Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-01-09
ntt5feIIanp.
Our Brown Passenger.

Our Brown Passenger
During the many wandsrings and voyage :
which my brother Edmund and myself hav e
made up and down the earth in search of wealth
we have become tolerably average Judges oi
many things Furs, slop clothing, tallow, dros
Ky horses, inns, wine, bad money, are but a
tithe Of the things on which we should bt
competent to give some sort of opinion bat
there are two things Of which il is absolutely
necessary thas one should have a good judgment
ships and ships captaine, and c0nsid =
taet there are very few andsmen in position
tG gave advice either.of these two subjects.
IaeTei0re when 1t became necessary 70 choose
% ship make what determined - BE- our
last voyage, the different ships which were hon
3red Uita our notice underwent very severe
-c-utsuv indeed. Oae or two of the SHIPS wouid
..ava done, but then tue skippers were not up to
my t.ctb-T Efmund's standard and III cases
where tie passed the sapta.n got fancIfUI about
tna ship. We reject I'd them all save one we
lad TT - see, and was constrained TO say, al
ter ID afternoon spen- among the shlpping,-
. NJ dear Ned, ~ this rate We shall nor get
10 El-Iaud ct al. We ready mus ~ 80 te
less Particular with the 1yphoOn. When |
come 70 think Of the awfully queer craft we
hay- s4liei IN, think We are carrying criticism
% i-te 900 :e..''
Not q bit, Thomas,-uot . bit"; and lie
EagesI ms great yellow beard. = mean t.
re L1J-e particular with her than any other.
haFe r3 .Gea OF gaining experience and not using
II. ~ the Typhoen,' he said, as be tumbled
lU-o d. boat. - where IS she -
e OH the battery; and away We scudded
C0Ea tae narD0r, pas- tue lighthouse, and past
shs gerths VI the msn-of-war, just in time to
See : stream IF fire shoot ud1enly from the
SIDE Of Il. n. :. Stfz, and hear the dull heavy
boom u the sunset gun 90 rattiDg away among
rne qlarries.
sag io5klng at the Infinitely peaceful sun
iigb1 dying out on the loneIy, happy hills.
Wags1 slmmits c)uId SEE above the dark quar-
Eies. aat the black quarries close on the snore
IL lhe '0fegrJuni, which were beginning 10
send i.reh IL strings, lines, gr5ups, solitary
figures, swarm atJer sEarn o. gray c0nvicts, dim.
unearthiy y-lOOkIng uBler the growing glyJnl.
crowdirg down to theIr boais like souls t.
Un4io4s bark. Ii struck ms that It was like
looking across hell TO heaven, and the sight
he'd 50 ion3 that | was only aroused by Ed
muaa sayIDg, 8 Here she Is, and my turning
round 4nd alter d minutes contemplation say
ing, =. by J0ve.'
We were under the bows of a large ship,
winch lay the last OF all seaward. beyond the
battery, quite alone The had set upon the
water. bat her vast tall masts penetrat ID into
the lighter air above, TIL her truck almost
seemel 10 pierce the fading sunlight, and showed
us thal neg spas wefe very ueariy large and
heavy as those OF that tremenduons engine OF
war, the Styx frigaIe, which was her nearest
neI-hD0r ner bows were like those Of q Yacht
anu ran up, not Into i figure head, but into a
delicIte golden scroll Such bows | had seldom
seen on any ship, and | noticed them CLOSELY
1ne rest % the long black hull equally sat
lsiactOry, and were boEh aware that We were
looking On on8 OF the noDlest clipper ships W
had ever set eyes ON.
. NV tor Inc captain, thought. Il won
der II he Will 90?
Though ne vast Of the snip lay perfect
a md
boat was leaping 10 so Lively q manner That ii
required jump TO GET "A nc .audtr; but
weie soon on deck and looked around Ii
was one OF the finest decks We had ever been
on, fash, save one house aft which took the
place 0i < poop, but which had broad gang
wAy rounc, ana = large elliptical monkey poop
tsesrn 81 tlat, do you see, reader, you could
wax from the torecastle, past it, To the wheel,
and 20 round 1t back again; might walk, IN
short, when at sea, twenty miles without turn
ing, I1ls struck being very charming,
AID we had every opportunity of seeing it at
It's best, iJc not d soul 10 sight but one
iAnky, s00i-natured-looking midshipman, TO
whom w addressed ourselves
. Can you tell US y here tne first fl ;.c l. 81.
II you please Z" | asked.
50 lie Is ashore, drunk. A. least lie was half
an hour ago"
= Can yJu tell me where the steward IS, sir
ii you pleass?'
= " I'll, AM GfraIG Ii wont De much good to
til yea, tor L am afraid Yorky is drunk, too.''
Tins Was nice indeed. Are the crew
on bJaIu asked.
- No. ihey are in the hulk, doing their six
N=ak7 ior running. The poii,e barge will bring
them on board the night before we sail
J l,oked az Edmund, and saw that, like an
Inconsistent fellow as he was, he had fallen 60
deef lg ia love With the ships bows ;hat nothing
"9ai1 turn him. If the captain looked anything
IKE business. | though he going TO look
ter tn9 captain, bat he did not. He said,-
Can y0u kindly inform sir, ii the stec
0rdesS Is drunk %
Ao," SAID the Inidship pman, Indignantly,
she Is not. Polly drank, indeed She'd sue
The man who dared say it. Perhaps you would
Ike q ask # the skipper is drunk Here he
cJmes TO answer for lllmseli.' So.our midship
man hilcaed himself off the capstaD and went
away growing at Edmund's offensive inquiry
8boat the sreWardess.
We luELei and saw before US one If the finest,
most sai!or-like, most gentlem sn-lik- young
fellows we had met Ill our WanQorings.-
Scarcely thirty, We guessed, WI tn clear brown
I1ee, i b-lght eye and pieasan smile, show
10 a hne range of teeth as one would wish
10 Sc. powerful up-standing fellow too,-a
hian every inch OF hin, whose crisp curly hair
h7emed expressly made to keep on his head,
WITHOUT derangementi IN any cyclone or typhoon
wAIch ever blew. lie would do, we said at
once n spite OF q drunken first officer and STEW
al, ald crew from the hulk W hen he
c-Ils g as and said pleasantly. Are you going
to sail with me, gentlemen, we answered like
Z IeIr ot ) amese twins, ''Certainly.''
. 1ou are sailor, sir o. he said to my broth
e. y 1ieA 50 far not complimentary to me
Wy, no., said Edmund /" but | know