The Portland daily press., 1885-12-19

everything, when you looked at him close 70
for minute somehow he didn't look IKE a
smart man. The first time | went TO the
wheel he was on deck, and | watched MN a
good deal more than | did the compass, and
the more looked at him the more made up
nv mind that with all his taking ways and
looks. he wasn't what | called smart man.
One queer thing about Captain Philips
was that he kept a servant. That's some.
thing very strange for the captain OF an
American ship to do. But they said that
the captain was born i'll England, and ne
talked little as il he was. But that servant
of his was queer looking fish. They called
him Scotty. That fellow was awkward. HIS
legs and arms seems twisted. Nothing fitted
him, and he had red hair, and his ugly lace
was all covered with big freckles. But some
how about the eyes he looked smart. Every
now and then, while was at the wheel, the
Captain and Scotty would be on deck, and
when heard them talk couldn't help think
Ing that Scotty was much the smarter OF the
two although the skipper was man past
forty, while Scotty was little more than half
that.
Scotty never had anything to do with the
men. Ho lived in the cabin, and was almost
always with the Captain. Although they called
him servant, never saw him do any work
Sometimes he would come an deck and give
the mate in charge of the deck some mes
sage from the Captain about changing the
course. or going about or something else
about navigating the ship. AT times, In
heavy weather, or when the Captain was
putting the ship about, he would walk up
and down, leaning ON Scotty's shoulder.
Scotty would look out kind of queerly from
under his eyebrows, while he walked along
side the Captain, and he always seemed to
be muttering something. All this seemed
kind of strange to me. Once in a while the
Captain would be the worse for liquor. he
never came on deck much then, but when he
wanted the course of the ship changed, or
anything like that done, he would send word
ND to the mate in charge of the deck, by
Scotty. One night when we were getting
down near Cape Horn, our watch had from
eight to twelve o'clock on deck.
l was standing near the pumps, and the
mate told me to go aft and coil up some ropes
that the other watch had left down. | went
aft, grumbling of course, and began coiling
the ropes. noticed a lighted window, and
getting down to it'll was curious when
was young you see-I could look into the
Captains cabin.
On the lounge lay Captain Phillips, who
looked as if he'd been drinking too much /;
but my eyes stuck out when | saw Scotty.
That young fellow sat at a table, with a
chart before him. He had a pair of com
passes out, and was making out his course
on the chart. He jumped up and took a look
at the weather glass, and then he started
toward the after companionway. jumped
I'D and went to coiling the ropes again. |
heard Scotty come on deck. Says he to the
man at the wheel
The Captain says change the course a
point to the West
The mate came aft then, and Scotty told
him about changing the course, and then he
said:
THE Captain says when you change the
watches, tell your men to be ready for call,
for the glass is going down, and we are like
ly to have heavy breeze before morning.
finished coiling up the ropes, and went
forward. Thinks [:
This ship is nayigated by Scotty. and the
Captain, with all his ais, isn't any more of
a navigator than | am. He may be Captain,
but he's 10 more than speaking trumpet
for Scotty, 50 far as handling this ship goes.
At twelve O'Clock my watch turned in, but
somehow l couldn't sleep. l kept thinking
about Scotty. / saw how he had all along
given his own orders about handling the
ship, while he seemed to be only giving mes
sages from the Captain. When the Captain
had come on deck and given any orders, |
felt sure that Scotty had told him what to