This is owing to
their natural habits of carelessness; and our mess, for this reason,
was particularly uncomfortable. The government was a democracy; but
the caterer had at times been invested with dictatorial powers, which
he either abused or was thought to abuse, and he was accordingly
turned out, or resigned in disgust, at the end of two or three days.
Most of my messmates were young men, senior to me in the service,
having passed their examinations, and were going to America for
promotion: but when mustered on the quarter-deck, whether they
appeared less manly, or were, in fact, less expert in their duty, I
know not; but certain it is, that the first lieutenant appointed
me mate of a watch, and placed several of these aspirants under my
orders: and so strong did we muster, that we stood in each other's way
when on deck keeping our watch, seldom less than seventeen or eighteen
in number.
In the gun-room we agreed very ill together, and one principal cause
of this was our short allowance of food--daily skirmishes took place,
and not unfrequently pitched battles; but I never took any other part
in them than as a spectator, and the observations I made convinced me
that I should have no great difficulty in mastering the whole of them.
The office of caterer was one of neither honour nor emolument, and
it was voluntarily taken up, and peevishly laid down, on the first
trifling provocation. With the ship's allowance, no being, less than
an angel, could have given satisfaction.
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