A dirty business

"Well.. I dunno. Maybe. He did say like.. that if 'e's around they oughtn't touch me.. but if he's not they could.. .yer know , teach me t' Tar way. So I reckon, he wouldn't be fully against that either.. though.." He made a face. "I can't imagine him being an officer! A topman aye but an officer? " He shook his head.

"n' is different yer know. Ye can't have t' same way of treatin' people if ye'um one of em, or if ye'um t' one commandin' them. He's commandin' but.. sort of not officially like. He's... uh.. he hasn't got t' rank to do it. S' why he has to try it different! Because he couldn't ever do it our way... well t' officer's way. No?"

"True enough. What about... if Mister Leat were try to do things - or get things done - the same sort of way Cob does them? Would that work any better, d'you think?"

"No. Because it would confuse t' Tars. I mean, wouldn't you be shocked if Johnson came ter you n' wanted ter be all friendly t' have you do things? You'd look at 'im and wonder why he was actin' that way n' wot' was up. Maybe even think that he had somethin' planned that will catch you when you'll least expect it and then .. " He clasped his hands together.

" snap n' ye'd be caught! That's why I think it couldn't work. " He looked from his hands. "Because.. he already has power.. of command. So he don't need to be friendly.. else people might even be more starin' alike.. and wonder where's t' trap rather than, wot ter do. I think so atleast." He added more softly.

Thompson grinned at the picture of Johnson coming over all friendly.

"Well, think about this, a little. Maybe if he's not quite so friendly as Cob, but leads like him, rather than with threats of the gratin'. Wouldn't you like an officer like that?"

"Well, if such an officer didn't disrate me.. then aye. I'd like him better. Dunno how strong his command would be. ..but if I were only thinkin' selfishly, then I'd rather for such an officer." He nodded, wondering if an influence could be as strongly held as that of Cob below decks.

"Wouldn't hurt as much for one, n' if he were friendly,.. n' wouldn't take me possition.. well wot' else would I be wanting, eh?" He smiled.

Thompson smiled in return. "All right, then. Now, just supposing you were re-rated tomorrow - and you will be, some time in the future - would you like to have men follow you because they knew you were a good leader, like Cob is, or because you could threaten them with the grating? Going by what you'd like an officer to be like, I mean."

"Well.. if I were placin' meself in both places. As an Officer I might not care,.. as long as they follow. But as, well as a Tar I'd have wanted me to be someone that I'd want to follow. Know what he wanted, and when he wanted it. N' not fear 'im. Though.. we have a bos'un. N' t' Tars fear him so dunno.., what do you make of him then? N' his mates?"

Now that was something Thompson had never thought about.

"Don't think anyone much likes the bosun. He's there to make sure things are done - like everyone turns up when hammocks are piped up. He's in charge of discipline, right enough, but only with the officers' say-so. But he's in charge of the cordage and things as well, and makes sure all the rigging's good, so you don't have a footrope snap under you and that sort of thing, when you'm aloft."

"But he's not a friendly sort, now is he? "He smiled. "Not even on Terpsy. N' ye all agree that he should be so, is it?"

"We ain't talking about the bosun, 'cause you ain't goin' to be a bosun. We'm talkin' about how to be the sort of officer a man wants to have. Anyways, if the Navy Board hadn't given him a warrant, he'd only be a sailor, like the rest of you Tars."

"..Aye, alright. So We'um talking 'bout an officer. N' one one goes to be someday after passin' the examination." De Guarde agreed with Thompson. "Well. I don't know wot' I'd be sure to prefer. A way, if I am a ..well.. a... a Tar, then I'd prefer a kind one. Cos' an unkind one would have me.. back striped for summat. N' Not even a fool would want that! But wouldn't that be selfish of me?"

"Be what of you?" Thompson blinked at the unfamiliar word, and tried to work out what it meant. "Selfish? We'm all a bit selfish, lad. I don't want to have to do any more work than necessary. An' I'd like a good officer - someone who's fair an' don't leave everythin' to someone else to do."

