Stubb's Exordium to the Crew

Stubb's exordium to his crew is given here at large because he had rather a peculiar way of talking to them in general, and especially inculcating the religion of rowing. But you must not suppose from this specimen of his sermonizing that he ever flewn downright passions with his congregation, not at all. He would say the most terrific things to his crew in a tone so strangely compounded of fun and fury. No oarsman could hear such queer invocations without pulling for dear life, and yet pulling for the mere joke of the thing.