St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-01-17


Bunkton, bristling about with his fists
doubled up.
"a fight! A fight ~ cried half dozen
of the men. "Den't stand that, Baker,"
The young mans eyes had flashed as
he received the blow, and there was a
quick quivering of the muscles in his
hands, but he made no motion to strike.
"Ain't you gOin' to take it up ?" asked
BunktOn.
'No. | want nothing to do with you,"
returned Caleb. .
'Ihen you are a coward !" uttered
BunktOn, with contemptuous tone and
look.
Young Baker calmly replied to the
taunt, and BunktOn became still more
savage. Those who know anything
about ocean life will understand the
sentiments of the rough crew upon such
matters as the present. They could COM
prehend but one kind or courage, and
the moment that Baker refused to fight
they set him down as an arrant coward
AT first they had been prepOssessed in
his favor, for Bunkton was a quarrel
some fellow, and they hoped that Caleb
would ttog him but when they saw him
quietly turn away and resume his work
they began to taunt him, too.
"Whats all this p asked Captain ia
cObs, who was attracted to the spot
The matter was explained to him.
Didn't resent it ?" uttered the cap
tain. looking with mingled surprise and
contempt upon Caleb. "Why didn't
you knock him down, Baker ?n
because don't want to fight with
any man, sir"
'And will you allow yourself to be
struck, and not resent it p
81 will defend myself in case of dan
ger. but | will not so abase myself as to
engage i'll brutal fight when it can be
possibly avoided. | have as vet done
wrong 10 no man but were | to fight
one of my shipmates, | should wrong
him and myself both"
"Then You will have yourself looked
upon as one who can be struck with i'm
punity ?"
a quick flash passed over the young
mans face as the captain thus spoke
but he was soon calm.
81 mean, sir" he returned, ''to give
no one occasion to strike me !; yet Bunk
ton struck me, but you can see that he
already suffers more than do"
Bunkton gave Caleb the lie, and again
tried to urge him into fight, but the
captain interfered, and quiet was re-
stored.
From that time Caleb Baker was
looked upon by the crew as a cOwar /.
At first they taunted him, but his uni
form kindness soon put stop to these
outward manifestations, and the feel
ingS of the crew were expressed by their
looks. BunktOn took every occasion he
Il h.,
he had taken his oath that he would
''have Il fight out of the coward, yet
The rest or the crew might have let the
matter pass, had not Bunkton's contin-
ued behavior kept alive the idea of Ba-
ker'S cowardice.
None save himself knew the great
struggles that went on in the young
mans bosom; but he resolved that he
would not fight, except in actual and
necessary self-defence, and he adhered
to his principle. He performed his du-
ties faithfully, and Captain Jacobs was
forced to admit that, though Baker was
IL coward, he was yet a good sailor.
Thus matters passed until the ship
had doubled the Cape of Good Hope
and entered the Indian Ocean. 1t was
towards the close of IA day that had been
sultry and oppressive, that ftful
breeze sprang up from the southward.
1t came in quick, cool gusts, and the
broad canvass only tapped before it.
1--WE are likely to have Il blow soon,"
remarked the mate.
Not much, | think" returned the
captain, as he took a survey of the hori-
zon. This splitting will soon die away,
and think the wind will then come out
from the west'rd. However. it NAV be
well enough to shorten sail. You may
take t'gallantS'lS and close reef the
topS'ls."
This order WAS quickly obeyed, and,
aS the captain had predicted, the spit
ting gusts died away, but there was no
wind came out of the westward. 1t grew
dark, but no wind had come. About
ten o'clock those who were on deck
were startled 10y il sudden darkening of
the stars, and they saw great, black
cloud rolling up over the southward.
1t soon hung over the ship like black
pail, and the men began to be frighten-
ed. The captain was called, but before
he came on deck there came crash as
though the very heavens had been rent
in sunder. The old ship trembled in
every joint, and Il huge ball of fire rolled
down the mainmast. Another and an
other crashing of the lightning came,
and at length the electric light began to
play about the ship in wild, fantastic
streams.
"The foremast is struck ~ shouted
one of the men. 'See where its head is
shivered y
All eyes were turned to the spot, and
10y the next wild flash the men could
see that il dangerous havoc had been
made with the mainmast. The cap was
shivered, the starboard cheek was near
ly stripped off, and the trestletrees were
quivering. Of course the heavy tOpmast
was only held in its place by the dubi-
Gus trestletrees, and the main-top
Threatened every instant to come thun-
dering upon the deck, with the long top
mast and topgallantmast in its compa-
ny. Such IL catastrophe would surely
prove fatal to the ship, and all knew it,
But while all hands were gazing at
this, another danger arose. The low,
rumbling sound that had been growing
in the southward had escaped the notice
of the crew, and ere they knew it the
rushing, bowling wind was upon them,
The ship leaped like frightened stag
before the gale. The mate cut the main
topsail sheets, and the sail was snapped
into ribbons. The toretopsail was clew-
ed up, and the ship was got before the
wind.
The lightning cloud was swept away,
and it was dark as Erebus. The wind
howled fearfully, but there was one
sound more fearful than that. 1t was
the creaking of the shattered trestle-
trees, as the tid of the topmast bore
do, thn,,,