"But isn't bein' selfish not 'elping our ship as a whole?.. I don't know. Is hard ter think n' take all of it into account. In a way, even Cob's ways aren't pure kindness.. but of course, he don't organise any lashings or so." He shooked his head. "..Well.. other , did you want summat more too, to ask me?"

Thompson grinned. "I wondered if you might want to ask me summat, seein' as I keep all-on talkin' about things and you haven't asked me to explain anythin' much. Or if there was anythin' else you'd like to know about me. I can't keep tellin' you the same things all the time, it gets borin' for the both of us after a bit."

"Hm.. Ah.. Well, I'd like to know.. wot' would you do n' be like if ye were an officer?" he grinned. " Ye'um all teachin' me what I should look at bein' a leader n' all that. Almost sounds like you'd know how to be one.. or summat. So tell! "

"Me? An officer? Don't be silly. I just know what sort of officer I like to have. What sort of sergeants and corporals I like as well, come to think of it. Had my share of bad'uns. Like... I told you about Sergeant Sweetman, when I was in trainin', didn't I?"

"I'um not silly. Imagine. IF you were an officer, wot' kind would you be like ,n' what would you do? Jus' think of it now.. a little. Wot' would you do, if ye had.. sumone that didn't want ter do wot' ye told them for example?"

He smiled expectantly. "Come now. Ye told me ter imagine n' now is your turn!"

He nodded:" T' one who was real mean? N' had t' back of ye legs hurt?"

"I can't imagine anyone not doin' what he was told to by an officer. If it was one of us Marines who tried it, we'd get extra drill and double duty. And if'n he still refused, he'd get reported to the captain and likely be flogged."

He shrugged and looked at de Guarde. "Aye, that's the one. I told you I've still got the scars, didn't I?"

"Yes. Ye said he were doin' it that bad, that ye had t' scars still ter show it. Mus' been awful when it happened though. N'.. don't think it felt good walkin' eh?"

He shook his head imagining it. He made a small grimace at the thought. Flexing one leg he felt how much the skin would generally move when trying to walk and if it was hurt. Well be damned it wasn't a pleasant thing at all.

"How long did it hurt?"

"Ages. You'd be lucky if he'd only swipe at you once or twice. Sometimes he'd stand there till he'd got blood." He rubbed at the fabric of his white trousers. "He was doin' it through our trousers, like, so mebbe it wasn't as bad as it could've been. Felt like bloody hell, though. Couldn't damn walk properly afterwards, an' he used to keep us drillin' till he was happy. He was a bastard of a sergeant, an' I hope he's drownded somewheres."

"Those are heavy words of bad wishin' Thompson.. though. " He glanced at the marine's hand. ".. maybe he deserved it like. You stood less right when stung like that, didn't you?.. I mean with all the pain. Did he demand that you still stand up right as if nothin' was ailin' you? N'.. n' was there anyone who didn't get hurt at all? Maybe a lucky one? Or one that never caught 'is attention?"

He shrugged. "Course we still had to stand up straight. An' I don't think there was one who didn't get it. Dunno if there was mebbe one or two who got it worse'n the others, though. An' sometimes there was officers who came to watch us, an' he wouldn't do it then. We used to hope there'd be an officer come to watch."

"Ah. So you ..could you not have arranged it so t' officers would come more often? N'..nobody died of it did they? Or really got so badly injured or so. Wot' about your surgeon.. he didn't say anythin' ter t' officers? .. Or was he like.. jus' doin' 'is job n' not carin fer t' rest?" He wouldn't have been surprised. Surgeons could be so. Do their proffession and ask no more questions. And sometimes they decided laudanum would solve all problems too.

"He never hurt anyone as bad as that. An' the surgeon didn't care, neither. Once you'd 'listed, you was fit and healthy and you'd damn stay that way. If he had someone drop dead in front of him, all he'd have said was to give him a bit of rest and he'd be right as rain. And if we'd known how to have an officer there every day, we'd have done it."

"Ah. He didn' give yer anythin' against pain neither eh?... Like he'd give middies, or higher ranks!" It wasn't hard to imagine, and it was easier to sympathise with the marine.

"So ye be then thinkin' our present surgeon's a fine improvement then. To that one?.. he wouldn't give laudanum ter middies ye know, even if they'um hurt bad!"