The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-17


lie cay wore on. was ordered, It seemed
to me, by everybody, and tried to obey
everybody 1t was thankless work. By 6
O'Clock in the afternoon the tug leftus, taking
the ''longshoremenn who had done most
of the work getting the ship out of the
harbor. When they had gone our world
was left intact, and a scowling, hard, up
friendly world it seemed to me-
Thirty-six hours afterward we were in q
gulf stream ''blow," and about ten o'clock at
night found myself on the foretopsail yard,
clinging for life with both hands and wish
ing could be of some use to the men about
me, VINO bore themselves in this insecure
situation with all the ease of long usage. To
me it was fearful combination of tossing.
heavlng, darkness and strangeness. The men
were pulling in concert at fold after fold Of
wet, tapping sail, bringing it atop the yard
In this work L was useless and an incum-
brance. / simply chung, A sailor perceiving
my general inefficiency and fear told me to
go on deck. AS l seemed under everybody's
orders did so. Here a foe, which for some
hours had been trying to throw off or delude
myself with the idea that it was not the
enemy | suspected, overcame me-sea-sick
ness laid myself up the deck. On me
poured the rain and over me tramped the
heavy boots of the noisy tars as they swayed
away at brace and clew line The deck be-
came pond as wave on wave sent from its
crest their cards on board in the form of
buckets or barrels of water dashed over the
Ill. 49, IL
voice bawled into my ear, Are you sickT
feebly affirmative. ''Go below was the
order. Below | went. and tumbled thank
fully into berth alongside of another sick
''greenhorn."
1t seemed but few moments afterward-
but it was morning, for to sailor at sea
morning comes very early-I was "yanked"
out of my berth by strong hand and hidden
to dress myself and turn to- This gentle
man was the second mate. He swore at me,
of course. Indeed, profanity seemed to ac-
cumulate in these gentlemen's mouths if they
remained long silent, so that its discharge
was the first necessity ere giving utterance
to other thought He said he had come to
cure my sea-sickness. He said this with a
sardonic grin. pulled on my wet clothes
and staggered ON deck The cloud of yes
terday's canvas had disappeared, but a
single sail was set tn bare masts and yards
were rising and falling against background
of stormy sky, the ocean was a tumbling
mass Of gray-hued water, the storm music
was playing on the ships rigging Weak,
faint and trembling, and 1 may add tum-
IL oI< g.
no sea grip of the deck, my present master
put a 'chain hook" in roy hands AM bid me
assist the gang in dragging along section
after section of the heavy iron cable pre-
paratory to its final storage in the rum
where it would rest until we reached San
Francisco
The mode of cure seemed rough. 1t seemed
also efficacious. MISERY" was no name for
it during the first hours l so worked
Yet little by little the agony worked off, and
by nightfall 1 could relish the quart of hot
water, colored with something called tea and
served us sweetened with molasses. Had
been nursed as passenger l should probably
have remained sick week.
Yes, my dear boy, this is the sea, the sea,
maritime novel, This is the sea without its
gloves, for the young man who is weary of
the home monotony of a feather bed, a room
to himself hot rolls and prime coffee for
breakfast, and a mother to grumble at be-
cause she hasn't furnished just the kind OF
pie you like. This, my good woman, is the
taste of life possibly in store for that son of
yours whom you have nursed and reared 50
tenderly, and possibly whose every caprice
you have humored, until he has come to
regard you as a cross between an upper SER
want and governess. Possibly a month of
the experience above given might be goo<
for him. l remember hearing one CT
my youthful chums on that ship say,
during terrific gale off Cape Horn,
when ton or two of greenish
water was coming on board every few min
utes, smashing barrels, boxes and ribs:
"Jimminy! Don't wish was in our old
woodshed homel Used to think it mighty
hard to have to bring in wood and water and
do such like chores after coming home from
school. Jimminyl Wouldn't / be glad to
do them nowp' PRENTICE MILFORD.