Children and particularly the male of the species often need to called to heal and told of the error of their ways and although quite a large boy for his tender age, the Cabin Boy was told off for his own safety.
You see when you tie a rope to a boat via a cast iron cleat or capstan and then the lock empties; the boat will be left in suspended in mid-air above the water and if the rope snaps the boat and the crew are both in the wet stuff and probably in the brown stuff.
Similarly walking a boat to within a feet or two of the sluice gate is dangerous due to pull forward of the boat resulting in it smashing against the steel lock gates or suddenly becoming capsized by rapidly filling with water.
Both these crimes were not spotted by the Captain, and thus the Cabin Boy avoided a severe tongue bashing in the first instance and in case of the second, and more life threatening mistake, would not be allowed to join the Captain and Mate in the on their nightly excursions to a series of local boozers.
Fortunately for the boy, the young lady lock keeper being partially sighted took a fancy to young Billy Boy Blue and after telling him he had been a very naughty and twice naughty little boy allowed us to pass through the lock and continue on our journey.
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