St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1861-04-18
CLOUD 4STEARNS CO., MINNESOTA, THURSDAY APRI

him; and, when We got forward again, he
turned round in rage, and says to me:
"Why didn't you let me speak p :
"Because" saysI I, ''its dangerous thing
70 speak out aft, in a ship where capstan
lars tumble down on chaps heads"
"What do you mean to do?" says he.
| II don't know yet.'
"Take your nigger?' says he.
:."No Ned; you ought to have known me
better than that" .. "!
What do you mean to do. then?"
%"Why, wait-see what turns up."
"Your toes in q shotted hammock next,
expect" .
Not as baa as that, Ned, hope. He
don't know but what we're like the
rest; they're all ready to do anything for
that niggger, and they'll go with him to:a
man" 81, go.
fa'm id if have any hand in it; it's
an internal shame to prig those niggers."
IL won't have any hand in it either"
says |. "Still it's no use telling them that
keep quiet, perhaps we can see our way
out of it in Bit"
T. Nothing happened for day or two af.
ter this; work went on regular; we didn't
talk much but We could ses they kept their
eyes on us. Queer thing too-the old man
never let either of us work in the poop
the worked there, rafting down, or
what not; but as soon as ever the yard was
up, or the braces taut, it was, "Go for
ward there-auother hand lay up these
ropes"
OF course it reused our suspicious, and
showed US why we'd been put in the mates
watch but there was the fact, and nothing
more, till one evening I heard them sing
out, "Man ovcrboardW I ran to the wind
ard and saw Ned In the water We weren't
going fast; 80 ran aft to heave rope over
but as luck would have it, they'd just
rove new peak halyards, aud they'd made
fast and hove the end overheard to take
the turns out.
He'd caught hold of this, and climbed
up the side into the mizen-chains. Mate
was there: +:
"You ID clumsy lubber, don't come
in here-pass along outside forward-don't
swamp the deck here ~
,"Clumsy YOURSELF" says Ned. "Why
the devil don't you see your foot
ropes fast before you send man on 'em ?"
"Good job if you'd been drowned they
would mt have troubled you then, you clum-
sy whelp! and he tried to hit at him with
a ropes end as he crawlcd along outside,
holding on to the top of the rails.
"No, no says I, fairs fair-dont hit him
there, and put myself in his way Hit
me says I, and l looked at him, but he
dare'nt touch me, for he knew that I'd
have half killed him.
Ned jumps on the poop, the water all
running off him:
"Hit me now, you numbering cut-throat! !!
hit ME now!
"Go forward there, go forward, says
the captain, coming up just then. Send
the boy aft with the swab.
Ned and went forward, and says Ned {;
I'll 80 up to that rope and see if it's not
been cut l believe it's been cut on pur-
pose.
Go in and get those things off, I'll see
to that presently; they won't put new
one in this watch.
Ned went in, and when it got little
darker I went up and lay along the yard,
and found the rope had been cut all but a
few yarns close to the eye, on the yard arm
and Of course when his weight came on it,
it gave way with a run, and down he came.
told him of it; and after that it wasn't
much work aloft that wanted more than
one Of our hands at time that we did,
We never knew when we were safe, and
held on like grim death wherever we went.
Best part Of his ducking, though, is to
co ne. When he'd changed his clothes he
came out, and says he:
Charley there's two women aboard.
Nonsense! says I the waters got in your
head.
"No-true as I am here; as I came up
the side-light in the cabin mizen-chains-
one fair and the othel dark. The dark ones
a regular clipper, she is
L told him it couldn't be, or they'd have
come on deck before this however, he was
positive about it.
Now you notice, says he, as you 20 to
your wheel, whether there's not light
in that cabin; you'll see it shine through
the deck light.
l went to my trick, and went that side,
and sure enough there was a light; Iknew
it wasn't the mates, and the second mates
was in the deck-house.
1t seemed to US a strange thing that
there should be two women aboard and none
of the fellows forward speak about them
generally if there's woman aboard sheEs
talked about pretty freely, but they didn't
say a word about it. -. "'>'' =
told Ned to ask the Irishpan, 50 we
brlbed the steward for drop of brandy,
and gave it O'Connel, and he told us all