Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-10-29
THE CABIN nov.


was an old era b. and had seen foil as much
service as she was capable of seeing
vi h safety But her owners were
willing to trnst another valuable car
go in her, so ] wouldn't refuse to trust my
self We were bound to Liverpool. and
nothing unusual happened until about the
eighth day cut, when we ran foul of small
iceberg. 1t was early in the morning, be-
fore sunrise, and not above six or eight
feet Of ice was above water, it having near
ly all melted in the warm waters Of the
Gulf Stream. did not think we had sus-
tanned much injury, for the shock was light;
but l was very angry and gave the look
out severe punishment, without stopping
to inquire whether he could have seen the
berg in time to escape it.
My cabin boy was named Jack Withers.
ii was fourteen years of age, and this
was his first voyage. had taken him from
a widowed mother, and had promised her
that | would see him well treated-that
was, if he behaved himself He was a
bright qnck, intelligent lad. | soon made
myself believe thatihe had an awful dispo-
sitou. fanced that he was the most
stubborn peace of humanity l had ever
come across. | made up my mind he had
never been properly governed, and resolved
to break him in told him I'd cnrb his
temper before had done with him. In
reply he told me might kill himif | liked:
aud | logged him with the end of the mz.
zen-tOp-galIant halIiards till he could hard.
ly stand. | asked him if he had got e.
nough and he told me | might fog him
more if | wished it. felt strong inci-
nation'O throw the boy overheard but at
that moment he staggered back against
the mzzen-mast from absolute weakness,
and | left him 10 himself When | reason
ed calmly about the boys disposition.
was forced to acknowledge that he was
one of the smartest and most faithful lads
| had ever seen. When | asked him 20 do
anything he would be off like a rocket
but when | roughly ordered him to do it,
then came the disposition with which
found fault.
One day, when it was very near noon, I
spoke to him and told him to go below and
bring up my quadrant. He was looking
over the quarter rail, and knew he did not
hear me, and the next time rippe ont a
oath, and intimated if he didn't move I'd
help him.
Il didn't hear ye," said he with an indie
pendent tone.
'No words" said
81 s'pose l can speak, ," he retorted NOV,
ing slowly toward the companion way.
His loose words, aud the slow, careless
manner in which he moved, fired me in
moment, and grasped him by the collar.
Speak to me again like that, and III
aog You within an inch of your life, ;" said |.
"Iou can fog away" he replied firm
and nnduunted as rock.
AndI did fog him. caught up the
end Of the rope, and beat him until my arm
fairly ached but he never even WINGED.
"HOw's that" said l.
"There's a little more life you'd better
fog out" was the reply
And l beat him again. l beat him till
he sank from my hand against the rail :;
and then sent one of the men for my
quadrant When it came and l had ad-
justed it for my observation, l found that
the sun was already past the meridian, and
that was too late. This added fuel to
the fire of my madness, and quickly sezng
the lad by the collar, / led him to the main
hatchway, and had tht hatch taken off /
then thrust him down and swore | wonld
keep him there till his stubbornness was
broken The hatch was then pnt on, and
| went into the cabin. | suffered q good
deal that afternoon, not with any conpunc-
lions for what | had done, but with my
own temper and bitterness 1t made me
mad to think that | could not conquer that
boy--that / could not break down his cool,
stern opposition. "But l will do it," l said
to myself, "by the Heavens above, I'll
starve him into it, or he shall die in the op-
eratioK"
After supper went to the hatchway,
and called out to him, but he returned me
no answer. So / closed the hatch and
went away At ten o'clock | call again
and again got no answer. | might have
thought that the aogging bad taken away
his senses, had not some cf the men aSsur-
ed me that they had heard him, not an
hour before, talking to himself did not
trouble him again till morning. After
breakfast | went to the hatchway and call
ed out to him once more. ! heard nothing
from him, nor could see hm-I had not
seen him since put him down there. l
called ont several times but he wOuld make
no reply-and yet the same men told me
they had heard him talking that very morn
ing. He seemed to he calling on them for
help but he would not ask for me. meant
to break him into it. He'll beg before
he'll starve," thought and so determined
to let him stay there. supposed that
he had crawled forward to the forecastle
buIkhead, in order to make the sailors hear
him. Some of the men asked leave to go
down and look for him, but l refused l
threatened TO punish the first man that
dared to go down.
At noon | went again, and as be did not
answer me this time | resolved that he
should come to the hatchway and ask for me
ere wen, any more The day passed away,
and when evening came again | began to
be startled | thought of the many good
qualities the boy had, and of his widowed
mother He had been in the hold thirty
six hours, and all of forty without food or
drink. He must be too weak to cry out
now. 1t was hard for me to give up, but
il he died there from absolute starvation, it
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