, 1880-01-26
The Scuttled Ship.
.Hatckeye.


Captain Job Payson. sailed from Bos-
ton for port in Turkey, laden with
cotton goods. She was new, taut lit
tie vessel, with plenty of storage room,
and had accommodations for two pas
sengers.
The crew consisted of the captain,
mate, four sailors, a black cook and a
cabin boy.
Captain Payson was a conscientious,
Just man, who treated his crew neither
to jokes nor grog, but who lodged and
fed them better than would five ont of
six of the masters sailing from New E1g-
land ports.
cod job" the mate, who was from
the west, used to say, he was "a hard
man, but one you could tie to, in fair
weather or foul"
His crew were picked naen, and, with
the exception Of Dan, the cabin boy,
had been with him for years. This was
Dams first voyage, and he felt tina tCap-
tain and crew eyed him with suspic ion.
He was on probation, and he felt that
not grain of favor would be allowed
him.
Dan was farm boy, who knew moth
ing of the world beyond the village in
which was his mothers church. Ship
board, the sea, Europe, Turkey, here
were bewildering ideas to burst at once
on his narrow experience, scarcely
wider than that of the house-dog sleep
ing at the barn-door.
Keep your eyes open and your
hands ready, to see the work of the
moment and to do it before the moment
is over," was his mothers last advice.
"For the rest, Daniel, ask the Lords
help. You'll find Him just as near you
in Turkey as in your own home here"
Dan, in the hurry and excitement of
getting under way, and of his new du1
ties, repeated this advice over and over
to himself. 1t seemed to keep his
mother near him. Several days after,
while he was carrying the dinner-dishes
into the cabin, he overheard the mate
''That boy is clipper enough for a
raw hand. captain ?"
aye grunted Captain Payson;
{" turns out better than I expected. /
took him for his mothers sake. Widow.
Old friend of mine"
Rather gentlemanly fellow, this
passenger % ventured the mate, finding
Captain Payson in an unusually talka
tive mood.
"He is gentleman, sir! One of the
Farnalls, Of Springfield. Ill-health.
Doctor prescribed long sea-voyage.
A gentleman and a scholar Mr..
Briggs !"
Dan, while waiting on the table at
dinner, could not help noticing the pas
senger. "Some of these days.
thought the true-born Yankee lad, "I
too, shall be gentleman and scholar y
Doctor Farnall was tall, lean man,
mustache, but with eyebrows and lashes
carefully dressed, with sandy hair and
almost white. His eyes, too, were
large and pale. They never met the
eyes of any other man fairly. Once,
when Dan happened to look at him, be
turned quickly away, and he glanced
furtively and suspiciously at the boy,
at times, during the rest of the meal.
Don't like him." thought Dan.
"Looks sneaking and tricky, and not
like gentleman"
But Dan, of course, kept his opinions
to himself. Even Job, the cook,
snubbed the "raw hand" and tolerated
no remarks from him.
Fortunately, the lad was not sea-sick.
He learned his new duties quickly
was alert, neat, and always good ma
tured. In the course of one week,
Captain Payson had twice grumbled
approval.
Dan worked harder than ever, and
between times, for recreation, when the
passenger was on deck he watched him.
Doctor Farnall talked fuently and
brilliantly. as even Dams uncultured
mind conld perceive. But his talk was
leveled far above the heads of either
the captain or Mr.. Briggs, who listened
with half fcomprehending admiration.
But there were days when the doctor
was absolutely silent, ate nothing, and
paced the deck wrapped in profoun d
gloom, his light eyes darting suspicious
glances from side to side.
On one of these days, Dan, going
down just ct twilight to find something
he had left in his bunk, saw tall fig
ure that he could not quite recognize,
with candle grouping about among
the chests of the sailors.
"Who's there ?" he shouted.
The man came quickly toward him.
The candle threw yellow glare over
his set face and staring eyes. 1t was
the passenger. He caught Dan by the
sleeve.
"Here. boy-what do they call you p
DAN"