The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-30
CAPTAIN COLES PASSENGER.
BY JAMES PAYN.

Every one who uses the great stea
ferry between Liverpool and New 70,
knows Captain Cole of the Cunard lin,
don't say anything about his seaman
ship, because know nothing about il
but he is said to be the very best of III
commanders of that company, whic
boasts of never having LOST ship nc
a passenger-during the many years
has ploughed the Atlantic. My ow
acquaintance with him has been solcl
Oh shore; because when at sea | a,
never in condition TO make acquain
ance with anybody. There are som
folks that tell you seasickness "goe
off, after certain number of days.
can only say that should like to kno,
the number. 1t has never "gone off
with me during even the longest voy
age between this country and the Uni
ted states or ftce Cersd. Perhaps i
would ego OFF, if extended my travel
to South America, but my impression
is that | should go of first. Nat1r
herself seems to have set bounds, in IN,
case, to the wish TO range. If / hat
be m born on the Continent, [ nigh
have been great traveller; but being
| insular, no desire for foreign travel evcl
stirs within me. NY bark is on the
shore, and never goes beyond it, if cal
help It. l can sit on pier (if it is not
one of those chain piers which swing)
and watch the ripple of the wave with
much satisfaction; but not all the
Establishments of the boatmen in Great
Britain would induce me to embark
upon it for pleasure.
OF all poems, Byron's "Address to
the Ocean" is my tavorite, because (un-
der pretence OF friendship he shows
what a monster it IS. "The wrecks are
all thy deed"-a strongish expression to
use, at time when French ships of bat
tie were sunk by scores by the English
guns, but like him all the better for
it. ga thousand fleets sweep over thee
in vain," which, though not quite cor
rect statement, is eminently true as re-
CARDS seasickncss. You may try any
number of vessels, and all kinds Of
them, but to that complexion of sea-
green, with black about the eves) Won
come at last, with which you started.
L hate the sea. For certain reasons
however, | am compelled periodically
to cross the Atlantic, and on the first
occasion | had letter of Introduction
to good Captain Cole. We shook hands;
the screw began to move, and rushed
to my cabin, where remained through
out the voyage. | believe he came TO
see me very often in my misery. "Vis-
iting the sick' at sea is much more
unpleasant thing than on shore, remcm-
Der, but didn't know and didu't care.
| saw him--to know him again--at New
York; and in short, though on board
his ship he might have been its ruddcr.
for all saw of him, we met on shore
both in the New and Old World pretty
He knew Charles Dickens,
and, being himself genial fellow, was
much attached to him, but
ne could never forgive him what he has
written of the dangers (from fire) OF a
steamers chimney at sea. 1t was the
,nly part of the great novelist's writ
ngs that seemed to come under his no.
ice (indeed, the gallant captain never
'ead anything but his own log and the
points of the compass), and this caused
lin to form an unfavorable view of him
Is an author. "No, sir" he would say,
when | would endeavor to combat this |
dea; che was great man, noble, |
generous, fine-hearted creature, but as
/ writer he was nowhere-like what |
'ou are," he would say, with wink of |
he eye and roll of his head, "when |
'ou're aboard ship" In spite of which |
of literary opinion, the
,aptain and l grew to be fast friends.
He entertained a colossal contempt |
or the land and all belonging to it lex
,ept his fellow crertures) which amused |
ne vastly; but especially for its modes |
If locomotion. Cabs. coaches, and ON |
libuses were all in his eyes senseless |
md dangerous; and as to getting |
lstride horse, / don't believe any sum
would have induced him to attempt it.
He had a certain respect, however, for
IN express train, or rather for the ell
zine of it, which flying through storm
ind sleet from starting-point to termi-
lus, reminded him perhaps of his own
gallant ship.
AS we had hardly thought or a topic
II common, 1t was natural that our So
,ial intercourse took narrative shape.
told him stories, (Which as he had
lever read anything, had the merit of
lovelty), and he reciprocated with
yarns. was foolish enough at first to
suggest channel for his recollections-|
of the records of which, as
4 thoroughgoing landsman, was natu-
rally fond. "Sir," he said, drawing
himself up, and getting very red in the
face, ''you forget that you are talking
10 captain of a Cunarder. What the
There he inserted sea-termI do ace
know about shipwrecks? "However,"
he added, more benignly, "there was
one occasion when | confess thought
the spell of our company's good fortune
was about to be broken, and that |
should be the critter to do it.
at was six years ago or so, and in
the summer time, that the ship was
making her voyage out, and very good
voyage. The whole way the sea had
been like duck-pond."
Here shook my head incredulously.
l had seen the Atlantic in the condition
to-and felt it.
"Wcll," ! should not perhaps have
said the whole way he admitted, with
a smile, "for when we were about one
hundred miles from land we met with a
breeze of wind"
The captain always talked of ga
breeze of wind' Just as some shore folks
talk Qhough with less tautology, for
sherry is not always wine) of ga glass
of sherry wine."
81 remember the breeze, because we
picked up little sailing boat with only
one man in her, very short of provis-
ions, who had been blown ont 10 sea,
and whom we took on board. About
balf an hour after the incident Twas in
formed that ono of the passengers
wished TO speak with me in private
upon very important matter. Ac-
cordingly he came to me in my cabin, a
little thin, wizcned man looking like a
tailor, whom had hardly noticed as
being Oil board; indeed, he was insig-
nificant enough in every way save for
the expression of his face, which cer-
tainly exhibited the most intense anx-
iety aud distress of mind. OF course ]
thought he had been drinking, and ia
fact was on the verge of the jumps,
which is what the Yankees term deliri-
unl tremeRS. sSp .....t
"'Well, my anan, what isit?' said
severely; I'VE shall soon sight land;