{"id":"01KG8AMHTSJ47ATWHA4S7D5KZ7","cid":"bafkreiccj3lrdk6hvjvjpepvgmme2ue3rbchdpd4i3nvmkmtusa57cbrsm","type":"chunk","properties":{"end_line":10790,"extracted_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:36.274Z","extracted_by":"structure-extraction-lambda","label":"Chunk 2","source_file":"01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY","start_line":10713,"text":"the ship, and well knowing what this generally betokened to other\r\nseamen, my heart jumped to my throat, and I hurriedly asked Flute, the\r\nboatswain’s-mate at the fore-hatchway, what was wanted of me.\r\n\r\n“Captain wants ye at the mast,” he replied. “Going to flog ye, I\r\nguess.”\r\n\r\n“What for?”\r\n\r\n“My eyes! you’ve been chalking your face, hain’t ye?”\r\n\r\n“What am I wanted for?” I repeated.\r\n\r\nBut at that instant my name was again thundered forth by the other\r\nboatswain’s mate, and Flute hurried me away, hinting that I would soon\r\nfind out what the Captain desired of me.\r\n\r\nI swallowed down my heart in me as I touched the spar-deck, for a\r\nsingle instant balanced myself on my best centre, and then, wholly\r\nignorant of what was going to be alleged against me, advanced to the\r\ndread tribunal of the frigate.\r\n\r\nAs I passed through the gangway, I saw the quarter-master rigging the\r\ngratings; the boatswain with his green bag of scourges; the\r\nmaster-at-arms ready to help off some one’s shirt.\r\n\r\nAgain I made a desperate swallow of my whole soul in me, and found\r\nmyself standing before Captain Claret. His flushed face obviously\r\nshowed him in ill-humour. Among the group of officers by his side was\r\nthe First Lieutenant, who, as I came aft, eyed me in such a manner,\r\nthat I plainly perceived him to be extremely vexed at me for having\r\nbeen the innocent means of reflecting upon the manner in which he kept\r\nup the discipline of the ship.\r\n\r\n“Why were you not at your station, sir?” asked the Captain.\r\n\r\n“What station do you mean, sir?” said I.\r\n\r\nIt is generally the custom with man-of-war’s-men to stand obsequiously\r\ntouching their hat at every sentence they address to the Captain. But\r\nas this was not obligatory upon me by the Articles of War, I did not do\r\nso upon the present occasion, and previously, I had never had the\r\ndangerous honour of a personal interview with Captain Claret.\r\n\r\nHe quickly noticed my omission of the homage usually rendered him, and\r\ninstinct told me, that to a certain extent, it set his heart against\r\nme.\r\n\r\n“What station, sir, do you mean?” said I.\r\n\r\n“You pretend ignorance,” he replied; “it will not help you, sir.”\r\n\r\nGlancing at the Captain, the First Lieutenant now produced the Station\r\nBill, and read my name in connection with that of the starboard\r\nmain-lift.\r\n\r\n“Captain Claret,” said I, “it is the first time I ever heard of my\r\nbeing assigned to that post.”\r\n\r\n“How is this, Mr. Bridewell?” he said, turning to the First Lieutenant,\r\nwith a fault-finding expression.\r\n\r\n“It is impossible, sir,” said that officer, striving to hide his\r\nvexation, “but this man must have known his station.”\r\n\r\n“I have never known it before this moment, Captain Claret,” said I.\r\n\r\n“Do you contradict my officer?” he returned. “I shall flog you.”\r\n\r\nI had now been on board the frigate upward of a year, and remained\r\nunscourged; the ship was homeward-bound, and in a few weeks, at most, I\r\nwould be a free man. And now, after making a hermit of myself in some\r\nthings, in order to avoid the possibility of the scourge, here it was\r\nhanging over me for a thing utterly unforeseen, for a crime of which I\r\nwas as utterly innocent. But all that was as naught. I saw that my case\r\nwas hopeless; my solemn disclaimer was thrown in my teeth, and the\r\nboatswain’s mate stood curling his fingers through the _cat_.\r\n\r","title":"Chunk 2"},"relationships":[{"peer":"01KG8AJTJSBQJ8HHY334KV78RD","peer_type":"chapter","predicate":"in"},{"peer":"01KG89J19NC56FFGBCM2SWEZZY","peer_type":"file","predicate":"extractedFrom"},{"peer":"01KG89HMDZKNY753EZE1CJ8HZW","peer_type":"collection","predicate":"collection"},{"peer":"01KG8AMHTSHYXEVVRPDE5QHCK1","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"prev"},{"peer":"01KG8AMHTSA498TCV9YN7XJ9XC","peer_type":"chunk","predicate":"next"}],"ver":2,"created_at":"2026-01-30T20:48:40.793Z","ts":"2026-01-30T20:48:51.848Z","edited_by":{"method":"manual","user_id":"01KFF0H3YRP9ZSM033AM0QJ47H"}}