The boatswain and his mates, the town criers, continued bellowing and blowing their whistles. They moved through the decks, holding lanterns and leaning over slumbering seamen, shouting, “Out or down! Out or down!” Anyone who didn’t rise would have his hammock cut free from the rope suspending it, sending his body crashing onto the deck. The Wager’s boatswain, a burly figure named John King, would not likely touch a midshipman. But Byron knew to stay clear of him. Boatswains, who were responsible for herding crews and administering punishments—including
