he was betrayed , rather , by the folly of foolish men , and the evil of liquor : when he and his officers , who had put forth every most heroic effort and preserved the ship throughout a gale of terrific force and danger , over the course of five days and nights , were overcome for a little while by fatigue ; a great many of the less-skilled hands , who were used more gently during the crisis , in shifts , than the officers used themselves , seized upon this opportunity to bring ruin on all alike in their mad greed for spirits .