He never appeared on deck without his "persuader," which was three rattans twisted into one, like a cable; sometimes he called it his Order of the Bath, or his Tri_o_ junct_o_ in Uno; and this persuader was seldom idle.
He attempted to be very polite, even when addressing the common seamen, and, certainly, he always commenced his observations to them in a very gracious manner, but, as he continued, he became less choice in his phraseology.

O'Brien said that his speeches were like the Sin of the poet, very fair at the upper part of them, but shocking at the lower extremities.

As a specimen of them, he would say to the man on the forecastle, "Allow me to observe, my dear man, in the most delicate way in the world, that you are spilling that tar upon the deck--a deck, sir, if I may venture to make the observation, I had the duty of seeing holystoned this morning.

You understand me, sir, you have defiled his majesty's forecastle.

I must do my duty, sir, if you neglect yours; so take that--and that--and that--( thrashing the man with his rattan)--you d--d hay-making son of a sea-cook.