Jonadab and Titus let go my arms in sheer
surprise.

"Before Heaven, sir, you shall repent this
outrage, if there be law in America. You
shall—"

"Hold your tongue, sir!" bawled the captain.
"Do you think, under my own flag, on my own
deck, I'll submit to the impertinence of a whelp
like you. I'll teach you your duty, unless you
prefer Old Nick for a schoolmaster."

And then followed a volley of oaths.

"If we fall in with a cruiser, British or
American, I give you my word—" I began,
but I was cut short.

"Gag the hound, Mr. Coffin," said the skipper;
"stop that tongue of his, or cut it out
at once."

Gagged I was, accordingly, in spite of my
feeble resistance, but even had not my brain
been humming with the effects of the drug, I
could not have shaken off the united strength
of my three or four brawny tormentors with the
biblical names. Thus roughly reduced to silence,
I was lashed to a shroud and left to be a passive
spectator of the scene. The captain then ran
his eye over the shrinking mass of landsmen,
and I could see that his violence had produced
its effect, and that they were cowed into
servility. "Bring forward those articles, and the
writing-desk," was the next order. "Now, men,"
said the skipper—but his oaths I leave
unrepeated—"you have shipped, as you are aware,
tor California direct, on board this screamer of
the seas, Bird of Freedom. Hush! no
interruptions allowed; I don't ask you how you all
came on board, and I don't care. I make no
distinction. Here you are, and here you stop.
I don't ask you to ship for the return voyage,
because I know for certain that I couldn't keep
a scamp out of the lot, once we drop anchor at
San Francisco. But for the voyage out, I've
got you, and I'll keep you. Mutiny shall be
punished. Skulkers and shammers shall get
their deserts. Provisions you'll find good, the
biscuit won't hurt your teeth, nor the salt meat
neither; there's lemon juice, there's a doctor,
there's no stint of cocoa and tea, and Uncle
Sam's full allowance of grog" (here there was a
feeble cheer, set up by some sycophants in ragged
garments). "As for wages, we won't quarrel.
Twelve dollars for A.B.'s, eight for landsmen,
four for boys. Supercargo and steward will
find you in Jerseys, frocks, and shirts, if your
kits are not in order. Now, each man will step
forward, answer to his name, and sign the
register."

Daniel Coffin unfolded the paper, as his
superior's oration closed, and called the first man's
name, "Kit Marsh!" "Here!" replied a brisk
little English sailor, whose red eyes and sallow
face told tales of the debauch at a tavern ashore,
which had thrown him, helpless as a sack, into
the hands of the crimps and the captain. But
Kit cared little. It was only that he had spent
his money like a fool, and must now go to sea
months earlier than he intended. The kidnapping
appeared to him in no very dreadful light,
and he was always at home in a forecastle. So
Kit Marsh signed articles with his shaky hand,
remarking that he was but ten days back from
China, and had not a cent left. The others
followed suit, and name after name was appended
to the register. Some of the men tried to
remonstrate; one went down on his knees to beg
to be put ashore; he was an emigrant
house-painter, a Swiss, and had a wife and child in
New York, who must starve in his absence.
But the oak planks he knelt on, were not harder
than the heart of Captain Hodgson, and the
suppliant was bidden to "leave off snivelling,
and go for'ard." Of course I do not for a
moment mean that every one there, was an unwilling
recruit. Far from it. There were several New
Englanders, hard of head and hand, who had a
small venture in the ship, and were treated
considerately by the skipper and mates. There were
also certain seamen, English, Scottish, or Dutch,
who had been coaxed into shipping when intoxicated,
and who had merely been wheedled out of
their liberty. But hardly one of the landsmen
was there of his own free will. They had been
beguiled on all sorts of pretexts; had been
drugged, cajoled, and intimidated; in fact, had
been enlisted very much as French recruits were
in the days of Louis the Fifteenth, and before
France had a conscription. For seamen were
terribly scarce in New York, and were chiefly
manned by crimped foreigners; the natives being
unwilling to ship, except in whalers or coasters,
where they could have a share in the venture.

The poor house-painter had been victimised
in a cruel way. He had been tempted on board
to do some job in the way of his trade, but
scarcely had he fallen to work, before he was
unceremoniously forced into the hold, and there
detained under hatches till the ship sailed. He
told me this story with many tears; tears of no
selfish sorrow, for his heart, poor fellow, was
with the helpless creatures he had left in a
garret at New York, and he was in a most
distressing agony of mind when he recalled the
privations and sufferings which in all likelihood
awaited them.

When all but myself had signed, a pen was
placed between my fingers, Nathan held my
wrist, Mr. Coffin guided my hand, and between
them they managed to affix a spluttering
signature to the important document. Then
we were all sent forward; libations of grog
were served out, petty officers appointed, and
the mates came up to teach us our duty. "You
air in my watch," said Mr. Dan Coffin, as he
very deftly removed the gag, and undid the cord
that confined my wrists; "you air in my watch,
and kinder under my care. Keep your mouth
shut, now, ef you don't want to bite oakum
again. I am speaking out of pure kindness,
and for your good; for I don't mind saying I
have taken a sort of fancy to you, mister, and
we're old acquaintances. Don't bear malice,
stranger, for I mean no harm, and I wish
you no worse than jest to go quietly through
the voyage, and keep a whole skin and sound
bones. For that, mister, you must keep a civil