Milford chronicle., 1883-07-06
OLD LIFE. .

OLD Ii Il Ii.
Old 'Life" Edwards, as 1 remember
him, was a iobbing cartman. presume
he had been christened Eliphalet; but
nobody ever called him by the full
name, and for aught I know, he may
have forgotten it himself He drove an
old nag, noted for most astonishing
concavity of the spine, which brought
his saddle deep down in valley. Such
a conformation was consistent with no
line of beauty. but it might have been
invaluable to a beginner practicing
equestrianism.
But it was not of the old horse that 1
proposed to speak; but of Life himself,
who had been a nautical adventurer in
his younger days. For the ancient
mariner, in our parts, if he has been no
favorite of fortune, and quit the sea as
poor as he began, gravitates as naturally
to the alternative Of fshing-boat or a
jobbing- cart as does the brokon-winded
pugilist to public-house.
Life told me the story himself, but I
will not attempt to give it in his
language, for I never admired his style,
nor do think my readers would. His
yarn had a great many knots in it. It
was interlarded with ''you knows" and
"dont you sees" until the result was
that at times the hearer didn't see or
know anything; and it became necessary
to begin back and clear away the fog
that enveloped his statements, even as it
did the old Sirius when Life deserted
her so suddenly. But I am anticipa-
ting.
Itwas in the year ''ninety-nine, " ae-
cOrding to Life's reckoning, when he,
then nineteen years of age, was a boat
steerer in the Sirius, on the Brazil
banks. Joe PinBham, who commanded
her, was not the most agreeable man in
the world to sail with; and Life found
his position on board anything but a
comfortable one. The routine of sub
ordinate's duty under such a skipper
was a continuous martyrdom, but our
hero saw no prospect of escape from it
until the cruise should be at an end.
The ship was fitted only for one season,
md Captain Pinkham did not intend to
lrop his anchor exceptin a home port.
But relief from thraldom arrived to him
n the most singular and unexpected
manner. The Sirius was lying to ON the
Banks, one thick, murky night, and. for
he avowed purpose of working up" the
the captain had ordered
hat they should take turns to patrol the
he "house" overhead, as a kind of
addition to the regular
ookout on the bows.
The house was simply a rude covering
# boards laid over the skids or boat
bearers, and extending nearly the whole
ength over tie quarterback. Life
to his nose in a monkey-iacket
nd rooted down to the eyes with a SOU
yester, mounted his post when his turn
anne at midnight, and fell into a me-
hanical movement fore-and-aft his beat. 4
t could not be called march; but it ]
'as only that unconsciously easy straddle '
nown only to the possessor of flexible
He was communing with i
is angry thoughts. and wishing him {
elf anywhere but ON board the Sirius. {
living no heed whatever to his lookout ]
uty, when he suddenly awakened to |
ense of his remissness by rushing /
ound of water, and an overshadowing d
oud darkened the air. He cried out c
1mething, he knew not what, but there il
as no time to do anything to avoid the n
collision. n
The strange ships iib-boom came in il
irectly over Life's head; a terrific snap o
ing and crashing followed; he felt the a
going from beneath his feet, il
I'd involuntarily clutched in the air
1oye his head The boards were torn Il
ON under him, and the next moment I
= swung out into the void, still hanging c,
/ by the strangers jib-martingale-stay, o.
nong the wreck Of her head-gear The b
70 vessels we're clear Of each other, Ia
d, unable to drop back to his own, he tc
ID no resource but to climb up and m
cure his footing on the other. By the 10
ne he had succeeded in doing this, the pl
RUS had vanished into ilnpenetrable to
st and darkness. in
the stranger, who was run w
ng free, was under no great head-way, or
ere being more swell than wind at the Of
oment of the collision. Hence, no
rious damage was done To the hull Of of
her vessel, and they had separated at 60
e first recoil. Thankful at having es- Of
ped with his life q do not mean his Of
mel, the young fellow scrambled err
rough the snarl of wreck, upon the of