Where is it he says--Stop--'my father may rely upon me, that I will bear with all proper patience everything that one officer and gentleman can take from another. But from my former knowledge of my present captain, I confess I look forward with apprehension to a long course of tyranny on board the Russell.' You see, he promises to bear patiently, and I am sure he did, for he was the sweetest-tempered boy, when he was not vexed, that could possibly be. Is that the letter in which he speaks of Captain Reid's impatience with the men, for not going through the ship's manuvres as quickly as the Avenger? You see, he says that they had many new hands on board the Russell, while the Avenger had been nearly three years on the station, with nothing to do but to keep slavers off, and work her men, till they ran up and down the rigging like rats or monkeys."
Margaret slowly read the letter, half illegible through the fading of the ink. It might be--it probably was--a statement of Captain Reid's imperiousness in trifles, very much exaggerated by the narrator, who had written it while fresh and warm from the scene of altercation. Some sailors being aloft in the main-topsail rigging, the captain had ordered them to race down, threatening the hindmost with the cat-of-nine tails. He who was the farthest on the spar, feeling the impossibility of passing his companions, and yet passionately dreading the disgrace of the flogging, threw himself desperately down to catch a rope considerably lower, failed, and fell senseless on the deck. He only survived for a few hours afterwards, and the indignation of the ship's crew was at boiling point when young Hale wrote.

'"my father may rely upon me, to bear patiently everything that one officer and gentleman can take from another. But from my former knowledge of my captain, I fear a long course of tyranny on board the Russell." He was the sweetest-tempered boy, when he was not vexed. Is that the letter in which he speaks of Captain Reid's impatience with the men, for not going through manoeuvres as quickly as the Avenger? You see, they had many new hands on board the Russell, while the Avenger had been three years with nothing to do but work her men, till they ran up and down the rigging like monkeys.'
Margaret slowly read the letter, half illegible through the fading of the ink. It was a statement of Captain Reid's imperiousness, probably exaggerated by the narrator, who had written it while fresh in indignation. Some sailors being aloft in the main-topsail rigging, the captain had ordered them to race down, threatening the last with whipping. He who was the farthest up, dreading the disgrace of the flogging, threw himself desperately down to catch a rope much lower, failed, and fell senseless on deck. He only survived for a few hours afterwards.
