CHAPTER IV.
JACK CHASE.
The first night out of port was a clear, moonlight one; the frigategliding though the water, with all her batteries.
It was my Quarter Watch in the top; and there I reclined on the bestpossible terms with my top-mates. Whatever the other seamen might havebeen, these were a noble set of tars, and well worthy an introductionto the reader.
First and foremost was Jack Chase, our noble First Captain of the Top.He was a Briton, and a true-blue; tall and well-knit, with a clear openeye, a fine broad brow, and an abounding nut-brown beard. No man everhad a better heart or a bolder. He was loved by the seamen and admiredby the officers; and even when the Captain spoke to him, it was with aslight air of respect. Jack was a frank and charming man.
No one could be better company in forecastle or saloon; no man toldsuch stories, sang such songs, or with greater alacrity sprang to hisduty. Indeed, there was only one thing wanting about him; and that wasa finger of his left hand, which finger he had lost at the great battleof Navarino.
He had a high conceit of his profession as a seaman; and being deeplyversed in all things pertaining to a man-of-war, was universallyregarded as an oracle. The main-top, over which he presided, was a sortof oracle of Delphi; to which many pilgrims ascended, to have theirperplexities or differences settled.
There was such an abounding air of good sense and good feeling aboutthe man, that he who could not love him, would thereby pronouncehimself a knave. I thanked my sweet stars, that kind fortune had placedme near him, though under him, in the frigate; and from the outset Jackand I were fast friends.
Wherever you may be now rolling over the blue billows, dear Jack! takemy best love along with you; and God bless you, wherever you go!
Jack was a gentleman. What though his hand was hard, so was not hisheart, too often the case with soft palms. His manners were easy andfree; none of the boisterousness, so common to tars; and he had apolite, courteous way of saluting you, if it were only to borrow yourknife. Jack had read all the verses of Byron, and all the romances ofScott. He talked of Rob Roy, Don Juan, and Pelham; Macbeth and Ulysses;but, above all things, was an ardent admirer of Camoens. Parts of theLusiad, he could recite in the original. Where he had obtained hiswonderful accomplishments, it is not for me, his humble subordinate, tosay. Enough, that those accomplishments were so various; the languageshe could converse in, so numerous; that he more than furnished anexample of that saying of Charles the Fifth--_ he who speaks fivelanguages is as good as five men_. But Jack, he was better than ahundred common mortals; Jack was a whole phalanx, an entire army; Jackwas a thousand strong; Jack would have done honour to the Queen ofEngland's drawing-room; Jack must have been a by-blow of some BritishAdmiral of the Blue. A finer specimen of the island race of Englishmencould not have been picked out of Westminster Abbey of a coronation day.
His whole demeanor was in strong contrast to that of one of theCaptains of the fore-top. This man, though a good seaman, furnished anexample of those insufferable Britons, who, while preferring othercountries to their own as places of residence; still, overflow with allthe pompousness of national and individual vanity combined. "When I wason board the Audacious"--for a long time, was almost the invariableexordium to the fore-top Captain's most cursory remarks. It is oftenthe custom of men-of-war's-men, when they deem anything to be going onwrong aboard ship to refer to _last cruise_ when of course everythingwas done _ship-shape and Bristol fashion_. And by referring to the_Audacious_--an expressive name by the way--the fore-top Captain meanta ship in the English navy, in which he had had the honour of serving.So continual were his allusions to this craft with the amiable name,that at last, the _Audacious_ was voted a bore by his shipmates. Andone hot afternoon, during a calm, when the fore-top Captain like manyothers, was standing still and yawning on the spar-deck; Jack Chase,his own countryman, came up to him, and pointing at his open mouth,politely inquired, whether that was the way they caught _flies_ in HerBritannic Majesty's ship, the _Audacious?_ After that, we heard no moreof the craft.
Now, the tops of a frigate are quite spacious and cosy. They are railedin behind so as to form a kind of balcony, very pleasant of a tropicalnight. From twenty to thirty loungers may agreeably recline there,cushioning themselves on old sails and jackets. We had rare times inthat top. We accounted ourselves the best seamen in the ship; and fromour airy perch, literally looked down upon the landlopers below,sneaking about the deck, among the guns. In a large degree, wenourished that feeling of "_esprit de corps_," always pervading, moreor less, the various sections of a man-of-war's crew. We main-top-menwere brothers, one and all, and we loaned ourselves to each other withall the freedom in the world.
