The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-08-25


were when were relieved at eleven
o'clock, and there he remained, were
told afterwards, till the steward turned
out in the mornin' and loosened him and
set him to work. He could scarcely
stand up when the steward cast him
loose, cause he were stiff from remainin'
in one position and sore from the
wallopin' he'd had, and so the steward
he had to cuff and beat him q little to
make him more spry.
Well, sir, we got under weigh next
day with a crackin' breeze from mort l.
west, and in two or three days was
out across the Gulf and into fine weather
But their weren't no fine weather for
us aboard that hooker; it were work all
day and miserable grub and constant
abuse from the officers. come early to
grief, cause 1 weren't used to such treat
ment, and when the second mate give
me q clout side of the head for to make
me move faster, jist hauls off and let's
him have one atwixt the eyes that laid
him out senseless for time. Well, the
mate he came for'ard, and list 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 staterooms. I weren'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 after twenty
four hours. The old man, he says: "d
ought for to keep you in irons to the end
of the wage, and then hand you over to
the consul, but as I needs your sarvices,
1 will lot you turn to if you will promise
to behave" Says I "Captain Thomp-
son, has been into ships to which this
here bark amt fit to be nothing but a
jolly-boat, and has always behaved my
self satisfactory. The work aboard of
this craft is hard and humbuggin', and
tho grab is poor and abuse frequent !;
all that can stand, and mean to, till
slch times as 1 can change, but blows I
won't stand, neither from you nor your
officers, and if you chooses to let me ont
of irons onto them terms well and good,
I'll do my duty; and if not, not" So
on that were let out of irons, and
though the second mate gave me all the
dirty jobs to do that 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 I seen
practiced onto this Crippy. The old
man seemed to be delighted if he could
only torment this poor devil. He were
mortally timid, and they used for to
make him go 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 n barrel, cuttin' hole for his head to
come through, and then ballastin' the
barrel and chuckin' it overheard, a-mak-
in believe they was a-goin' to leave him
for good and all, and then, arter leavin
him away astern, the old man would
lower boat and pick him up. Some
times when she'd be goin' two or three
knots the old man would have a whip
rove at the main yardarm, and he would
bend the end of it onto Crippy jist un.
side. He'd first let him drop three or
four times into the water, and then he'd
run him about half way up to the yard
arm and leave him swingin'. 1t weren't
that there were anythin' very bad in these
deviltries, except for the mortal terror
they gave to the lad, and his screechin's
were jist awful to hear mt these times.
l don't believe any ickin' the old man
ever Civ him were half as bad us these
flights that he got.
Well, to cut this here short, we got to
Rio at last, arter very long passage,
which thought would never end, and
arter dischargin' we hauled in abreast of
the coffee warehouse for to git our load
of coffee. 1 determined that wouldn't
go no further into that craft, but as Rio
are bad place for to run away in 1 had
arranged it with old chum of mine
aboard of the bark Margaret, what had
got her load and were bound to Balti-
mora, for to stow me away aboard of
her. The night went aboard of her 1
had the anchor watch from twelve to
one, and got all my dunnage into my
bag and were jist goin' over the side
with 1T when who should appear before
ME but this here Crippy. "You're
goin' for to run away" says he. 80,
take me with you, Tom; take me with
you, for Gods sakeI" And the little
atomy Topped down on his knees Oh the
deck afore me, rs if I'd been his guar
dian all my life. were completely took
aback, for it were one of 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 lad so much to
say to me afore. However he got to
know I were a-goin' 1 can't say, but here
he were down on the deck afore me a
beseechin', and tell you what it is, sir,
L jist felt that I'd stand to that boy till
the last drop of my blood if necessary.
If couldn't stand that craft, how much
more couldn't he, that had so much
more to bear And / says to him:
Take you with me ? OF course I 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
paret and we finds nv chum who 1uora