Go down below, sir." "With the greatest pleasure, sir," replied Jack, "that's all right and according to the articles of war, which are to guide us all." Jack folded up his articles of war, put them into his pocket, and went down into the berth.
Soon after Jack had gone down, Jolliffe, who had heard the whole of the altercation, followed him: "My lad," said Jolliffe, "I'm sorry for all this; you should have gone to the mast-head." "I should like to argue that point a little," replied Jack.

"Yes, so would everybody; but if that were permitted, the service would be at a stand-still--that would not do;--you must obey an order first, and then complain afterwards, if the order is unjust." "It is not so in the articles of war." "But it is so in the service." "The captain told me that the articles of war were the guides of the service, and we were all equally bound to obey them." "Well, but allowing that, I do not think your articles of war will bear you out.

You observe, they say any officer, mariner, etc, guilty of disobedience to any lawful command.

Now are you not guilty under that article ?" "That remains to be argued still," replied Jack.

"A lawful command means an order established by law; now where is that law ?--besides, the captain told me when I kicked that blackguard down the hatchway, that there was only the captain who could punish, and that officers could not take the law into their own hands; why then has the master ?" "His doing wrong as superior officer is no reason why you as an inferior should disobey him.