr Jolliffe was very deeply
pockmarked, and that he had but one eye, and that was a piercer; it
appeared like a little ball of fire, and as if it reflected more light
from the solitary candle than the candle gave.

"I don't like your looks," thought Jack--"we shall never be friends."

But here Jack fell into the common error of judging by appearances, as
will be proved hereafter.

"I'm glad to see you up again, youngster," said Jolliffe; "you've been
on your beam ends longer than usual, but those who are strongest
suffer most--you made your mind up but late to come to sea. However,
they say, 'better late than never'."

"I feel very much inclined to argue the truth of that saying," replied
Jack; "but it's no use just now. I'm terribly hungry--when shall I
get some breakfast?"

"To-morrow morning at half-past eight," replied Mr Jolliffe.
"Breakfast for to-day has been over these two hours."

"But must I then go without?"

"No, I do not say that, as we must make allowances for your illness;
but it will not be breakfast."

"Call it what you please," replied Jack, "only pray desire the
servants to give me something to eat. Dry toast or muffins--anything
will do, but I should prefer coffee."

"You forget that you are off Finisterre, in a midshipman's berth:
coffee we have none--muffins we never see, dry toast cannot be made,
as we have no soft bread; but a cup of tea, and ship's biscuit and
butter, I can desire the steward to get ready for you."

"Well then," replied Jack, "I will thank you to procure me that."

"Marine," cried Jolliffe, "call Mesty."

"Pass the word for Mesty," cried the marine--and the two syllables
were handed forward until lost in the forepart of the vessel.

The person so named must be introduced to the reader. He was a
curious anomaly--a black man who had been brought to America as a
slave, and there sold.

He was a very tall, spare-built, yet muscular form, and had a face by
no means common with his race. His head was long and narrow, high
cheek-bones, from whence his face descended down to almost a point at
the chin; his nose was very small, but it was straight and almost
Roman; his mouth also was unusually small; and his lips thin for an
African; his teeth very white, and filed to sharp points. He claimed
the rank of prince in his own country, with what truth could not of
course be substantiated. His master had settled at New York, and
there Mesty had learned English, if it could be so-called: the fact
is, that all the emigrant labourers at New York being Irishmen, he had
learned English with the strong brogue and peculiar phraseology of the
sister kingdom dashed with a little Yankeeism.

Having been told that there was no slavery in England, Mesty had
concealed himself on board an English merchant vessel, and escaped. On
his arrival in England he had entered on board of a man-of-war. Having
no name, it was necessary to christen him on the ship's books, and the
first lieutenant, who had entered him, struck with his remarkable
expression of countenance, and being a German scholar, had named him
Mephistopheles Faust, from whence his Christian name had been razed to
Mesty. Mesty in other points was an eccentric character; at one
moment, when he remembered his lineage, he was proud to excess, at
others he was grave and almost sullen--but when nothing either in
daily occurrences or in his mind ran contrary, he exhibited the
drollery so often found in his nation, with a spice of Irish humour,
as if he had caught up the latter with his Irish brogue.

Mesty was soon seen coming aft, but almost double as he couched under
the beams, and taking large strides with his naked feet.

"By the powers, Massa Yolliffe, but it is not seasonable at all to
send for me just now, anyhow, seeing how the praters are in the
copper, and so many blackguard 'palpeens all ready to change net for
net, and better themselves by the same mistake, 'dam um."

"Mesty, you know I never send for you myself, or allow others to do
so, unless it is necessary," replied Jolliffe; "but this poor lad has
eaten nothing since he has been on board, and is very hungry--you must
get him a little tea."

"Is it tay you mane, sir?--I guess, to make tay, in the first place I
must ab water, and in the next must ab room in the galley to put the
kettle on--and 'pose you wanted to burn the tip of your little finger
just now, it's not in the galley that you find a berth for it--and den
the water before seven bells. I've a notion it's just impossible."

"But he must have something, Mesty."

"Never mind the tea, then," replied Jack, "I'll take some milk."

"Is it milk massa manes, and the bumboat woman on the oder side of the
bay?"

"We have no milk, Mr Easy; you forget that we are on blue water,"
replied Jolliffe, "and I really am afraid that you'll have to wait
till dinner-time. Mesty tells the truth."

"I tell you what, Massa Yolliffe, it just seven bells, and if the
young gentleman would, instead of tay, try a little out of the copper,
it might keep him asy. It but a little difference, tay soup and pay
soup. Now a bowl of that, with some nuts and a flourish of pepper,
will do him good, anyhow."

"Perhaps the best thing he can take, Mesty; get it as fast as you
can."

