The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-05-20
NOT ALL BAD.

GIVE been a good deal about the
world in my time, said Capt. W., strok
ing his gray beard with his big brown
hand, "and I've seed lot of rough Gus
toners but it's my opinion that the
very worst of 'em all's got some good in
'em, if you'll only take the trouble to
look for it, and that, let fellow be ever
so black, he's not all bad. You don't
agree with me? Well, I'll Just tell you
q story.
It's about eight or nine years ago now
--afore ever this Suez canal as we cum
through yesterday was made-t,at I was
the first mate of steamer plying from
Suez to Djeddah (the port of Mecca, you
know carrying government stores and
fighting tackle for the Turks for of
course there was row going on among
the Arabs of the Hedjas, as it seems to
me there always is. I'd precious rough
lot for crew that voyage-al odds and
ends, like an Irish stew-Greeks, NAL
tese, Dalmatians, and what not.
Most of these men O. mine was too
thick-headed to be up to much mischief,
and 1 managed to get 'em along pretty
well on the whole. Preachin' at 'em
warn't much good, but when 1 talked to
'em with handspike or bit O. two inch
rope, they understood that well enough.
But the worst of the whole lot was
Dalmatian, named Spiro. To give him
his due, he was a fust-chop sailor, like
most of his sort for Dematia S kind O.
nursery of seamen for Austria, just like
Finland for Russia. But that was all
the good there was to be said for him,
for more vicious, bloodthirsty dog
never breathed. In the parts where he
cum from, they take to blood as natural
ly as sailor to grog ; and he was just
like all the rest of 'em-never happy un-
less he was in a row with somebody.
Now, L may say, without Dragging,
that I've pretty sharp eye for the cut
of a mans jib-'specially when he's
going to sail with me; and this fellow
Spiro hadn't been aboard two days afore
I'd picked him out as an ugly customer.
He was pretty smart in picking me out,
too, as chap what wouldn't stand no
nonsense; and so it warn't long afore
we got to eyeing each other, him and
me, like two strange dogs making up
for fight. But a week after we'd sailed
on our first cruise, as we was a lyin' in
Djeddah harbor, this chap, Spiro, was
rayther slow over somethin' I'd told him
to do, and I'd began hollerin' at him,
when what does he do but turn round
and cheek me like another, right to my
very face. don't take cheek very
kindly, that's a fact; and, besides, L
was lar mad at having all the work
showed on to me his way; so 1 list up
eyes, knocking him right to t'other side
of the deck. 1t was more'n q minute
afore he knew where he was; but when
he cum too, he just gave me a wicked
look out of the corner of his eye, and
hobbled down below. The minute he
was gone, up came my chum, Bill Bar
low, the engineer (who had seed the
whole thing), and says to me :
".Tom, says he, "now you've done
that, you'd better shoot that ere feller
right off; if you don't your life amt
worth that.
"Well, Bill" says I, "I'm pretty
much of that way o. thinkin' myself;
but still 1 don't like KILN feller in
cold blood, somehow. Let's wait till he
does summit, and then We'll let him
know"
But Bills words stuck in my head,
and they stuck in it tride more two
nights after, when, just as we was get
tin out O. the harbor. down comes
block from the fore-rigging within an
inch of my head, and nearly knocked
my brains out. There was more'n
dozen of 'em up aloft at the time max
ing sail, so O. course it might have been
a haccident; but when l seed Master
Spiro comm down along with the rest,
Ishad my own thoughts bout who sent
me that ERE sugar-plum.
Well, the second day after that, just
as we was bout half way to Suez, Spiro
was on the taffrail collin down a rope,
when the ship gave lurch, and his foot
slipped, aud overheard he went. If it
had been only that, it wouldn't have
mattered pin to him, for not man on
beard could hold candle to him at
swimming; but, dye see, he fell some
how hat-ways, and cum sich lick upon
the water, that it regular stunned him,
and he lay out on the water as limp as
wet rag.
Well, I happened to be the nearest, SO