10. CHAPTER X.
FROM POCKETS TO PICKPOCKETS.
As the latter part of the preceding chapter may seem strange
to those landsmen, who have been habituated to indulge in
high-raised, romantic notions of the man-of-war's man's character;
it may not be amiss, to set down here certain facts on
this head, which may serve to place the thing in its true light.
From the wild life they lead, and various other causes
(needless to mention), sailors, as a class, entertain the most
liberal notions concerning morality and the Decalogue; or
rather, they take their own views of such matters, caring little
for the theological or ethical definitions of others concerning
what may be criminal, or wrong.
Their ideas are much swayed by circumstances. They will
covertly abstract a thing from one, whom they dislike; and
insist upon it, that, in such a case, stealing is no robbing. Or,
where the theft involves something funny, as in the case of
the white jacket, they only steal for the sake of the joke; but
this much is to be observed nevertheless, i. e., that they never
spoil the joke by returning the stolen article.
It is a good joke, for instance, and one often perpetrated on
board ship, to stand talking to a man in a dark night watch,
and all the while be cutting the buttons from his coat. But
once off, those buttons never grow on again. There is no
spontaneous vegetation in buttons.
Perhaps it is a thing unavoidable, but the truth is that,
among the crew of a man-of-war, scores of desperadoes are too
often found, who stop not at the largest enormities. A species
of highway robbery is not unknown to them. A gang
will be informed, that such a fellow has three or four gold
pieces in the monkey-bag, so called, or purse, which many tars
wear round their necks, tucked out of sight. Upon this, they
deliberately lay their plans; and in due time, proceed to carry
them into execution. The man they have marked is perhaps
strolling along the benighted berth-deck to his mess-chest;
when, of a sudden, the foot-pads dash out from their hiding-place,
throw him down, and while two or three gag him, and
hold him fast, another cuts the bag from his neck, and makes
away with it, followed by his comrades. This was more than
once done in the Neversink.
At other times, hearing that a sailor has something valuable
secreted in his hammock, they will rip it open from underneath
while he sleeps, and reduce the conjecture to a certainty.
To enumerate all the minor pilferings on board a man-of-war
would be endless. With some highly commendable exceptions,
they rob from one another, and rob back again, till,
in the matter of small things, a community of goods seems
almost established; and at last, as a whole, they become relatively
honest, by nearly every man becoming the reverse. It
is in vain that the officers, by threats of condign punishment,
endeavor to instill more virtuous principles into their crew;
so thick is the mob, that not one thief in a thousand is detected.
