The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-02-16
From the New York Daily Newsl
CATCHING A BOOTY,
BY EDGAR s. FARNSwORTH.

" not very poetical name of BOBBY.
These birds sometimes follow stip
several daysln succession, and frequent
ly ailght on the rigging, where they may
be easily taken by hand. They are q
large, black bird, and as>stupid as thew
are black-for they will most generally
allow themselves TO be caught rather
than fly away; and to this fact, l SUP
pose, they are indebted for their name,
At the time my story opens, / was be
fore the mast, In the good ship Caricoa,
bound up TO Acapulco. We were then
on the CHILEAN coast, and for several
days our youngsters had been having
fine sport catching boobies, which had
come aboard in great numbers, but that
afternoon they had sill disappeared.
After every thing had been made snu.
for the night, our men collected. as
usual, on The top esllant forecastie. to
smoke their pipes, and spin their yarns
to while away the time till eight bells.
Que of cur number had Just COM
menced as stretcher." when he was in
terrupted by one Joe Driseoll-said Joe,
by the way, WAS a great practical Joker,
and was always ready to play trick
upon shipmate, whenever an oppor.
tunitv offered.
'Hark! boys; | believe heara BOBBY
screeching!
We all listened attentiVely, and heard
sort OF screechiDg noise aloft, similar
20 that made by one of the aforesaid
boobies; nothing could be seen of one.
however. As the noise still continued,
approached the foremost, and after lis.
tenlng attentiyely for few moments, l
ascertaiDed that the noise was occasioned
by the starboard fore-topsail sheet graf,
ing IL the sheavehole, at the end OF the
foreyard. | reported the result Of my
investigation TO the men on the forecas
tie, and the man was about resumiug
his yarn when Joe Driscoll again
spoke.
81 tell you what, shipmates, If You'll
only keep mum, when the boy jim comes
from the wheel We'll have some fun. IN
make him think there's BOBBY aloft.
and he'll go right straight up after him;
when he gets up there, though, and
finds there's nobody there but himself,
won't he blow, though? It's as good as
months wages any time to hear jim
sputter when he gets little riled."
If Joe Driscoll could only have known
how the joke would IN the long run be
TUNED upon himself, we fancy he would
not have been IN quite so much haste
about 1t; Tor. although he got the laugh
on jim at the time, years afterward jim
turned the tables upon him in handsome
style. "a cur story will soon show.
Joe had hardly ceased speaking when
four bells S ruck, and in moment more
JIM came from the wheel. When he
was abreast the forerigging Joe hailed
him thus:
Il say, jim, there's a BOBBY some
where aloft there for ard"
"N here is he % said jim, all excite
ment. just show him to me, and I'll
be up after him quicker'n ever went up
to furl a royal"
At that instant the screechjpg noise
was again heard.
by Jupiter" said Jim, "tbere is one
mp there; just hear himP' and before
Joe could say more he was half way up
the lower rigging. He paused mo-
ment at the foretop and looked about,
but seeing nothing IN the shape of a
BOBBY, he was again descending to the
dock when Joe again hailed him
q say, Jim, I've got my eye on him
now; there he sits on the fore-top- gal
liant yard"
Jim looked up, and sure enough there
was something on the yard, that low it
was nearly dark looked like the identi-
cal bird; though it wGs nothing more or
less than grummett-a piece OF rope
III the form of loop-3hat belonged Oh
the yard, but it stood erect, which gave
1t very much the appearance of large
bird sitting on the yard.
Jim crept cautiously up to the top
mast and top-gallant rigging, and
stopped moment at the cross-trees be
fore going on to the ysrd, SO as not to
frighten the bird away by too sudden
approach; then laying slowly out on to
the yard until he was within a foot of
the supposed BOBBY, he made desper-
ate grasp at the critters legs, and
caught hold of the aforesaid grummett !
AS jim started TO come down Drlscoll
sung out:
&c say, Jim, don't COM down with
out that BOBBY; there he is on the fore
top gallant yard; catch him quick, or
he'll be gone"
Joe had had q hard matter TO keep
from laughing all the time jim was in
the rigging; but now that Jim had dis
covered how he had been sold there was
no longer any cause for keeping mum
(as ne called it,, so he burst into a loud
laugh, and all the hands on the fore
castle followed suit.
The boy Jim did not appear at ali
vexed at the joke that bad been played
upon him, but although we were seven
months longer on the voyage, he did not
speak to Joe Driscoll in all that time.
Years after the events recorded above
joe Driscoll, now Captain Driscon, ar
rived IN Boston from China. in command
OF ire brig. As it would be consid-
cradle lergsh Of time before his brig
would sgaIn be ready for soa, and not
wlshlGg to remain idle so long, he began
to look about him for something to do in
the meantime. A few mornings after
his arrival he saw the following advertise.
aent III New York paper:
"ANTED-A master for the shin Stormy pstrel
the Astor House. J1fsD RrYsoIns
The next day when Captain Driscoll
called on MIR. Reynolds to offer his ser
vices IS master of the Stormy Petrol.
little did he dream that Reynolds. the
ship owner, was once the ''boy Jim +"
on board the ship Carioca-but it was
even so.
" Did you wish to engage master for
your vessel, sir?" asked Dri, coll.
" Yes, SIR" said Mr.. Reynolds. 81
advertised to that f. ct. | have had a
number or applicants for the berth. bat
none that suitei me. The present. cap
tam OF my vessel IL just recovering from
a dangerous illness; it will be some little
ume, however, before he will be able to
tahe c9mmandoE tie ship, and thought
f'lae %nl'e the ship was waiting for hin.
! hignt as well, provi led l could get a
siIisole man, take cargo of something
ronnd to Boston"
Al snort time bargain was struck
"p b..f|een he two, Ca plain DriscolI
ISreeihs 10 take the Stormy Petrol to
i''''oh 3or certain snm Of money. The