The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1875-06-11
MI i s G eJIane us.
NOT ALL BAD: A SHIPPERS YARN

~ my tilile, (salu captain W, StrOklnp
his grey beard with his big brown handy
and I've seed IL lot o. rough customers; but
its my opinion that the very worst OF 'em
alls got some good in 'em, if YOU only
take the trouble to look for it; and that,
let fellow be ever so black, he's not ali
bad. You don't agree with me9 Well, I'll
just tell you story.
It's about eight or nine years ago now
aforc ever this Suez Canal, as we cum
through yesterday, was made-tl,at I was
lrst mate off steamer plying from Suez to
Djeddah (thc port of Mecca, you know
carryin' Gov ment stores and fighting tackle
for the Turks; for of course there was
row going on among the Arabs ofthe He'd
JAZZ, as it seems to me there always is. I'd
n precious rough lot for crew that VOYAGE
all odds and ends, like an Irish stew
Greeks, Maltese, Dalmatians, niggers, and
what not
Most OF these men O. mine was too thick
headed to be up to mischief, and manag-
ed to get 'em along pretty we'll on the
whole. Preachin' at 'em warn't much good.
but when talked to EN- with handspike
or bit o two inch rope, they understood
that well enough. But the worst of the
whole lot was Dalmatian, name of Spiro.
To give him his due, he was q fust. chon
sailor, like most O his sort; for Dalmatia's
kind o. nursery of seamen for Austria.
just like Finland for Russia. But that was
all the good there was to be said for him.
for more vicious, blood-thirsty dog never
brcathed. In the parts where he cum from.
they take TO blood as materially as a sailor
to gro9; and he was just like all the rest of
em-never happy unless he was in row
with somebody.
Now, may say without Dragging that
I've pretty sharp eye for the cut of mans
jib-'specially when he's a-going to sail
with me; and this fellow Spiro hadn't been
aboard two days afore I'd picked him out
as an ugly customer. He was pretty smart
in picking me out too, as a chap that
wouldn't stand no nonsense; and so it
warn't long afore we got to cycling each
other, him and me, like two strange dogs
making up for II fight. Bout week after
we'd sailed on our first cruise, as we was
lyin in Djeddah harbor, this chap Spiro
was rayther slow over somethin' I'd told
him to do, and l began hollerin' at him !;
when what does he do but turn around and
check me like anything to my very face
l don't take cheek very kindly, that's fact;
and besides, 1 was regular mad to have all
the work showed on to me this way so |
just up fist, and let him have it between his
eyes, knocking him right t'other side of
the deck. 1t was more'n minute atore he
knew where he was but when he cum
to, he just gave me wicked look out
of the corner Of his eye, and hobbled down
below. The minute he was gone, up comes
my chum Bill Barlow, the engineer, (who
had seed the whole .thing), and says to
me-
"Tom," says he, "now you've done that,
you'd better just shoot that ERE fellerright
off; if you don't your life amt worth
that !"
"Well, Bill" says l, "rm pretty much
of that way of thinking myself; but still,
don't like killing Teller in cold blood,
somehow. Let's wait till lie does summit,
and then We'll let him know"
But Bills words stuck in my head, and
they stuck in it IL trifle more two nights
alter, when, just as we was getting out of
the harbor, down comes block from the
iorc-rigging within an inch Of my head,
and pretty nigh knocked my brains out.
There was more'n u dozen of EN- up loft
at the time making sail, so o. course it
might have been haccident; but when
seed Master Spiro a-comin' down along
with the rest, had my own thoughts bout
who sent me that ERE sugar-plum.
"Well, the second day alter that, Just
as we was about halfway to Suez, Spiro
was on the taffrail ;oilin' down q rope,
when the ship gave a lurch, and his foot
slipped, and over board he went. If it had
been only that, it wouldn't have mattered
q pin to him, for not man ON board could
hold candle to him at swimming; but,
dye see, he fell somehow Pathways, and
come such II lick upon the water that it
regular stunned him, and he lay out in the
water as limp as wet rag. Well, l hap
pened to be the nearest, SO l sang out,
stop her." and jumped alter him, and
collared him just us he was a-snkin' the
second time. But what with his weight
and the rough sea, had to do all l knew
to keep afoat; and by the time they picked
us up, I'd swallowed more salt water than
all the grog on board could ha' put away
the taste of.
Well, Spiro was put into his hammock,
and KEEP warm, but it was next morning
afore he cum straight agin. The first thing
he axed was, who saved him9 And when
they told him it was me, he just stared for
minute without sayin' nothin,' and then
flew up the ladder like wild cat-camc
rushing up to where l was standing, and
threw himself down on his knees, and took
my hand and kissed it, and cried like q
child.