Connecticut western news., 1880-07-21
MY OLD CAPTAIN.
The True Story of a New England Sea
 Captain is told by Kennebecker.

Let us take the "Doldrum," I made so many voyages to the Indies in. Deep loaded with tin, pepper, coffee, nutmegs and other spices. She is all under water, bulwarks washed away, galley stove to pieces, sails blowing away, rigging part ing. What do we care for that? With such captain, as long as there is plank left, we feel secure. I can see him come on deck and with one glance aloft take in everything. He carries 8 bucket to the deck tub, pours the briny ocean over himself, and that is his bath. He wants to tack, and almost hauls the mainyard around himself. Sometimes the ship is scudding and he takes the wheel and steers for hours, while he gives his orders in a voice that can be heard distinctly above the tempest all over the ship. One time we had another captain whose ship was sold abroad, as passen- ger. We were running off the Cape in a tremendous sea, and the blue water was rolling over us fore and aft. My old captain went and fastened the cabin up. No one could get in or out. It was to keep the water out. The passenger was very much alarmed. But it pleased my old captain more than anything ever knew to please him before. With deep aspirated hah that rumbled away down in his boots, and something between 8 grin and 8 sheer, he said, "That old Cap'n was frightened" Sometimes 8 lot of sailors would be hauling on rope and could not gain on it, when he would put his long arms up before them and the whole lot would go tumbling on deck with the slack rope after one of his pulls. That was one way he had of play ing a practical joke; he never would speak or smile over it.
 Another one of his jokes would be in hailing a ship in the night. Some stranger ship would range up alongside, and in answer to his inquiries, "What ship is that, where from and where bound ?" he would roar out to him, "the clipper, John Sand, from Calcutta for London" although it was the Doldrum, from Penang for Boston. This does not strike the reader as exactly square, but in those days owners and captains con- cealed their movements all they possibly could, because the cargoes in their ships were their own property and they did not care to have it known what market they would be put upon. For this reason the Doldrum, as long as was in her, never cleared from Boston for any port direct. It was always for "East Indies." The Indiamen often refused to carry letters for others unless they were openl The best amusement in Singapore, for me, W as to notice two captains in the same trade trying to find out what the other was doing, and each trying to throw the other off his guard, although the best of friends. But to return. Oftentimes, when lot of sail ors were huddled together and rope yarn was wanted, it would be, "Jack, fetch rope yarn; run quick, now!'-- when my captain would happen along and haul one out of his short jacket pocket.
 He knew thing or two. He always bought every pound of the ships cargo, and sometimes it was very valuable, up in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. But it always paid "cent per cent. |" That was proof enough of his ability as merchant. One time we had an old Irish second mate, who thought he would tell my captain one forenoon it was seven bells (time to take the sun). "What are you going to do about il? ?'' grated out from between his teeth. "Oh," said Pat, devil-may care sort of a fellow, "I ain't going to do any thing about it if you ain't l" He never answered him that way again. He was no child to fool with. He was the stuff they made captains of. Sometimes he would back that ship stern foremost a mile, just by the management of his yards, when he Lad no room to swing her round. He got her ashore in the mud on the coast of Sumatra one dark night through the fault of the man heaving the lead; but he did not mind it much, he made all sail, lit his cigar and sat down on the transom. When told that heavy, black squall was coming off the land, he said, good it will back her off, and it did. That was captain worth going with.
 They said he thought too much of his money. How often we pass judgment upon people without knowing anything about their motives. It was something he never told, but I found it out. He began his life at sea poor boy, no edu- cation to speak of, no money, no father. His mother and sisters poor, the old place mortgaged. It was the old, old story. How he denied himself; how he made his own clothes, long after he got to be mate how he saw his hard-earned pittance go every quarter to pay the in. terest on the mortgage; how he strug- gled with his fate, deprived himself even of the society of his home and hurried right off to sea again after each long voyage; how he taught himself the les. sons so necessary in his future calling
 how he bore aud forbore till success crowned his efforts; is the story so many men could tell. When at last his mother left him with Gods blessing on her lips
 and the place was paid for, and the fami
 ly able to take care of themselves, the1 prosperity began to come. But his early
 habits of frugality were so ground into
 into his nature that prosperity was yer.
 little, so far as he was concerned.
 I am rather proud of such men.
 wish we had more of them, and it was