The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1883-10-06
BOUND TO Be A SAILOR.
BY RALPH ROYAL.

What induced me to go to sea car
but dimly remember. 1t is so many
years ago. and my first voyage was also
my last.
Probably it WIS somewhat lively in
aginatlon fos,ered bya course of reading,
beginning with Robinson Crusoe, u
hence meandering through various
shades of yellow-covered literature and
winding up rather abruptly with Gap
ain Kidd" which latter volume, my
highly indignant father Heaven rest his
oul-snatched from my hand inst as l
had reached most thrilling episode and
tremated before my very eyes.
However, the mischief was done, and
sundry dead cats found hanging sus-
pended from the rafters in the garret BY
ropes around their neck testified to the
bloodthlrsty thoughts that ran riot in
NY brains.
] WAS dispatched to college, but after u
couple Of years stay there, was ignomini
Du>ly expelled for conspiring against the
aculty, melting seiition and rebt lion
among my iellow-students, and setting
up rivl government of which 1 was
the chief, aud, as the fir,t executive act
of my short reign, ,condemniug my worthy
p isor of Greek to death at the block
being thus sent home in disgrace, my
fl her began to despair of ever making OF
me, his only child, au honorable member
of society, and successor in the tape and
measurement business In which he had
accumulated fortune.
As last desperate resort our family
physician, who, by the way was home
opathist, advised him to send me to sen
in search Of pirates-on the well known
principle of curing like by like, and ]
may as well here remark that the remedy
was a most t # ctual one.
However, was at that time in blissful
ignorance of the reason of the wise ply
-ician's counsel, and my delight can be
imagined when one morniug my father
Informed me that he had secured for ME
the appointment of midshipman on the
schooner Nancy Bill, which was to set
sail the next day for the South Sea Is
lands on general trading cruise, cap
turing whatever pirates they convenient
ly came across on the voyage.
Obtaining from my father sum which
I deemed sufficient for my purpose, l.
not without some difficulty, purchased
an out-rig, including revolver, cutlasses,
short swords, etc and thus fully
equipped in a manner to strike terror, not
only to the soul of the most valiant cut
throat of the sea, but of everybody elso,
who must have looked upon me as some
escaped lunatic. / proudly strobe the
deck Of the vessel that was to be the
scene of my glorious exploits.
But why linger over the fond, fearful
parting from my par, nts; the unalloyed
bliss of the first days voyage out; the
utter misery of thesucceeding two weeks,
when l lay in my hammock, groaning
and writhing in all the agonies of sea-
sickness; the surprise that awaited me to
find, on my recovery, all my gay gar
ments, my pistols, weapons, powder and
ammunition gone, and in their stead a
pair of coarse white trowsers,a q blue navy
shirt, tTieze jacket, leather Delt and
tarpaulin, and pair of cow-hide boots,
in all of which was obliged to array
myself; the disgust that overspread my
countensnce when Informed by the cap
tain, into whose presence / was sum
moned, that we were not going in search
OF pirates, and in fact would keep out OF
their way as much as possible; that my
duty would chiefly consist in scrubbing
the d, cSs, wait ON him personally and
assist the sailors generally, to the best OF
my ability, and that the slightest show
of disobedience and insubordination on
my part would be met by summary and
condign punishment.
Groaned aloud in the anguish of my
soul, and inwardly wished that the ship,
with all it contained, myself Included,
was at the bottom of the sea; and no.
ticed with a sort of iendish joy, that our
crew were few in number. our weapons
of defense scarcely worth speaking of.
l hoped that some sanguinary pirate
would attack and capture the vessel.
make me his lieutenant, and put all the
others to death with the most horrible
toTtures.