The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-12-27
NOT ALL BAD.

TONER'S, UuJ1JS & my opinion JuHJ bue very
worst 0t 'em ALPS got some good in 'efh, 4
if you'll only take the trouble to look Tor
it, and that, let fellow be ever so
black, he's not all bad. You don't agree
with meY Wen, I'll just tell you a
story.
It's about eight or nine years ago
1low-afore ever this Snez Canal, as we
cum through yesterday, was made-that
l was the first mate of steamer plying
from Suezto Djeddah( the port t'Of Mecca,
you kflow), carryin' g0v'ment stores ana
fighting tackle for the Turks, for OF
course there was row going on among
the Arabs of the HedjaB, as it seems TO
me there always is. Pd u precious rough
lot tor a crew that voyage-all odds and
ends like an Irish stew-Greeks, Mall
tese, Dalmatians, niggers, and what
not.
Most of these men o. mine was too
thick headed to be up to much mischief,
and l managed to get 'em along pretty
well on the whole. Preachin' at 'em
warn't much good, but when talked to
'em with handspike or bit o. two-inch
rope, they Understood that well enough.
But the worst OF the whole lot was
Dalmatian named Spiro. To give him
hisd ue, he was o fust-chop sailor, like
most o. his sort; for Dalmatia's kind
v 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 breathed.. In departs where
he cum from they Lake to blood as mater
ally as sailor to gfog; and he was just
like all the rest OF 'em-never happy un-
less he was in row with somebody.
Now, may say without Dragging that
| I'ye a pretty sharp eye Tor the cut OF a
| tnan's jlb3specially when he's a-golng
to sail with me; and this fellow Spir0
hadn't been aboard Two days before l
picked him out as an ugly customer. He
was pretty smart in picking me out'too,
as q chap that wouldn't stahu no non
sense; and so it warn'G long afore we
got to ey yeing each other, him and me,
| ike two strange dogs making up for a
fight. 'Bout a week after we'd sailed
on our first cruise, as we was a-IyW IN
Uieudah harbor, this chap Spiro was
ayther slow over someGhlp I'd told
him to do, and L began hollerin' at him;
when what does he do but turn round
land cheek me like any thing, right to my
livery lace! don't take cheek very kind
lly, thaIs TACT; and, beside, 1 was
| regular mad at having all the work
showed on to me this way; SO just up
| fist and let him nave it between his
teyes, knocking him right to Pother side
OF the deck. 1t was more'n minute
afore he knew where he was; but when
he cum to he just gave me wicked
look out Of the corner of his eye and
IhoDbled down below. The minute he
was gone up comes my chum, Bill Bar =
How, the engineer, who had seed The
whole thing, and says to me:
! s'Tom," says he, snow you've done
H.
Weller right eff; if you don't, your Hie
Eain't worth that"
"Well, BIZ. ;" says /, "I'm pretty much
of that way OF thinkin' myself; but still
III don't like killing fellow in colu
lblood somehow. Let's wait tilllhe does
Esummut, and then we'll let him know"
But BiI's words stuck in my head :,
hand they stuck in 1t a trifle more two
Knights after, when, just as We was "a, get
Ltin' out o. the 5harbor, down comes a
Eblock from the tore-rIgging within an
Iinch of my head, and pretty nigh
knocked my brains out. There was
more;n dozen OF ,em up aloft at the
Etime making sail, SO o. course it might
Ihave been a haceident:b when 1:see'd
Master Spiro a comin' down along with
1.-The rest, had my own thoughts bout
lwho sent me that 'eSe sugar-plurn.
Well, the second day a'ter chat, just as
1--we was about halfway to SueZ, SpiPO
lwas on the taffral collin down u rope,
Iwhen the ship gave lurch, and his foot
lslipped, and overheard he went. II ii
had been only that, 1T wouldn't have
mattered pin to him, for not man on
lboard could hold candle to his swim
! ming; but, dye see, he fell somehow
ttat-Ways, and cum sich lick upon The
Iuim, and water that it reg'lar stunned he
| lay out on the water as limp as wet
Irag. Well, happened to be nearest, 50
sang cut:
/ "Stop herp and jumped after him, and
lcollared him just as he was a-sinkin the
lseconCi time. But what with his weight
land the rough sea, had to- do all i knew
Ito keep afloat; anu by the time they
a picked us up, I'd swallered more sal
water than all the grog on board coulc
ha put away the tasteof.
Well, Spiro was putinto his hammock
and KEEP warm, but it was next morning
afore ne cum straight agin. The frs
Il thing he asked was who saved him
land when they told him it was me, nt
lust stared for minute without say in
, nothin', and then flew up the ladder like
= a wild cat---came rushing to where .
was standing, and threw himself down
on his knees, and took my hand ant
kissed it, and cried like child.
|. cum precious near pipin' my eye too
l can tell ye, to see so mucn nattera
gratitude III a great hulkin' cut
throat like him. But the next minut,
he got up and stood aiore me, as tail AM
as grand as a king, and looks me righ
in the face, and says: "T
"Lapitano," (he always called M
that at)-"Capltano, You no know ali. Yot
I'member dat block fail at your head d,
Il oder night? l trowed it; and when 1t NJ