second-mate

Then he tried to make his second-mate and Gail both as comfortable as possible — a hopeless cause, given their current situation.

DELUGE (Part 42) – Brian Keene 2009

"You thought!" snarled the second-mate, catching up a rope's-end with the apparent intention of laying it across the shoulders of Jones, only he kept a wary distance away.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

"Aye, aye, sir," replied the man, looking up towards the break of the poop, whence the second-mate had hailed him, leaning over the rail.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

Altogether, the voyage was uneventful except for one thing, and that was the persistent bullying of Mr Capstan the second-mate, who, whether from his relationship to Uncle Jack, his superior officer, or from some other cause, had apparently conceived such a dislike to Teddy that he tyrannised over him more than he seemed to think necessary either with little Maitland or Jones -- although they suffered, too, at his hands!

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

"Aye, aye, sir," said the man, proceeding towards the deck-house, which occupied a middle position in the ship between the poop and fo'c's'le; and presently, although hidden from the gaze of those aft, he could be heard rapping at one of the doors, repeating in whispered tones the order the second-mate had given him.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

Presently, the second-mate, taking a longer turn in his quarterdeck walk, came up and spoke to him.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

"Cheerily, men! heave with a will!" urged the second-mate; and the brawny fellows bent all their strength to the handspikes, heaving them down with sheer brute force.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

"Yes, all hands aboard," replied the second-mate laconically.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

The crew were all picked men, the majority having been in the ship on one or two previous voyages; so they were quite at home, and sprang into the rigging long before the second-mate had got to the end of his refrain.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle

But he saved them a long explanation by telling them that Jones, the other midshipman, having been knocked down with a marlinespike by the second-mate, Captain Lennard had both him and Mr Capstan brought before him, when, sifting the matter to the bottom, Jones had made a clean breast of the way in which he and the other youngsters had been bullied.

Teddy The Story of a Little Pickle