The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-17
GETTING UNDER WEIGH.
THE SEA AS IT is OUTSIDE THE
FASCINATING MARITIME NOVELS.
The Pleasures Of Turning To" and
Bearing a Hand"-Good Reading
for Sea-Sfruck Youths-A
"Start in Life"
Especial Correspondence

BOSTON, May To- ears ago Snlppe0
"before the mast In first-class clipper
bound from New York TO San Francisco
When on the day of sailing went on board
an officer desired to know if I belonged to
the ship" l told him did. Whereat, he
Immediately swore at me and commanded
in various directions. He seemed to con-
slider profanity an indispensable accompani-
ment to the giving of orders, and sort of
ornamental fringe to his vocabulary.
This proved to be the first mate. He passed
me over to the temporary charge of the
fourth mate. This parsonage was boy about
my own age. What he lacked in years and
experience he made up in dignity and bully
ing. He regarded me with a contemptuous
sniff, scowl, and emphasized these with an
oath. Then he set me at work cleaning out
the ships hog pen.
An hour previous I had taken final leave
of friends in an abode of comfort, elegance
and refinement. In the parlor l had left
were the opened piano, a lady's work basket
full of material for delicate ornamentation,
| a table covered with choice books.
The change to the hog pen was sudden and
striking. One hour respected and parting
guest, the next a slave, cursed by one brute
of two legs while administering to the COM
| fort of another on four.
| l endeavored to accommodate myself to
| this change. l strove conscientiously with
broom and scraper to put the ships pig pen
in a neat and orderly condition. My motive
tod hxtb
little man full of importance who supervised
| my efforts. He swore at me per sistently.
! Where / had scraped and swept he made me
scrape and sweep over again. He seemed to
have made up his mind previously that no
effort of mine could or should suit him.
| Meantime the older sailors were coming ON
board more or less drunk condition deemed
the correct thing by the old sailor when
bound on long cruise. Some tumbled di-
rectly into their forecastle berths others
chose a recumbent position on deck and there
manifested a reckless inebriated jollity The
officers took little note of them. 1t seemed
the regular routine to which they were ac-
customed, and they seemed to consider that
Jack must be granted some latitude while
soldering Off
To complicate the situation, or rather
my sensations, at the time, some of
| my comrades came on board to see
me off, all in fashionable dress, wear
ing glossy coats and beavers and snowy
| white linen. They me the slave of the
pig pen, and driven hither and thither
under abusive commands of this bully
| ing fourth mate. L could only nod
and smile at them. They stood in cluster
| aft, where the mate treated them with polite
| ness and consideration. /, under maritime
discipline, could not join that group. was
| slave and under their eyes, This was
great change within few hours. 1 saw
them depart, and as they went over the rail
| my head sunk very low.
A tug came alongside Presently the
| great ship seemed to part from the wharf.
| A slowly widening space grew between it
and the vessel The mass Of humanity and
houses commenced slowly to recede. could
only catch of it hasty glimpse now and
then, so persevering were the efforts and so
| frequent the orders of my tyrant who for
| the time had control of myself and the ships
pig pen.
My revenge on him came sooner than
| anticipated. / pulled him overheard. 1t
was an unconscious and unprecedented act
He stood on the ''mizzen chains" holding in
his hands line which he intended passing
| to hand on the tug, for what purpose
knew not The line led forward outside the
vessel and on deck through a hawser hole
| Some one cried out: ''Haul in on that line 4"
was on the alert for orders, having finished
| the pig pen. A line lay at my feet. /
hauled on it. There seemed a vigorous re-
| sistance at the other end. The high bull
warks hid the little man who held it from
| my sight. 1t was he who was making the
resistance. We were pulling against each
other, yet each knew not the other who
| pulled. 1 thought it was all right, ship
shape and maritime fashion. Presently at
! my end Of the rope felt something give
way, then heard splash and an outcry of
MAN overDoardI" 1 peeped over the bull
! warks and saw my friend the fourth mate
| houndering in the muddy water contiguous to
the wharf. Many rotten oranges floated about
him, recently tossed from West India fruit
schooner. They fished him on the tug with
boat hook. 1 knew had done this deed.
But for the time avoided owning it to my
self. There was demand to know "W bo the
- hauled on that rope" sacredly kept
all the information had on that subject to
myself during the entire voyage. 1 never
ever looked at that fourth mate and allowed
my thoughts to dwell on this incident of our
first days acquaintance, for fear he might
read them.
We were towed out in the bay and there
anchored for the night. 1 turned in" and
turned out next morning to make the ac-
quaintance of the first mate. he was a son
of Sweden. Coming out Of the forecastle in
the gray dawn of morning. my eyes yet
heavy with sleep, l encountered a gang of
men tramping aft with wet hawser. On
shore all was the quiet of the earliest morn.
There the days business had scarcely COM