News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-09-07
THE MIDDY'S YARN.
BY CLARK RUSSELL.

BY CLARK RUSSELL.
"Well, if you want to know what pu
it in my head to go to sea, I can't tel
you. / went to sea because / wantet
to be man and see life E; and I rattle
faneied should like to wear a uniform
too.
81 joined the ship in the East Indi
Docks. 1t was all confusion to me, ant
/ can't recollect much of what hap
pened at the start. Our berth was il
the tween decks, dark, narrow bit o
a room, full of hunks, with a slip o
table that travelled on stanchions, run
ming amldships. All the youngster
were there when went below, smoking
strong Cavendish tobacco, slowing thei
mattresses in their hunks, skylarkine
about, and using anything but polit.
words. They had all of them made on.
or two voyages before, and knew the
ropes, and they soon twigged me as 6
first yoyager, and cheered me up by
some pretty black pictures of the life
before me.
'Youngster,' cried one of them, why
don't you go down on all tours and wag
your tail? Don't you know you're a
dog? You must be a dog, or you
wouldn't go to sea. The seas only fit
life for dogs
Stop till he's slung aloft to scrape
down the mizzen-royal-mast in gale of
wind, said another; then he'll find out
why he's come to sea. Dye know where
the mizzen-royal-mast is kept slowed !?
Go and ask the skipper to light you
down into the lazarette, where you'll
find the butchers mate Smelling peas.
He has charge of the mizzen-mast, and
is the only man allowed to serve out
new dead-eyes when the ships figure
head goes adrift and stops the fellow at
the wheel from obeying orders
"However, all this was put on only
to impress me with an idea of their man
illness and what fine fellows they were.
Later on they turned out to be good
natured chaps enough.
"We towed down the river, and as
far as the Downs, and then went away
down Channel on our own hook. The
wind shifted and came on to blow, and !
q black night set In. It was my first |
night at sea, and I was in my bunk |
turned in, too sick to stand, when heard
a voice roaring down the hatch, All |
hands Dye hear the news? p never
thought they'd make me get up, but in
a few moments down comes one of the
midshipmen, with the water draining
from his oil-skins like a shower-bath,
and, seeing me lying quiet, dashes his
wet sou-wester in my face, and, laying
hold of my legs, hauls me clean out of
tine bunk. up with you T he bawled
it's all hands reef top-sails. Come,
bundle into your clothes, and bear a
hand The decks were rolling about
under me like a see-saw, and the mid
shipman, seeing that I could not keep
my feet, laid hold of me by the collar,
and hauled me on deck. 1t was pitch
dark, the rain driving along fit to blind
a fellow, the wind roaring aloft, all three
tep-sail halyards let go, and the canvas
banging in the darkness like great guns
going off, all the crew, and idlers as
well, singing ont at the ropes, and the
second mate in the waist and the chief
mate aft shouting at the top of their
voices. knew it wouldn't do to skulk,
and, sick as was, laid hold of a rope,
and began to haul along with the others.
But the third mate, spying me, roared
out my name, and told me to lay aft and
Jump aloft and help the other midship-
men to reef the mizzen-top- sail. 1t was
awful work to me, going aloft. It's bad
enough for youngster and beginner
on fine day but it's shame to drive
a greenhorn into the rigging for the first
time on black night, with the canvas
Jumping fit to knock an old hand off the
yard. But boys who go to sea mustn't
expect to meet with any consideration.
II the shippers gentleman they'll get
it, but a wise boy will never reckon
upon better treatment than being kicked
by his mates into learning his duty.
OF course, I'm speaking about the mer-
chant service don't know anything
about the navy. I believe the naval
midshipmen sneer at us merchant mid
dies, and reckon us to be mostly cads.
Well, don't mind their sneers, for one.
Until can meet a naval midshipman
who has sat on the Flemish horse and
helped to pass the lee earring of the
main-top-sa1 on a roaring black night,
with half a dozen of icebergs within a
couple of miles of his ship, I'll put up
with navy sneers.
Well, 1 couldn't tell you how [
managed to crawl aloft. 1 got into the
lee-shrouds, which were slack and up
and down, but stopped dead when 1
came to the mizzen-top, for 1 didn't
know how to get over it. Icouldn't see
the futtock-shrouds, and If had don't
think should have attempted them. l
through the lubber's hole, but
once in the top 1 was too i'll to go higher.
I sat down, dreadfully sick, and wished
myself dead. My cap had been blown
off mylhead, my boots were full of water,
and having no oil-skins on was soaked
to the skin by the rain.
"Here they found me when they
came off the yard, and an ordinary sea-
man, taking pity on me, showed my legs
the lubber's hole and helped
me on deck again. It's all very well
saying that this sort of thing is what
every boy must endure who goes to sea,
but don't you think it's enough to make
a fellow sick of sailorizing and want to
stop ashore when he finds himself on
dry ground? Marryat, indeed no sea-
story books ever put the real truth be-
fore chap. Can Marryat put the flavor
Of salt pork in your throat Can he
make you understand what being on
deck in foul weather for twelve hours at
4 stretch is, with the galley fire washed
put, nothing to drink but cold water, :
md nothing to eat but sea- biscuits,
which are always either too hard to bite
II too soft to swallow, with a damp
Junk to go to when the watch is called
t last? Can he make you realize what
vashing down means in bitter cold
FEATHER, cleaning the brasswork, wrest-
ing With sail as hard as iron when