Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-01-28
SHORTEN SAIL

SHORTEN SAIL.
The coed ship May at her moor
ings a. Garden Reach, Calcutta, one hot
evening, and the officers were sitting on
deck, under an awning, smoking their
Mani,las, and chatting over their varied
adventures in all parts Of the world. As
may be imagiaed, some Of the stories took
q superstitaus turn, and the more robust
Of US were laughing heartily st tue fears
Of oar shipmascs. when our mail agent,
good old Lieut. R, wto had been
silently enjoying his we'd and brandy
pawaa, suddenly broke in with
We'll. bays there's 10 harm IN laugh
ing at sueh things, perhaps, but ] can
tell you an incident tha: happened to M
when vas young man, which was any
thing but laughing matter | can't
satisfactorily account for it to This day !;
bat il Is every word true, as leol.d tr.ag
several who were With ne S: tie am te
groTe,
We were al { Is t~g lie s:5ry, f5r W
respected ,ae teller ot il more t&an lean
We. ise-i5e lie was .va;a a., ,.-s-e
tlcas. Ives
Nyl, taen, many years 40 | was :
Lieutenant en- 09ar1 the olu -A----... gate
As sL3 was then, troopship as she IS uoH,
| believe, couan&2deI 81 Captain F..
"As yea all know. | dare say, it is the
custom on board ship. when carrying
troops, for watch Of soldiers to be told
of to keep os'deck for certain hours, aud
make themselves sefal, IN case, they
might be wantei, ~ failing on tse bra
,ces, tasks, sheels, or any rope that5may
lbc put INTO their hands, and with them
certain officers are also tod OF, who keep
watch with the Lieutenant OF 1nty
"Wen, itofen happ ne1 ~, one rar-
ro9.?r man, Lieutenant: A kept
slsch with ME. and We gre|to ~ yeas
crnies, ana running down the Traa-s,
We used to place the quarterI-ca t'ge,n-
cr, k9eNng ourselves awake by telling
easa other our adventures and EXP ri mes
ia4fs. However, it very seldom hap
perod that We got an entirely 4o.a' watch
for We generally had something - l9 IN
the shape Of shortening sail. sIt very
odd wlsnsans o,her man was vaeL
with no Meathes was generally fair,
but no so51r d. B. turn GONE than
we we're ssre 6 have s4usA once or
twice in he watch, aud sqmctin1ls SO hsa~
w that wo we're obliged to reduce sal
considerably At last II became 50 regts
lar vn occurrence. that used . TO Joke n
-aboIt it, and tell him that | would
not havs him keep watch with me, as he
ALWAYS brought me i'll luck. The other
officer. noticed it also, and they finally
determined We should no longer keep
watch together. as they said We always
broaght foul weather, and they arranged
it 80 that | entirely lost my watch
mate
Things went on IN this way till we
ief, RIO Janeiro, when cue night, at
twelve o'clock, coming on deck TO keep
the middle watch, l found my friend 3
there. The officer who WAS to have
kept watch with me had fallen sick, ana
I--had taken his place.
In spite Of the Ill luck he generally
brought me, | was glad to fad my CID
,hum on deck, and told him laugMugly y
that | hoped, now we Lad beeu separated
50 lyas, the spell was broken, and that
we saouId have ! comfortable watch.
"Eyerytains looked favorable tor a
quiet watch, anl after mastering tho
men and giving look 70 the sails,
came on the q'1artcv-deck, ana com
menced walking up and down VITA /
We we're soon deep in conversation