The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-01-29
~ foI tlic FLoRIDIAN1
tcr foI the FLoRIDIANl
UNDER NO FLAG.
An s:X.Sl.aVcr'A Warm.
RY EIiAP.

RY EGAP.
" STOW yer CAB, mates, and let Scarry
| Sing his tongue"
Iie>" words were spoken 10y my mess
mate, Tom lingtree, better known on
| board aS Tom "Crosstree," as we, the
| port watch, were seated under the lee of
| iItc tlJ W orks of the American bark en- or
way, of ninc hundred tons, which at the
| time about four hundred and fifty
miles t" the uorth'ard of the Juan Fer
naldez and sailing, under all plain sail
| with 4 nor'-nor'east wind, for the Japan
whaling grounds.
We were EARNING, and Crosstrec had
just finished his say, which the men were
| still talking ever, when he called for
silence by the above remark Now that
the reader has got his bearings guess
can crack on sail and 90 ahead.
Well, mates, yer all know | 'ant
| heavy on the yarn, but as how a little bit
| Of my life that was spent under no flag
comes to me | don't care if | tells it to
yer"
NO flag seemed to act "a magic on
the seven men squatting around, and at
| once a circle of eager, rough faces sur
| rounded mine.
g It was this way and happened when
| was young feller only Just turned
twenty four | bad left home on account
"i a hit of fuss me and my girl had,
and come to New York, where mighty
soon @"l strapped, so took vacation
ou Il Frisco bound brig, the Lena, which
lost nnr fore top'm'st, jibboom and sprung
hey marm'st i'll big gale when off and
little - the south'a of the Bahamas
." We ran in to Havana for repairs, and
q, | 'lal had cnoHgh of that hooker just
Aeachromtel. Well, to cut it short,
met a tricr there, a Spaniard, who called
hiSscif ;1!o RENEE, and he and me got
quit. mat.l and for a week was drinking,
| carou~rg and the like together and he
must have seed how hard up | was, for
| ,ji3u'i nave above thirty dollars when
il..,oI IN the town 1t was on a Sunday
morning. we had been drinking and was
about three sheets in the wind, when he
said to me. SAYS he, 'Graham come down
t" the quay with me; | want to show
Won the prctticst vessel you ever set yer
pcelers on SO down We went, and
| there Iaving about four cables length
| from the shore was the handsomest bark
ever See; she was daisy, boys, built
| Just IKE one of them racing yachts, sharp
clipper bows, neat run aft, plenty of
| frec-bnarl, and by the length OF her
| spars must have carried canvas enough
| for An eighteen hundred tunner, though
| sh" was, IA afterwards knew, only eleven
| hundred"
Clio, she's beauty and no mistake,
= &,,nniarI. I'm, hI.lSa1H
| If You don't know fine ship when you
see one" said l. He sort Of grinncd and
axrd me would | like to sail in her, say
| ING he had sort of interest in her, and
had been told to look up third mate,
| and az he had taken fancy to me would
recommend me for the place; she made
quick voyages and paid high wages he
| added, would / like it? Why | just
| Jumped at his offer, and in ten minutes
we were standing on her quarterback
talking to the skipper, fellow called
Cuma After axing me lots Of questions
as to whether was plucky and all that,
but not saying word about sights or
navigation, he says "Do you know
what kind of cargo the llernnda
carries ." " No, SIR" says |. "She ia
now loaded with pine flooring, rice, fresh
water and some iron," says he. "A good
cargo and one easily landed" answered.
"les," ne said, "Dut although she is fully
| loaded and her matches are down, if you
was to look in her hold you would not no.
ticc that she had any cargo at all to speak
Of" | wondered at this and told him so.
"Caramba! but you are dull,' he said,
and looking me square in the eye, added ::
/" Look you, mate, would you ship in the
barky for any, mark you, any kind of
voyage, no matter what her cargo may be,
whether it is iron or hides, black or
whitc?'' "Ah, ho! / understand you
now" said. eyes, sir would, let the
voyage be long or short, the cargo iron or
hides, white or black, sea gnlls or black
birds, otherwise nIggers, I'm with you if
! HE wages are big enough for the risks" J"
"Thcn ,ou are engaged as third mate Of
the bark. which sails day after tomorrow
! al sunrise she's bound for the African
coast as you have already guessed. Rem
zcz here is her second mate, the first is
/ now on shore | am her commander, and
| as as to your wages, az you call it, | think
YOU will be satisfied when | say that you
! three mates will each receive two hun
/ drcd dollars a month and five dollars
/ apiece on every nigger We land in good
! order at this port. Renee will show you
over the ship, but first call away my gig,
I'm going on shore, and will not be back
until tomorrow morning; you need not
send boat for me as | will come off in
shore boat" saying which he descended
the accommodation ladder TO his now
waiting boat. l saw him started, and
then turned to take good look at the
barky. She was flush-decked s ip, with
galley, sail room and large store room