The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-02-19
Davy Jones' Locker.

Inc phrase "Davy Jones' Locker" is
familiar to everybody, but its origin is not
so we'll known. The following is the
theory, as it runneth in the grimy
recesses of the 70 o'castle:
Once upon time there was captain,
and he was nautical Tartar. He thought
no more OF tricing up poor devil Of
tar and giving him a couple OF dozen
than he did of knocking man down be-
cause the wind was ahead, or his corns
bothered him, or any other good cause.
His mates were of the same kidney with
himself, and made it pretty warm for the
crew, or such of them as the captain had
not left ho1s de combat. Well, the ship
she was a whaler-came into port short
handed, half of the crew having deserted
at Madeira, and three Of them having
dled, whom the captain, who was chief
owner OF the vessel, also entered in the
log as deserters, for that gave HIM the
right to collar their wages and "klts.''
Then he shipped new crew, mostly
"Dagos and such trash, for no white
man would 60 with them, except one.
Welshman named Davy Jones, who didn't
see any other way of getting home to
Europe.
The ship was bound to Cardiff, and the
captain was anxious to make quick
passage; bat as 1t happened, the winds
We're against HIM, and he was three weeks
out before he passed the banks Of New
toundland, and this put HIM in precious
rage. He took it out Of the crew all he
could, but licking Dago was tame fun
for him, and he wanted to refresh him.
self with a taste of white blood, while,
as 1t happened, the only candidate on
board of that complexion was Jones,
whom he could never get fail excuse
for tricing up. Jones was such prompt,
obedient sailor that his captain fairly
hated the sigh: of him. At last, one
day, as Jones was takil g his turn at the
VIII :el, the captain came up, and gave an
order which couldn't be obeyed without
throwing her beam ends, and Jones mild
ly explained as much; whercupon the
captain put him IN irons tor mutiny.
That got the Welshman's hot blood up,
and he talked back. So the captain
had him up and went for his cat.
"Strip,'' says the captain, and "Ill be,
ETC.. if do,' says Jones' There was q
tusslc and fight, and the long and short
OF it was that the captain got the worst
of it. Then the captain gets up with
very bad look in his eyes, ''Bring out that
lubber's luggage;'' and they bring Davy's
box on deck. pitch out his CORY traps;"
and the sailors empty Jones' traps on
deck. "Scw HIM up in canvas sack
and put him in his CORY chest" says the
q QnfoIr orI Eoc 1,o
have to give the order twice. Poor Davy
Jones was thrust neck and crop into his
own chest. "Throw open that Ice gang
way" says the captain, and it was done.
"Pipc all hands to the funeral SERVICE"
says the captain; and all hands were
duly summoned, and he says 81 am going
to have funeral scrvice;'' and he slams
down the cover of the box and gives it
shove overheard. Jones hadn't said
word all this while except once, when he
says to the captain, in words which time
and the poetic atmosphere of the fo'castle
have crystalizcd into heroic couplet:
"Whle seas is salt and timbers float,
You'll never beat me into port"
Aud, sure enough, they never die; for,
no matter how the wind blew and the
sea rose, it was always head wind and
bad sea for the captain, and when the
gale was Gcrcest, and the seas running
mountains high, they used to see Davy
Jones sitting on the weather quarter of
his locker, to keep it trimmed, and a.
holding on to the Sheet of his canvas,
which he had hoisted as storm-sail, and
a-riding the waves as tree as a dory. And
it is fact, vouched for by scores of
truthful sailors, and confided to count
less marines, that whenever a vessel
crosses the Grand Banks, and the wealth
er is particularly bad, you can see by the
help of good glass, or glass and a
half, an old fashioned bark, riding in the
teeth of the gale with every sail set, but
without an inch of way on; and if you
look little to windward, and with the
eye of faith, you will see what looks like
coffin riding free On the pillows, and
never shipping sea, though the waves be
high enough to swamp Cunarder. Then
you will know that you have seen Davy
Jones and his locker, and if you be
wise man you will not want to gee any
more of HIM or it, for it will be time to
60 below.