The Republican journal., 1869-04-08
Running the Blockade.
BY A BRITISH ENGINEER.


GA southerly wind and cloudy sky
may be very pleasant theme for fox-hunt
ing squires in dear Old England, but when
man is under cloud in in a foreign eoun
try, with a southerly wind in his pockets
and Mary Thompson's mark, ''M. T." OIL
his clothes chest, then it's quite another
kettle of fish. This, however, was my SAD
case. Yellow Jack had laid me by the heels
for six weeks. When came out of hos
pital, my ship had left the port tools and
duds were soon obliged to 60 for lodgings
and food ; and now l, William Trereave,
Cornishman and certifcated engineer, found
myself in James Town, Bermuda, with a
lucky sixpence on steel watch chain for
my fortune.
My landlady, too, old mother Che-Che,
in whose house had spent scores of dol
lars, had informed that as money and clothes
were both gone, she would trouble me to
look out for other lodgings; so that my
thoughts as sat on the wharf enjoying a
light breakfast-''ap pipe and the sea breeze, -
were not by any means of pleasant des-
cription. Not one of the steamers then in
the harbor required an engineer; might
get berth on board blockade-runner, but
none were expected for week or ten days,
and how was | to live in the meanwhile !?
l would have shipped as stoker, but in my
weak state it was just as likely [ should
pitch myself into the furnace as the Goals.
Sadly enough, the words of the old capstan
song came to my mind, and l could not re-
sist singing
''And when your moneys all gone and spent,
And no more can be borrowed or lent,
It's walk out Jack, let John sit down,
For your moneys all gone and
''That's mournful ditty, mate," said a
CHEEKY voice behind me "what ship, eh 2"
"The song is true enough" answered,
''and my ship, at present, is Hardship. ;"
Looking round, found my questioner to
be a tall, seafaring man, keen-eyed and
black-bearded, evidently the first mate or
captain Of an English vessel.
"That's ship I should give wide berth
to-" he continued. chad the fever l see,
and run aground, expect. Well, who are
you, and what can you do?"
My position and wishes were soon told.
'Lucky | stumbled across you," he added !;
"my name is Adams; am cLief officer of
the Fanny Flewker, craft you may have
heard of; we left our second engineer in
Wilmington, and if your papers are all
right, l have no doubt Captain Ford will
ship you; in fact, l came ashore on the
lookoet for one of your sort. But bear
hand now, my lad, and we will have just
wee bite and sup, as old Sandy Cameron,
our boatswain, calls it, before we 90 on
board"
You may depend followed my new
friend with considerable alacrty, and l
found that good meal, with halt bottle
of claret enabled me to take more favor
able view of my future prospects. After
dinner we went on board the Fanny. Cap
tain Ford received me very kindly, declar-
ed himself satisfied with my papers and re-
plies, engaged me as second engineer at
liberal wages, and what was more kind,
advanced me twenty dollars to redeem my
chest and get a rig-out. In couple Of
hours had procured all wanted, sent my
chest on board, and regularly Joined the
ship.
She was a long, low, twin-screw vessel,
rugged as a three-masted schooner, with
masts stepped so as to lower nearly on
deck her smoke stack, too, lowered tele
scope fashion, and the lines of her hull
were as fine as yachts. What state her
engines were in could not Of course see,
on account of their sea-going jackets Of
white lead; but she looked just the sort of
craft you could get sixteen knots out Of even
in a seaway. She had originally been
painted all white, out and in board but
now l saw that whitewash was replacing
paint rust marks, too, were visible; and
though everything looked serviceable, yet |
missed the trim smartness [ had been used
to in the Royal Mail.
had finished my survey, and was going
below, when Captain Ford hailed me.
"What do you think of her, Mr.. Trereave"
said he. ''We haven't time to keep her
man-of-war fashion, and besides, owing to
the peculiar nature Of our coasting trade,
the Fanny Flewker may suddenly change
hands any voyage. l wanted to say few
words to you,' he continued, "before you
60 below. Mr.. Todd, our chief engineer,
at the time of his appointment by the OWL
ers was without doubt competent anu use
full, but now vile habit of tippling has
destroyed him; when sober, he is poor
trembling creature, without energy and in
capable of exertion, and when drunk, an
idiotic braggart. It's only about two hours
in the twenty-tour that he is of the slight
est use, so that shall have to place much
reliance on you. am not teetotaler, Mr..
Trereave," he said; "indeed hold that q
sailor-man exposed to rough weather re-
quires glass of grog at proper times, but
it's the habit of constant drains that at last
grows into an everlasting and never salts
fed crave for drink. But here's your friend
Mr.. Adams he will introduce you to the
chief eng ineer. And tell him from me to
get up steam, for we shall go out of port
with the morning tide"
After few words of welcome and con-
graduation on Adams part and of suitable
acknowledgement on mine, descended to
the engineroom, and there found my future
Captain Ford's words had some
what prepared me, but 1 did not expect to
see so complete wreck. Far above the
average height with fine forehead and
massive head, he had at one time been
handsome man but now, neglect
ed hair, sunken eyes, and his nervous and
gestures, all betrayed his be-