River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-02-06

.Mr Russell, can't you preserve better order
among your men?
II am no rascal,n said johnson, throwing
down the rope which he had been trying to
Splice ard confronting the captain.
Sever Il of the crew-Mauley among them
were st, udng near Johnson at that moment
and all bat Mauley turned pale. The latter
looked steadfastlY at the captain.
"You, too, suppose said the captain, be-
tween his teeth, and with acountenance turn
ing pale and red by turns.
Mauley fell back, but Johnson smiled con-
temptously at the captains boiling wrath.
"Haye you not heard" said the latter TO
Johnson, "rhat only few months before you
came on board triced hand up in the rig
ging and gave him two dozen lashes for only
looking at me as you are doing now!'
"Neyer heard OF it until now," answered
johnson, COMPRISING his lips and shaking
his head. at is a useful piece of information"
"The mans fool" said the captain, turning
away. 'Mr Russell, put HIM in irons ard
feed him on bread and water for the present"
johnson submitted quietly to be hand
eutfed, 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 thai he fell down from Jupiter
at the same tin Withthe great goddess Diana,
OF the Ephesians.
Hes crazy" said the mates to each other
soon after limited to him that believed he
was the same man whom had seen one even
ing, in far different rig, among the hills in
the rear OF Valparaiso.
"What if YOU did? You don't know my
name, suppose:" demanded he, rather i'm
patiently.
Nothing important occurred after we
doubled the Cape until we reached the
equinoctrial line, when our captain knocked
ra~fft haY. for
trifing offense.
Captain Bunker, you'll be sorry for that"
remarked johnson, who was standing near at
the time.
"rl serve you the same way, you mutlaous
rascal cried the captain, with flashing eyes
Bit he didn't He ordered the mates to put
Johnson in irons again, and 10 diet him as
before
We reached Nantucket, aud anchored out
side the bar on fine afternoon in July The
anchor was scarcely down VIXEN the owner OF
the Endymion stepped ON board. Seeing
johnson sitting on the windlass, the merchant
gave an exclamation of surprise, rushed
toward him, and grasplug his uanaeied hand;
cried
"Why, Edward, my son, what does this
mean3
20, this is a trife, father" replied the son
of the owner known among us by tn name
Gf JohRson); This is nothing compared with
knocking down men with handspikes, Selling
them up in the rigging aud flogging them for
looking at the captain, with many other pleas
mt performances of the like nature"
1T is true, then, what l have heard" said
the merchant, turning to the captain, who
was at his side, and seemed bewildered by
what he had seen and heard; as it true, Cap
tain Bunker, that you are cruel tyrant to-
ward your crew."
I'LL didn't know that this young gentle
man was your son, sir" stammered the cap
tain, as he fastened to knock the irons from
the wrists OF the young man.
'tHe did not intend that you should know
it, replied the owner. "You knew, pre-
sumo, that son of mine had been several
years with merchant Of Valparaiso. This
is he When the time came for him to return
| proposed to him, by letter, that he should
work his passage in the Endymion, for had
heard strange stories about your cruelty to
the crew; but other shipmasters and mates
had assured me that those stories were false
or exaggerated and was determined to in
vestigate the facts. My son tells me that the
sailors under your command had just cause of
complaint"
Captain Bunker murmured something
about the necessity of maintaining discipline
on board ship; but it was observed that the
next time the Endymion put to sea she had
new captain.