“...Sleep after this is entirely out of the question, for any one at least who has been always accustomed to pass the night in peace, for the very possibility of further indulgence therein is entirely precluded by the combination of noises immediately over head; the coiling of heavy ropes, shrill screaming of the pipes at short intervals, the rude singing of the men, and the heavy stamp-and-go, and above all the deafening clat-clat of the capstan itself, are sufficient not only to keep the unfortunate landsman awake, but generally compel him to come up on deck, as the only means of escaping from the distracting din; once there all seems comparatively quiet, and all sensation of noise is lost in the excitement of the scene; the annoying monotony of the stamp-and-go is now heard with pleasure, and the before grumpy passenger will find himself walking the deck to the same step, and perhaps even going so far as to allow himself to be so carried away with the song, as to join in the chorus with a hum to himself, or perhaps a low whistle.”
[Five Years in the East, Hutton, 1847]
Frederick Hutton (Royal Navy officer) (1801 – 1866)