Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-07-11
The WOuld-be Sailor Boy.

Among the crew of the Nova Scotia
schooner Bertha Ellen that recently arrivedin
this port was a boy named Richard Fielding,
whose experience as runaway is worth re-
cbrding as lesson TO adventurous young fell
lows whose ambition is TO plough the raging
main in low, rakish, swift sailing clip
per-" Young Fielding is about fifteen years
OF age, with bright handsome face, pleas
ing manners, and of evident intelligence
His father is a wealthy landowner in Hamp-
shire, an English gentleman of family and
position. Richard had been sent to school
in Dorset, where Bracebridge Ilemyng's
wonderful lies about the happy issues of all
Jack IIarkaway's adventures fell into his
hand and were eagerly perused. The natlt
raj result followed. He longed TO emulate
the romantic glory of Jacks impossible &C.
tions, and yearned for a field to display, as
Jack had done, the heroism and pluck which
he supposed that he possessed. Unfortu-
nately, his father had no influence with the
Board of Admiralty, or the boy might have
gone into the navy and found legitimate
channel 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 little
fellow slipped away from school and went
to Liverpool Here he found it impossible
to ship in any capacity, but, determined to
20 to sea at all hazards, he slowed away in
the hold of Mediterranean fruit brig bound
to Messina. He was soon discovered, and
after undergoing no end of abuse from the
captain, was set to 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
naf1 -, ~ Masa,,o he. a..
tarring down the jib stay, swung in boat
swain's chair, when the man who was at
tending to the hosting rope carelessy lost
his hold, and Dick was precipitated to the
deck. falling on an anchor stock and on the
rail. His arm and leg were broken, and he
bounded into the water. He was rescued,
however, and after being freely cursed by
the captain for the detention of the vessel
which the accident had caused, he was
passed below, where, without any medical
treatment, he was permitted to stay till the
vessel arrived at port, fortunately only
twenty-four hours afterward. He then went
to the hospital, where incompetent physi-
clans dressed his limbs, and after three
months he was discharged, penniless and
without friends, and cripple. All the
British consul 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 cabin boy in an Ameri-
can bark for Rio. His situation in this
vessel was more tolerable, but on arriving at
Rio the bark was condemned as unsea-
worthy, and Richard was second time cast
adrift in foreign land. He finally shipped
as cook in West India trading schooner,
where he got more kicks than ha'pence, and
in this vessel came to Halifax, where he
shipped in schooner that afterward came
to Baltimore with potatoes.
Previous to sailing he wrote to his mother,
telling her the name of his vessel. His
father cabled to Halifax and ascertained his
destination, and then cabled to friend in
Baltimore to look out for Richard on his
arrival. Dick came here III the schooner
Bertha Ellen, after a thirty days tempest
uous voyage. His fathers agent met him,
telegrapbed his father, provided him with
new outfit of clothes and passage to Liver
pool by the White Star line. Aud last even
ing Richard left for New York, to take the
steamer, a wiser boy, cripple for life and
one not likely to again be filled with glowing
enthusiasm at the stories of writers of melo-
dramatic fction.-Bahimore american.