The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-05-17
/ NOT AM BAD.

2 "f'ye been o 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 q lot Of rough cus-
toners but It's my opinion that the
worry worst OF 'ern all's got some good in
'em, II youth only take the trouble to
look forit, and that, let fellow be ever
10 black, he's not MI bad. You don't
agree with met Well, Ill just tell you
story.
It's about eight or nine years ago now
.-aiore ever this suez canal as we cum
through yesterday was mado-tl.at I was
the first mats Of q 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 q row going on among
the Arabs Of the Hedjas, as II seems 10
methere always d. I'd o precious rough
lot for q crowthat voyage-All odds and
ends, like m Irish stew Greeks, Nal.
tese, Dalmatians, md whatnot. liz.
Most Of these men o. mine wns too
thick-headed 10 be up to much mischief,
andI managedt to get 'em along pretty
well on the whole. Preachin' at 'em
warn't much good, hut when I talked TO
B 'em with q handspike or o bit o. two-inch
rope, they understood that we'll enough.
But the worst OF the whole lot was o
Dalmatian, named Spiro. 10 give him
his due, he was inst-chop sailor, like
most OF his sort for Dematia'sa kind O.
nursery Of searnen for Austria, just like
Finland for Russia But that WIS all
the good there was 10 be said for him,
for more yicious, bloodthirsty dog
never braathed. In the parts where he
cum from, they take to blood rs natural
ly as a sailor 10 grog and he was Just
like all the rest OF 'em2neyer happy uli-
less he was in row with somebody.
Now, / may say, without bragging,
that I've o pretty sharp eye for the cut
OF mans iib specially when he's q
going 10 sail with me; and this fellow
Spiro hadn't been aboard two days afore
Tdpicked him out as m ugly customer.
he was pretty smart in picking me out,
too, ns o chap what wouldn't stand no
nonsense; and 80 itlwarn't long afore
we got to cycling each other, him and
me, like two strange dogs making up
for o fight. But o week aiter we'd sailed
on our, first cruise, as we was o lyin' in
Djeddah harbor, this chimp, Spiro, was
rayther slow over somethin I'd told him
to'do, and Id begun 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 d fact; and, besides, !
was reg lar mad at having all the work
showed 70 me his way; SOL iist up
FIST and let him have u between his
eyes, knocking him right to fother side
OF the deck II was nore'n o minute
afore he knew where he was; but when
he cum too, he just gave me o wicked
look out Of the corner OF his eye, and
hobbled down below. The minute he
wasgone, up came my clium, Bill Bar
low, the engineer (Yho had seed the
whole tliinE), and says 10 me:
"Tom, "says he, "now you've done
that, .youdlbetter shoot that 'erc feller
right on; i you don't your life amt
worth that ! ~ n r., ~.
awell, Bill;n says j, .I'm pretty
much Of TINT way o. thinkin' myself;
but still / don't Ike killin' o Teller in
cold blood, somehow. Lets wait TIL he
does summit, and then we'll let him
know ~,
But Bill's words stuck in my head,
and they stuck in II o tribe more two
nights after, when, Just aswe was q get
tin out 0, the harbor, down comes o
block from the fore.rgging within an
inch Of my head, aud nearly knocked
my brains, out. There was moron o
dozen OF lem up aloit at the time max
ing sail, so otcourse II might have been
a'haccident; but when / seed Master
Spfro a comm down along with the rest
,I:had my own thoughts bout who sent
me that iere sugar-plum.
Well, the second day after that, Just
as we was bout half wny 10 Sues, Spiro
was on tue iaiIfail collin down 0 rope,
when the ship gave d lurch, and his loot
8lipped, aud overheard he went II II
had been only that, II wouldn't have
mattered pin to him, for not y man on
beard could hold candle TO him Of
swimming; but, dye see, he fell some.
how flat.ways, and cum sich o lick upon
the water, That II reg'lar stunned him,
and he lay out on the water as limp as 0
wet rag. t's
war h.n,,a,,ad Ia Ia Aha fAarasl. 40