Nevertheless, I had not long been a member of this fraternity of finefellows, ere I discovered that Jack Chase, our captain was--like allprime favorites and oracles among men--a little bit of a dictator; notperemptorily, or annoyingly so, but amusingly intent on egotisticallymending our manners and improving our taste, so that we might reflectcredit upon our tutor.
He made us all wear our hats at a particular angle--instructed us inthe tie of our neck-handkerchiefs; and protested against our wearingvulgar _dungeree_ trowsers; besides giving us lessons in seamanship;and solemnly conjuring us, forever to eschew the company of any sailorwe suspected of having served in a whaler. Against all whalers, indeed,he cherished the unmitigated detestation of a true man-of-war's man.Poor Tubbs can testify to that.
Tubbs was in the After-Guard; a long, lank Vineyarder, eternallytalking of line-tubs, Nantucket, sperm oil, stove boats, and Japan.Nothing could silence him; and his comparisons were ever invidious.
Now, with all his soul, Jack abominated this Tubbs. He said he wasvulgar, an upstart--Devil take him, he's been in a whaler. But likemany men, who have been where _you_ haven't been; or seen what _you_haven't seen; Tubbs, on account of his whaling experiences, absolutelyaffected to look down upon Jack, even as Jack did upon him; and this itwas that so enraged our noble captain.
One night, with a peculiar meaning in his eye, he sent me down on deckto invite Tubbs up aloft for a chat. Flattered by so marked anhonor--for we were somewhat fastidious, and did not extend suchinvitations to every body--Tubb's quickly mounted the rigging, lookingrather abashed at finding himself in the august presence of theassembled Quarter-Watch of main-top-men. Jack's courteous manner,however, very soon relieved his embarrassment; but it is no use to becourteous to _some_ men in this world. Tubbs belonged to that category.No sooner did the bumpkin feel himself at ease, than he launched out,as usual, into tremendous laudations of whalemen; declaring thatwhalemen alone deserved the name of sailors. Jack stood it some time;but when Tubbs came down upon men-of-war, and particularly uponmain-top-men, his sense of propriety was so outraged, that he launchedinto Tubbs like a forty-two pounder.
"Why, you limb of Nantucket! you train-oil man! you sea-tallowstrainer! you bobber after carrion! do _you_ pretend to vilify aman-of-war? Why, you lean rogue, you, a man-of-war is to whalemen, as ametropolis to shire-towns, and sequestered hamlets. _Here's_ the placefor life and commotion; _here's_ the place to be gentlemanly and jolly.And what did you know, you bumpkin! before you came on board this_Andrew Miller?_ What knew you of gun-deck, or orlop, mustering roundthe capstan, beating to quarters, and piping to dinner? Did you everroll to _grog_ on board your greasy ballyhoo of blazes? Did you everwinter at Mahon? Did you ever '_ lash and carry?_' Why, what are even amerchant-seaman's sorry yarns of voyages to China after tea-caddies,and voyages to the West Indies after sugar puncheons, and voyages tothe Shetlands after seal-skins--what are even these yarns, you Tubbsyou! to high life in a man-of-war? Why, you dead-eye! I have sailedwith lords and marquises for captains; and the King of the Two Sicilieshas passed me, as I here stood up at my gun. Bah! you are full of thefore-peak and the forecastle; you are only familiar with Burtons andBilly-tackles; your ambition never mounted above pig-killing! which, inmy poor opinion, is the proper phrase for whaling! Topmates! has notthis T
ubbs here been but a misuser of good oak planks, and a viledesecrator of the thrice holy sea? turning his ship, my hearties! intoa fat-kettle, and the ocean into a whale-pen? Begone! you graceless,godless knave! pitch him over the top there, White-Jacket!"
But there was no necessity for my exertions. Poor Tubbs, astounded atthese fulminations, was already rapidly descending by the rigging.
This outburst on the part of my noble friend Jack made me shake allover, spite of my padded surtout; and caused me to offer up devoutthanksgivings, that in no evil hour had I divulged the fact of havingmyself served in a whaler; for having previously marked the prevailingprejudice of men-of-war's men to that much-maligned class of mariners,I had wisely held my peace concerning stove boats on the coast of Japan.