New-York tribune., 1880-06-13
GARFIELD as 4 SIILOR.
Ernm rhc OIcrcInnd Lcnder.

From The Cicpelqnd Leader.
At this early period the books when the young
General mostly read were tales of the sra. These
were the only stories that could he easily obtained
The General SAYS that he most vivIdly remembers
the Pirates Own Book" and the impression which
il made lived with HIM for years. lie dreamed OF
an impossbe career on the ocoan At the age OF
sixteen no took the job of chOpping twenty-G five
cords of wood for man IN the township OF New New
facing the north, he could see the slaty blue OF the
Erie and he imagined 1t was the ocean. and his
craze for the sea increased iInHHrhV ms "ood-
choppHg, be engaged to assist Mr. treat through
haying and harvesting. anu with his earnings ~
his pocket announced to his mother that lac could
no longer restrain his desire Tor the LIE on the wave,
and TINT he had decided TO Immediately depart.
Amid PRAYERS aud fOTcbodinga she bade him good
bye. and he found his way on foot to Clevcland.
Seeking tho harbur, he boarded the only snip That
Law In port and inquired for the captain. His ideas
of n captain were formed from the stories he mad
read and he imagined q daslng brave and gallant
gentleman-Capable, when tho occasion required,
of performing DIES pcTato deeds but disposed To be,
as n general thing, generous TO failing. 10 the
yOutlPs question a hand replied that the captain
would soon come up from the hold The prophecy
proved true. First he was heard, then seen clear
Ing his way, with vOllcy after vOley Of oaths. The
bashful youth gently approached and diff
IDENTIFY asked if he wanted a hand. An in
creased food Of oaths, turned wholly In his direc
ton, was the only answer received suppressed
litter came from the men. aud the coming General
retired IN confusion. Walking about tho docks
and looking at the scanty indications OF commerce
at that early day. he began 20 collect his thoughts
ocean, so was the canal To tho lake. and his failure
In securing situation arose from the fact that be
was not sufficiently posted In the ways Of sailors.
TO the canal he would 20 and learn. Flo went and
obtained the position of driver Oh the first canal
boat to which he applied
His disposition and capacity 10 learn were snch
that at the end of the first round trip no was pro-
moted from driver to bOwsman. He stcercd instead
of driving
The General says that. by actual count. during
his first trip as bOwsman, he fell into tho canal
fourteen times TLis was serious The malaria Of
the canal region would III all probability have taken
hold Of his system IN duo time anyhow, bnt this
helped il. lio could not swim stroke, aud came
very near drowning several times. At length he
fOundered in for the fourteenth time, md IN his
efforts to save hmself luckily caught hold of the
dTagrope of the boat. Hand over hand 10 gave
out. ana his hope became small. Finally the rope
held and he pulled himself on board. Ever phlO-
sophlcal he examined tho rope and found that IT
had curlOusly enough drawn itself into n crack and
knotted. He concluded that thero was not more
than one chance in n thousand Of rope thus knot
ting itself, mud he Thought II was significant inct,
Az he sat there wet III the cold OF the night his mind
wandered TO his mother, and lie remembered that
he had not told her of his whereabouts, and
sbo imagined that ho was upon the lake
He decided TO return to her at the end of
that trip and rest and recruit for time. This rcSO
luton was kent Arriving IN tho vicinity of thor
humble home at night he quickly approached the
door and heard his mother IN prayer Sho prayed
for the safe return Of tho wandering son. At the
close he softly opened the door, and the prayer
ansWcrcd. Then for the first time did he fully COM
prehend that his departure had crushed her.
Following this ho was for SIX months prostratcd
with the aRuc cake in his side. The mother watched
over him witt constant care during all the terrible
days of suffering which only his iron constitution
permitted him to weather. lie was still determined
TO return to the canal and thence to the lake and
ocean. His mother well knew that any opposition
would be useless, she argued that he had better
attend school for u time, when hc was abln and
thus fit himself TO teach school during the Winter
months when hC could not sail. lie began tho life
OF "A scholar at tho old Grauga Seminary IN Chester
and from there went 10 Hiram and Williams.