In a few minutes the black brought down a bowl of soup and whole peas
swimming in it, put before our hero a tin bread-basket full of small
biscuit, called midshipmen's nuts, and the pepper-caster. Jack's
visions of tea, coffee, muffins, dry toast, and milk, vanished as he
perceived the mess; but he was very hungry, and he found it much
better than he expected; and he moreover found himself much the better
after he had swallowed it. It struck seven bells, and he accompanied
Mr Jolliffe on deck.


CHAPTER X

Showing how Jack transgresses against his own philosophy.

When Jack Easy had gained the deck, he found the sun shining gaily, a
soft air blowing from the shore, and the whole of the rigging and
every part of the ship loaded with the shirts, trousers, and jackets
of the seamen, which had been wetted during the heavy gale, and were
now hanging up to dry; all the wet sails were also spread on the booms
or triced up in the rigging, and the ship was slowly forging through
the blue water. The captain and first lieutenant were standing on the
gangway in converse, and the majority of the officers were with their
quadrants and sextants ascertaining the latitude at noon. The decks
were white and clean, the sweepers had just laid by their brooms, and
the men were busy coiling down the ropes. It was a scene of
cheerfulness, activity, and order, which tightened his heart after the
four days of suffering, close air, and confinement, from which he had
just emerged.

The captain, who perceived him, beckoned to him, asked him kindly how
he felt: the first lieutenant also smiled upon him, and many of the
officers, as well as his messmates, congratulated him upon his
recovery.

The captain's steward came up to him, touched his hat, and requested
the pleasure of his company to dinner in the cabin. Jack was the
essence of politeness, took off his hat, and accepted the invitation.
Jack was standing on a rope which a seaman was coiling down; the man
touched his hat and requested he would be so kind as to take his foot
off. Jack took his hat off his head in return, and his foot off the
rope. The master touched his hat, and reported twelve o'clock to the
first lieutenant--the first lieutenant touched his hat, and reported
twelve o'clock to the captain--the captain touched his hat, and told
the first lieutenant to make it so. The officer of the watch touched
his hat, and asked the captain whether they should pipe to dinner--
the captain touched his hat, and said--"If you please."

The midshipman received his orders, and touched his hat, which he gave
to the head boatswain's mate, who touched his hat, and then the calls
whistled cheerily.

"Well," thought Jack, "politeness seems to be the order of the day,
and everyone has an equal respect for the other." Jack stayed on deck;
he peeped through the ports, which were open, and looked down into the
deep blue wave; he cast his eyes aloft, and watched the tall spars
sweeping and tracing with their points, as it were, a small portion of
the clear sky, as they acted in obedience to the motion of the vessel;
he looked forward at the range of carronades which lined the sides of
the deck, and then he proceeded to climb one of the carronades, and
lean over the hammocks to gaze on the distant land.

"Young gentleman, get off those hammocks," cried the master, who was
officer of the watch, in a surly tone.

Jack looked round. "Do you hear me, sir? I'm speaking to you," said
the master again. Jack felt very indignant, and he thought that
politeness was not quite so general as he supposed.

It happened that Captain Wilson was upon deck. "Come here, Mr Easy,"
said the captain; "it is a rule in the service, that no one gets on
the hammocks, unless in case of emergency--I never do--nor the first
lieutenant--nor any of the officers or men,--therefore, upon the
principle of equality, you must not do it either."

"Certainly not, sir," replied Jack, "but still I do not see why that
officer in the shining hat should be so angry, and not speak to me as
if I were a gentleman, as well as himself."

"I have already explained that to you, Mr Easy." "O yes, I recollect
now, it's zeal: but this zeal appears to me to be the only unpleasant
thing in the service. It's a pity, as you said, that the service
cannot do without it."

Captain Wilson laughed, and walked away; and shortly afterwards, as he
turned up and down the deck with the master, he hinted to him, that he
should not speak so sharply to a lad who had committed such a trifling
error through ignorance. Now Mr Smallsole, the master, who was a
surly sort of a personage, and did not like even a hint of
disapprobation of his conduct, although very regardless of the feeling
of others, determined to pay this off on Jack, the very first
convenient opportunity. Jack dined in the cabin, and was very much
pleased to find that everyone drank wine with him, and that everybody
at the captain's table appeared to be on an equality. Before the
dessert had been on the table five minutes, Jack became loquacious on
his favourite topic; all the company stared with surprise at such an
unheard-of doctrine being broached on board of a man-of-war; the
captain argued the point, so as to controvert, without too much
offending, Jack's notions, laughing the whole time that the
conversation was carried on.

