The servants had,
however, already availed themselves of the permission they had
received, and there was therefore no one on board in their department;
so we had to unpack our basket and have our picnic on deck, under the
awning, instead of on the reef, which I think was almost as great a
treat to the children.
We have, I am sorry to say, had a good deal of trouble with some of
our men here. One disappeared directly we arrived, and has never been
seen since. Another came off suffering from delirium tremens and
epileptic fits, brought on by drink. His cries and struggles were
horrible to hear and witness. It took four strong men to hold him, and
the doctor was up with him all last night. Nearly all the ships that
come here have been at sea for a long time, and the men are simply
wild when they get ashore. Some of the people know only too well how
to take advantage of this state of things, and the consequence is that
it is hardly safe for a sailor to drink a glass of grog, for fear that
it should be drugged. No doubt there are respectable places to which
the men could resort, but it is not easy for a stranger to find them
out, and our men seem to have been particularly unfortunate in this
respect. Tom talks of leaving two of them behind, and shipping four
fresh hands, as our number is already rather short.
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