When Nicholas Young was appointed Surgeon’s Boy aboard Captain Cook’s bark Endeavour in 1768 homosexuality and drunkenness below deck were among the surprises in store for him – as the following excerpt from the new release historical adventure New Zealand: A Novel shows…
The Endeavour’s surgery was one of the busiest facilities aboard ship. As surgeon’s boy, Nicholas’s shifts involved twelve-hour days every day as well as being on call to assist in the event of an emergency. The seventeen-year-old soon discovered emergencies aboard sailing ships of the day were the rule rather than the exception.
Terrifying mid-Atlantic storms had resulted in a rash of injuries, some serious, and two more lives had been lost before they’d even reached the sanctuary of Rio de Janeiro. Both unfortunates had been swept overboard in mountainous seas. Since then another had died after falling from the rigging.
Many of the mishaps could be attributed to drunkenness. So liberal were the Royal Navy’s rum rations, which were often supplemented illegally through theft and bribery, that many crew members and some officers were constantly drunk.
Nicholas had quickly discovered that alcohol and sailing were not a good mix. He was constantly helping to patch up injured seamen who had over-indulged. Other injuries resulted from fighting, which was all too often another side-effect of excessive drinking.
Brawling, drunkenness and illicit procurement of liquor were punishable by flogging. More than a dozen floggings had been administered so far on the voyage, but not even the cat-of-nine-tails was enough to deter the worst offenders. These were rough men who worked hard and played hard, and Nicholas soon learned he’d entered a world where he had to stand up for himself or risk being bullied.
He learned that homosexuality was another fact of life at sea where men were literally thrown together in the cramped quarters below deck. As the distance separating them from wives and loved-ones lengthened, bunk or hammock-sharing became quite common, and not only below deck. This problem – for that’s how the navy viewed homosexuality – was different to other problems encountered on board in that the top brass scarcely acknowledged it existed. Officially, the hierarchy took a dim view of buggery, as they called it. The offence was punishable by death – and not just in the navy: it was a capital crime in civilian life, too. Unofficially, the navy’s top brass turned a blind eye provided offenders were discreet.
Nicholas often marvelled at how easily happily married family men could turn to other men for sexual relief then just as easily return to their wives’ loving arms on returning to their home port.
Several crew members had made unwanted advances to Nicholas early on in the voyage. He’d quickly discouraged them. On the last occasion – to signal loud and clear what his preferences were – he made an example of the drunken oaf who tried to grope him in front of others in the mess. Evading the man’s clumsy advances, he promptly kicked him in the testicles. While his victim lay temporarily paralyzed on the floor, Nicholas proceeded to force-feed him pickled cabbage and other legumes from the man’s plate until his open mouth could accommodate no more of his unfinished dinner. All this to the wild cheering of some thirty admiring onlookers.
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New Zealand: A Novel is available via Waterstones UK & Europe bookstores & via Mighty Ape NZ & public libraries. Its Amazon link is:
https://www.amazon.com/New-Zealand-Novel-Lance-Morcan/dp/0473728524/
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Morcan Books & Films 