{"id":"01KG8AJSV39BNWGG2K7MWW7MMX","cid":"bafkreidos22tu7zcaue7iqtqfkcaee2e443bj5i3vcfxczc3etrx7dfaoi","type":"chapter","properties":{"description":"# CHAPTER LVIII. A QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST.\n\n## Overview\nThis is Chapter LVIII, titled \"A QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST,\" from Herman Melville's novel, [White-Jacket](arke:01KG8AJ89Z18FKVJV5H0488ZAZ). It spans lines 9206 to 9278 of the source text.\n\n## Context\nThis chapter is part of the novel [White-Jacket](arke:01KG8AJ89Z18FKVJV5H0488ZAZ), which is included in the [Melville Complete Works](arke:01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW) collection. The text for this chapter was extracted from the digital file [white_jacket.txt](arke:01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY). It follows [CHAPTER LVII. THE EMPEROR REVIEWS THE PEOPLE AT QUARTERS.](arke:01KG8AJSV17Q1DWTQGH2BDWKCX) and precedes [CHAPTER LIX. A MAN-OF-WAR BUTTON DIVIDES TWO BROTHERS.](arke:01KG8AJSV1XVDP1YY6T1B1709H).\n\n## Contents\nThe chapter details the arrival of new recruits to the ship in Rio, transferred from a U.S. sloop of war. It focuses on the encounter between First Lieutenant Bridewell and a new recruit named Mandeville. Mandeville, a former officer who once served with Bridewell, has been demoted to a common sailor due to his struggles with alcoholism, which led to him being broken from his rank and later degraded in the merchant service. The chapter culminates with Mandeville being flogged for intoxication shortly after joining the Neversink, highlighting the harsh discipline of naval life and the unforgiving nature of his addiction.","description_generated_at":"2026-01-30T20:49:51.729Z","description_model":"gemini-2.5-flash-lite","description_title":"CHAPTER LVIII. A QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST.","end_line":9278,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:39.667Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"CHAPTER LVIII.\nA QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST.","source_file":"01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY","start_line":9206,"text":"CHAPTER LVIII.\r\nA QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST.\r\n\r\n\r\nAs we were somewhat short-handed while we lay in Rio, we received a\r\nsmall draft of men from a United States sloop of war, whose three\r\nyears’ term of service would expire about the time of our arrival in\r\nAmerica.\r\n\r\nUnder guard of an armed Lieutenant and four midshipmen, they came on\r\nboard in the afternoon. They were immediately mustered in the starboard\r\ngangway, that Mr. Bridewell, our First Lieutenant, might take down\r\ntheir names, and assign them their stations.\r\n\r\nThey stood in a mute and solemn row; the officer advanced, with his\r\nmemorandum-book and pencil.\r\n\r\nMy casual friend, Shakings, the holder, happened to be by at the time.\r\nTouching my arm, he said, “White-Jacket, this here reminds me of\r\nSing-Sing, when a draft of fellows in darbies, came on from the State\r\nPrison at Auburn for a change of scene like, you know!”\r\n\r\nAfter taking down four or five names, Mr. Bridewell accosted the next\r\nman, a rather good-looking person, but, from his haggard cheek and\r\nsunken eye, he seemed to have been in the sad habit, all his life, of\r\nsitting up rather late at night; and though all sailors do certainly\r\nkeep late hours enough—standing watches at midnight—yet there is no\r\nsmall difference between keeping late hours at sea and keeping late\r\nhours ashore.\r\n\r\n“What’s your name?” asked the officer, of this rather rakish-looking\r\nrecruit.\r\n\r\n“Mandeville, sir,” said the man, courteously touching his cap. “You\r\nmust remember me, sir,” he added, in a low, confidential tone,\r\nstrangely dashed with servility; “we sailed together once in the old\r\nMacedonian, sir. I wore an epaulet then; we had the same state-room,\r\nyou know, sir. I’m your old chum, Mandeville, sir,” and he again\r\ntouched his cap.\r\n\r\n“I remember an _officer_ by that name,” said the First Lieutenant,\r\nemphatically, “and I know _you_, fellow. But I know you henceforth for\r\na common sailor. I can show no favouritism here. If you ever violate\r\nthe ship’s rules, you shall be flogged like any other seaman. I place\r\nyou in the fore-top; go forward to your duty.”\r\n\r\nIt seemed this Mandeville had entered the Navy when very young, and had\r\nrisen to be a lieutenant, as he said. But brandy had been his bane. One\r\nnight, when he had the deck of a line-of-battle ship, in the\r\nMediterranean, he was seized with a fit of mania-a-potu, and being out\r\nof his senses for the time, went below and turned into his berth,\r\nleaving the deck without a commanding officer. For this unpardonable\r\noffence he was broken.\r\n\r\nHaving no fortune, and no other profession than the sea, upon his\r\ndisgrace he entered the merchant-service as a chief mate; but his love\r\nof strong drink still pursuing him, he was again cashiered at sea, and\r\ndegraded before the mast by the Captain. After this, in a state of\r\nintoxication, he re-entered the Navy at Pensacola as a common sailor.\r\nBut all these lessons, so biting-bitter to learn, could not cure him of\r\nhis sin. He had hardly been a week on board the Neversink, when he was\r\nfound intoxicated with smuggled spirits. They lashed him to the\r\ngratings, and ignominiously scourged him under the eye of his old\r\nfriend and comrade, the First Lieutenant.\r\n\r\nThis took place while we lay in port, which reminds me of the\r\ncircumstance, that when punishment is about to be inflicted in harbour,\r\nall strangers are ordered ashore; and the sentries at the side have it\r\nin strict charge to waive off all boats drawing near.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r","title":"CHAPTER LVIII.\nA QUARTER-DECK OFFICER BEFORE THE MAST."},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJ89Z18FKVJV5H0488ZAZ","peer_type":"novel","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AJSV17Q1DWTQGH2BDWKCX","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AJSV1XVDP1YY6T1B1709H","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"next"}],"ver":3,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:47:43.459Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:49:52.001Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF5C36SQEVDHC9CBNZZJH9K"}}