Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1879-01-09
"We gifts alongside and hysts u

I
man afore the mast, of course new
canvas wer'n't to be allowed. Jack
havin' good set of dunnage onto
him, me and Bill allowed as it wer'n'
no use sacrifcin' that, and we takes
it off, pgreein' for to divide it fair,
takin' his boots and trousers, and
Bill the balance. AS Bill were a
takin' off his undershirt, he says to
me, as he were a fumblin' around
ia ks breast. He aint been dead
long, Tom, nOhow, cause he's warm
yet
The devil he is, says I. May
be he amt dead, and | puts my hand
over his heart and thought 1 felt a
slight beatin.'
This here won't do, BiIl'' says
L; we must have the doctor see hIm.'
"'Don't you think he's dead
enough says Bill, with a peculiar
look at Inc, as l understood had ref
erenct to the dunnage we'd divided;
but wouldn't have it at no price.
and [ says to Bill, Il couldn't do it,
my lad, much as [ want the clothes
for which honest conduct IN sure
Bill thanked me afterwards, for he
we're II decent chap and only list
yielded to a sudden temptation.'
"Well, | goes aft and reports to the
mate. We think as how Jack amt
dead, sir, says |.
'FIndlesticks,' says he-being a
religious man, he didn't go furd,.r
than that-'tidhlestlcks, says he, he
must he dead;' but he passes the
| word for the doctor, and he comes
and puts his ear down onto Jacks
breast for awhile, and then he says:
Hes alive, sure enough and he
OF ders him put into the forecastle and
sinothers up with bIankits and rub
bed with spirits and what not, he
workin' away at him all night, assist
ed hy TWO of the chaps rs was Civ to
him for that purpose. and by molnin'
they had Jack a-bre Athin' away like
Il porpuS
"By the next day Jack were able
to talk, but the funny part of it were
that he didn't remember anythin' as
had happened to him, or where he
were, or anylhin' OF the previous pas
sage. There were another funny
thing he were only alive in his upper
works, his lower parts bein' dead as
mutton. He couldn't move his legs,
and didn't have no ieelin' into 'em;
you could stick sail needle into 'em
and he wouldn't feel it, nor would
any blood flow from the place when
the needle were pulled out. That
weren't all. He be To know every
thin as were goin' on all over the
ship, end him layin' in his bunk in
the furecastle. The fust We knOwed
of this was one night when Tom
Fields come for ard from the wheel,
and one of the chaps says: 'How's
she been goln':' and up speaks
Jack from his bunk, and says he:
We'll, she cCme up at times to west
sou west, and then agin she falls off
To about sou west, ha,f west
How the devil do you know
says Tom; but Jack couldn't tell,
only he says, sam Walker as reliev-
ed you is Il steerin' awful bad trick
she aint by the wind within two
p'ints-'
well, when we heerd that, we
begin for to git skeered of Jack,
/ cause you see there weren't no way
short OF deviltry. as he could have
kuow'd rs Sam Walker had relieved
Tom Ficlls, and we goes aft to the
nate and tells him As we didn't half
like it. 1t aint Jack at all, in my
idees, says JOckery Short, Il chap rs
had read IA good deal aud had iarn-
in it's his spirit The mate he
allowed that were all ronsense; but
takin' look a: the compass he comes
ard and says h.: 'Hcw's her
head now, Jack?' Sou west by
west, half west says Jack, right off.
" You're a half pint out OF the
way says the mate; she's headin'
! west-sou' west
"She were," says Jack, when you
looked into the compass, but Sam has
let her go off Il halt a pint since
I'm real sorry for to tell you, Mr..
Mack says Jack, continuing the
same conversation, that your father
has jist dic'l
"Wcli, to say as the mate were
flabber-gasted, is jist to put it mildly
HIS father were in Yarmouth, Eng
land, you see, and how the deuce
Jack could have know'd as he Were
dead were somethin' as the mate
couldn't mike head nor tail on. He
wouldn't have believed it neither if
Jack hadn't have been so right onto
| other matters.
''Well, the mate reports it to the
old man and he got skeered, think
i'll that the mate weren't all right
alOft /; hOws' ever, he comes for'arc,
and says he, jlst to hhmor the mate.
Jack, as it's said you know every
| thing tell me what detained the
| Columbus?
'''She were scuddin,' says Jack
without the least hesitation. lin q
hard gale of wind from nor'west un-
pGi GhitC SpoN-ICCiGu lOp ottiS hIu u
reefed foresail, and there were devil
of sea on, and she got popped by
sea which took the mizzenmast out
of her and played the devil fore aud
aft. The captain and second mate
was washed overheard along with
two Of the crew. but one of 'em got
aboard agin, and the rest was lost. ;
-Weere are she now?' says the
j old man..
"'Jist goin' in by Hollyhead, ;
says Jack, but you'd better git along
aft, SIR says Jack, 'for that damned
Niger steward Of yourn is into your
room II hookin' your brandy and
the old man, jist to try Jack, rushed
aft, and sure enough caught the mig
ger jist comm out of his room.
i "Well, we weren't goin' for to
stay into no forecastle with spirit,
aud We know'd by this that Jack
were me, cause there he laid day af-
ter day and didn't eat nothin' and
wouldn't even take grog when it were
offered to him, and no live sailer ever
| r,afnsad thst ne wa all know'd and