I will not wound the feelings of my readers with a description of the poor wretch’s situation.  Even at this distance of time, I am shocked at it, and bitterly lament the painful necessity I have often been under of inflicting similar punishment; but I hope and trust I never did it without a cause, or in the wanton display of arbitrary power.

The last dozen being finished, the sum total was reported by the master-at-arms, “five dozen.”

“Five dozen!” repeated Captain G; “that will do—­cast him off.  And now, sir,” said he, to the fainting wretch, “I hope this will be a warning to you, that the next time you wish to empty your beastly mouth, you will not spit on my quarter-deck.”

“Heavens!” thought I, “is all this for spitting on the quarter-deck? and this, from the moralist of yesterday, who allowed neither oaths nor execrations, and has uttered more blasphemy in the last ten minutes, than I have heard for the last ten weeks?”

I had not yet caught the captain’s eye—­he was too intent on his amusement.  As soon as the prisoner was cast loose, he commanded to pipe down, or in other words, to dismiss the people to their usual occupations, when I went up to him, and touched my hat.

“Oh! you are come, are you?  Pipe, belay there—­send every body aft on the quarter-deck.”

My commission was then read:  all hats off in respect to the sovereign, from whom the authority was derived.  After this, I, being duly inaugurated, became the second lieutenant of the sloop; and the captain, without condescending to give me another word or look, ordered his gig to be manned, and was going on shore.  I was not presented by him to any of the officers, which, in common courtesy, he ought to have done.  This omission, however, was supplied by the first lieutenant, who invited me down into the gun-room, to introduce me to my new messmates.  We left the tiger pacing up and down on his quarter-deck.

The first lieutenant was of the medium stature, a suitable height for a sloop of war, a spare figure of about forty years of age; he had but one eye, and that eye was as odd a one as the captain’s.  There was in it, however, unlike the captain’s, an infinite deal of humour, and when he cocked it, as he constantly did, it almost spoke.  I never saw three such eyes in two such heads.  There was a lurking smile in the lieutenant’s face, when I told him that the captain had desired me to come on board and read my commission, after which I might have two or three days to myself to prepare for sea.

“Well,” said he, “you had better go and ask him now; but you will find him a rum one.”

Accordingly, up I went to him.  “Have you any objection to my going on shore, Sir?”