The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-16
THE LAST CRUISE OF THE JUDAS
ISC4RIOE

That was an extraordinary name" said l.
'Strornary craft" replied the Captain. az
hn absorbed another inch and half OF mig
cerhead. I'm neither a profane man or
IN 'irrevcrend; but sink my jig II don't be-
love the sperrit OF Judas possessed thet
schooner. Hey. Ammi ?"
The young man addressed as Ammi was
seated upon mackerel barrel He deliber-
ately removed from his lips a black brierwood
and shook his head with great gravity.
THE Cspn" said Ammi. "is neither pro-
fame or an irreverend. What he says he
mostly knows; but when he sinks his jig he's
alters to be depended on"
Fortified with this neghborly estimate Of
character Captain Cram proceeded: You larf
at the idee of schooners soul2 Perhaps you
hsv sailed em forty odd year up and down this
here coast. an 'auainted yourself with their
dispositions an habits Of mind. Hey. Ammi 2"
THE Cap'n. explained the gentleman on the
msckerel key. "hez coasted an hoz fshed for
forty-six year. He's numbered and he's iced.
When the Cap'n sees ut for to talk about schoon-
ers he understands the subjeck."
MY friend" said the Captain. a schooner
has soul like human being, but considera-
bly, broader OF beam. whether for good or for
evil. amt a-gon' to deny tibet I prayed for
the Judas in Tuesday n Thursday evenin'
meetin' week AFTER week an month AFTER
month. I amt a-goin' to deny thet interested
Deacon Plympton in tho rastle for her re-
demption. 1t was no use, my friend; even the
Deacons powerful p'titions were clear waste"
Iventured to inquire in what manner this
vessel had manifested Its depravity. The mar
rative which heard was the story OF n demon
OF treachery with three masts and jibboom.
The Flying Sprite was the first three-master
ever built at Newaggen. and the last People
shook their heads over the experiment. No
good can come OF sech critter" they said.
It's contrary to natur Two masts is masts
enough" The Flying Sprite began its career
Of base improbity Mt tho very moment Of its
birth Instead of launching decenty into the
element for which It was designed the three
masted schooner slumpcd through the ways
into the mud and stuck there for three weeks.
causing great expense to the owners. of whom
Capt. Trumbul Cram was one to the extent of
an undivided third. The oracles OF NewaGgen
ware confirmed in their forebodings. Two
mns.s Is masts enough to sail the sea-" they
said; the third is the DEVILS hitchin' post"
On the first voyage OF he Flying Sprite Capt.
Cram started her for Philadelphia. loaded with
lea belonging to himself and Lawyer Swanton;
cargo uninsured. Ice was worth six dollars
ton in Philadelphia; this particular ice had
cost Capt. Cram and Lawyer swanton eighty
five cents a ton shipped. including sawdust.
They were happy over tho prospect. The Fly
ing Sprite cleared the port in beautiful shape.
and then suddenly and silently went to tho
bottom In Fiddlers Reach. in eleven feet OF
salt water. 1t required only six days to float
her and pump her out but owing to a certain
incompatibility between ice and salt water the
salvage consisted exclusively Of sawdust.
On her next trip the schooner carried a deck
load Of lumber from the st. Croix River. 1t
was In some sense q consecrated cargo for the
lumber was intended for new Baptist meet
ing house In Southern New Jersey II the
prayerful hopes OF the navigators combined
with the prayerful expectations Of the con-
siGnees had availed. this voyage. at least. would
have been successfully made But about sixty
miles southeast of Nantucket the Flying Sprite
encountered mild September gale. She ought
to have wsathered it with perfect ease. but she
behaved so abominably that the church timber
vas scattered over the surface OF tho Atlantic
Ocean from about latitude 40' Is to about ati-
tude 49, So. A month or two later she con-
trived to go on her beam ends under a gentle
land breeze. dumping lot OF extensively
carved granite from the Fox Island quarries
into deep hole in Long Island Sound. On the
very next trip she turned deliberately out OF
her cours SO In order to smash into the starboard
bow Of a Norwegian brig. and was consequent
ly libelled for heavy damages.
1t was after few experiences OF this sort
that Capt Cram erased the old name from the
schooner's storm and from her quarter and
substituted that Of Judas Iscariot. He could
discover no designation that EXPIRE ssed so we'll
his contsmptuous opinion OF her moral quail
ties. She seemed animate with tho spirit OF
purposeless malice. OF malignant perady. She
was a floating tub OF cussedness.
Board of nautical experts sat upon the
Judas Iscariot. but could find nothing the mat
ter with her. physically. The lines Of her hull
were AL right. she was properly planked and
cai,ed and calked, her spars We're Of good
Oregon pine, she was rugged taut and trust
worthy. and her canvas had been cut and
sitchsi by God-fearins sa!lmaker. Accord
ing TO all theory. she ought to nave been per-
foctly responsible as to her keel. In practice
she was frishttully cranky Sailing the Judas
1scarlot was like driving horse with more
vices than hairs in his tail. She always did the
unexpected thing except when bad behavior
was expected OF her on general principles. II
the idea was to luf she would invariably fall
OF; II To iibe. she would come round dead in
the wind and hang there like Mohammed's
coffin. Sending man to haul tho jib sheet to
windward was sending man on forlorn hope ::
the lib habitually picked up the venturesome
navigator. and, after shaking him viciously in
the air Tor second or two. tossed him over
board. 4 boom never crossed the deck without
breaking somebody's head. Start on whatever
course shc might. the schooner was certain
IN run before long into one Of three things.
namely some other vessel, a for bank. or tho
bottom. From the day on which she was
launched her scent for good sticky mud bot
tom was unerrlng. In the clcarest weather 70.
followed and enveoped her rs misfortune fol-
lows wckedness. Her presence on the Banks
was enough to drive every goldfish 10 the coast
of Ireland. The mackerel and porGles were al
ways where the Judas Iscarot was not. 1t was
impossible to crcumvent the schooners fixed
purposes to ruin everybody who chartered her
II chartered to carry deck load she spilled It ;
II loaded between docks, she Owed and spoiled
the cargo. She was like one OF the trick mules
which II they cannot otherwise dislodse the
rider. get down and roll over and over. In
short the Judas Iscarot was known from Mar
blehead to tho Bay OF Chaeur Ms the consume
mate schooneration of maloyolence turpitudc.
and treachery.
After commanding the Judas IscarIot for n 80
or six years. CAPT. Cram looked fully twenty