Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-01-02
FEIE PACKET. BLUE COAT.

u reckon my, first voyage was q mem:
orable,'. one, ".Safd an. old South. street
merchant, speaking of his. sailor. days.
The, Blue Coat was neat Boston ship.
She'was leading for Pernambueo, when |
went on board. Her captains name was
John Salisbury, and the mates name was
Bevins. Salisbury was great big, Yam
kee and Bevins was Matte little fellow
from Baltimore. They were great chums,
too, and when Twas at,work polishing
up the bright work about the quarter
deck every morning l used to hear, them
talking about their families and other
private matters. Just across, the bier
was another Boston ship called thesAliee;;
loading for Pernambuco, and the ,conse-
quence was that an intense rivalry sprung
up between the two captains. We were
getting our cargo slowed first, but the
other captain swore he would beat us sail
ing, and so catch the market first.
Another reason why Captain. Salisbury
was anxions to make short passage
was that his wife and "a two.year. old
baby werein England visiting, and were
going to- sail in the old packet ship
Ranger for New York in time to eat the
{ Cla''i0tnaHN t"rlsey at homo, on>s ~y.p
were to put to sea before the end Of Sep
tember we had a chance ,,of getting back
for the same occasion.
"The crew, and there were twenty of
them, tumbled their chests over the rail
before the last barrel was slowed. / rec
kon I'll never forget two of them. One
was great broad shouldered fellow, too
big to be quick. His name was jim Nc
Adam, and'a better man on topsail
halllard or a weather earring never
smoked a pipe. However, he seldom
got the weather earring, because the
other chap, whose real name was Henry
Falmly, but who was known only as
Dandy, was as handsome a man as YOU
could find in q weeks. search among
sailors boarding houses. He had curly
brown hair, blue eyes with sort of a
scared look in them, good five. foot-ten
Figure, and small hands and feet. His
dress and bearing gave him his nick
name. McAdam was known as Badly
jim, for reasons that were obvious when
hls'hat was off. a>Of course these two
men did not agree we'll, and as Badly
was aggressive, Dandy was imposed on,
and Badly became the ruler of the star
board watch. When we got ito, sea-
very soon learned that a certain personal
regard which Captain salisbury had for
my father did not save me from becom-
ing Baldy's body servant, and.that7 was
about the. most unfortunate position "a
boy could hold. The second day out, as
we were going below for the; afternoon
watch, Baldy ordered me to grease his
boots, which Ibid after he was snoring.
/ was inwardly cursing the fate that
took me to sea-, When Dandy came down
the ladder, looked at me minute, and
then turned in, for we were all in one
watch. did good job, and three
hours later was routed out by the watch
on deck. There was a brisk wind
blowing, and just as Badly reached the
deck sea came over the rail forward
and sloshed down around him, thorough
ly-wetting one foot, because his boot
bad hole in it. was known as USE
less.
" Here, Useless, said Badly. you
little cuss, why didn't you grease the
cracksp -
!, | was mad ,tand was about to say some
thing to show it, when Baldy, with his
big boot, lifted me clear into. the, lee
scuppers. 1t was an awful Kick. /
crawled to the edge of the fore hatch,
but no medicine could have relieved me
so much as what followed. The men of
both watches, excepting Dandy, laughed
at me, When | reached the hatch comb.
ings he, turned to Badly and said impe-
riously:
"'Ask the boys pardon. He did a
good Job on tile boots, for l saw him
at it.
THAT was sumner and no mistake.
For mild hammered Dandy to tell the
boss Of the forecastle to ask a boys
pardon was. too much. Badly just
dropped bit, as if to get a better
hold on something, and then started for
Dandy. .The result nearly turned the
forecastle upside down. He didn't take
"a step till Dandy met him, and then
something seemed to lift him into the
air. Hisleft shoulder struck the deck
first, and then the big boots came down
with a racket that brought Mr.. Tullis,
second mate, and Captain Salisbury for
ward.
"'What's up here9' said Mr.. Tullis.
Z" I am, sir. No man shall strike me,
ssid Dandy, with sa1utes
$50 am /, said Badly, as he rose and
made for Dandy again. He got no
further than before. Z! His head struck
theSdeck first again.
'Avast, or I'll put you m;irons fora
month, said the captain. What do yQu
by thatF .,- ~, =
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