runman

plural runmen

1. historicalA deserter from a ship of war.

   1 more example

   The problem became so acute that the American ships moved across the bay to Algeziras because the English commanders "have treated us with great indignity and protected runmen, or deserters and refused to give them up and anchored so close as a further inducement for them to swim to the English ships."

   1947, Bruce Grant, Isaac Hull, Captain of Old Ironsides