Chapter 3 - Better Follow Orders

Now that I was officially a member of the crew, duties were assigned which I was obliged to carry out. Captain Kelson made certain I understood that orders were to be followed quickly, completely, and without question. The severity of his gaze told me that I would get no special treatment because of my age and there were to be no half measures or punishment could be expected.

Having been part of a family with a seafaring tradition I already knew that the safety of a ship was in large part dependant on the discipline of her crew and captain. The British navy had rules and harsh punishments for breaking those rules, but failure to follow orders by neglect or incompetence were at the top of the list. For such an offense a seaman could expect a whipping with the cat-o-nine-tails. This was a whip with nine long pieces of leather, the ends of which were sometimes tipped with sharp metal. Once in a while an indolent person would join a crew and break the cardinal rule. Usually it just took one meeting with "the cat" to set that person straight as well as remind the rest of the crew what happens when a rule is broken. As you might guess, such a horrible instrument ensured that orders would almost always be followed.

While the ship was docked my duties generally consisted of running messages for the Captain or ship's master. To be identified as a member of a ship's crew I was given a blue jacket with copper buttons to wear over my clothes. I chuckled at the looks on the faces of the other boys who hung around the docks as I had. Each looked as though he would have given a sack of pennies to trade places. Often they would follow me from the ship to the offices of the Admiralty and back, but not wearing the uniform of Ship's Boy meant they could not pass the door of the offices nor the gangway of the ship. I believe that while a bit jealous, they still felt a certain pride in knowing that one of their own was Ship's Boy rather than some young stranger from Bristol or London.

Aboard, the work pace continued to mount. An entire crew had been assembled and was being drilled in various tasks by the Lieutenant's during both day and night. The Captain had ordered that the night time drills in particular should be flawlessly performed. At sea when there was no moon the only light would come from the stars and a few lanterns. The sailors also knew that on those moonless or cloudy nights, from high up in the rigging the lantern light would often be shaded by sails and it would be blacker than a Spaniard's heart. It might be windy too, so a man needed to know with confidence where to put his feet and hands.