It will be observed, that this day may be considered as the first in
which Jack really made his appearance on board, and it also was on
this first day that Jack made known, at the captain's table, his very
peculiar notions. If the company at the captain's table, which
consisted of the second lieutenant, purser, Mr Jolliffe, and one of
the midshipmen, were astonished at such heterodox opinions being
stated in the presence of the captain, they were equally astonished at
the cool, good-humoured ridicule with which they were received by
Captain Wilson.

The report of Jack's boldness, and every word and opinion that he had
uttered (of course much magnified) was circulated that evening through
the whole ship; it was canvassed in the gun-room by the officers; it
was descanted upon by the midshipmen as they walked the deck; the
captain's steward held a levee abreast of the ship's funnel, in which
he narrated this new doctrine. The sergeant of marines gave his
opinion in his berth, that it was damnable. The boatswain talked over
the matter with the other warrant officers, till the grog was all
gone, and then dismissed it as too dry a subject: and it was the
general opinion of the ship's company, that as soon as they arrived at
Gibraltar Bay, our hero would bid adieu to the service, either by
being sentenced to death by a court-martial, or by being dismissed,
and towed on shore on a grating. Others, who had more of the wisdom of
the serpent, and who had been informed by Mr Sawbridge that our hero
was a lad who would inherit a large property, argued differently, and
considered that Captain Wilson had very good reason for being so
lenient--and among them was the second lieutenant. There were but
four who were well inclined towards Jack,--to wit, the captain, the
first lieutenant, Mr Jolliffe, the one-eyed master's mate, and
Mephistopheles, the black, who, having heard that Jack had uttered
such sentiments, loved him with all his heart and soul.

We have referred to the second lieutenant, Mr Asper. This young man
had a very high respect for birth, and particularly for money, of
which he had very little. He was the son of an eminent merchant who,
during the time that he was a midshipman, had allowed him a much
larger sum for his expenses than was necessary or proper; and, during
his career, he found that his full pocket procured him consequence,
not only among his own messmates, but also with many of the officers
of the ships that he sailed in. A man who is able and willing to pay
a large tavern bill will always find followers--that is, to the
tavern; and lieutenants did not disdain to dine, walk arm-in-arm, and
be "hail fellow well met" with a midshipman, at whose expense they
lived during the time they were on shore. Mr Asper had just received
his commission and appointment, when his father became a bankrupt, and
the fountain was dried up from which he had drawn such liberal
supplies. Since that, Mr Asper had felt that his consequence was
gone: he could no longer talk about the service being a bore, or that
he should give it up; he could no longer obtain that deference paid to
his purse, and not to himself; and he had contracted very expensive
habits, without having any longer the means of gratifying them.

It was therefore no wonder that he imbibed a great respect for money;
and, as he could no longer find the means himself, he was glad to pick
up anybody else at whose cost he could indulge in that extravagance
and expense to which he had been so long accustomed, and still sighed
for. Now, Mr Asper knew that our hero was well supplied with money,
as he had obtained from the waiter the amount of the bill paid at the
Fountain, and he had been waiting for Jack's appearance on deck to
become his very dearest and most intimate friend. The conversation in
the cabin made him feel assured that Jack would require and be
grateful for support, and he had taken the opportunity of a walk with
Mr Sawbridge, to offer to take Jack in his watch. Whether it was that
Mr Sawbridge saw through the design of Mr Asper, or whether he
imagined that our hero would be better pleased with him than with the
master, considering his harshness of deportment; or with himself, who
could not, as first lieutenant, overlook any remission of duty, the
offer was accepted, and Jack Easy was ordered, as he now entered upon
his duties, to keep watch under Lieutenant Asper.

But not only was this the first day that Jack may be said to have
appeared in the service, but it was the first day in which he had
entered the midshipman's berth, and was made acquainted with his
messmates.

We have already mentioned Mr Jolliffe, the master's mate, but we must
introduce him more particularly. Nature is sometimes extremely
arbitrary, and never did she show herself more so than in insisting
that Mr Jolliffe should have the most sinister expression of
countenance that ever had been looked upon.

He had suffered martyrdom with the small-pox, which probably had
contracted his lineaments: his face was not only deeply pitted, but
scarred with this cruel disorder. One eye had been lost, and all
eyebrows had disappeared--and the contrast between the dull,
sightless, opaque orb on one side of his face, and the brilliant,
piercing little ball on the other, was almost terrifying. His nose
had been eaten away by the disease till it formed a sharp but
irregular point; part of the muscles of the chin were contracted, and
it was drawn in with unnatural seams and puckers. He was tall, gaunt,
and thin, seldom smiled, and when he did, the smile produced a still
further distortion.