The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-06-18
Getting Under Weigh.

| San Francisco. When on the day Of sailing
went on board an officer desired to know if |
''belonged to the ship" | told him | did.
Whereat, he Immediately swore at me and
commanded me to instantly ''turn to" and
''bear hand" in various directions. He seem
ed to consider profanity an Indispensable ac-
compartment to the giving Of orders, and Il
| 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 a boy about my
own age. What he lacked in years and exper-
fence he made up in dignity and bullying. He
| regarded me with contemptuouS sniff, a
scowl, and emphasized these with an OATH
| Then he set me at work cleaning out the ships
hog pen.
An hour previous | had taken final leave of
| friends in an abode of comfort elegance and
| refinement. In the parlor had left were the
opened piano, a lady's work basket full of ma
| terial for delicate 0rnamentaton. a table cover
| ed with choice books.
| The change to the hog pen was sudden and
striking. one hour a respected and parting
| guest. the next q slave, cursed by one brute of
two legs while administering to the comfort of
| another on four.
| | endeavored to accommodate yself to this
| change. stroye cunsclentiou-ly with broom
| and Scraper to put the ships pig pen in a neat
| and orderly condition. Ny motive seemed
| neither appreciated by the pig nor the little
man full OF importance who supervised my eff
forts. lie swore at me persistently. Where
mad >cfaped 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 hii4l.
Meantime the older sailors We're coming on
| board more or less drunk Il condition deemed
the correct thing by the Old sailor when bound
on "A long cruise. Some tumbled directly into
| their forcca>tle berth>. others chose recunl-
bent position on deck and there manifested
reckless inebriated iollity. The officers took
little note of them. ii seemed the regular rou-
tine TO which they We're accustomed, and they
seemed to consider that Jack must be granted
some latitude while soldering off,
To complicate the situation. OF rather INV
sensations. at the time, some Of my comrades
| came ON board to see me off, all in fashionable
dress, wearing glossy coats and beavers and
snowy White linen. They saw me the slave of
the pig pen, and driven hither and ththar un-
der abusive commands of this bullying fourth
mate. | could only nod and smile at them.
They STOOD in a cluster aft, where the mate
treated them with politenes> and consideration.
|, under maritime discipline. could not Join
lhat group. | was a slave and under their
eyes. This was great change within a few
hours. | saw them depart, and as they went
over the rail my head sunk very low.
\ tug came alongside. Presently the great
ship seemed TO part from the wharf. a slowly
widening space grew between it and the YES
sci. The mass of humanity and houses com
mcnced slowly TO recede. | could only catch of
i Il ha>ty glimpse now and then, per>ever
ing were the efforts and so frequent the orders
of my tyrant, who for the time had control of
my sell and the ships PIC pen
Ny revenge ON him came sooner than |
anticipated. | pulled him overheard. 1t was
an unconscious and unpremedlated act. lie
stood on the "mizZcn chains" holting in his
hands line which he intended passing to Il
hand on the tug for what purpose knew not.
lhe llne led forward outside the vessel and on
deck through a hawSer hole. Some one cried
out: Haul in on that line" | was on the
alert for orders, having finished the pig pen.
line lay at my feet. | hauled on it, There
seemed vigorous resistance ut the oil her end.
The high uulwarkS hid the little man who held
II from my sight. 1t was he who was making
the resistance We We're pulling against each
other. yet each knew not The other who pulled.
thought 1t was All right, >hip-shape and
maritime fashion. Presently al my end of the
rope ! felt something give way, then heard
splash and an outcrv OF MAN oycrl,oardi" |
peeped over the buIwark> and saw my friend
the fourth mate ionnderiug in the muddy
water contiguous tn the wharf. MANY rotten
oranges tioated about him. recently tossed from
a West India fruit schooner. They tished him
on the tug with Il boat hook. | knew had
done this deed. But for the time | avoided
owning i to myself. There was a demand TO
know "Wh ho tht-huucd on that r0pe." |
>acredIy kept all the information had on that
subject TO myself during the entire voyage. !
never even looked AT that fourth mate and
allowed my thoughts to dwell on this incident
OF our hr>t day acquaintance, for fear he
might read them.
we were toWed out i'll the bay and there
anchored Tor the night. L 'turned IN, and
turned ont next morning to make the acquaint-
ante OF the first mate. He was son of Sweden.
Coming out of the torecaste in the gray dawn
ol morning, my eyes yet heavy with sleep,
encountered gang OF men tramping aft
quiet OF the earliest morn. There the days
business hau scarcely commenced, nor the
cocks hhl>htd their early growing. But on
shlllpoara AL was activity, buste and seeming
confusion.
roush hand was LAID on my shoulder rs
mus contemplated the picture, and found
myself dragged towards The wei haWser and
trampinS NE Oh men, ana bldden again to bear
u hahd' ms Was my foreign friend, the
thlrd mate. lie sWore at me also. ON no
account was PROFANITY ever omitted In the
WORKING OF our snip.
Inc 'iaS wore on. was ordered, u seemed
10 me, by everybody, and tried to obey every
DodE. 1t was ihankless work. ~ ) o'clock in
'iie AFTERNOON tile Jug LETT Us, taking The long
shoremen' who mad done most of the work
seltlhS the snip out OF the harbor. When
they nau gone our world was left intact, and i
sowing hard, unfriendIy world it seemed to
me.
Ihllty-slX hours afterwards we Were in Il
hisht iouhu myself on the foretopsal yard,
clinSin9 Ior HE with both hands and wishing
could pt OF some use to the men about me, VINO
pore themselves III thls Insecure situation with
an lhe ease OF long usage. To me 1t was IA
leaflui COMBINATION OF tossing, heavlng, dark
ness ahu strangeness. The men We're pulling in
concert al foId after fold of wet, tlapping sail.
bringing IL alop lhe yard. In tins work | was
useless ana an lhcumbfance. ! simply cung.
sailor perceiVlng my general neteiency and
itai tod me to 90 on deck. As | seemed to be
under eNefyDodys orders did 50. Here a foe,
Whlch lof some hours | had been trying to
throw OH or deude my self with the idea that it
was nov the enemy suspected, GN erCame me
sea-slckheSS ald myself upon the deck. On
me poured the rain and over me tramped the
heavy boots OF the noisy tarS as tLev swaycd
away al brace and clew line. The deck became
"a pond as wave on wave sent from its crest
tllclr cards on board IN the form of buckets or
barrels OF water washed over the bulwarks. |
folled into the lee scuppers. A voice braWled
INTO my ear, Are you sick?" | was feebly af-
rmative. go below" was the order. Below
went, and tumbled thankfully into berth
| alongside of another sick ''greenhorn"
II seemed but few moments aferward-
but 1t was morning, for to Il sail or a sea morn
| ing comes very early-l was ''vanked" out of
my berth by strong hand and bidden to dress
| myself ana tuin to. This gentleman was sec
ond mate. He swore at me, of course. Indeed,
| profanity seemed to accumulate in these gentle
mems mouths if they remained long silent. so
utterance to other thought. He said he had
| rln IN ;,.l.