Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1864-06-22
CONQUERING A SEA-DOG.

fearfully disturbed ''by love in the breakers"
CONQUERING A SEA-DOG.
Some years ago, when the old ship Light
heart was new and staunch, and when | had
command of her, there happened on board an
incident over which | have laughed many a
time, when memory has brought it back to
me- loaded at Mobile with cotton and ran
to Liverpool Among my crew was man
named Rannot-Sam, we always called him.
He was one of the largest formed men | ever
saw, and came from somewhere In New Eng
land. He stood six feet and five inches III
his bare feet, and was stout and bulky in pro-
portion. He had one fault, and that was an
inordinate pride of strength. He was not
quarrelsome, nor had he revengeful point
in his character, and yet he was continually
Fostering the crew, Hardly a day passed
that he did not give one Or more of them
bodily pain by his freaks. He would catch a
poor fellow by the legs and swing him over
his head, at the imminent risk of smashing
| his brains out against the mast or bulwarks,
and then would laugh at the poor mans
fri ght. Sonnet times he would sieZe a man by
the arms and lay him upon the deck, and in
no very easy manner either. 1t was of no
use for the men to demonstrate, for he would
be sure to punish them IN some way
OF course | forbade Sam from doing such
things; but he could not remember my orders
longer .Gan over one night. The love of
. fun" as he called it, was fixed too strongly
| upon him, and it could not be taken out of
| him. He did not realize how unpleasant his
| pranks were, nor did he know that the rest OF
| the crew had grown to dislike him. They had
| adopted many eXpedlents to cure him, but
| they all failed and though he had often been
made the butt of practical jokes-such as sud
| den drenching of cold sea-Water while he
| slept, and other things equally unpleasant
| yet he always paid his tormenters off with
| interest. lie was, IN fact, the worst practi
| Cal joker L ever saw, and not a whit did he
! care, so long as he exhibited his hercuean
MY ship IA "a - a ..vDrru, vII Juu
/ return voyage, another cargo of cotton was
ready for me, and | was ordered to load and
| be off as quickly do possible But no sooner
| was the ship cleared than my men-all but
| Sam Rannot-came and informed me that
| they could not go with me again unless Sam
was discharged.
was not prepared for this. At heavy
work Sam worth any other three men on
| board, and always willing and ready. Yet |
| knew how the crew suffered from his thought
| less pranks, and | could not blame them |
| told the men to come to me on the following
| day and | would give them audience.
At first | thought of promising them that
| would see that the old sea-dog did not annoy
| them any more; bat | soon convinced myself
| that that would be of no use-Sam would cut
| up his capers when | would not see him, and
| the men would not report him every time he
| hurt them. But soon new idea entered my
| head. | had brother who owned a large
| cotton plantation on the Chickasaw His
! place VS. not over fifteen miles from Mobile,
| and he had just the man | wanted-or his
usual clothing. His arms were like iron, and
I his breast and shoulders like great bundle
! of wire done up in raw ox-hide
/ bantered my brother TO let me have Cato
| for one or two voyages
Take him in welcome" said he; " he's
getting too important here"
What's he ugly?" l asked.
oh, no-iust the other way He's too
good natured altogether. He sets a very
/ Sancho in the other boys. I've made too
| much of him"
But will he work ?"
Yes"
So l got Cato for twelve dollars a month as
long as | wanted him, with the privilege of
having him for one cruise only fer nothing
But took him 4" for better or for worse, y and
agreed to pay for his services
On the next day l went on board the ship.
and, when the men came to me for my answer,
l asked them if they would sail with Sam if
would produce quiet, inoffensiye man who
could handle him, aud take said man to sea
with me-
They sad they would
| knew they would: they would have gone
with me for nothing, for the sake of seeing
sam Rannot conquered | told them he should
be, and enJolned them to secresy, which they
promised.
When Cato learned that he was going to
sea with me, he was beside himself with Iov
and when | came to tell him what wanted of
him, he laughed till the tears rolled down his
black cheeks
On the very day of sailing l brought Cato
on board. At first the men exhibited some
signs OF dislike; but when they found what
Jolly, good-hearted old fellow he was, they |
gave him their hands. Sam Rannot winked !
prodigiously when he saw the new man, and
more than once he whispered to those near
him.
"Ihere'll be fun afore long
On the third day out We had everything
snug and trim, save clearing and covering the /
long boat, and now the crew could find time /
TO suOOze by daylight. Ii was in the after
noon, the wind was from the southwark and /
westward, and We were bowling along at the 4
rate OF about six knots. Cato sat upon the /
combings OF the main hatch, and Sam was /
slowly approaching him, not very unlike a 4
dog sometimes approaches smaller animal /
which it never before saw
Say, blacky, get up" ordered Sam, with /
grim, at the same time looking around to /
see II the rest OF the crew were ready TO en- /
jow the sport.
. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS make a poor fell /
lab hist now, chs ?"
Yes git up"
Don't"
q say-git up"
"Wha' for :"
Fun"
Now you jes heah, Sam: you s'pose you
fool wild dis chile. chr If you do, it's all
right; but l Specs you'll git hurt, an den
you'll sit mad, chs"
Tins was spoken with the most impertuba-
bic gravity, and the sinewy negro slowly
arose while he spoke, and looked as demure
as child.
Who'll git hurt9 asked Sam, with great
flourish.