Chapter 5

by Herman Melville

　　Yes, the outbreak at the Nore was put down. But not every grievancewas redressed. If the contractors, for example, were no longer permittedto ply some practices peculiar to their tribe everywhere, such asproviding shoddy cloth, rations not sound, or false in the measure, notthe less impressment, for one thing, went on. By custom sanctioned forcenturies, and judicially maintained by a Lord Chancellor as late asMansfield, that mode of manning the fleet, a mode now fallen into a sortof abeyance but never formally renounced, it was not practicable to giveup in those years. Its abrogation would have crippled the indispensablefleet, one wholly under canvas, no steam-power, its innumerable sailsand thousands of cannon, everything in short, worked by muscle alone; afleet the more insatiate in demand for men, because then multiplying itsships of all grades against contingencies present and to come of theconvulsed Continent.Discontent foreran the Two Mutinies, and more or less it lurkinglysurvived them. Hence it was not unreasonable to apprehend some return oftrouble, sporadic or general. One instance of such apprehensions: In thesame year with this story, Nelson, then Vice-Admiral Sir Horatio, beingwith the fleet off the Spanish coast, was directed by the Admiral incommand to shift his pennant from the Captain to the Theseus; andfor this reason: that the latter ship having newly arrived on thestation from home where it had taken part in the Great Mutiny, dangerwas apprehended from the temper of the men; and it was thought that anofficer like Nelson was the one, not indeed to terrorize the crew intobase subjection, but to win them, by force of his mere presence, back toan allegiance if not as enthusiastic as his own, yet as true. So it wasthat for a time on more than one quarter-deck anxiety did exist. At seaprecautionary vigilance was strained against relapse. At short notice anengagement might come on. When it did, the lieutenants assigned tobatteries felt it incumbent on them, in some instances, to stand withdrawn swords behind the men working the guns.