The Republican journal., 1882-07-27


made us squeegee it out directly. But
we all said among ourselves as how some
thin would come OF it, if he didn't haul
up the mud hook an somethin did come
Of it very soon.
81 shall never forgit that night. We
had finished supper and was all on deck
III the second dog watch there was no
wind yet an everything was quiet when
three bells went. An then we all re-
membered thatit was at three bells as the
norman had said their chapel was to be-
gin. But before we could speak a word
the water was alive. as if millions of fish
was playin' around, not jumpin' or splash
in, but seemin'ly Just below the surface
all alive an all atire. too, with the CLINT
o thousands o looking glasses tlashin' in
all directions. An it got more an more,
till bimeby in the middle watch we goes
and prays the skipper for heavens sake
TO shift the anchor, and he jumps on deck
With a oath in his mouth, when on a sud
dint he stops an shreks out, She's
adrtt -we'er lost
"A;.' sure she was. The critters had
knocked the bolt out O the shackle that
bent the anchor on to the cable, lust at
ter nor six miles an before he could
set to the wheel the breakers seemed to
come out Of the dark On our starboard
beam, an the ship struck on the rocks
with a crash that flung us all OFT our feet
and brought her top-hamper down about
us. IN in the breakers was the CLINT Of
the looking glasses, and some on EN- af-
forwards said they heard the ringing Of
church bells.
The spanker boom fell On the skip
ger and killed him on the spot The rest
on us managed to get on to the island ut
daylight, all but the steward him that
loaded the gun: Il big wave come up an
took him back Just as he reached the last
rock safely, an he never rose no more.
Nm tho You don't see no mermaids now,
you can ofen and ofTcn see the CLINT o
their lookin' glasses in the water on
stormy nights -tuzz -triz, some calls it,
but | know better | ought to know
somethin' about it. If hadn't knowed
somcthin' Of mermaids when was
wrecked in the South Seas, them island
ers would ha' eat
But, Fern" interpolated, putting
the conversational helm hard over to
steer clear Of this tropical Charyhdis,
"Why don't we see them now ?"
well, can tell You, ana there's not
many men alive as can. When You see.
Sir, You makes a half hitch an reeves the
end q the line through the blight, like
| this So"
From a suddenly assumed respectful
tone, and his catching up the end of the
torctopsail cleWline, which lay hard by
him, and manipulating it in illustration
Of bis wholly Irrelevant remark, | infer
red that the second officer, to whose
| watch | belonged, had hove within the
horizon Of Ferns solitary eye. We young
SterS We're not allowed To go forward
among the sailors except now and again
under the prctCAt Of learning knots and
| spices, SO became exceedingly engrOSs-
ed in the mysteries Of the boWIinc then
| III CNpfcation. may say, however, that
| this show of instruction on Ferns part
| was not designed 50 much to save me
from sharp reprimand, or to insure the
continued pleasure of my society, as to
account for the temporary disuse of the
| Scr0pcr Our contab was not interrupted
So dropping the rope, he again resumed ::
II were Shlpmate with the very man
as were the cause of it, an | got it from
| his own lips, hisself an no other We
was cruisin' in the West Indies, an tax !
I'M in stores atorc goin' south That was
in the BIuesitlis, tine bark rugged vessel
Of eight hundred tons: carrying fore and
main skysals, an had Il bic white 'urse
for q tigger head"
1.-The Bucephalus" | exclaimed, by
sudden inspiration. But bit my tongue
directly the word had slipped out, for the
old man had come to dead halt, and
slowly rolled his one eve round at me
with a baletul glare.
''Wot did | say 7" he demanded. Sc
Verely.
"All right, Fern, 60 on"
But Fern was not all right. and would
not 60 on. His finer feelings had been
hurt by the implied inaccuracy of his
classical pronunciation, and he took up
| the scrapcr tur moment with an offend
ed air. But another idea had struck him.
Have Non Got any more o'that baccy Y
| handed him the plug, and he wreak-
ed his vengeance on that to such an eX-
tent that the poor little remnant which
went back into my pocket was not bigger
|
| his cap, while the magnitude Of his fresh
quid rendered his voice lusciouslv indis-
tinct during the rest Of the narrative.
''Iakin' IN stores, we We're, here an
there, and was pretty near provisioned
in full; the last place we put into was
Granada, for sugar an rum. Didn't 60
into the bay, but anchored in the road
stead outside st. Georges. The casks of
rum came off in a lighter an we was
hosting 'cm in as fast as we could, for it
was close on sunset an no twilight there,
an we was to sail tie same night, as the
wind was fair. My mate. Josh Stevens,
was down in the lighter, helping the mig
gers to sling the casks 1t was lust dark
as we got the last one in the sling, but
somehow it slipped as we hoisted it over
the gunWale Of the boat and fell into the
sea with splash. Spirit casks was diff
terent things in those days to what they
is now bound with thick iron an built
of hard wood staves as heavy as iron, 50
down goes this ERE cask to the bottom
like a twenty four pun shot. If it had
been daylight, no doubt you might ha'
seen it lying there, for the water off era
nada's as clear as crystal I've seen the
ships anchor yin on the white sand faith
oms deep many a time; an you can look
down an see the coral an weeds CROWN
in trees an bushes, with bright -colored
fishes an sea-snakes a-tlyin' in an out
between 'em like birds, an all sorts O.
shells crawlm' about. But twas pitch
dark now, an you couldn't see the light
cr ON the top, much less the barrel at the
bottom. The skipper was standin' by
hurrling us up, when it went over. A
good man he were, but a tyrant when
his temper got out, an when he hears
his cask 90 splash, he went clean off his
head, an stamped an swore like mad
man. Josh Stevens cried out from below
that it Warn't his fault, but twas no good
Look here !" he yelled out, leaping on to
the rail toamin' and cursin' and holding
on 10y the backstays while he hung over,
look here, you (the gem of the gal
liant captains speech, picked out from
the elaborate setting profanity in which
it was enshrined consisted of the ,obser-
walton that the unfortunate Mr.. Stevens