Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1884-03-21


the skipper.
What's this?' says the skipper, smell.
ing around the paper, as it might be, but
never Offering to touch it.
Only horder for you to return to
the bosom of your family, he says, 'as
the date o. your sailing's not vet fixed.
Isn't it ? says the captain, breathing
short. who are you, and what dye
want?'
"I'm bailiff,' says the man; 'and
I'm here to take charge O. this vessel,
pending the haction that's been entered
against her in the Hadmiralty side O. the
County Court by the schooner MS ye war
in collision with
Can ye swim?' asks the captain.
Never you mind whether l can OF
not, says the bailiff, looking round at us,
for all hands WAS collected and listening
their hardest.
Because says the captain, If you
cant swim you'd better turn to and hail
that boat to come back again and put We
ashore
No, no, says the bailiff, I'm not 60
ing ashore my friend. I'm here to take
charge of this brig and stop her from GO
ing to sea.
Had the captain chosen then and there
to give orders for that bailiff to be drop
ped overheard, believe I'm the man as
would have executed the command. Tx
ing the temper L was then in, 1 don't
know anything that would ha given me
more satisfaction to perform. The aggra-
walton of being stopped when we were all
read y to get away, was the least part of
1t it was the bailiff's cool grins, the i'm
pudence in his eyes rs he looked around,
as much as to say, All what 1 see is
mine, his taking the shippers place and
saying, 'Ye shant do this, and | won't
allow that, that made me want to lay
hands upon him. The captain stared at
him a bit, as if considering what he
should do; then, turning to me, he asked
me the time. told him.
In another quarter of an hour says
he, loose the topsails and make all ready
to get away
"'You'd better not; It'll be gross con.
tempt of court if You do" says the bail.
iff
"'Court = says the skipper. Court
there is no court here, Mr.. Bailiff. This
is brig, not court. Don't talk of courts
to me. The gross contempt is your com
mitting. How dare you stand there or.
dering of me?'
Rest assured" says the bailiff, you'll
be punished If you don't do what / say
You'll have to purge in open court, anG
that's job that may cost We enough tC
lay you up in the Union for the rest o.
your natural days.
Stop that = says T. stepping close tc
the fellow !; if the captain stands tha
sort o. law [ won't
'Im here in the hexecution of my
duty says the bailiff, dropping his conf
dent grins and beginning to grow white
ish. Whatever you do contrary to m,
orders you'll do at your peril.
"And, so saying, he walks right af
and sits on the taffrail with his arms
folded.
"Never was any quarter of au houI
longer than that which the captain tolt
me to wait. l had my watch in my hand
and all the time l was afraid the skippe
would change his mind and give in to th
bailiff, who sat aft, with his hat over hi
eyes, looking at the shore with his littl
eyes.
Times up, sir - bawled to the cap
tain.
" Loose the top-sails, he sings out
and in moment all hands were runnin,
about, sheeting home and yelling out a
the ropes, being as much afraid as ! wa
that II we were not quick the dogged bail
if'ud operate upon the skippers hintellec
and stop our just revenge upon that funk
shonary's audacity. The bailiff, seein
the men at work, tumbles off the taffrai
and comes running forrard.
ye mean to say you don't intend t
obey the law ? he shouts out, holding O.
to his chimbly-pot.
Out OF the way ~ answers the skip
per; there's no room for law here
We're full up, mate, and since yer
bound for voyage blow your nose an
, wave your hand to them as ye're a part
ing from : and, as he says this, the wes
sci, catching the wind that was comm
strong enough to make nothing above ou
top sails necessary, lays down to it, an
] we heads for the open water
81 saw the bailiff staring wildly roun
him, as if he really would Jump owe
y board, and it was worth a months pay
see him looking like that, and holdin
his hat on
a why, man, he shouts to the captain
e you're never in earnest Dye kno
what you're doing of p and finding til,
the skipper took no notice, he calls OF
to the men, You'll work this vessel
you peril if You obey your captain. NJ
orders are to stop this brig, and if yo
: don't allow me to execute my duty
but Just as he came to this the yess
I met the first of the seas which were rol
l ing outside the harbor-stiff seas the
were, for 1t was blowing half gale
: wind; she put her nose into it, and the
Il rolled over, fit to bring her lower-yar
n arms into tAe water away flew the bal
Il IFS chimney-pot hat clean overheard, al
G ye may boil me alive if didn't thiuk
Is meant to follow it (; for the send o the we
IS sci tripped him over the weather hat
coamings, and he seemed to shoot-ay,
@ neatly as if he'd been kicked by one
: them giants used to read about when
t wae a little 'uu--cleau into the lee scru
n pers, where he lay stunned, as | though
a until all Of n sudden he jumped up NJ
), went crawling along until he come to Il
1t lee o the afterdeck house, where
1t squatted down, looking with his yall
sc face and blowing hair like Madagasc
monkey recovering from a fit of intoxiC
l. ton.
"a Here my companion broke into lo
90 '''iN'i az - lNHt'N' htNtii
Of as if the thoughts awakened in his mi
lee were of too exquisite a kind to be d
ID missed with a single guifaw.
e 81 don't know" he continued, aftel
j., bit, wiping his eyes, and then fixing
I'd dismal and malignant squint upon n
as "whether on the whole we should
r done better by dropping him overboaI
g. The brig was as deep rs pretty nigh tw
y, her tonnage in coal could make her f
k. was wet boat at any time but now f
OF tumbled about as if she made up
lie mind to drown herself. ] reckon .
y knew she had bailiff aboard Every
forrard threw the water over her head
n, oceans; she'd roll to wind'ar almost
often as to leeward, so that the dec
he were all awash, and ! was looking 6
r hoping all the time to see the bailiff fe
III away. But there was enough Jaw left
10 b,1 T