"Tell Captain O'Brien," said he to me,
"not to be in too great a hurry to man his ship. I know where there are
plenty to be had; but I'll try fair means first." This he did, and every
day, almost, he brought off a man, and all he did bring off were good
able seamen. Others volunteered, and we were now more than half-manned,
and ready for sea. The admiral then gave us permission to send
pressgangs on shore.
"Mr Simple," said Swinburne, "I've tried all I can to persuade a lot of
fine chaps to enter, but they won't. Now I'm resolved that my brig shall
be well manned; and if they don't know what's good for them, I do, and
I'm sure that they will thank me for it afterwards; so I'm determined to
take every mother's son of them."
The same night we mustered all Swinburne's men and went on shore to a
crimp's house which they knew, surrounded it with our marines in blue
jackets, and took out of it twenty-three fine able seamen, which nearly
filled up our complement. The remainder we obtained by a draft from the
admiral's ship; and I do not believe that there was a vessel that left
Plymouth harbour and anchored in the Sound, better manned than the
_Rattlesnake_. So much for good character, which is never lost upon
seamen O'Brien was universally liked by those who had sailed with him,
and Swinburne, who knew him well persuaded many, and forced the others,
to enter with him, whether they liked it or not. This they in the event
did, and, with the exception of those drafted from the flag-ship, we had
no desertions.
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