59 107 84 95 But the sailors'^ dog-watch gossip concerning him
derived a vague plausability from the fact / that

In reference to the privy
gossip as to Claggart's prior previous career as
a landsman ashore, and as tending
to show that it was not so verry absurd
after all, it should be remembered that

/ now for some period the British
Navy could so little afford to
be squeamish in the matter of
keeping up as far as possible its
the muster-role muster-rolls , that not only were
the press-gangs notoriously abroad
both afloat and ashore, but there was
little or no secret about the fact
another matter, namely ^ that the London police were
encouraged at liberty to capture
59 107 84 95 But the sailors'^ dog-watch gossip concerning him
derived a vague plausability from the fact / that

In reference to the privy
gossip as to Claggart's prior previous career as
a landsman ashore, and as tending
to show that it was not so verry absurd
after all, it should be remembered that

/ now for some period the British
Navy could so little afford to
be squeamish in the matter of
keeping up as far as possible its
the muster-role muster-rolls , that not only were
the press-gangs notoriously abroad
both afloat and ashore, but there was
little or no secret about the fact
another matter, namely ^ that the London police were
encouraged at liberty to capture

Transcribed by: John Bryant