Tag Archives: Aubrey-Maturin series

Getting Mr. Boy up in the morning for school the past few days has been tedious. Removing the covers had only limited effect. So I thought to capture his young male imagination, by telling him how bosuns of the Napoleonic-era Royal Navy did it–per the Aubrey-Maturin series. They’d come through the lower decks rousing the next watch by shouting, "Out or down!" Meaning if you didn’t get out of your hammock, they would use their knives to cut your hammock down and you’d sprawl on the deck. It got a smile, and the obvious retort from Mr. B. that he wasn’t in a hammock. But the thinking and the smile were enough to make him open his eyes. From there it was a relatively short step to getting his feet on the floor.