Connecticut western news., 1878-12-25

harbored by the captain and mate that his awkwardness in handling marline- spike and rolling up @ topgallantsail was assumed, and that he pretended to be green hand only to divert attention from his schemes.
 Accordingly, when Johnson made a mistake, or bungled the performance of any duty, the officers or the captain reprimanded him sharply. He showed surprise at this change in their deport- ment toward him, and at length he man. ifested feelings of resentment.
 CT do the best can, and l am only working my passage home, said he ; "I expect no pay
 "Do you answer back, you rascal ? cried the captain, who had overheard the words of Johnson, which were addressed to the mate. "Mr. Russell, can't you preserve better order among your men ?''
 "I am no rascal,' said Johnson, throwing down the TOD which he had been trying to splice, and confronting the captain.
 Several of the crew-Mauley among them-were standing near Johnson at that moment, and all but Mauley turned pale. The latter looked steadfastly at i the captain.
 "You, too, suppose" said the cap- tain, between his teeth, and with a countenance turning pale and red by l turns.
 Mauley fell back, but Johnson smiled contemptuously at the captains boiling wrath.
 "Have you not heard," said the latter to Johnson, "that only few months before you came on board I triced hand up in the rigging and gave him two dozen lashes for only looking at me as you are doing now?"
 "Never heard of it until now, " answered Johnson. compressing his lips and shaking his head. "It is 8 useful piece of information.
 "The mans fool," said the captain, turning away. "Mr. Russell, put him ln irons, and feed him on bread and water for the present"
 Johnson submitted quietly to be handcufed, and was fed on hard bread and water for several days, by which time we approached Cape Horn, and his services were needed in working the ship. He was set at liberty. His orderly conduct puzzled the officers, who began to be curious about his antecedents. He told them that he fell down from Jupiter at the same time with the great goddess Diana, of the Ephesians.
 "He's crazy" said the mates to each other.
 Soon after, I hinted to him that I believed he was the same man whom I had seen one evening, in Q far different rig, among the hills, in the real of Valparaiso.
 "What if you did You don't know " my name, I suppose ?" demanded he, rather impatiently.
 Nothing important occurred after we doubled the Cape until we reached the equinoctial line, when our captain knocked the cook down with hand
 
 "Captain Bunker, you'll be sorry fo1 that" remarked Johnson, who was standing near at the time.
 "I'Il serve you the same way, you mutinous rascal p cried the captain, with flashing eyes.
 But he didn't. He ordered the mates to put Johnson in irons again, and tc diet him as before.
 We reached Nantucket, and anchored outside the bar on fine afternoon il July. The anchor was scarcely down when the owner of the Endymion stepped on board. Seeing Johnson sitting or the windlass, the merchant gave an ex clamation of surprise, rushed toward , him, and grasping his manacled hands cried:
 "Why, Edward, my son, what doe' this mean 9
 70, this is trihe, father," replied : the son of the owner, (known among u by the name of Johnson); "this i nothing compared with knocking dow men with handspikes, seizing them III in the rigging and flogging them fo , looking at the captain, with man, 5 other pleasant performances of the lik ) nature."
 <" It is true, then, what I have heard, said the merchant, turning to the captain : who was at his side, and seemed bewildered by what he had seen an,
 heard Git is true, Capt. Bunker, tha 3 you are cruel tyrant toward you :; crew."
 n "I-I-I didn't know that this youn !. gentleman was your son, sir" stammere /; the captain, as he hastened to knock tn a irons from the wrists of the young man
 "He did not intend that you shoul d know it," replied the owner; "yo p knew, presume, that son of mine ha
 been several years with merchant c k Valparaiso. This is he. When tn e time came for him to return home, r proposed to him, by letter, that h
 should work his passage in tn 'f Endymion, for I had heard strang y stories about her cruelty to the crew d but other shipmasters and mates ha 'r assured me that those stories were falls Il or exaggerated, and was determine J. to investigate the facts. My SOL tel e me that the sailors under your com
 mand had just cause of complaint. d Capt. Bunker murmured somethin
 about the necessity of maintaining di g cipline on board ship; but, it wf }, observed that the next time th