The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-05-24

ot the ship John Bertrand, lyin' in the
stream and bound for Calcutta,
You may well suppose, sir, 1t wercn't
easy for to git a crew for that ship.
Wages was high sl5O by the run to tie
Sandwich IslandB-and further than
that. no sailor would ship 10 70. There
were always plenty Of chaps that had
been 70 the mines and got a little pile,
or Ind made somethin' worlin' along
shore, thatwas willin' enough 10 20 that
far Just for the sake Of gettinf some
where's where they could spend their
money comfortable, for there was some
things that couldn't be had in San
Francisco them times, no matter how
much money you had, and SO ships
didn't have no trouble in gittin' crews,
and very frequent arter goin' TO the
islands and hyin' Q, couple Of weeks,
they'd ship the same crew agin, they
hayfn' busted out all their money,
and bein' hard up, But, with regafd 10
this ship I'm tellin' You ON, nobody
wouldn't touch her, not at no price.
However, q crew she be TO have, some.
how, and these ere two chaps what /
told you about, \" Lynn Jim Granger"
and the other chap, they was in the
shippin' -master business, and they took
the contract for 10 supply crew for the
ship. There weren't no advances Civ
them times-the men shipped for tobe
paid on arriyin' at Honolulu-hut these
two chaps was to receive fifty dollars q
head, cash down, as soon as the slip
were outside the Heads.
Iwern't o payinI any attention to SIGH
things, mot yet bein' tired Of worhin'l
along shore, and 80 one mornin', while i
wero waitin' for o job, q chap comes
along and says he wants some hands for
10 trim ballast aboard Of q ship in the
stream. Sol jumps for'ard, along with
lalotof others, and the chap picks out
twelve and takes our names, and we
goes with him into boat and OF along
side Of a ship, andwe jumps aboard and
gees down into the hold aud goes TO
work. She were ballasted with sand,
and 1t had fist been hove down the main
hatch and were layin, there in one big
plle. Oud VI tlle uluceta VI tue hulp
come down and divided US into two
gangs, six for'ard and six oft, and told
US how far fore and aft he wanted II, and
we went TO work. None OF us had the
least suspicion OF anythin' bein' wrong;
we'd had the same Job aboard OF q dozen
ships before, cause IL were O common
thing, wharfage bein' very dear, for the
ship TO have her ballast bundled into her
in this way, and then go into tho stream
and hire men To trim 1t. So you sec,
none Of us was likely TO suspicion any.
thin, and / don't bolieye one OF US
oyenknowd the name Of the craft we was
aboard on. She were three-decked
ship and in course her lower hold were
dark, and we had TO work by the light
ofl6nterns which this officer, the second
mate he were, we found out afterwards,
hung up 10 tile stanchions. He stayed
down there with us about quarter Of an
hour, and then he goes on deck, and
there bein' no one left to look out for us,
OF course we took our, time and didn't
work TO hurt ourselves. e7f 4
i suppose IL might have been 0 couple
OF hours arter we come down when We
perceived by sle swfngin' of the lanterns
that there were considerable motion TO
the ship, aud chap by the name Of Joe
Allen, about the only one out Of the lot
that / knoyed, said; y.
,sIt must have breezed up since we
come aboard, 1 never knowed such q
swell in this harbor afore; we'll git o wet
Jacket goin' ashore certain. I" 7
aBy George" saysI, as the ship Civ
d regular pitch, u one would almost
swear she were at sen instead Of layin' at
anchor" and SO we cliatted away about
iemotion OF the ship, but not one Of
US snspicioned III the least that we was
at sea in reality. 4
By-and.bye some one sings out: Be-
low 'therel' "Halloi' one Of us says.
,tKnock off that ballast now aud come
on deck. ! .si-saligll h
Up we.went, SIR and i wish I may
die, sir, II Tint ship didn't have every
stitch 81 canvas onto her, headin' of
about west, with a fresh breeseabout two
points hbaft the beamand the land about
ten miles off.
Here were this man Douglas-I didn't
know him, but some Of the chaps did
q astandin' by the aftershatch when we
come up, and says he, quite pleasant:
I" One Of you go aft and relieve the
third mate at the wheel, and the rest
Of you go for'ard and git your dinners
andbe ready 10 turn TO at one O'Clock.
think il were / TINT spoke mp, !
know Il were one Of us, and saidi 1--WE
want TO know somethin' about this, sir;
We Iwas fetched of for to trim ballast,
and haint got no idee Of goin' to sea in
this ship; we amt got no dunnage for
J aI don't know anythin' about that"
says the mate; al can't tell what your
idees are, but my idee Is that you are .
eoip' to sea In this ship; leastwise, 1t
looks like It; and see here, 1 don't want
no nonsense neither. l whaled hun
drod men in the last ship, and I'll walk
through you dozen Ikea dose OF salts II
Won esye me any occasion. I don't know
how You shipped, or anythin' about II;
mi i know Is TINT here you nre, and
you'ye ", got to do your work, Or I'ye got
70 make you, whichever you like"
TheNold man lis name was Baker
were a walkin' up and down onto the
siarboard side OF tho deck, and he sings
ont very sweetly. "What's the matter
with them men, Mr.. Douglaslp
aThere aint much yet, sir, but there
will be pretty soon, II they don't go
for'ard, says the mate.
0Send 'em aft here,n says the old
man. ifNowthen, my lids" says he,
as we went aft, ''what's wrong with
Wen, wo tells him we hadn't sliipped