Lord bless
you, Mr Simple, the Cattegat wasn't wide enough for her; but she was a
comfortable sort of vessel after all, excepting on a lee-shore, so we
used always to give the land a wide berth, I recollect. By the bye, Mr
Simple, do you recollect how angry you were because I didn't peach at
Barbadoes, when the men _sucked the monkey?_"
"To be sure I do."
"Well, then, I didn't think it fair then, as I was one of them. But now
that I'm a bit of an officer, I just tell you that when we get to
Carlscrona there's a method of _sucking the monkey_ there, which, as
first lieutenant, with such a queer sort of captain, it is just as well
that you should be up to. In the old _St George_ we had seventy men
drunk one afternoon, and the first lieutenant couldn't find it out
nohow."
"Indeed, Swinburne, you must let me into that secret."
"So I will, Mr Simple. Don't you know there's a famous stuff for cuts
and wounds, called balsam?"
"What, Riga balsam?"
"Yes, that's it; well, all the boats will bring that for sale, as they
did to us in the old _St George_. Devilish good stuff it is for wounds,
I believe; but it's not bad to drink, and it's very strong. We used to
take it _inwardly_, Mr Simple, and the first lieutenant never guessed
it."
"What! you all got tipsy upon Riga balsam?"
"All that could; so I just give you a hint."
"I'm much obliged to you, Swinburne; I certainly never should have
suspected it. I believe seamen would get drunk upon anything.
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