The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-12-22

AN OLD SAILORS YARN.
ALI Alone ON tIae Oeeam..eA Mys
terry of the Sea.

terry of the Sea.
When | next met my friend, the ole
sailor, he said: 81 were a tellin' you Of
somethin' as happened in that wage into
the ROscious of our gettin' gale Of
wind the fust night out which brung Us
down to double reefs. Well, sir, the
mornin arter the gale were as fine as
you'd wish for to see, but the gale con-
tinued as hard as ever, the wind havin'
backed couple of pints and settled at
nor'west. We couldn't show rag more
canvass to it than double reefs over
whole courses, with spanker and jib.
So you may Judge how it were a BLOWN
cause in them days it had for to be Il
Twin gale to keep ships down to that
canvass. with fair wind and fine wealth
err The worst thing were the old south
erIy sea, heavin' up on our lee beam, and
she so tender that she scooped it right In
over the lee rail, and we was forced to
knock out some of the lee buIwarks so as
to allow her to free herself of water when
she rolled her side out bit. Still, not
withstandin' the sea and the short can
vass, the old ship went along at a good
pace, and at noon, when she were pricked
two hundred miles, and were away to
the BASTARD of Nantucket Shoal,"
WHEN OUR SIDE COME UP,
at four o'clock in the AFTERNOON, it were
iist BLOWN as hard as ever, with squalls
at times fit to take the canvass out OF
the ropes, and the first thing | were sol
to do were to go up and pass a purventer
earnin' onto the main tOpsail yard. Me
and chap by the name OF Bill Fisher
went up. AFTER haulin' the rect tackle
and reef jig taut, and as we was layin'
out onto the yard sees somethin' away
ON the weather beam like boat.
"FBilI, my lad, says 1, whatever do
you make of this?
"Bill takes a good severe look at it
and then he says: Tom, it mayn't be a
boat, and it mayn't be a bit of wrecked
stuff, and then, again, it may be; I'm
for reportin' it anyway, and he sings out,
ON deck therep
es'Hallop says the mate.
''Somethin' a-hoatin', sir, on the
weather BEAM.
F'What do you make of it ?
.::Can't make it out, sir; looks some
what like boat
$50 THE MATE HE COMES UP
in the top, with his lookingglass, and
takes good spell at it, while Bill and
went on passin' the earnin. The mate,
he goes down and reports to the old
man.
4 should call it boat, SIR said he,
'if thought any boat coHld live in sicl
sea as this
s.sWe must see what it is anyhow,
says the old man, cts too bad to lose any
of this fair wind, but there's no help for
it; turn the hands up, and brace up the
yards and haul her ZIP sharp on wind
and we'll soon be able for to see what It's
| like
H''Well, the sea by this time had got
pretty regular, bHrit we've also pretty
high, and come 10 haul her up into it,
with croehick and spanker onto her, she
be to pitch her jih-huom clean under al
times, and she'd take regular green ones
over the weather bow, sendin' the spray
away up into the lee clew OF the fore
topsail
81 SUPPOSE THE OLD NAN FELT PRETTY
RAD
at hayin, to stop with such nice. fail
wind, but he wern't one that would 90 BY
a wreck without SEEM if there we;e any
life onto it, nohev. i've heard tell OF
Eskilpers as done that, but never seen il
III All my goin' a-fshin,' and sartainly
old Captain Jack Eldridge wern't the
man for to do so, for be we're very kind
hearted man indeed. I've know'd him
whale a sailor for comm aboard without
sufficient dunnage for to purtect him
from the weather; SO .hers wern't nc
hesitation. as soon as We made out II
were somethin' hoatin, he be go to on
and see what it were. We stood ON upon
the port tack till two bells and then
hauled up the crOchick and mainsail, and
brailed up the spanker, and wore round
to the westard. On the other tack we
was aheadin' with in couple of pints OF
the hoatin' object, and long afo4e We
were around We had made it out to be
a boat, and ne mistake. 1t were well or
the weather q arter afore We went around
SO that we come nigh hand onto fetchin
it on the starb0ard tack. and when i
were abeam it. wernt over q mile off
So far as we could see, it were an empty
| boat, but yet sometimes when it rolled
over towards us some of the people a
had glasses thought they seen sOmethin
like a human into the stern sheets
Hows'ever, We stood on till three bells
and then wore round agin. bringin' it ont
the lee bow.
TWO OR THREE OF Us
was up on the foreyard alookin' out-yol
couldn't stay onto the foFecastle, 'caus
It were too wet there, and, as we com
up with it, We seen, sure enough, some
thin lynn in the stern sheets, thoug
what it were We couldn't make Out
We KEEP her off, when nearly up with il
aud passed close aboard under the lee G
: it, and then we seen plain enough that
were a new whale-boat. with woma
lynn in the stern sheets. Whether sh
were alive or dead we could not tell, 0
she Civ no motion.
'sWell. we hauls un and stands 0
! about ten minutes, and then wore hs
around agin and cleared away the poI