Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-09-05

Among the crew of the Nova Scotia
schooner Bertha Ellen that recently arrived
in this port was II boy named Richard
Fielding, whose experience as runaway
is worth recording us ~ lesson to adventur-
GUS young fellows whose ambition is to
plough the raging main in n " low, rakish,
swift sailing clipper" Young Fielding is
about fifteen years of age, with bright,
handsome face, pleasing manners, and OF
evident intelligence. His father is Il
wealthy landowner in Hampshire, IN En-
lish gentleman of family and position.
Richard had been sent to school in Dorset,
where Bracebridge Hemyng's wonderful
lies about the happy issues OF all Jack
uarkaway's adventures fell into his hand
and was eagerly perused. The natural re-
suit followed. He longed to emulate the
romantic glory of Jacks impossible actions
and yearned for field to display, as Jack
had done the heroism and pluck which he
supposed that he possessed. Unfortunately
his father had no influence with the Board
of Admiralty, or the boy might have gone
into the navy and found legitimate chan
mel in which to develop his adventurous
longings. AS it was Richard determined
to run away and go to sea.
Tying up the customary bundle, the lit
tie fellow slipped away from school and
went to Liverpool. Here he found it i'm
possible to ship in any capacity, but, de-
termined to go to sea at all hazards, he
slowed away in the hold of u Medlterrane-
an fruit brig bound to Messina. He was
soon discovered, and after undergoing no
end of abuse from the captain, he was set 10
the dirtiest kind Of work, swabbing the
decks, scraping the masts, and tarring
down the rigging, and on every calm was
put over the side to scrub copper. Before
arriving at Messina he was one day tarring
down the jib stay, swung in boatswain S
chair, when the man who was attending to
the hosting rope carelessly Iost his hold,
and Dick was preci iptated to the deck, fall
inc on nm anchor stock and on the rail, His
arm and leg were broken, and he bounded
into the water. He was rescued, however,
anl after being freely cursed by the cap
tain for the detention of the vessel which
the accident had caused, he was passed be-
low, where. without any medical treat
ment, he was permitted to stay till the YES
sci arrived at port, fortunately only twen-
tv-four hours afterward. He then went to
! the hospital, where incompetent physicians
dressed his limbs, and after three months
he was discharged, penniess and without
friends, and a cripple. All the British CON
sui could do was to get him berth, which,
owing to the fact of the boys crippled
limb, was difficult thing to do, but which
was finally accomplished, and Richard
sailed as II cabin boy in an American bark
for Rio. His situation in this vessel was
more tolerable, but on arriving at Rio the
bark was condemned rs unseaworthy, and
Richard was second time cast adrifl in n
foreign land lie finally shipped as cook in
West India trading schooner, where he
got more kicks than ha' a'pence, and in this
vessel came to Halifax, where he shipped
in schooner that aflerward came to Balti-
more with potatoes.
Previous to sailing he wrote to his moth
er, telling her the name Of his vessel. His
father cabled to Halifax and nscertained
his destination, and then Cabled to friend
in Baltimore to look out for Richard on his
arrival Dick came here in the schooner
Bertha Ellen, after IL thirty days tempest.
nous voyage. His fathers agent met him,
telegraphed to his father, provided him
with new outfit of clothes and passage
to Liverpool by the White Star line. And
last evening Richard left New York, tc
take the steamer, q wiser boy, Il cripple
for life, and one not likely TO again be
filed with glowing enthusiasm at the sto.
ries of writers of melo.drNmatic tiction.-
Baltimore american.