The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-08-25
CRIPPY THE CABIN BOY.

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Whatever were his real name, sir, said
the old sailor, as he settled himself back
comfortably i'll his chair after lighting
his pipe, l never knowd; but the purser' 8
namc we knowd him by were "Crippy. 4"
Wherever the old man got him I don't
know; some said as how he come of some
asylum or other, and some said he were
Il illigitimate son of the old man by
some stcwardess that ne d had with him.
but that don't believe, cause I don't
believe it's INTO any man to treat his own
flesh and blood as I seen that boy treat
cd; but, anyway, he were most miser-
bic lookin' wretch when first hid eyes
on linn, which were when the old man
came on board in the AFTERNOON, and we
got under way and towed down and
anchored in the Horseshoe, cause the
wind was southeast and dead ahead. She
were big lump of bark, bound from
New York to Rio, and had shipped into
her cause were hard up and times was
hard, and were glad to git chance to
go anywheros, and didn't know nothin'
about this here old man; his name were
Thompson, and he were a internal ras-
cal.
1 took my bag and hammock aboard
of her, alongside of the dock, and me
and another chap by the name of Tim
Walker was the only two that went out
into the river with her; but durin' the
day the other five was brung off-there
was only seven of us afore the mast
and along about four clock the old man
came off, and he brung this atomy of a
boy with him, and we got the anchor
and towed down into the Horseshoe,
where we anchored at little harbor
arter six o'clock.
Ii ever there were human that looked
as If he'd just desarted from graveyard
it were this here Crippy. He were rs
thin as the leaf of psalm book in the
first place; he had red hair, which prob
ably had never been combed since the
day he were born ore of his eyes was
clewed athwartships and the other were
troubled with some kind of disease
which KEEP it a-runnin' all the time, the
CRIME from the eye constantly plowin' a
turrow in the dirt on that cheek, which
give 1T a kind of a streaked appearance
on that side, contrastin' oddly with the
plain dirt of the other cheek. His nose
were short and turned up at the end, and
his mouth were 80 wide that when he
opened it the top of his head seemed to
be an island. Two of his front teeth
had been knocked out by the old man in
one OF his tantrums, and he had one
upper tusk that ought to have been
knocked out, cause it stuck right out,
and no amount of lip would cover 1t.
His clothes were the cast-off dunnage of
the old man, and fitted him like a
purser's shirt on bandspike. His
breeches, bein' good deal too long, was
turned up at the bottom his weskit
reached well down amidships, and the
tails OF his claw-hammer coat was only
Jlst clear Of the deck when he walked.
As the Old man came over the side, he
waited until this Crippy came over, and
then, fetchin' him wipe alongside of
the head which made the Door bow stag
ger, he pitched bundle of papers to
him, tellin' him to stow 'em away in his
room, and to see everythin' to rights
there, "and mini you, young whelp, "
says the old man, if find anythin'
wrong there when I come below, you'll
catch it; 80 mind how you draw your
hair strokes"
L had the watch from ten to eleven,
and along about quarter-past ten, as I
were sittin' on the windlass end smokin'.
L heerd the most onarthly screechin'
att, and 1 goes along for to see what were
the matter. The bark had half poop
trunk cabin, and gittin' on to this, L
looked down the skylight and there saw
thus here Crippy strapped down to a
settee, and the old man a. -givin' it to him
with small cat which he had made out
OF ratlin stuff, and it were him a
screechin' that had heard. Well, sir.
OF course, it weren't no business of
mime boys aboard of a ship must be
logged, if you ever expects to make any-
tim out OF EN-, and this. here particular
boy seemed to belong more to the old
man than to the ship still, I must snv.
/ felt good deal like goin' in and hol.
lerin' enough to the old man, cause
it seemed to me he were a-givin' him a
little too much, no matter what he had
done wrong. Well, arter whalin' him
till no got tirga, il2 old man went and