The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-05-26

mean the scraping of their hoofs upon the
deck and their moaning kind Of below
ing. 1t was bad enough to hear these
sounds in the daytime in ones watch be-
low, but in the night, when everything
was quiet, could hardly endure them
sometimes. 1t seems a queer confession
for a sailor man to make, for when Jack
turns in, he is always supposed to fall
asleep. But really the sea doesn't alter
people, as landsmen, and more especially
long shore writer's, like to make out
and in respect of being disturbed and
worried by the sounds made by the cat
tie, | was no better than had | been
passenger, only, perhaps, may have
gone a little further than some passen-
gers would, by putting meaning into
the believing that went on on deck which
kept bothering me with all sorts of fan
cies about the poor beasts. There were
others like me in that vessel The chieI
engineer told me he would lie awake lis
tening to the moaning Of the cattle until
he could almost put the sounds into
words. Although the sea was smooth,
there was an ocean swell on, and every
heave of the ship, especially in the dark
nights scared some Of the animals, and
| they would raise a short, quiyering bel
low, and then here and there you'd hear
a furious scut1ing of feet Just as if num-
Der of men were engaged in a desperate
fight. This scuttilng found usually came
rough an ANIMAL that had lain down
trying to get up. Every pen held four
beasts, as | have said there might be
room for one to lie down, but when the
swell took the ship the other animals
would fetch away, strike the PROSTATE
bullock with their hoofs and trampe
upon it. This terrified the animal and
made it mad to get up, and the croWding
Of the others upon it would cause the
furious scuttling | speak Of In my opn-
ion. SIT, humanity can never be satisfied
until every animal has pen of its own,
with plenty OF room to lie down, and men
instead of brutcs to tend it. have seen
our skipper black as thunder when the
| fellows who had to look after the cattle
were at work among Them and | know
that some OF the crew had hard work TO
| keep their hands off the Wretches when
they were knocking the animals about, SO
as to get them into some kind Of trim in
the pens. But, the fact is, no one but
the shipper has any interest in the live
| freight coming safely to land, Yet have
heard it said that some shippers get
premium on every head Of cattle they
safely land. This may be: but the only
interest take it, that most persons en-
gagged in the traffic have is their feelings
as human beings. no doubt the longer
they go on trading in cattle. the smaller
their feelings grow. But Il man fresh to
this business must have a heart as cruel
/ i1,;l L.,
along the lines of cattle upon ships
deck IN tossing sea, and watch the
qulNerlng of their limbs, and the fright in
then large staring eyes. and hear the
sudden means and bellows which break
| forth like cries of agony, and mark how
swiftly the sides of the creatures rise and
fall, and how their breath shoots out in
putts OF steam from their n0strilS as they
endeaYor to get good gripot the slOping
deck.
on the evening of the third day after
leaving New lOrk the pleasant south
westerly breeze failed us, and shortly at-
ter it had fallen dark a few putfs came
down out OF the southeast. 1t grew in
tensely cold all on sudden remem-
Der, and, from the look OF the Sky over
head, some Of us made up our minds t0l
white caps and narrow horizon. ! came
on deck at eight o'clock; there was not
much wind lust then, though as we were
steaming head on into what there was.
the rushing of the wind amid the invisible
spars alolt sounded like a stout breeze
There was a good deal Of phosphorus in
the water that night, and recollcct tax
ing notice that Our wake looked like 4
| band of green fire lighting up the black
nesS-tOr nothing could be seen OF the sea
it WAS one great shadow, like the sky.
Now and again, when the furnaces were
| ted, the sparks would stream away
astern, as though whole ocean of stars
We're rushing headlong from their places
in the sky; but the ship was as black as
the sea, excepting here and there, where
a bull's-eyc tWinkled in the deck like a
worm, OF where the side lights forward
threw haze upon the air. can't recall
having been more impressed by any night
| had ever spent at sea than was on that
occasion Somehow or other the lowing
OF the cattle-I prefer to call it the sharp.
startled believing Of them as though
they shouted to one anOthcr-made the
mut1led humping of the engines and the
Kissing OF the passing foam and the
Whistlmg of the wind in the rigging
strange and unusual sounds in my ears
Long before two bells the breeze was
blowing heavily on our starboard bow,
and bringing Il hard and swinging sea
along with it. 1t is my belief that, could
we have used our eyes, we might have
seen heavier sea running than the force
| OF the wind could account for Big as
our ship was, she was plunging heavily
into it and her motion was made wild by
Il strong north-Westelly swell that was
running very nearly athwart the wind on
our port beam. You might cali it a com
pound motion, sir: for whilst the head
sea was cooking the ships nose high in
the air, the swell was boWing her down
to her covering board; and when her
stern was up she would topple on the
other side, SO that we had the benefit of
Il beam and a head sea all at one time
1t was hard for us men to keep our foot
ing, and ] may leave You to guess that
the cattle felt the tossing terribly. The
scraplng OF hOots was quite furious. The
violent movement was a new thing to
them, and | believe they were too
frightened to below. Anyway, | heard
no other sounds than that Of their hoois
but after a bit, observing a man with
lantern going along the gangway looking
at them, jumped down to see how the
poor brutes were getting on. 1t was a
strange sight, | can tell you, sir, to re-
mark their large dark eyes flashing in the
lamplght whole rows Of them-and to
watch them trying to balance their I'M
wieldy bodies by swaying to and fro with
the rolls OF the ship, while the muscles Of
their shoulders and launches stood out up
on their hides like knottedropes and long
streams of saliva hung from their jaws.
The attermost beasts were pretty dry,
but forward the ship was taking in water
over her torecastle and hurricane deck,
and the animals that way were stream
ing with the wet that drained through
the uncalIzed planks, till they shone in
the lan1crn li0lt like soaked tarnanlins