Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1867-07-12

brother.
The captain like all truly brave men, was
modest. 80" said he, naiyely, ''all you want
is to calculate before you 90 down. Only say
l have to do thus, and thus, and thus, and
when the thing is to be done you will have
twice the confidence and twice the dexterity.
The danger, of course. is the shares The
rope fixed, it is easy towing TO the ship
'But don't you often get your boats smashed
in p asked Henry.
30 yes, that's an affair Of frequent occur.
renee, and if you are engaged with whale
towards the end Of tie day, source Of extreme
danger. For, of course, there is no twilight
in those equinoctial regions;-now, broad
daylight FIVE minutes hence, darkness. You
get stove in just as the sudden darkness sets
in, and the chances are you perish. For, by
the morning, the ship, quite ignorant Of your
whereabouts, may have drifted miles out Of
sight Now did see brave thing done once
in an affair of this kind. You know, ladies,
or more probably you do not know, whalers
boat---there are three or four Of them to ship
is some thirty feet long andas thin asa lath-'
"Thin as a lath T. exclaimed Henry.
"Ihree cuts 10 theinch plank, in fact
"But should have thought you could not
have had them too strong,-so as to resist the
strokes of the whale
"rhe stou.est boat made to handle wouldn't
do that ; so these answer in that respect rs
we'll, and they are much more convenient for
lowering from the ship and for repalring.-
Thirty feet long they are, you and | could
carry one on our two shoulders with ease
When a boat is stove we rightside it, lash the
oars crossways so as TO make wide fatt-llke
surface, there are ropes expressly aihxed g
the sides of the boats-and all sit down 10
await assistance. OF course We are station
airy but thus sitting down, TIE weight of our
bodies is not more inan pound or two on the
boat the water nearly supports US If we
stand up the boat sinks immediately. | once
so sat-,he water breast high-tor three hours.
Bless you, it's a luxurious position in those
climates, provided your comrads look like
eventually coming 70 your assistance. We'll,
on the particular occasion have in mind, we
fell in with large whale late in the day. We
were working in an extended line,--the Two
other boats some long way L. the right, with
the ship at least three miles to leeward We
are stove in, and, as Coleridge has it, al enc
stride comes the dark
.The ship is miles away, the other boats far
beyond hail there does not appear hope CT
salvation. Then one man gets mp from amongst
us and says he will swim for it. lie does no.
propose trying for the ship, that is quite ont
of the question. But lie points out how, in
order themselves to reach the ship, the other
boats must come within three quarters Of q
mile of us and he hopes, in spite Of the sharks
in spite of the darkness. 10 happen upon their
path, when he will bring them to our aid
Over The side the man went aud We waited
and waited, and listened and listened, and in
no very long time we heard the grateful splash
of the oars, and they brought US ali Oft safely
l do call that brave fellow. Our passive err
durance was of a very different quality. 1t
was touch and go both for him and for US.
never had nearer--except once, perhaps
when whale, with clever backstroke Of his
fin, took my left eyebrow sheer off to the bone,
and the captain pointed to very visible scar.
"A trifle further Miss Waven, and should
not be here to tell you the tale that should
not. rs am a man alive
"Yes,n said my brother, 'there is something
very admirable about that mans act. MI.
IL nl -, J,tal
with the other brave men and women but he
went out and won the Victoria Gross. All
sailors are subject to SO much exposure, little
excess may be forgiven them
"Now I'll tell you. l am ffty>fve, and
was thirty years at sea, was never screwed
more than twice in my life. Once when was
boy and somebody who ought 10 have kown
better gave me some doctored stuff and again
on the occasion Of my joining my second ship.
/ had something to remember that last by. As
l went on board, a mate says, Harding. how
are you, old ehap?' Right as trivet, says
I right as triyct.' Aud 1t passed into
byword amongst them. Hardings being as
right as trivet. 1t is Suffolk saying, you
know. had a plan Of my own with my crews.
found spirits in that hot climate did not
agree with me, nor, indeed, any fermened
liquors. So for myself prepared a mixture
of best Scotch oatmeal and water, the water
simply poured over the oatmeal, about a pint
to spoonful. found it very nourishing as
well as thirst-satisfying. Now if had gone
to my men, and in so many words Recommend
ed it to them in the place of grog, they would
have turned up their noses. But by putting
pail of it on the deck and making point Of
helping myself from it, in less than no time 1
had them following my examples and soon, like
me- they would drink little else
at is strange life said the captain, pass
ing his hand Immediately over his hair
.sWhen you get into the seas where the cons
pass dips perpcndcularly, you expect strange
things though. Now I'll tell you," his fryorie
preface, "My brother Jack went to sea a year !
later than consequently, our spells at home |
timed differently, and we lost all rceoning Of
each other. had not seen him for twelve !
years, and did not even know in what ship !
he was. | was second mate, or chief mate |
forget which, in the ship Eclipse, and it was |
in the Australian Seas There is certain |
particularity in the form sailors speak of their |