The Argosy — page 63: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

50 The Cruise of the Reserve Squadron. world for good tidings) and at the invitation of Captain Trelawny Jago I became his guest and took up my quarters with him, I was awakened regularly every morning about 4.30 by the scrubbing of decks. ‘The men would come to the locker overhead, take out their infernal machines—zcz.e., brushes, squeegees and swabs—ram the handles into the brushes with a vengeance that made one think the very deck itself would come through, and commence operations, ‘The agonies that ensued banished all possibility of sleep. Often I would wake and find myself unconsciously quoting Hood’s lines, merely changing the gender for the sake of applicability : ‘‘ But his sleep was restless and broken still, For, turning often and oft From side to side, he mutter’d and moan’d, And tossed his arms aloft.” Until at seven o’clock the Captain’s steward or his valet, like a ministering angel (in all but appearance) would arrive with biscuits and a cup of coffee to restore exhausted nature, and depart with blessings in their stead. It was only towards the very last that, in the course of conversa- tion, I happened in a weak moment to mention the torments I had gone through with the heroism of a martyr, in consequence of this early scrubbing. ‘And you mean to say,” said Captain Jago, “‘ that you never rang the bell for the sentry, and had it stopped and the men sent to Jericho —rather than be disturbed P” I should as soon have thought of taking command of the Fleet. There is a punctuality, a severity, an observance, a regularity on board a man-of-war that inspires awe in a civilian in the carrying out of the smallest rule and detail, and makes him tremble in his shoes when an unfortunate delinquent is brought up for punishment. For creating a true manliness of bearing, a firmness and decision of character, there can be no better school than the Navy. Had I issued a very mild protest for a little less noise overhead, I should almost have expected to be tried by court-martial. “Tf I had only known this beforehand,” said Captain Jago, in the kindness of his heart and the fulness of his hospitality, ‘‘I would have had the scrubbing put off to a later hour.” It was almost the last day of our more than pleasant cruise—and I was glad I had not spoken sooner. The Captain’s quarters, then, are on the main deck. For the ward-room of the Defence we descended a stage, to the lower deck. The ward-room is the mess-room of the officers, including not only the lieutenants and the officers of the marines (we know how the marines distinguished themselves in the late war, proved themselves the very backbone of the army, and were always in the hottest of the fight, ‘‘ Per mare per terram”—they were equally brave on shore or afloat) but also the Chaplain, the Doctors, the Paymaster, and, of late, the Chief Engineer. Comicbooksicom