The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-10-13

Of JACK
Sailors Have Their
Own Code Of
Morals.
To Be Called a Soldier
Is a Mortal
Insult.
Fo' c'stle Men Believe in the Adaae,
Cleanliness is Next to
Goodness"

The following yarn about the men be-
fore the mast. by Albert Sonnichsen
able seaman, has a local fiavoring:
People ashore with only limited
knowledge Of men who sail in ships
are not apt to regard the sailor as a
gentleman of dignity. Slovenly, un-
grimy streets of the water front dis
tricts, disregardful of what people think
of him, apparently without pride. But
for all that, Jack is a most sensitive
being, keenly conscious of what con-
stitutes disgrace according to his own
peculiar code of morals.
There is no more keenly felt disgrace
to the genuine deep sea sailor than hav-
ing his ability as seaman impeached
You might cast all sorts of doubts on
the integrity of his moral character
but, provided you qualified them by adj
hitting his professional ability, he
might still be your friend. Reverse the
order, and declare him a good man but
poor seaman, and he is on the war
path at once.
This popularity is fully understood
by ships officers, they, of course, being
more susceptible to it than the men un-
der them. So when they wish to inflict
some particularly severe form Of pun
ishment on sailor they do not resort
to physical violence. Assault with a
Delaying pin might imply merely mo-
mentary displeasure. That is not the
bucko mates method when he wants
to be especially cruel. He simply sets
his victim to work at some job ordi-
narily given to the deck boys, and thus
strikes deeper than mere blows ever
could That sort of punishment has set
more than one sailor brooding during
the night watches until he ended his
misery by leap overheard.
I remember a particular case wherein
an old sailor, who had sailed every sea
on the globe, was punished in this man.
ner. He had given the mate some back
talk. At first it looked as if there would
be a fight, but the mate withdrew with
a revengeful look in his eyes.
Here, for the benefit of the landsman,
certain details must be explained. Each
square sail on sailing ship is furled
by means of ropes called buntlines,
which pull the sail up to the yard arm,
where it is made fast with other ropes
called gaskets. When the sails are set
the buntlines hang loose, and, so that
they shall not chafe the sail by the
weight of the hauling part running
down to the deck, they are pulled up
slightly and fastened to the block on
the yard with thin cotton Irvine, easily
broken if it becomes necessary to clue
up the sail Overhauling and stopping
buntlines with Irvine is essentially a
deck boys duty; the greenhorn learns it
on first coming aboard.
In the second dog watch of the day
when the mate and old Jack quarreled
all hands were gathered on the main
hatch, spinning yarns, as is the GUS
tom. At such a time the men are never
disturbed unless it is absolutely neces-
sary for the safety of the ship.
AS we lay there, we noticed the mate
come down from the poop and go to the
main rigging. He grasped one of the
main upper topsail buntlines and gave
it a jerk In the stiffness the swapping
of the Irvine aloft could be heard. A
moment later the bos'n came ford and
sang out:
Jack. go up and overhaul the main
upper topsail buntlines and stop them
to the jackstay!"
Every man became silent at once and
looked uneasily into his neighbours eyes
Jack gasped, then paled to a sfckly
white. His hands trembled as he slow
ly rose. On the bos'n's face was an
of almost abject apology, as
though he meant to say:
For Gods sake, don't blame me
it's ordersn'
Jack climbed slowly and painfully
aloft, as though he had aged ten years
in the last minute.
He did as he had been ordered, but
for the rest of that passage he was no
longer the same man he had been.
When the ship reached port Jack went
ashore and by chance met the mate in a
grog shop. The few drinks he had TAX