Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1873-07-17


and he and another boy jumps aloft to
send down the fore royal yard. He takes
The end Of q topnast strnsail tack, and
goes up and stops his halliard TO tile
backstay abaft, casts off the end from
The yard and lets IL unreave, shinns up
and reeves his yard rope through the
sheave, at the masthead, slides down
again, gets his bunt gas't clear and his
sail secured, bends on his yard rope and
puts on his quarter stop, and the other
boy having got the trpping-line on and
the clew-lines and sheets cast of, Billy
cnts the psrral lashing and sings out
Sway away the fore-royal yard as
proud as q peacock, for neither OF the
other masts was ready yet, and ne was
tickled at beating EN-: -, -
"Well, lie gets off his lift and brace
aud sings ont, Lower away, still ahead
of the other masts, got his other lift
and brace off, and was putting on his
: yard-arm STOP when the chap that
was o, tending the yard rope on deck
surged it suddenly, and the ship giving
a heavy lurch just then, Billy lost his
balance and away he went. Well, the
ship lurching so sent him we'll out to
leeward, and the wind caught him and
whirled him round like o feather and
blew him far to leeward, and the chap
that told me this said he fell onto the
curl of a sea abouS a ships length to
leeward as softly and easily as if he had
had o parachute over him all the way
down. The ship, of course, under that
short canvas, was laying right dead in
the water and making clean drift to
leeward, and 80 she soon drifted right
atop of Billy, who was striking out
like Sandwich Islander. When the
chaps on board seen she was agoin' to
fetch him, half dozen of 'em was over
the side in bowlines ready for to grab
him as soon as they got near enough,
and one Of 'em got Billy by the scruff OF
the neck and he was pulled aboard agln
He weren't bit ,daunted, weren't that
boy: for as they was pullin' of him up,
he sings out to the rest OF the chaps
that was over the side TO look out for
his hat, which had blowed off his head
and was Aoatin' some distance to lee;
ward. -,
"That was tight squeak, Though,
wasn't it? 'Taint everybody that can
tumble from a ships to'gallan' masthead
and get off with only wettng.; but;
you see, twas the wind as done it, and
he wern't much heavier than good
sized chaw of terbacker.
Certainly, was glad to hear that
Billy was safe, but If he had been
drowned it would only have served him
right, for the trick he played on me be-
fore leaving New York. which was to
write letter to Polly and sign my name
to it." Thomas Peters "a tellin' Polly
as how I intended to speak to her afore
leavin' Liverpool, and was willin' t.
splice her if so be as how she was ol
that mind, and lot more Of trash OF
the same sort. Well, of course,
know'd nothint OF all this, and ship
in the Hottinger with old Captain
Bursely and away I goes to Liverpool
again. We docked in the Water oc
dock of q Sunday forenoon, and thai
evening riggs myself up and goes W
as usual to see Polly and get my beer
There wasn't nobody in the snug wher
I went in, and as soon rs ever Polly
came in and clapped her eyes on me sht
come and put her arms around my necl
and gin me buss in true ship.shapt
fashion. We'll, was good deal tool
aback by this, cause Polly hadn't neve'
been so familiar before; but as sucl
things are always acceptable after SCI
voyage, just returned the broadsld'
to the best of my ability. After awhile
Polly heaves to along side of me ant
begins to tell me how glad she was whel
she got my letter, and how she neve
had any idee that thought so much o
her, and all that, until was completel!
befogged, for couldn't make ont wha
she was a-driving at at all. So says
sPolly, my lass, just belay them Jay
tacks and gum-sheets of yourn for bit
and let's know what MI this is about
for I'm blowed if 1 can make 1t all on
rightly, anyhow. Says she: Don
you know til. letter you sent meT
"Mr,' says 1; I didn't send you nj
letter.
"sY You did says Polly, 'and here /
is,' and she dove down into her pocke
and fetched it up.
"'Read it, says I, and she done 80
and seen how the land lay at once, AM
shaped my course accordin'. know
it was BilIy's work at once, but Sc
that was in for it.
"'Polly,' says I, put me down on
ships deck any day, and put marlin
spike in my fist, and I'll turn out 10
of work equal to any man ; put me o
a ships topsail yard in gale OF wind
and I'm equal to the situation but
for readin' and writin, Polly, that
never learned in my youth, and it hasn
come to me in age, and consequent
that letter I never did write !; but 1t
got my name to the bottom OF it, and
never went back on my own name yet
as near as can make out, it's list sic
q letter as should have writ if I'd bee
able to and had had any idea of wrltil
sich letter, and so what's writ Is wri
and can't be unwrit nohow; therefor'
if 80 be rs how after understandin' tn
subject in all its bearings Won still col
tinue of the same mind, we'll go tn
very next Sundayafter parson, and u
a not with our tongues that we can
never unite with our teeth.
"Well, Polly said US how she wascol
venient; and 80, sure enough, that vel
next Sunday We was spliced in an ol
church ont ut Everton, and 1 got her
passage home here in the same ship
was aboard of, and have never repente
of the same. is she still living
why, of course she is, and waiti
for me at home this blessed minut
While was goin' to sea she lived in
| l.aa a., Ghorru streek anil when / ~