The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1870-11-24
RESCUED.


clay, used to tell the following adven-
ture. which am going to relate.
have sometimes thought that he poss.
essed a talent for embcllishing, and I ito
not, therefore, vouch for its truth. But
l have been careful to nothing extenu.
ate, nor aught set down in malice" and
the reader gets it as cheap rs did:
When I was on my first voyage in the
whaIer Marion, l got infected, like
many other young fellows, with the
elsewhere. could not let well enough
alone, though belonged to a good ship,
and was we'll treated. And listened to
the seductive stories of Tom Babson. All
adventurer, who had harum scarum
life, knocking about in the Pacific, and
in the various ports on the Spanish
Main, till I convinced myself that we
were much abused ships company,
and that any change would be for the
better.
While lying in the port Of Payta, in
Peru, we got acquainted on shore with
some seamen belonging to a ten-gun
brig, called the Tres Amigos. She was
fitting out to go and fight somebody-I
never knew exactly who, for these South
American republics were always in a
row, l think they hardly knew them
selves what it was all about. But there
was change and adventure in it, ut any
rate; and Tom and laid a plan to desert
the Marion aud get a couple Of doubloons
advance by enlistingin the cruiser.
AT various times during our stay, we
contrivet to smuggle nearly all our
clothes on shore, and left them a shark
called Scotch Jock, who kept a little
puLoeriu, or grog shop; the last liberty
day that we were to have, we left the
ship in the morning, not intending to
return to her. We went to the rezende-
vous where they shipped men for the
brig, and found, much to our disappoint-
ment, that the wages were not SO large
as had been represented, and that only
one doubloon would be advanced instead
oftwo.
began to perceive that all that gilt
tered in beach comber's story was not
gold; but we had gone so far we disliked
to turn back; and we should hardly be
able to get our clothes back from Jock,
for his object was to have US desert, and
spend our advance money in his tavern.
So Tom Babson proposed that we should
not ship Immediately to the Peruvian
scln- Of war, but hide away until the
.rion had gone to sea, and then take
Mr. chances at something better. We
Gnld all events, take up with
tee offer at the rendezvous, as q last
tosort.
plrhere was no occasion for us to hide
'ay before nightfall, for our leave
dited until sun-down; SO we were
Buising about, hail -fellow.well-m met
C,th other seamen through the day. l
ok care to keep sober; but my comrade
Rank SO freely, that he was stretched
SIT in Scotch Jocks back room, before
bee days leave was up, quite oblivi"us
naeverything. OF course, he was no
Tmpanv for me; and, indeed, | was
wst getting disgusted with him and his
tom. When the boat came in for the
therty-men at sunset, got out ofsight,
ge,ere could reconoiter, and saw one
taler another Of my shipmates go down
u take their places in her. l fei,
totely enough to set my sober second
shDught to work; and the result was
determined to stick by the Marion, and
at Tom Babson go his own reckless
bad. Had he kept himself sober, ane
been with me at that moment to use his
influence, might have seen things in
very different light.
The boat wa, in the very act Of push
ing off, when obeying the voice Of this
better angel, ran shouting down to th'
pier. The officer waited for me, and a
Jumped in said "All on hand but Ton
Babson. Where is he? Does anybod,
know?"
I alone knew; but though l hat
repented my own fooIishness, had N
idea Of turning informer. So Tom wa
left behind, and the next morning a ner
hand was shipped in his stead. q
course, when we got to sea, l was ebiige'
to go to the captain to draw more cloth
ing from the slop chest; but verto'
the whole story, and he only repriman
r ded me AS foolish. improvident fellow
for having sold al! my traps in port, an
! spent the money. s<.a' .
' was better contented on board, no,
!, that had not Toms influence at wer
;, to make me otherwise. We were YER
4 lucky in taking whales; aud in a yea
. afterward, we anchored at Tumbez, wit
! a full ship, and after taking In o,
! water, went up to Payata to enjoy: OF
J liberty and refit for tho passage hom
] had almost ceased to think about Ton