The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-04-13

d.. TO pull the mates tub-oar, while
i'd was enrolled in the rear-rank of I'll
e. "shipkeepers" And I never con
= planned, even say, kindly, "Stop dowl
John Merrill, want You to help me
ce while, at the next moment, he roare
S, at me on the yard, in Il voice of thur
ID der, Lay out there, yom Bill, and TAX
up that doy's-ear! What are yo
staring at, in the hunt ?''
think may have assumed pa
tronizing air in my intercourse wit
!, John, in consequence of all this
Feeling a professional superiority
could not avoid letting it appear some
times. But if 50, he never seemed t.
notice it. If there was sudden call
in our watch, for one of the boys t.
jump aloft and reeve studding-sail hal
yards, or loose a royal, John would
start sometimes, hut L would gently
push him back and jump in ahead o.
him. 1t was proud OF my ability tc
take the lead, and there was gratitude,
instead of Indignation or shame, IN hi:
clear, blue eye on such occasions
Some of the men standing near would
perl APPS intimate that he was wanting
in pluck, to let me do this. But |
don't think 1 ever thought so, though,
of course, felt fiatter by such re
marks, as any boy would.
But John Merrill made sure. though
slow, progress in his duties, and his
sinews hardened up, as Mr. Baldwin
had prophcsied. Though delicate in
frame, his health seemed perfect, and
i'll sone respects we had no better
man among Us. He WIS always ready
to take ar cNtg;; y.ick Or the lookonl,
for he seemed TO like b.ing alone
where he could commune with his own
thoughts. And he was soon acknowl-
edged to lie the helmSman Oh bord.
Did the sturdy old Amphion show Il
determination to carry her wheel an
extra spoke 10 windward at "full-and
by" or to max. wayward sheers and
yaws when on before it, no one could
manage her like this quiet, timid
youth.
He was always ready 10 take my
tuIn at the helm for me; indeed,
would have taken them All it / would
have let him. He could have done
me 10 greater favor for no duty.
| however labor Gus or dangerous, was
SO irksome to me steering the ship.
To do it well, required an abstraction
of the mind for two hours from all
other matters, with a touch, and a
kind of foresight, or rather iore.fee}ing,
in which john Merrill excellcd, but
which few rough and-tumble sailors
possess.
Mr.. Baldwin used to declare that
che never knew a right-down smart
fellow who could steer more than
fair, decent trick and that he never
knew an a 1 extra helmsman who
was good for much else. And, after
an observation of many years, I think
his statement was not far from the
truth.
We made our first port at Talcahu-
ano after doubling Cape Horn, here
john and l, being in the same aatch,
were much tOge, her on shore. l'ut
he wou d never stay after dark, and
appeared utterly insensible to the
destinations of The Chillian brrnettes.
lie would drink no liquor, and his
example, i'll this respect, had a good
effect upon myself.
We sailed for a cruise on the coast
of Peru, after a short stay in port.
Among the men shipped to fill vacan-
cies was one known as California
Tom," fellow of unbounded assurance
and infinite gas" 10 whom John and
| both took an instructive aversion at
first acquaintance But he found
some congenial spirits on board the
Amphion, as such fellows will in any
ship where they may cast their for
tunes.
We had not been long at sea before |
itappelred that we had some one in our !
circle who disdained the nice little dis
tinctions of meuna and tltun. Several !
art i;cles had been mySteriously missed !
by different parties, and complaints !
were loud anil clamorous.
a ship'% lorecastle is a unfit place
for thief ~ he can well find his way
into As mach uneaslncSs is caused
by hi p p@-s.nca, rs by the knowledge
that Il Po'y2'r na4azine IS located
~o.new er. rAtar the deck. without
snowin- eN,;cti, where. Woe TO hir
il he is ciIeht; for though Jacks
standard oc 'narality is, in many re-
spects no higher than II ought to he, J
he has no mercy for pilfering ship
mate. He has, it may be said, one
code of morals to regulate his dealings
with his own comrades, and another
much more elastic, for the great bar
bariaD world outside
We herame n very unhappy family
after This discovery, for, of course, all
mutual confidence was lost, until it
shonld appear who the offender was.
No on" was exempt from suspicion;
though the weight Of it was equally
dividel between California Tnm and
my d"mure friend. John Merrill.
Each had his friends, who believed
the other guilty, hut while the boy
modestlv refrained from saving auv-
thing abont it. Tom did not scruple to
head his own party.
''It's easv enough to see who the :
thief is " heard him say one night.
as he oc .upied tho centre of little
knot Of his cronies. s'It's that sleek
faced little hypocrite that is at the
wheel now" !
"Of course it's" said Derby, one Of
the ''cnngnn;als" ''I've ALWAYS
thought 50 from the first of it It's
enough to condemn anv fellow to
know that he keeps his donkey always
locked"
''What business has one man to he
allowed TO lock his donkey, anvhow?"
demanded Tom. loud eno1oh now for