The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1873-07-17

I l.
over to mother s, and be back in an bour
or So And stupid-like, | was gone be
fore the last word was we'll out of my
mouth
Two hours passed they seemed like
two years. Then | went back to the
Captain S. I found him and Lucy and
Jacob in the parlor together. +" Abner, ;"
said the Captain, the moment | entered,
here's a worse coil than | looked for.
1t seems that Jacob here has been pretty
much ike yourself in regard to Lucy
Now | want fair play in this. | love you
both, for good lads, and don't need be
told how dear Lucy is to me. -
Now" he continued, Jacob has
spoken to Lucy, and she's given him no
answer. I've told her what you have
said to me, and | can get no answer
either. She likes you both, and that's
the extent of i. Now what am | to
do ?''
What was he to do? Neither Jacob
nor | could tell. The Captain was clearly
vexed, and as for Lucy, she looked in my
love dimmed eyes rather foolish. We
were all silent.
Well. then, let's put the matter into
ship-shape at once said her father.
Now you both love her. and can both
have her. That's number one. She
don't want to lose you both, and would
have taken either if t'other hadn't come
along. That's number two. Neither of
you wants to give her up. That's num-
Der three. And when [ add that she
don't know her own mind, and ought
to find out, that's number four, and all
told"
may, father interposed Lucy,
tearfully. q only said that l wished for
time to question my own heart. / am
foolish and to blame. I know, but al this
has come uron me suddenly, and | was
not prepared for it. l am sure" and
here her voice faltered-" they must
both think me tickle, vain, and trifing.
But 1 do not mean to be so. hope they
will forgive me, and-and--think Of me
no more" And she burst into passion
of tears, greatly to her fathers and our
distress and embarrassment. Jacob spoke
first.
Abner," said he, "you and I have
been fast friends, and however this may
turn out, for one would have US re-
main So Can you shake hands like a
man upon that?''
So can, with all my heart" | replied,
instantly, suiting the action to the words.
Then. he continued, with quiet
smile, some OF the difficulty is cleared
away. Now listen, all three. l conf
IDENTIFY hope that Lucy may accept me
after while, and so does Abner. Now
he's off on cruise. and | was not going
to sail till next season, as you all know.
| will not take the advantage this gives
me. No man on earth shall ay that
acted unfairly; and | offer, Captain Hos
kins, to join your ship, to share your
cruise with Abner and when we both
return we will once more ask Lucy the
question she can not answer now Are
you agreed, Captain? Are you Lucy p
" Well, " said the Captain, g like
you all the more for the offer, lad and
go with me you shall Lucy need not
have word to say about it; in fact, I
forbid her.
But I have" said |. 6 will not
be less generous than Jacob: he shall not
leave this port in my company
That" quietly answered the Cap
tain, - is for me to decide. Abner, you We
signed articles so your business is set
tied. Jacob viii sign, with me-you I'M
derstand, with me and if l choose to
ship him aboard the Polly, l don know
as you We got to be consulted. Nay, not
another word. Give me my pipe and
jug of cider, Lucy the whole subjects
laid on The table, as eur Congressman
would say and it is not to be lifted till
the Polly sights Nantucket Harbor-
maybe this time two years, maybe less
maybe more. You'll stay to supper
lads. of course. Cheer up, my lass; your
troubl's are oyer for time.
It was no use trying to open the dis
cussIon again. He would not even listen
to a whisper from her, and we were fain
to be content. Nor that night, nor next
day. nor the next, did neither ofus recur
to it.
And on the next day after that-it was
On wednesday, the twelfth of April-a
group Of women stood on the wharf wav
ing handkerchiefs and watching with
streaming eyes the bark Polly as she was
her way out to sea.
II
Life on whale ship is not like life
any where else. 1t is of grease, greasy.
The Polly was an old tub whose every
timber was soaked with oil-oil that had
been wed in every part of her except
anon the ropes and spars under deck
,r aloft, and would, as we hoped, be so
again. There was the Captain, and
hree mates-myself the third. Jacob
vas entered as supernumeary on shares,
which made FOUR There were four boats.
md consequently four boats crews, of
'ix MEN and a steerer each. A couple Of
negroes were cooks and such, and two
1oys made up the lot--thirty-seven souls
n al.
We made an average run, and got to
Bafin's Bay in the second week in June.
We had caught glimpse of a spouter,
hooked blue shark, and seen icebergs
in plenty, getting more and more numer-
Gus as we drew nearer the arctic seas,
which were our cruising ground
At length we were fairly within the
region of snow and ice, and began to look
10 earnest for FISH. We We're lucky. In
three weeks we had captured and cut up