The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-08-05

btanu up Wneu luo otOmhu N"D" A.
loose, cause he were stiff from remainin
in one position and sore from the wal
lopin' he'd had, and 80 the steward he
had to cuff and beat him little to make
him more spry.
"Well, sir, we got under weigh next
day with crackin' breeze from north
west, and in two or three days was out
across the Gulf and into fine weather.
But there wern't no fine weather for us
aboard of that hooker; it were work all
day and miserable grub and constant
abuse from the officers. come early to
grief, cause / wern't used to such treat
ment. and when the second mate give
me a clout side of the head for to make
me more faster, ! jist hauls off and lets
him have one atwixt the eyes that laid
him out senseless for time. Well, the
mate he come for'ard, and | jist told him
for to keep his hands off of me; that if |
had done any wrong I'd go in irons, and
so he put me in irons, and | were locked
up in one of the state-rooms. | wern't
KEEP long though, cause | were in the
second mates watch, and there were
only three of us, and takin' me out left
but two, and the second mate had for to
do my share of the work, which he didn't
like, so he got me let out arter twenty
four hours. The old man, he says, L
ought for to keep you in irons to the end
of the v'yage, and then hand you over to
the consul. but as | needs your sarvices,
| will let you turn to if you promise to
behave Says l, Captain Thompson, l
has been into ships to. which this here
bark amt fit to be nothin' but jolly
boat, and l has always behaved myself
satisfactory. The work aboard of this
craft is hard and humbuggin', and the
grub is poor and abuse frequent; all that
| can stand, and mean to, till sich times
as can change, but blows l won't stand,
neither from you nor your officers, and
| if YOU chooses to let me out of irons onto
them terms, well and good, I'll do my
duty; and ifnot, not So on that were
let out of irons, and though the second
mate gave me all the dirty jobs to do he
could think of, he didn't never strike me
no more.
"Well, sir, it would take me too long
for to tell you of all the cruelties | seen
practised onto this Crippy. The old Ian
seemed to be delighted if he could only
torment this poor devil. He were NOR
tally timid, and they used for to make
him 20 out onto the end of the spanker-
boom when she were pitchin', and ride
it for hours, They called that 'ridin' st.
Anthony Sometimes in very light
weather they'd head him up in b rrel,
cuttin' hole for his head to come
through, and then ballastin' the barrel
and chuckin' it overheard, a-makin' be-
lieVe they was a-goin' to leave him for
good and all; and then, arter leavin' him
away astern, the old man would lower a
boat and pick hint up. Sometimes when
she'd be goin' two or three knots the old
man would have whip rove at the main
yardarm, and he would bend the end of
it onto Crippy jist under his arms and
run him out overthe side. He'd first let
him drop three or four times into the
water, and then he'd run him about halt
way up to the yardarm and leave him
swingin', 1t weren't that there were
anythin' very bad in these deviltries, ex-
cept for the mortal terror they gave to
the lad, and his screechin' were jist
awful to hear at these times. | don't be-
lieve any lickin' the old man ever Civ
him were half as bad as these frights
that he got.
"Well, to cut this here short, we got tc
Rio at last, arter very long passage
which ! thought would never end, and
arter dischargin' we hauled in abreast o.
the coffee warehouse for to git our load
of coffee. determined that | wouldn't
90 no further into that craft, but as Rio
are bad place for to run away in l haC
arranged it with old chum of mine
aboard of the bark Margaret, what haC
got her load and were bound to Balti
more, for to stow me away aboard other
The night / went aboard of her l had the
anchor watch from II to l, and l got al
my dunnage into my bag and were jist
a-goin' over the side with it when who
should appear before me but this here
Crippy. You're goin' for to run away,
says he. %, take me with you, Tom
take me with you, for Gods sakep And
the little atomy Topped down on his
knees on the deck afore me, as if Td
been his guardian all my life. were
completely took aback, for it were one o.
the old mans rules that this here chap
weren't never to speak to us chaps afore
the mast, and this here mite had never
had so much to say to me afore. How.
ever he got to know | were a.goin' !
can't say, but here he were down on the
deck afore me beseechin' and tell you
what it is, sir, jist felt that I'd stand to
that boy till the last drop Of my blood il
necessary. If | couldn't stand that craft
how much more couldn't he, that had SO
much more to bear2 And says to him,
Take you with me? Of course l will
my boy; and I'd jist like to see the man
as would try for to stop me- and felt
uncommon like whalin' somebody jist
then.
"Well, sir, we goes aboard Of the Mar
garet, and we finds my chum, who were
a-Waitin' for me. He were rather took
aback when he seed Crippy, but telled
him enough about the boy for to make il
right, and we were slowed away snug
down into the fore peak. l were told
afterwards that the old man had all the
police of Rio at work for to hunt us up.
He didn't care so much for me as for the
boy; he wanted him, and promised
somethin' awful in the way of whalin'
if he caught him, which he never didn't
do no more. The day after we got at sea
l come out and l goes to the mate and
says l, Pm a stowaway aboard of your
ship, sir, but Pm good sailor-man, AID
can arm my grub. I've got chap with
me that won't eat much, even if he can't
do much work, and Pm willin' for to do
his share of the work as well as my own,
We've left the bark we were in because
she were hell afoat,' and | ups and
tells this mate of the way I'd seen Crippy
abused. Well, would you believe it, SIR,
| actually struck soft spot into this here
mate, and he Cottoned right to that boy
at once, and says he, you've done iist
right, my man, and Pm glad for to have
you aboard; I'll take that boy aft and let
him take care of my room, and that'll be
elsy work for him.
"rhe next time 1 seed Crippy, sir,
hardly know'd HIM. He'd got his face