Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1885-11-10
MISCELLANEOUS.
"saucy JACK" and the Monkey.
AN OLD sA11oR's YARN.

AN OLD sA1LoR's YARN.
When we was a-cruisin, in the old
Britannia off the coast of Afrikey, :"
said old jack Dayitt, as we sat to-
gether at the door of his snug little
cottage overlooking the sea, 3. we
had little shaver aboard as we used
to call 'Saucy Jack He didn't
know what fear was, that boy didn't ;
and as for bein' angry with him, you
couldn't do it, Motif you had a heartas
hard as thirty-two FOUNDER. He'd a
wayo' looking up in yourface so bright
and confident~likc with them clear
blue eyes of his Gas if he was quite
sure you wouldn't hurt him) that you
felt you couldn't, afore he ever spoke
a word.
"Fact he was regular pet with
every man on board, officers and all /;
and if he ecas little michievous now
and again, nobody liked to be hard on
him, and that after he'd once got rid
of his boyish ways, he'd make as
smart sailor as ever handled sheet.
But at last he got into a real bad
scrape, and this was the way it hap
pened:
You see, Jack was tip-top hand
at initiating folks, just like a play
actor; and you would think the very
folks themselves was there talkin' and
steppin' about only to look at him.
At last one fine day, nothing would
serve him but he must try and touch
off the captain; and he had him to the
very life, givin' his orders, with his
head thrown back and one arm stuck
out like the handle of a teapot. Twas
laughin' at it like the rest, when all
at once saw two or three of them
start and look awfulIy scared; and
when 1 turned around, there stood
the captain himself, as large as life,
and lookin' like nor'east gale Just
afore it busts!
Now, our captain was smart
seaman, and right good fellow in
his way; but he was rather one o.
your high-and-mighty sort, and the
bare thought of anybody laughing at
him was enough to drive him clean
crazy. So you may think how he
felt, and how a0e all felt, too, when
we saw him standin' there.
"'Go up to the foremasthead, you
young whelp, aud stay there until
call you down, says he, through his
clinched teeth; 'and when you come
dogn again, I'll have something
ready for YOU that YOU won't forget
in a hurry
cup went poor Jack dismally
enough, and the captain went aft
again to his cabin. But when he got
there he soon had something else to
think about.
1 should tell you that the captain
had pet of his own, and that was a
little gray monkey, as active and mis-
chievous as Saucy Jack himself. Itand
Jack were greatfriends, and they were
always a-playin' and a-skylarkin' to-
gether; but at last the monkey got
so rampageous that the captain tied
it up, and only let it loose now and
then.
1t happened to be loose that day,
however, and the minute the captains $
back was turned up jumps Mr.. Mon
key, grabs the captains gold watch
off the table, and away upin the main
riggin' with it like afash o. lightnin' !!
You should have just seen the
captains face! for that watch was a
birthday present from his wife, and
he'd almost as soon have lost his
right hand as let anything happen to
it.
"'Five pounds to any man that
will get me that watch back ~ he
sings out at the top of his voice.
q But not man stirred; for we
all knew well enough that when the
beast saw US coming up to try to catch
him, the first thing he would do would
be to chuck the watch overheard. In
the meantime, the monkey, having
perched himself on the main-top- gal
liant yard, began holding the watch to
his ear for to listen to its ticking and
then he would give it "a knock against
the wood as if to stop its noise, and
hold it to his ear again, grinning and
making sich faces all the time that
we could hardly help laughing. But
as for the captain, he looked just as
if he'd fly in bits on the spot.
Just then Saucy Jack-whom
everybody had clean forgotten-sings
out from above:
Shall j. I get that thing for your
honor?'
"'Do, my boy, cries the captain,
quite eager like.
t' The words warn't well out of his
mouth when Jack was swinging him
self along from mast to mast by the
running stay, like a spider on .
thread.
When the monkey saw his chum
a-coming he began chattering and
CTrinuinor lilo a1vftinoy a a ,11T1o6 ae IN