The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-01-27

rance, and inexperience, were all treated as SC
many green. jokes I shall never forget the first
time I was ordered on deck.
"Jack lay out and furl that hyingjib."
Now, an order to jump into the sea and fur
the next wave it would not have been more as
founding True had found out the wherea-
bouts of the flying jib; and in fact, there it
was palpable enough way out forward, with its
and it's rough canvass flying wildly about, like
the wings of a Gagged sea-bird and / was or
dered in voice of thunder to clay out there
and furl in" The idea was inconceivable.
about for help, when the order came grating
my head again, accompanied by a blow, which
made me whirl round like top;
"Out there you damned skulk and furl that
| fying-jib."
Now to be sworn at, to be struck to be
commanded to do thing utterly impossible, are
incidents in a seattle which green hand gets
accustomed to; but to be called skulk, is what
no sailor green or ripe, can stand for moment.
The word had no sooner been uttered, than
rushed desperately forward, tumbled over the
windlass, picked my self up again, leaped on to
the bow-sprit, dragged myself out to the jib-
boom, felt my way to the foot-ropes and was
looking out for the fyihg-jb (Which appeared
to have got tired of waiting and flown away in
disgust), when I met an old sailor, who had run
out before ME, and furled in the sail so nicely
it could hardly be seen.
Up to that moment l had looked upon this
SAME sailor as thorough brute. He had played
me more tricks than any other man on board
He had compelled me to serve him in the most
menial capacities. But now that he had found
me completely helpless, and for the first time
utterly at my wits end, he fastened, without
saying word and at the fisk of blow, to do
me service
From this tithe forward we were great friends.
Not that he ceased to taunt or torment in all
possible ways; for he was an old Salt, and
thought that necessary as wholesome part OF
discipline but then as compensation, he al
ways insisted that should have fair play at the
mess, swore that the right Of abusing me was a
monopoly of his own, and rigidly exercised that
monopoly; was ready to argue-i. e: to fight
for me on the most trivial occasions.
Poor old Peter He had been afore mast
all his life, and had no desire to be any thing
else. He looked upon the quarter deck as sa-
cred ground but had no desire to tread it.
Give him tobacco, grog, and good ship at sea
grog tobacco, and pretty girl on shore; and
his wants are satisfied Of all the men in the
world-next to marine-he despised land
lubber. How could people live on shore, with
all its liabilities to fires epidemics earthquakes,
revolutions, duns, and taxes, when the great sea
was open and free to all mankind he could never
comprehend, and it was his morning and even
ing boast that nobody owned the sea, that il
was as much his as anybody's, that Britannia
might claim to rule it, but she be damned, that
it couldn't be cut up, fenced in nor sold at auc-
ton; that in word, it was free, and Govern
ment might as well try to control its titles as te
determine its ownership.
Peter was no fool.
But to return to the green hand
The first day out while stretched like an ALI
gator, upon my little shelf of berth, enjoying
my first watch below" the cry came echoine
through the forecastle:
"All hands splice the main brace!"
What could this mean? l knew too well
what the main brace was for I had had NOR,
than one pull at it. | also knew what splicing
was, for I had spliced more than one cod lin,
that day: but how, if by storm or freak, tn
main brace had parted, it could require al
hands to splice it, or how it could have partcc
without knowing it before, were mysteries.
However I hurried on deck with all hands,
and to my surprise found all as tranquil there
as France after coup d etot The sailor
were GROUPED about the eook-or doctor a
they call him-a tall African, black as the &C
OF spades, who was dealing out to them thei
afternoon allowance of grog.
The moment | made my appearance, he erie
out to me