West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-02-15

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
manifested feelings of resentment.
do the best ! can, and | 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 adj.
dressed 10 the mate Mr.. Russell.
can I You preserve better order among
your menT'
Il am no rascal said johnson.
throwing down the rope which he had
been trying To splice, and confronting
the captain
Several of the crew-Mauley among
them-were standing near johnson AT
the moment, and all but Mauley turned
pale. The latter looked steadily at the
captain.
g You, too suppose" " said the cap
tam, between his teeth and with a
countenance turning pale and red by
turns.
Mauley fell back, but johnson smiled
contemptuously at the captains boiling
wrath.
Have you not heard" said the lat
ter TO johnson, that only few months
before you came on board ] triced n
hand up in the rigging and gave him
two dozen lashes for only looking at me
as YOU are doing now2"
Never heard of il till now" an
swered Johnson, COMPRISING his lips
and shaking his head. "Irs a useful
piece OF information"
he mans fool, =" said the captain.
turning away. "Mr. Russell, put him
i'm irons, and feed him on bread and
water for the present"
johnson submitted quietly To be hand
cufied, 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 ante
cedents. He told them that he fell
down from Jupiter at the same time
with the great goddess Diana of the
Ephesians.
1" He's crazy" said the mates to each
other.
Soon after, | limited 10 him that |
/
had seen one evening, i'm far different
rig, among the hills in the rear of Val
paraiso.
" What if you did? You don't know
my name, | 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
spike for some triHing ofIense.
Captain Bunker, you'll be sorry for
that" remarked Johnson, who was
standing near at the time
I'll serve you the same way, you
with flashing eyes.
But he didn't He ordered the mates
to put johnson in irons again, and to
diet him as before.
We reached Nantucket, and anchored
outside tire bar on fine afternoon i'm
July. The anchor was scarcely down
when the owner OF the Endymion
stepped on board. Seeing johnson sit
ting on the windlass, the merchant gave
an exclamation Of surprise, rushed to-
ward him, and, grasping his manacled
hand, cried:
Why, Edward, my son, what does
this mean"
60, this is triGc, father" replied
the son of the owner (known among us
by the name of Johnson); this is
nothing compared with knocking men
down with handspikes, triciDg them up
in the rigging and hogging them for
looking at the captain, with many other
pleasant performances of like nature"
" Is it true, then, what have heard, ="
said the merchant, turning 10 the cap
tain, who was at his side, and seemed
bewildered by what he had seen and
heard; "is it true, Captain Bunker,
that you are cruel tyrant toward your
crew?'
"I-I-I didn't know that this young
gentleman was your son, sir" STAN
mered the captain, as he FASTENED TO
knock the irons from the wrists Of the
young man.
" He did not intend that you should
know it," replied the owner; you
know, presume, that a son Of mine had
been several years with merchant in
Valparaiso. This is he when the
time came for him TO return, ] proposed
70 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 investigate the facts.
My son tells me that the sailors under
your command had just cause Of com
plant"
Captain Bunker murmured something
about the necessity Of maintaining dis
cipline on board ship; but il was OBJ
served that the next time the Endymion
put to sea she had a new captain.
lF there is a Providence that tempers
the wind to the shOrn lamb, there Is no