Footnotes
[[note 1]]
Owing to the change of vessels that afterwards
took place, Captain Thompson
arrived in Boston nearly a year before the Pilgrim, and ryas off on
another
voyage, and beyond the reach of these men. Soon after the publication of
the
first edition of this book, in x841, I received a letter from Stimson,
dated
at
Detroit Michigan, where he had re-entered mercantile life, from which I
make
this extract :— "As to your account of the flogging scene, I think you
have
given a fair history of it and, if anything, been too lenient towards
Captain
Thompson for his brutal, cowardly treatment of those men. As I was in
the hold
at the time the affray commenced, I will give you a short history of it
as
near
as I can recollect. We were breaking out goods in the fore-hold, and, in
order
to get at them, we had to shift our hides from forward to aft. After
having
removed part of them, we came to the boxes and attempted to get them out
without moving any more of the hides. While doing so, Sam accidentally
hurt
his
hand, and, as usual began swearing about it, and was not staring of his
oaths,
altough I think he was not aware that Captain Thompson was so near him
at the
time. Captain Thompson asked him, in no moderate way, what was the
matter with
him. Sam, on account of the impediment in his speech, could not answer
immediately, although he endeavoured to, but as soon as possible
answered in a
manner that almost any
one would, under the like circumstances, yet, I believe, not with the
intention
of giving a short answer; but being provoked. and suffering pain from
the
injured hand, he perhaps answered rather short. or sullenly. Thus
commenced
the
scene you have so vividly described, and which seems to me ecxactly the
history
of the whole affair without any exaggeration."
[[note 2]]
"Shipmate" is the term by which sailors address
one another when not aquainted.
