Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-02-25
The Captains Story.

The Captains Story.
When | was about forty years Of age |
took command of the ship PeterShant She
was an old craft, and had seen full as much
service as she was capable of seeing with
safety. But her owners were willing to trust
a valuable cargo in her, so | would not re-
fuse to trust myself We were bound to
Liverpool, and nothing unusual happened I'M
til about the eighth day out, when we ran
foul Of q small iceberg. 1t was early in the
morning, before sunrise, and not above six
or eight feet of ice was above the water, it
having nearly all been melted in the warm
region of the gulf stream. | did not think
we had sustained much injury, for the shock
was light; but was very angry, and gave the
lookout a severe punishment, without stop
ping to inquire whether he could have seen
the berg i'll time to escape it.
My cabin boy was named Jack Wthers.
He was fourteen years of age, and this was
his first voyage. | had taken him from his
widowed mother, and had promised her that
| would see him well treated, that was if he
behaved himself He was bright, quick,
Intelligent lad. l soon made myself believe
he had an awful disposition. | fancied that
he was the most stubborn piece of humanity
| had ever came across. | made up my mind
that he had never been properly governed,
and had resolved to break him ill., | told
him I'd curb his temper before I'd done with
him. In reply he told nae that | might kill
him il | liked; and | fO%ged him with the
end of the mzzen top gallant halyards till he
could hardly stand. | asked him if he'd got
enough, and he told me | might fog him
more if l wished to. l felt a strong inclina-
ton to throw him overheard, but at that mo-
ment he staggered back against the mizzen-
G. l
to himself When l reasoned calmly about
the boys disposition, | was forced to &C
knowledge that he was one of the smartest
and most intelligent and faithful lads had
ever seen. When ] asked him to do any,
thing he would be off like 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, |
spoke to HIM to bring up my quadrant He
was looking over the quarter-rail, and | knew
he did not hear me the next time / spoke
ripped out an oath and intimated if he did not
move I'd help him.
/ didn't hear you," he said, with an indie
pendent tone.
=" No words" said |.
81 suppose l can speak" he retorted, NOV
ing slowly toward the companion way.
His looks, words and the slow, careless
manner in which he moved, fred me in mo-
ment, and grasped him by the collar.
"Speak TO me again like that, and I'll fog
you within an inch of your life" said l.
"You can fog away" he replied, firm. and
undaunted as a rock.
And did fog him. 1 caught up the end
of rope, and beat him till my arm fairly
ached but he never WINGED.
How's that?" said |.
"There's a little more life in me, you'd
better fog it out" was the reply.
And | beat him again. | beat him till he
sank from my hand against the rail and
sent one of my other men for my quadrant.
When it came, and had adjusted it for OBJ
servation 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 Selling the lad by the collar, l
led him to the main hatchway, and had the
hatch taken off I then thrust him down, and
swore | would keep him there till his stub
bornness was broken. The hatch was then
put on, and | went into the cabin. | suffer
cred good deal that afternoon, not with any
computations of conscience for what | had
done, but with my own temper and bitter
ness. 1t made me mad to think that | could
not conquer That bov-that | could not break
down his cool, Stern opposition. ''But | will
do IL, Sdlu 10 llNSeI III StdrNe llllu IutO
it, or he shall die under the operation"
After supper | went to the hatchway and
called out to him, but he returned me no
answer. At s O'clock l called again, and
again got no answer. / might have thought
that the flogging had taken away his senses,
had not some of the men assured me that
they had heard him, not an hour before, talk
ing to himself / did not trouble him again
until morning. After breakfast | went to the
hatchWay and called to him once more.
heard nothing from him, nor could | see him
i had not seen him since put him down
there. called out several times, but he
would make no reply, and yet the same men
told me they had heard him talking that very
morning He seemed to be calling on them
for help, but he would not ask for me- /
meant to break him into it. He'll beg be-
fore he'll starve, thought; and so deter
mined to let him stay there, supposed that
he had crawled forward to the forecastle
bulkhead, in order to make the sailors hear
him. Some of the men asked leave to 90
down and look for him, but refused, and
threatened to punish the first man that dared
to go down.
At noon I went again, and as he did not
answer me this time, | resolved that he
should cosle to the hatchway and ask for me
ere went any more. The day passed away
and when evening came again, began to be
startled. thought of the many good quail
ties the boy had, and of his widowed mother
lie had been in the hold thirty-six hours, anC
all forty hours without food or drink. He
must be too weak to cry out now. 1t was
hard for me to give up, but if he died there
from actual starvation, it might go hard with
me still. So at length made up my mind tc
go and see him. 1t was not quite sundoWI
when had the hatch taken off, and | jumped
down upon the boxes alone. A little way for
ward saw space where Jack might easily
nave gone down, and to this point l crawled
on my hands and knees. l called out there
but could get no answer. A short distance fur
ther was wide space, which had entirely for
gotten, but which l now remembered had beer
left open, on account of break in the flooring
OF the hold, which would let anything tina
might have been stored there rest directl,
upon the thin planking of the ship. To thi
place | made my way, and looked down.
heard the splashing Of water, and thought