The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1867-06-18

] pcncu on DOaru AN incident, over which ]
have laughed many time, when memory
has brought it back TO me. loaded at
| Mobile with cotton and ran to Liverpool
among my crew was a man named Ran
not-Sam, we always called Inn. lie
was one Of the largest formed men | ever
saw, and came from somewhere in New
! England. lie stood six feet and five
inches in his bare feet, and was stout and
bulky in proportion. lie had one fault,
and that was an inordinate pride Of
strength. lie was not qudrrelsomc, nor
had he revengeful point in his character,
ard yet he was continually Fostering and
annoying the crew. Hardly day passed
that he did not give one ur more of them
bodily pain by his freaks. lie would
catch poor fellow hy the legs. and SWING
him over his head, at the imminent ri-k
OF smashing his brains out against the mast
or bulwarks, and then he woull laugh
hugely at the poor mans fright. Some
times he would seize a man by the arms
and lay him upon the deck, and in no casJ
manner, either 1t was no use for man
|
| punish them in some way.
OF course ! forbade sam from doing
such things, but he could not remember
my orders longer than over one night.
he love of iun,' as he called it, was
fixed too strongly upon him, and it could
not be taken out of him. lie lid not
reaizr how unpleasant hl' pranks were,
nor did lie know that the rest of the crew
had grown TO dislike him. They had
adopted many cxpcdicnts to cure him, but
they all failed, and though he had often
b en- made the bait ii practical jokes
such as sudden drcnching in cold sea
water Will, he slcp', and other things
equally unplcasant-yet he always paid
his tormcntors of with interest. lie was,
IN fact, the worst practical joker ever
saw, AMI not II whit di lie care. so long
as lie exhibited his hercucan strength and
broke no bones.
When my ship arrived at Mobile, ON
the return voyage, another cargo OF cotton
was ready for me, ana WAS ordered to
load and be of as quick as possible. But
I
mrn-all bat Sam Rarnot-came and
Informed me that they could not 90 with
NE again unless sam was DISCHARGED !
was not prepared for his IN heavy work
sam was worth any other three men on
board, and always willing aud ready. Yet
! kn'w how the crew suti'rel from his
thonghtlcS' prank-, and / could not blame
them. / tell the men to cone to me on
the following day, and would give them
an anlicncc.
AT iir-t | Thought of promising them
that would sec that the old sea dog ii |
not annoy them any more, hut | soon
convince myself th,'t that woul1 lie Of no
use sam woull cut up lis capcrs when
| cCull not see lin, and the men would
not rcpJr; him every time he huri them.
But soon new idea entered my head
! had Il brother who owned large cotton
plantation on the Chickasaw. Iii. place
WAS not over fifteen miles from Mobile.
AMI he had Just the man | wanted lis
big arms were like iron. ami his breast
and shoulders like Il large bundle Of wire
done up in raw OK hide
| bnntercd my brother to LEI me have
Cato for one or two voyages.
Take linn in welcome" said he.
"lic's getting too important here"
"What-i, hc ugly ?" asked.
80, no; just the other way Hes too
coed naiured altogether. lie sets the
very san,ho into the other boys. I've
made too much Of him"
''liut will he work ~
"Ycs."
SO | got Cato furtwelye dollars a month
as long ms wanted him. with the privil-
cge Of having lnm for one cruise only fer
nothing. But took him 'lor better or
for worse and agreed TO pay for his SER
vices
On the next day | went on board the
ship, and when the men came to me for
answer, | asked them If they would sail
with Sam il would produce a quiet,
inoiltn,iye man who could handle him,
and take said man to sea wi h ne. They
said they wouli---they would have gone
with me for nothing. tor the sake of seeing
sam conquered told them he should
be, aud enjoined them to sccrcsy, which
they promised.
Wien Cato learned that he MAS going
TO sea with me, he was beside himself
with joy, AMI when ! came to tell him
what | wanted of him, he laughed ill the
tears rolled down his great black checks
On the very day Of sailing | brought
Cato ON Loard. NJ first the men eNhlb
tied some signs Of dislike, but when they
found what jolly, gool-hearicd Old
f How he was, they gave him their hands.
Sam Rannot wiuked prodigiousy when
he saw tie new man, and more than
once he whispered TO tho,e near him:
"IHelcH be fun alore long"
On the third day OF we got everything
snug ard trim, save clearing and covering
the long boat and now the crew could
find time TO nooze by daylight. 1t was
in the afternoon. the wind was from
suuihward and westward, and we bad il
upon the starhoard beam, the ship bow
ling along at the rate of about six knots.
Cato sat upon the combing, Of the main
hatch, and sam was slowly approaching
him, not very unlike as a dog sometimes
approaches smaller snimal which it
never before saw.
II