The Republican journal., 1876-12-07
Mutiny on Board.

A utAAy GA hoaAAi
| From Cassell's Magazine.
| commenced my medical career witt
exceptional disadvantages. My parents
We're dead, and | had not relative will
ing or able to help me; | was cast entire
| ~ upon my own resources, which were 9
| diploma Il respectable wardrobe and TWEEN
! ty pounds in cash-the balance of the cap
ta " hich had sutticed tor my education
Feeling desperately the necessity of eXer
ton | applied to all sorts OF people, rush
ing into the presence of big-wigs who
ought not to be approached without intro
ducton and outraging them with demands
for surgical employment. | should say
sometimes received as many as five snubs
and rebuits in II morning AT last iairly
broke down IN the presence of a naughty
Young admiralty clerk. who was perturbed
and melted by my distress, when on ask.
ing him how could get into the navy he
replied:
Suppose youapply on a pwopper form
! through the pWopper channel. Look here, "
he said, calling me back, "leaye your name
and address Surgeons are wanted tor
things sometimes in a hurry
Two days afterwards | received a letter
| informing me that q surgeon was required
for the Alecto, which was to sail for sgd
ney on the following Sunday with cargo
of conyicts, and that if applied in per-
son at Il place and hour named, and an
sWered certain questions satisfactorily,
there was little doubt but what | should
get the appointment
There was no medical employment on
earth that | would not have jumped at
blindtold Just then, SO made my appica-
ton. was accepted without any difficulty
with rather an ominous alacrity indeed
and after such poor preparations in the
way of outfit as my ignorance suggested
and my slender means could afford, went
on board the Alecto, which was lying oft
Greenwich, and found myself in medical
charge OF a captain, two mates, a heuten-
ant of the royal navy, in some mysterious
capacity that never rightly comprehend
ed twenty sailors, aD officer of marines
and his men; 250 convicts.
The naval lieutenant was the only man
on the quarterback when | went up the
side
II am the surgeon, began, advancing
toward him; but before could say another
word he asked abruptly:
Can you play at chess?'
Yes "a little" replied
I'm thankful vera thankful, for that.
Shake hands, sir. The marine body, Mr.
Phipps no cares for the game; and how
should we surveeve sich Il protracted and
tedious voyage without chess? My name
is MacNab, and hope we shall be friends.
sir"
said that | hoped SO too. and we Ell
gagged in 4 conversation which was the re-
verse OF inspiring. gathered from Mr..
MacNab that the skipper had been untor-
tuQate in former voyages that his mates
were rut1ians; that the crew We're very
poor types indeed of the British sailor
that the ship herself was a rotten old hulk
that ought to have been broken up years
before
| went down to my cabin, which seemed
absurdly small and low and dark got my
pOrtmanteau there, and tried to make ar
rangements for future comfort, Then |
studied the printed instructions | had re-
ceived as to how often | was to inspect the
conVicts, etc, and wondered what was to
be done if they were refractory, and who
had authority over ME to prevent me shrk-
ing my duties; for had sole command, it
seemed, in my particular department.
When / returned on deck | found the
captain and Mr Phipps there. The former
had red nose and watery eyes, which ex-
planned, perhaps, why he had been unfor-
nate with his ships the latter was gen
tlemaniy fellow enough, but desponding
and taciturn, his silence being of the less
Importance, that when he did talk, he gen
orally grumbled, which iid not add to the
cheerfuIness OF so small a party, His only
solace was in making pen and ink sketches
at which he was very clever; landscapes,
with chiatoscuro effects, involving an i'm
mense amount of time and labor, being
his principal forte Both he and MacNab
were disappointed men but the Scotch
man was the better philosopher of the two
We four snpped together, and in due
time went to my berth and found out how
to get into it. felt like a toy put away
on Il shelf in a cupboard, for it was my
first experience OF ship accommodation
When you have learned to lie on your back
and not want to move all night--to take
enough oxygen into the lungs while on
deck to last for the time you are below,
and to be indifferent to cockroaches run
ming over you, you get on a great deal
better
On reaching the deck next morning. |
found that we were under all sail and drop
| ping down the river, which had grown
very wide.
1t was not long before we were fairly in
the Channel. and the pilot got into his boat
and left us.
There was nice breeze, but the sea
was perfectly smooth, and the ship glided
through the water with delightful glibness
so that | felt that l ought to be doing
something towards learning my duties
while | was able, and contided to MacNab
that | should like to hold an inspection Of
the convicts, who were all gathered on the
main deck in charge of their wardens and
the marines, who mounted sentry over
them with loaded muskets and fixed bayo-
nets.
found that had made an official appli.
cation in the right quarter by accident, for
MacNab Immediately said:
"At what time? at once ?''
And when | replied in the affirmative,
gave certain sharp, short orders, the re-
suit OF which was that in less than ten
minutes warden came up to me, touch
ed his cap, and reported:
"All ready. sir"
And following him, found the convicts
drawn up in lines. barefooted. My inspec-
ton of them was mere form, for. OF
course, they were sent on board sound and
clean. but made certain suggestions with
regard to the sanitary arrangements be-
tween decks, where their hammocks were
slung, and these were promptly attended
to where practicable. When l had done
MacNab challenged me to a game of chess.