The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-02-11
In Dangerous Company.

lore my MIND mlsgave me, and be
gan to dread an unfortunate termina
ton to or voyage, for matters haC
gone wrong from the very beginning
There had been trouble with the crew
who seemed to haze an idea thal
perennial drunkenness was the prop
er state OF mans existence, and who,
as long as Q sixpence lasted, obsti.
nately refused to go on board, in
many cases having to be hauled FROM
the wharfover the side like so much
suspended animation. Then when
we had been warped out into the riv.
er, and were awaiting the captain, we
found that he had been taken sud.
denly and violently i'll, so that 0
weeks delay followed, ending in a
fresh appointment, and the coming ol
. new captain-a man of quiet, genial
aspect, whose presence seemed to aG-
CUR termination Of our troubles, and
he was welcomed accordingly.
For merchant outward bound il
by no means the paradise existence in
the minds Of ardent sehool-boys, bit
ten with longing for a life at sea
Twenty-four hours of the life on board
and its diseomforts efectually sicken-
ed me /; but then L had chosen my
vessel for reasons of economy, know
ing that every five-pound note would
be, perhaps, of priceless value in 8
new home so made up my mind
not tobe Disseminated, but to bear all
J that fell to my lott had -tazan NV
passage to Buenos Ayres with the full
intention Of roughing it for some years
TO come, and therefore / argued that
it would be cowardly to turn tail al
| the first trouble that fell to my share.
But really il was trying work, in spite
of the strongest determination. The
sailors were soon in that pleasant
state of respondent misery which
succeeds q long debauch, and, as il
giving the unfortunate passengers the
credit Of being the cause of their suf-
ferings, lost no opportunity OF visiting
the said sufferings upon their heads.
said upon their heads, but the feet as
frequently suffered, buckets of water
being dashed upon them-of course
accidentally-ifw we ventured on deck
during holy-stonIng times. We eeame
to grief, too, over ropes, over the
slowing of cargo, and in a variety OF
ways during those first days-our sea-
going friends looked upon US as an in
ferior race Of beings, whom, as lub-
bers, it was their duty to afiict. But by
dint of good temper this was all pref
ty well got over, in time for the rough
weather we encountered down the
channel, and righta away across the Bay
of Biscay, sufficiently bad to confine Us
all, sick and well, below matches for
many dreary day of pitching and
tossing, with the ships timbers groan-
ing and cresking to a degree that
seemed to threaten falling to pieces.
Picture to yourself, you who have
not been on ship-board, q gloomy,
low-ceiied prison, with stout beams
crossing every here and there, the
light stealing feebly through the little
windows, the air you breathe hot
foul, and sitting, the hatch above you
battened down, so that, save at special
times, there is no communication
with the deck and nearly every fel.
low-passenger either bemoaning his
hard fate or groaning as he lies prone
in the helpless misery of sea-sickness
l think that if all the miseries of a
rough voyage could be fereseen, those
who take trips to far-of lands would
be greatly reduced in numbers.
A couple of days respite came al
last in the shape of fine weather; and
in the reaction produced by the bright
sunshine, and the free, brisk air we
breathed on deck, the troubles of the
past were forgotten. The captain
still seemed all that was very pleas.
ant but there was a flushed and
heavy look in his countenance that
did not like, and before long had an.
other opinion upon the subject for,
in conversation, / found that the sec.
Ond mate had been been at the same
school as myself, and together we
went over the old days and compared
notes, as walked the deck with him
far into the watch.
The weather turned foul once more,
but this time, through the mate, ]
contrIved to stay on deck, when, tc
my surprise, / found that the greater
part of the duty was shifted on to the
chief mate, the captain seldom show
ing himself on deck:
"No, 1 don't think it's from coward.
ice," said my friend to me, as We
walked the deck that night, when the
gale had somewhat moderated. 30
| Illl5 ID III
nodded.
"Well," he continued, "I don'i
know what to make of him some.
times 1 think he's mad, and soms
times that he is given to drinking
How he got appointed to this ship !
can't tell. Mr.. Ray don't say any
thing, but he is one of those men who
think all the more and, OF course,
he'll be particularly careful lest the
captain should think, that, as first
mate, he is jealous because the com
mand was not placed in his hands.n
No more was then said but before
many days passed we found that the
man who had been intrusted with 8
fine vessel, a valuable cargo, and,
more than all, the lives of passengers
and crew, was one of those unfortu-
nate beings who, not content will, the
enjoyment Of the good things of this
life, are in the habit of having in
temperate outbreaks, when the i'm
pulse to drink, commencing, perhaps,
with the stimulants taken in some
time of peril, grows perfectly uncon-
trOllable, and eliminates at length in
one Of those horrible fits of mania
known as delirium tremels.
1t was enough to make any lands
man nervous as to our fate, should the
heavy weather continue but there
was still the satisfaction Of knowing
that the two mates were thorough sea-
men, who would no doubt take upon
themselves the management OF the
ship should there be any real danger.
These feelings did not trouble ME long,
for, the weather again Frightening,
hope rose, and day after day glided
pleasantly by. We saw but little oi
the captain, and only learned that be
was confined by indisposition to his
cot, the cause of his indisposition be-
ing only known to q few but could
see that the first mate, Mr.. Ray, look.
ed more anxious than usual; and tax
ing the opportunity of being on deck
one night, had long talk with my
friend, to learn that the captain only
recovered from one fit to seek the
means of bringing on another.
"Pity we did not leave him behind
altogether" I said at last.
"I've thought so q dozen times y
said my friend, "for this sailing with
q madman on board does not suit my
book"
The days glided slowly by with
varying weather. The hot latitude:
were reached There was a little
horse-play as we crossed the line
then shark was caught, and at time:
q dolphin or bonito and at last
painting with the heat, we lay beneath
the almost vertical sun, without 8
breath of wind to fill the sails as they
hung from the yards, the vessel gent
ly rolling in the swell as the sea
heaved and fell without so much as 9
ripple visible. Rough coverings were
rigged up, but in spite of all thai
could be done to mitigate it, the heat
was unhearable, beating down upon
our heads, and rejecting from the sea
which shone like vast mirror of pol.
ished metal. Gaping seams, with the
tar oozing forth, rail and stanchioni
so heated that q hand could not be
borne upon them, and the tween
decks sitting as an oven, 1t was nc
wonder that we were constantly long
ing for the cool of the night; but even
then there was not time for the tenn
perature to grow much lower before
the sun once more rose, each day ap-
parently hotter than the last
We were seated one evening, watch
ing the last glow of the setting sun
when Anderson, the second mate
4 ronaowI-15 khoE 10 fh0noff O CHANCE