The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-06-08
The Captains Bathing Tub.

A cabin-boy Of one of the ward-rOOm officers,
on board a United States vessel, a good deal
given to mischief one day made his way into
the Captains cabin, while they were engaged
above in making out strange sail in the hOri-
zon Here he found all sorts of luXuries, in
GLIDING various wines, Of which he drank
enough to raise his courage not only, but to
make him somewhat reckless Of consequences.
In this state he finds himself in q room ad-
Joining the cabin, a tin bathing-tub in one cor
ner, luxuriousy supplied with rare cosmetics,
aud smelling like q BARRIERS shop of the first
class. "NOw," he says, have tried all the
other good things that found in the cabin,
have drank the Captains wine, and straight
ened myself out on his sofa, and swung in his
hammock; and thought wouldn't quit with
out taking dip in his BATH
Accordingly he stripped, and was just en-
loving the Grst pleasant feel of the water, when
he was interrupted by the messenger boy, who
had been sent into the cabin by the Captain.
Fortunately he was not discovered this time,
but it made him cautious.
q must contrive some way to get out with
uv clothes if anybody comes along again.
wasn't long in finding the way. The ports on
the side of the forward cabin were open, and
through them could easily get out into the
mizzen chains, where I could dress myself
without being seen. There was big gun in
each port. carronade as they callem, short
but fat the biggest kind-you never see such
kind of guns, except aboard ships-Of-war. l
could Chamber out alongside one of EN- easy
,enougb, for | was little fellow them
He takes his shoes, clothes and hat, and
sticks them outside of the port, where they
couldn't be seen, and them" he says " went
back to the tub. All this didn't take more
than half minute, for l worked sharp, can
tell you. The only thing | was afraid of was,
that the steward would come in and catch me.
l didn't care tinker's copper for the Captain.
l knew l could get out of the port in less time
than it would take him to come down the
poop-ladder Big guns are never in hurry, it
wouldn't look digniied, you know"
Presently, while lying luxuriously in the
Captains tub, he hears him coming down the
cabin stairs when he jumped out OF the recep-
tacle and makes for the port.
81 was fully outside and safe, as / thought,
in the chains, before the Captain opened the
cabin door, | sat there minute drying my
SELF and then was going to begin to dress,
when heard the sound OF oars coming around
the stern of the ship. l knew by the regular
dip of the water, and by the noise OF the oars
in the rowlocks that it was man-O-war s
ing along side though it seemed to me she had
come up mighty quick.
Here l was in a fix. They would see me
from the boat as soon as she pulled round the
stern, and l should have hard work to tell
what was doing, stark naked, in the chains
| couldn't get my clothes ON quick enough to
be ready for company-for couldn't stand up
without considerable risk of being seen from
the poop, in case some fellow happened to be
looking over the cardboard side. / concluded
pretty soon what to do. first looked into
the cabin. The Captain wasn't in sight, so
&C. ahmed my clothes into the muzzle of the
gun. and then got in myself, feet foremost.
told YOU, YOU know, that the guns of the kind
they call carronades are short, but have ire
mcndous big bores. They are used in close
fighting. and, when nothing else comes handy
thew load them with keg of nails, and such
sort of things. / showed myself in head fore
most. because knew that if | rammed my
head in first, with my body on top of it for q
wad, it would be rather close quarters for
breathing comfortably. i found it rather q
snug berth as it was 1 couldn't move an inch
after l got in, but knew was out OF sight
at any rate. .-.'..
81 supposed that after the men had come
aboard the boat would be hauled out OF the
booms, and that then could get out of the
gun. But, instead of that, they had the cut
ter loaded with something, 1 don't know what
that it took pretty near an hour, it seemed tC
me, to clear her off. They got sling on the
main yard, and could hear the orders giver
to hook in the boat, and the bo'sn's mate il
the gangway piping to haul taut and .rhoist
away" and avast hosting, and "come up ov
err and over again, until it appeared to me
they had got dozen launch-boats over TIN
side. By this time my back began to ache
with lying in the bore of that old gun ; it die
not exactly fit my shoulders:
began now to hear talking in the ca, in
The gun, you know, was all in the cabin ex
..cept the muzzle Of it, that ran out OF the port
500 --. t.... .-1 .s-y i-ts z.A