His hold over the captain was not from superior seamanship alone. The
_Water-Lily_ was nominally a "temperance" vessel, but in our case this
only meant that no rum was issued to the crew. In the captain's cabin
there was plenty of "liquor," and the captain occasionally got drunk,
and each time that he did so, the influence of the mate seemed riveted
firmer than before. Crews are often divided in their allegiance, but the
crew of the _Water-Lily_ were of one mind. From the oldest to the
youngest we all detested the mate, and a natural manliness of feeling
made us like the captain better than we ought otherwise have done,
because (especially as regards the drinking) we considered his relations
with the mate to be characterized by anything but "fair play." No love
was really lost between them, and if the captain came on deck and took
the lead, they were almost certain to quarrel (and none the less so,
that _we_ rushed with alacrity to obey the captain's orders, whereas
with the mate's it was all "dragging work," as nearly as we dare show
unwillingness).
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