New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-09-14
a Sailors Revenge.
BY AN OLD NANTUCKET TAR.

IlFeu OF DiundeflnR ABOUT tne streets OF LoH-
don, which is sad music unless one could be
lord, or have a huge bag of money, with boy
to carry it after him, | said to my old shipmate,
Reub Fem, Let's haul our wind and take q
look at the Docks
Reub. bit off the end Of his pig-tail, rolled it
over twice in the side of his cheek, and said,
" Here's with youi" at 4i9r 75l
An old brig bound to Brazil first brought us
up and we being two tight, well trimmed fellows,
had no difficulty in getting promise from the
mate that Capt. Troy (as he called him) would
take us aboard for fifteen dollars month
Reuh. andI hastened to get our trunks aboard,
not doubling that all would be right Welugged
our chests down from the Crown Inn that same
afternoon. While we were lifting them on board
| the brig, Reub suddenly paused and turned as
many colors as stuck dolphin, Of course
knew there was some thing in the wind for
| Reub. never showed such signals except when
there were sharks about. Itipped him the wink
| and pointed toward the forecastle. Reub. stood
straddling over his chest upright as the Colos-
sus of Rhodes, and looked at me with dead eye
which was his signal for g no 60" 7zs.1g..1
| knew some thing was the matter, and as he
didn't want to hide on board, of course it must
be in the brig herself that the mischief lay.
| You've seen some thing !" said l. l9
| He answered by twirling his pig-tail like a
grindstone going by steam, and as he was care
| full not to look behind him, looked in that
direction. 5.....
| About twelve feet abaft my messmate, there
was head-a mans head in sight This head
was seen above the combings of the main hatch
way. The first noticed was that this head was
stationary, and then that the eyes were fixed
upon Reub. But this wasn't all, for the head
was of sugar-loafshape wonderfully large where
it joined the neck behind, and that it went
sloping to the top. It had face of yellow,
sickly hue with leaden eyes deep set in the head.
| looked at the immovable head ahd then at
Reub. '''$
''Push on!' muttered he at last.
Believing that Reub had some good reason for
backing out, caught hold Of the beckett at my
end of the chest, and was just going to haul it
over the plank share. when the mate hurried
down from the main top and sung out g come
right aboard, boys. The captain says it is all
right" z=15 Isis
Reub. turned his pig-tail more rapidly than
ever, and the head in sight above deck dis
tended its lantern-jaws with q sort of grin
that showed a set Of long, narrow teeth bare tc
the sockets, but the leaden eye did not share in
this attempt at smile. Fixed and dead, they
were riveted on poor Reub. who now gave one
look of establishment at the head upon learning
by gesture of the mate that it belonged tt
Captain Toby
THAT is not his name," muttered Reub., a:
announced that fact.
1t was plain to see that Reub. had met tha
head before, and that he had no particular de
sire to renew his acquaintance with it, So
dofhng my tarpaulin and scraping my toe on th
wharf-log. says to the mate, AS we haven
signed the papers, sir, think we shan't go th
trip" and with that Reub. and lifted the ches
over the side, and placed it on the wharf alons
side of mine. 9L5t9
The mate began to bully and threaten, bu
Reub minded that no more than perpoise
He squinted once or twice at the head in tn
hatchway, which tried so hard to look amiabl
that the face almost tied itself up in knot, ant
then he began to make tracks up the wharf.
Reub. said nothing till we had got our bag
gage back to the crown Inn, and then says L
ssReub., we've lost q VOYAGE
Better so," said he 55s
'sYou didn't like the looks of the skipper.H
sRightp' cried Reub., catching my hand an
squeezingit.
ssYou'ye seen him beforei"
ssRight again /" cried he, with still harde
squeeze. zau=z zst.E zl.=4z r5H
That was as far as politeness permitted n
= to go. 5..=..=- =yas
Reub. fortified himself with &c some thin
: warm," and, having taken q fresh quid of pis
tail, invited me into little room with a sande
: floor and cracked looking glass;. and sat dow
y by my side in an arm chair. After few nj
: ments' silence, he began
y "Whats the name o that brig, Benz"
The Ajax"
He paused q moment. z.le5 =t.z
.'Now that's slowed safe in my locker, T
tell you why | want to remember it,
"Well"
"rve sailed with that captain BEFORE sa
Reub.
Yous What ship was he master of {"
v ssHe was COOK
Cook ~
: 60 Not in the first part Of the voyage. h,
? shipped for a trading voyage on the North We
!, Coast. You know what those captains are 2"
y | answered by placing his finger on the top
my head. He had felt the hole there befo,
: Reub winked sagaeiously, and continued
81 was aboard the ship Xenophon, the VIC
test craft you ever saw; on a wind she pitcht
under to the windlass. Well, this man, tn
o. you heard called Captain Toby, was a hand b
"a, fore the mast, story got about that our ca
/ tain, whose name was Spinner, had been t
" thick with Lansings wife; and Lansing seem
I to have an idea of that kind himself She hi
ip been down to the ship several times just befo
1 the vessel put to sea, and Lansing perceiy
something strange as we'll as the cabin boy.
4 "We hadn't been to sea week before t
. captain begun to run upon Lansing and t
/ cabin boy, Lansing wasn't much, that's tru
: for his health was poor, and he couldn't pull
:, a rope much better than an old woman.
/ captain would come along and give him q C
. over the legs with ropes end, and call him
! id son of b. At first Lansing show
2, some spirit, but when he found none of t
. crew took his part, he got we'll down in t
= mouth, and we all thought him chicke
'r, hearted sort of fellow, and that's bad chars
y ter to go to sea with, @.z
! cat last, we saw Lansing in the galley.
/. captain had made him cook, and turned
= negro before the mast who had shipped for IL
uy station. / believe this was done on purpose
: set the crew against Lansing, for he was
,ie cook and often spoiled our dinner.
s'The captain told US we'd better bring La
we sing to the windlass and cob him A stave "
y bored full Of holes, and the cook was lashed
Tor the windlass, where we all-God forgive us
L beat him with that. .staye But it was like bel
as- ing a skeleton, and you could fancy you hea
j his bones rattle as the stave came down up
! his sickly Frame But it was all the captai
es- fault; he set us on, and swore at us for
IT striking hard enough. Lansing never whi
er- pered 1t was dreadful to see how patient
bore it all without wincing Only once
= = see him turn his long yellow peppers round
md the socket and give the captain such q sett
- dead leaden sort of a look out of the corners
= his eyes, it made me start But he never sps
; " word
ct. cat last, his health failed him so much Il
i the captain said he would put him ashore
the first port we mrde. When Lansing hes
ss. of this, ne gave the captain one of those sa
nth deadly looks that mentioned before.