Sailors, if they ever chew tobacco, always use it when steering, and some can do without it at all other times, but must have a "chew" at the wheel. One of Capt. Streeter's rules was that every man who used tobacco should clean out the spittoon, when he went away from the wheel. One forenoon the helmsman said to me: "The man that I relieved didn't clean out the spit-box, sir." He called attention to it from fear of being taken to task for it himself. I asked who it was, and was told it was Jake. I was about to call him out on deck to do the job, when the captain who was standing near and heard what had been said, called to me and said: "Let Mr. Howard regulate his own watch. Give him a call and tell him about it."
The second mate had just gone to sleep, having had eight hours on deck the previous night, and when I waked him up, and gave him the captain's message, he was not in very good humor. He understood in a moment what the order meant, and stepping out on deck he saw the captain standing by the weather mizzen-rigging, and so went forward to the weather forecastle door. As he passed the galley he picked up a stick of the cook's oak fire-wood, and holding it in his hand called for Jake. Jake turned out promptly and came to the door to see what was wanted, and just as he stepped on deck, Mr. Howard charged him with the neglect. Before he had a chance to reply he aimed a blow at his head with the stick of wood. Jake warded it off with his arm and acting on the defensive was driven aft by the second mate, who aimed blow after blow at him, which the man succeeded in avoiding or throwing off. He was driven aft in this way until he reached the cabin.
A sailor in going aft on the quarter-deck is always required to take the lee side, and as Jake, rather against his will it is true, was thus transgressing rules, the captain took the opportunity to come to Mr. Howard's assistance, and drawing a belaying pin from the rail he stepped forward and said to Jake: "How dare you come aft on the weather side of my quarter-deck," finishing his remark by a gesture, which brought the belaying pin down on Jake's head with great force. Being now between two fires, he was unable to defend himself, and had to take a good pounding before he was released to perform the neglected work.