This produced a reply, and another fierce answer; and the words flew,
fists were doubled up, and things looked threateningly.
"I'm master of this ship."
"Yes, sir, and I'm mate of her, and know my place! My place is
forward, and yours is aft!"
"My place is where I choose! I command the whole ship; and you
are mate only so long as I choose!"
"Say the word, Capt. T., and I'm done! I can do a man's work
aboard! I didn't come through the cabin windows! If I'm not
mate, I can be man," etc., etc.
This was all fun for us, who stood by, winking at each other, and
enjoying the contest between the higher powers. The captain took
the mate aft; and they had a long talk, which ended in the mate's
returning to his duty. The captain had broken through a custom,
which is a part of the common-law of a ship, and without reason;
for he knew that his mate was a sailor, and needed no help from him;
and the mate was excusable for being angry. Yet he was wrong, and
the captain right. Whatever the captain does is right, ipso facto,
and any opposition to it is wrong, on board ship; and every officer
and man knows this when he signs the ship's articles.
It is a part of the contract. Yet there has grown up in merchant
vessels a series of customs, which have become a well understood
system, and have almost the force of prescriptive law. To be sure,
all power is in the captain, and the officers hold their authority
only during his will; and the men are liable to be called upon for
any service; yet, by breaking in upon these usages, many difficulties
have occurred on board ship, and even come into courts of justice,
which are perfectly unintelligible to any one not acquainted with the
universal nature and force of these customs. Many a provocation has
been offered, and a system of petty oppression pursued towards men,
the force and meaning of which would appear as nothing to strangers,
and doubtless do appear so to many "'long-shore" juries and judges.
The next little diversion, was a battle on the forecastle one
afternoon, between the mate and the steward. They had been on
bad terms the whole voyage; and had threatened a rupture several
times. This afternoon, the mate asked him for a tumbler of water,
and he refused to get it for him, saying that he waited upon
nobody but the captain: and here he had the custom on his side.
But in answering, he left off "the handle to the mate's name."
This enraged the mate, who called him a "black soger;" and at it
they went, clenching, striking, and rolling over and over; while
we stood by, looking on, and enjoying the fun. The darky tried
to butt him, but the mate got him down, and held him, the steward
singing out, "Let me go, Mr. Brown, or there'll be blood spilt!"
In the midst of this, the captain came on deck, separated them,
took the steward aft, and gave him half a dozen with a rope's end.
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