They retained the discipline of the ship in their quarters, kept themselves trim and clean, and their floor as white as a ship's deck.

They did not court the society of the "sojers" below, whose camp ideas of neatness differed from theirs.

A few old barnacle-backs always sat on guard around the head of the steps leading from the lower rooms.

They chewed tobacco enormously, and kept their mouths filled with the extracted juice.

Any luckless "sojer" who attempted to ascend the stairs usually returned in haste, to avoid the deluge of the filthy liquid.
For convenience in issuing rations we were divided into messes of twenty, each mess electing a Sergeant as its head, and each floor electing a Sergeant-of-the-Floor, who drew rations and enforced what little discipline was observed.
Though we were not so neat as the sailors above us, we tried to keep our quarters reasonably clean, and we washed the floor every morning; getting down on our knees and rubbing it clean and dry with rags.