Page:Autobiography of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes.djvu/45



I joined the Hibernia as she lay at anchor in the North River, bag & baggage, but I had no sooner got my bag below when I heard a [illegible] voice calling to me to come on Deck. It proved to be the Pilot, Jack White, and for several hours I had no peace and was kept going here, there & everywhere. I was exceedingly annoyed and if I could, I should have gone at once on shore & left the Ship & this brutal fellow forever. He swore & cursed at me and would fain hurry me up with a rope end; it was Charley here, Charley everywhere. It was not long before I was heartily sick of this. I had been kept aloft & on deck, all the time busy. My hands, that had never been used to labor, were soon in blisters and bleeding, and just before I reached the Hook, White called to me to come down & write to my father, as he was about to leave the vessel. I willingly came but could write but a few lines, my hands were bloody & my tears falling fast. I expressed myself curtly as well as I could under the pain, mortification & disgust I felt and added that I was among a set of brutes. The letter was received by my father the next day at dinner just as he had finished his soup and closed his meal; he could eat nothing and the tears flowed fast to think of the brutes he had placed me under the care of. We had one Dyson, the mate, an ignorant dutchman, & a second mate named Tyler, both of whom took their cue from White, and after the vessel was cleaned up, I was indeed in a pretty plight, all my nice clothes full of tar and my "go to meeting suit," as they called my sailor garb, ruined in my estimation.

The sailors were equally a hard set, most of them half drunk and cursing and swearing and whenever they got a chance, gave me a sly cuff. I was also christened by having a dab of tar on each cheek which covered my beauty spots! I found no place to sleep except in the halser [hawser] tiers in the steerage, but I had not well got to sleep before I was again called and trotted off for the Starboard watch. Dyson, the mate, had charge of it and this brute gave me no rest when it was his watch. I, however, more from pride than anything, put the best face upon it and made myself useful, or rather, obeyed his orders which were of the most annoying kind. I was his first and last care and in succeeding years I scarce can believe the way in which I could have submitted to such treatment. Capt Graham paid me no sort of attention. Rh