The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1870-11-22
JOHNS CHEST.
Why it was Locked.

n mONG the heterogeneous crowd who
"A were to be my shipmates in the Am
phion, was particularly attracted to a
slender youth from one of the back coun-
ties of New York State, who signed his
name on the papers as John Merrill. He
was nearly my own age, I judged and
there was an air of quiet refinement about
him, strikingly in contrast with the rude,
boisterous character of the majority of our
associates. These last were about an aver
age of such raw material as is received ev-
cry day of the week at the metropolis, and
shipped off to the whaling ports to be man
ufactured into seamen.
John was, from the first, retired and un-
communicative, though less so in his inter-
course with me than with any one else. He
never referred to his antecedents, though I
had given him my whole autobiography be-
fore we had been fortnight at sea. And
as L found him sympathizing listener
whenever l wanted to let my tongue run
on, l don't think I ever thought of esteem
ing him the less for his reticence as to his
past life. merely thought that he must
have some good reason for wishing to con-
ceal his true history, and was too conscien-
tious to invent false one.
One of Johns eccentricities-I knew not
what else to call twas that he always
kept his sea-chest locked. This is unusual
i'll whaler's forcastle, and always subjects
the man doing it to unpleasant remarks as
implying want of confidence in the hon
esty of his shipmates. 1t is common to say
Of the man who does it, that "he is either
thief himself, or else thinks the rest of
us are thieves" But John Merrill only
blushed, without making any audible re-
ply, when such cutting insinuations were
thrown out as they occasionally were, in
his hearing. They had no effect whatever
in producing any change in his habits
Even / myself could never get peep at
his inventory. He was generous, even to a
fault, in respect of giving or lending little
matters but he always kept his chest in
the darkest corner of our little dark, trian-
gular quarters, and when he took out OF
put in anything, was careful never to leave
it unlocked.
AS concerned his duty, he did not appear
to be the stuff of which crack sailors are
made. But he won upon the good opinion
OF the officers, even of gruff Mr. Baldwin,
our executive, talTy old Triton, whom cur
rent report declared to be web-footed.
can't haze that boy" he would say.
" We must ease him in, till he has eaten a
few barrels of salt-horse to harden his sin
ews.
could not tell why, but don't think /
was envious of my comrade because the
mate favored him in this way, while he
drove me up to my utmost capacity Both
OF us were respectful and willing and tried
hard to do our duty, and she expressed it,
"make men Of ourselves And I think ]
felt rather elated to know that Mr.. Bald.
win discovered that there was tougher ma
terial in me than in John Merrill, and work.
ed us accordingly. 1t was an honor to be
selected to pull the mates tub-oar, while
he was enrolled in the rear-rank of the
"shipkeepers." And never complained,
even when in reefng topsails, the old salt
would say, kindly, "Stop down, John
Merrill, want you to help me . while al
the next moment, he roared at me on the