@sgtstretch There were certainly reasons for the Captain’s word being indisputable, movies like “Master and Commander” and even “The Bounty” show how the thinking went with those little societies on the ocean.

It seems crazy today, but with mostly uneducated, raucous and most significantly unwilling men serving onboard, there was just no room for flexibility.

I’ve not read the Wager, but I’ll look into it now, I love books that cover the era.