, 1875-05-08

y
Asudden movement immsiiats-
y took place among tie siH aaaoa
heads aud IN q moment aisr-
ward, something which bore .
strong resemblance 10 an old mns-
ket, was showed part way over the
What in the deuce l. thatS ask.
ed the skipper, a. the venerable
shooting-iron mado is appearance.
II looks as IL she was going 10
show fight, remarked the cook,
with q comical leer.
The whole affair had been 80 in
applicable that our naturally good
natured skipper became angry,
and he sung out at the top Of his
voice
If you don't heave to directly
I'll run you down!
This threat had the desired eff
feet, for in a few minutes the
schooner came up to the wind and
hauled her main boom over to
the windward, and without the
least trouble we rose up under her
stern, laying our clipper grace
fully alongside.
What is the matter with you?
asked the skipper, as a dozen of
our chaps leaned over and seized
hold of the schooner's rail.
The persons thus addressed did
not answer the question, but
with eyes and mouth wide open,
they seemed to mentally devour
every article upon our deck, and
at length one who seemed to hold
the command turned to his nearest
companion and remarked:
By thunder, Josh, they hain't
got nothin' thar at looks like can
mons, hev they?
No, / Idon'tsee nothin'; but them
ere port holes looked kind O. sus-
picious like, though, I'll be darn'd
ef they didn't, replied Josh.
Look here, my sweet fellows,
said our skipper, we've been in a
fog I've days and haven't got a
reckoning. Now will you Just tell
US where we are?
Wall; may / be knocked into
the middle Of next week, il you.
ant a regular out and out mack'rel-
man, calculated he Of the pink
schooner, as he finished a survey
of our bait-boxes; hne-buckets,
&C., without seeming to take no.
tice of the question.
And is that anything stranger
asked our skipper.
Wall, l thought, when l 6rst
saw yer loom up through the fog,
'at you had a confounded slew O.
men for a fisherman; an that ere
craft o. yourn don't look much
like fisherman, mister.
What did you take us for?
Why, we took you t'be 1ss'
abeout what yer looked like;
an so did the rest Of our vessels.
Didn't you see 'sm scatter when
the fog iftsd9
Yes, replied our skipper, who
could not restrain broad grin, as
an idea Of the ludicrous reality
crept through his mind; l saw
you scatter; and now perhaps you
viii tell us what you took us to be.
Why, we took you TO be pirates.
Piratesl iterated the skipper.
In course we didl replied the
commander Of the schooner.
And what in the name Of COM
mon sense put such an idea as that
into your head?
Wall, returned he, casting his
eyes up at our fore-topmast, Tray
ther think as how a most any body
would take yeou for a pirate, with
such a tarnal thing as that ere flag
of your'n, fyin' up there.
All eyes were Immediately di'
rected to the fore-topmast, and
there in all sOmber majesty Of its
death-defying hue, Haunting bold
ly in the fresh breeze, waved the
cooks black aproni
The cold-blooded rascal had
mistrusted the truth, when the
pinky first fed at the sight Of our
tbickly crowded foreeastle, and
regardless of the horrible fears
which he must have known would
result to tho innocent fisherman,
from such a trick, he had, while
pretending to be aloft for the pur-
pose Of seeing over the fog, very
adroitly fastened his large coal
black apron to the mast head.
Matters were soon explained to
the frightened men, and when
they learned that a Cape Cod
squadron had been scattered by a
cooks apron, they gave utterance
to some very wicked wishes with
respect to the last abode Of our
cook.
We learned our latitude how
ever, and soon left the Cape Cod
squadron far astern, and when we
last saw them, they were huddled
together like so many sheep in a
pen.
WINE is a turn-cost; FIRST a friend