So we signed
articles, and went to our duty.
The _Water-Lily_ was loaded, and we sailed in her, and we got to New
York. But of all the ill-found tubs that ever put to sea, I should think
she might have taken the first prize. We were overhauling her rotten
rigging, taking off, putting on, and mending chafing gear every bit of
our time, Sunday included. The carpenter used horrible language, but for
his vexation I could have forgiven him if he had expressed it more
decently, for he never had a moment's rest by day; and though a ship's
carpenter is exempt from watches and allowed to sleep at night as a
rule, I doubt if he had two nights' rest between Halifax and New York.
As Dennis put it, there was "any amount of chicanery about the whole
affair." Some of our pay was "set against" supplying "duds" for Dennis
to do dirty work in; Alister was employed as sail-maker, and then, like
the carpenter, was cheated of his rest. As to food, we were nearly
starved, and should have fared even worse than we did, but that the
black cook was friendly towards us.
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