Then over them is placed an officer, sometimes a midshipman, who is called master-mate of the hold. On this officer devolves the sole charge of the spirit room, which is a part of the hold. No naked light is ever permitted here excepting when it is empty. It was here that the money was stowed. Six men were employed in packing away the sacks; three were in at the further end stowing and the others were passing the bags to them. Now they were all among the whiskey casks, and the smell of the good stuff, had such a powerful effect upon their nerves, that by some means, best known to an old tar, they got a sip of this ever potent essence of life, death and mischief, and now they were all ripe for anything.
" I say, Jack," says Jim Innis, in a low voice, (the master's mate being on the gun-deck striking down the sacks.) " hand us in your knife here. These here dollars belong to the bloody Spaniards, and we might as well have a few as not, to pay us for our trouble in working here in this thundering hot hole." A knife was passed in, and a sack cut, and all helped themselves. They stowed the dollars about their persons in the most ingenious manner, notwithstanding all this caution, they managed to get drunk, and fool-like, one fellow came up on the berth deck, and began to show his money. It soon reached the master's mates ear, and soon it reached the first lieutenant.
They were all brought on the half deck, a sentinel placed over them, when they were all searched, and Jim Innis was so drunk that he was brought legs and arms by four men, and when they laid him down, the dollars rolled from him in all directions. These fellows had, I think $192 between them, but the funniest of all was, that one of them positively declared to Mr. Maury that he had brought the dollars with him, and that they were the remains " of his last voyage's pay," but poor fellow, he little thought that the date of the dollar would betray him, for the dollars found on him were new, right from the mint, and dated 1820, and we left Boston in 1818.
Notwithstanding these glaring facts, the fellow still persisted that he had brought the dollars with him. They were all put in double irons and under charge of a sentinel, were kept in confinement twenty days, then brought up for punishment. Five of them recieved seventy-five lashes each, but he who cut the bag was to receive a greater punishment, and according to the testimony of the others, this was Jim. He denied it in a most emphatic manner, appealing to the Higher Power to confirm the truth of his assertion. He was stripped and seized up, but his back presented an awful sight. He was with us in the Mediterranean during the Algerine war, was on board the Guerriere when she engaged the Algerine frigate, and during the action, the gun to which he belonged, (the forward gun on the main-deck starboardside,) burst, killing and wounding all the gun's crew.
Jim was among the latter, he was sadly burnt from the neck to the hips, and even now, nearly four years after the accident; the flesh was quite tender. Under these circumstances, Capt. Downes could not flog him on the back, therefore he must receive his punishment on what is usually denominated the seat of honor. In this case the culprit is not seized up to the gangway, but is brought over a carronade in the following manner. Standing at the breech, he bends over towards the muzzle; his wrists are secured, one on each side the gun, to the forward axeltree, and his legs, to the gun tackle bolts in the carriage. His trowsers are then pulled down, thus presenting to the boatswain's mate, a prominent field for operation.
And one lick with the cat here, is worse than a dozen on the back. When all was ready, says the captain to him: "M)w sir, did you cut the bag?" " Oh, no, sir, I did not." " Well then, who did? Boatswain's mate go on with him." And at the first lick, Jim sung out nobly, and fairly made the gun shake. " Oh, now, my dear, good Capt. Downes, don't lick me any more, and I will tell you all." " Well let us know who did it?" 11 Oh, dear! just cast me loose, and then I'll tell you." " Give it to him, boatswain's mate." And obeying the order, put on a half dozen.