The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-01-09


then went. below, and reappeared with
the little child in its blanket, over
which dark shawl of its mothers
was laid like a funeral pail. This
is the chief mourner." he said. as he
stood at the head of. the body Then,
after a pause. he continued, = My
men. you know | am no parson. but
sailors are Christians, and so [ say
and he shut his eyes and reverently re
peated the Lords Prayer, ending with
the simple words, in hopes of glo-
rious resurrection through the mercy
of Jesus Christ" Lifting up the
shawl, he kissed the child, and made
its little hand touch the hand of its
dead mother. He then gave a signal,
and, the end of the plank being lifted
up the body swept down into the
deep. There was a mOmentary splash,
and the wild waves rolled on as be-
fore, their crests gilded by setting
sun of glorious briiliancy, which filed
the sky from the far west up to the
zenith, and was reflected from the
eastern clouds.
My lads" said the Captain, :" I
will now serve you out an extra glass
Nof grog." The honest fellow intend
ed this for token Of goodwill
which the crew could understand !;
and they understood it, and valued it
accordingly.
May I ask, without ofense," said
an old sailor, with hatin hand, to the
Captain, what's the boys name?"
"Why, Fred" replied the Captain;
"I don't exactly know till he is bap-
4I.l- 60 orf-
is William Buttons"
All right" said Fred; pass the
word for ard-the young un's name
5 Billy Buttons"
The next request was that all might
see the child; and so they all congre-
gated round the bundle, out of which
was visible small face with black
dots for eyes, and little mouth that
seemed weariful for something it could
| not get.
l. This conference was broken up by
commands to shake out the reefs In
| the foretopsail. to set main and fore
sails, and to bear tour points away.
| The wind had changed into strong
yet favorable quarter-wind, and the
prospects of speedy voyage diffused
JOY over the ship.
Its all owing, I tell you" said
Murray, to Billy Buttonsl''
Perhaps 1T was.
As the crew off watch were sitting
in the evening round the stove while
the ship was going along her course
with every sail set, the conversation
was all about Billy and his mother.
The Captain had explained that the
husband Of the dead lady was in Val
paraiso, and that she had hoped to
have reached land before her babe
was born; and so far explained some
of the mystery which hung around
her, and the death and birth on board.
Before tasting their liquor, Archy
Hunter from Greenock said, In
memory of ;" and all responded, In
memory of !" one adding, God bless
her!" another, "She's blessed aloft,
safe in port. lads" Then, after a
pause pau big Tom said, Here's good
voyage, lads, to our small craft. To
Billy ButtonsI' repeated all hands,
not forgetting our noble Captain.
These formal toasts, as in duty
bound having been all drunk, the
men whitfield their pipes, and the con-
versation began 20 flow imperceptibly
In the old channel.
DO you believe, Dick" asked one
of the crew, addressing the tallest and
most robust of the company, that
you were ever as small as Billy?"
Well, Sam, | can't quite remem-
ber." answered Dick, how I looked
when launched, and before [ was
rugged and left port; but l s'pose [
was much about it. 1t amt easy to
believe I ever gave bother to my
mother afore / knowed it"
" Nor [ !" chimed in a third. And
mayhap if any of US had thought it,
we might have given less bother to
our old mothers when we did know
it."
You have me there" said Dick,
meditative y, as he Knocked the ashes
out of his pipe. Here we are jolly
boys; but if we were all like Billy.
Buttons, with m theirs a crying. a dy-
ing, a-waikin' about with Us, and
hushiug and buzzing with us, day and
night, it's an ugly thing to look astern
and to think how little we did for
them when they were fighting with
the gale Of life, ay, and some sinking
in it,
Silence followed Dicks honest at
tempt at moralizing. 1t was inter
rupted by one of the crew asking,
How are we to bring Billy to
shore? Here's the cabin boy a-nurs-
ing him, and Watson a-feeding him,
and the Captain watching his edica-
ton, and the mate chewing his tobac-
co over him; but will he live without
his mother?"
:. TIL I 81 obov,o l-,,.,,-I NJ q