Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-02-13
MY FIRST VOYAGE.


MY FIRST VOYAGE
81 reckon my first voyage was memora-
BILE one" said an old South street merchant
speaking Of his sailor days. THE Blue Coat
was a neat Boston ship. She was loading for
Pernambuco when l went on board. Her
captains name was John Salisbury, and the
mates name was Bevns. Salisbury was a
great big Yankee, and Bevins was nAtty lit
tie fellow from Baltimore. They we're great
chums, too, and when was at work polish.
ing 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 pier was another
Boston ship called the Alice, loading for Per
ambuco, and the consequence was that An in
tense rivalry sprung up between the two cap
tains. We were getting our cargo slowed
first, but the other captain swore he would beat
ussailng, and so catch the market first. An
other reason Why Capt Salisbury was anX.
ious to make q short passage was that his
wife aud Wo-year-old baby we're in England
visiting, and we're going TO sail in the old
packet ship Ranger for New York, in time to
eat the Christmas turkey at home, and as we
were to put to sea before the end OF Septem-
Der, we had chance Of getting back for the
same occasion.
1ne crew, ana Inere we're twenty OF lueun,
tumbled thtic chests over the rail before the
last barrel was slowed / reckon I'll never
forget two Of them. One was q great broad
shouldered fellow, too big to be quick. His
Dame was Jim McAdam, and better man on
a topsail ballard or a weather earring never
smoked a pipe. However he seldom got the
weather earring, because the other chap,
whose real name was Henry Parmley, but
who was known as Dandy seldom gave him
a chance. Dandy was handsome a man
you could find in a weeks search among
sailors boarding houses. He had curly
brown hair, blue eyes, with q sort Of scared
look in them, good five. foot ten figure, and
small hands and feet. His dress and bearing
gave his nickname. McAdam was known az
Badly Jim, for reasons that were obvious
when his hat was of. OF course these two
men did not agree we'll, and as Bsldy was ag-
gressive, Dandy was imposed upon, and
Baldy became ruler of the starboard watch.
When We got to sea very soon learned that
a certain personal regard which Capt. Sails
bury had for my father did not save me from
becoming Baldy's body servant and that was
about the most unfortunate position a boy
could bold.
The second day out, as we were going be-
low for the afternoon watch, Baldy ordered
me to grease bis boots, which did after be
NaH bubiihks Nho ShinlHb tbt
fate that took me to sea, when Dandy came
down the ladder, looked at me a minute, and
then turned in, for We were all in one watch.
l did good job, and three hours later was
routed out by the watch on deck. There
was brisk wind blowing, and just as BAldy
reached the deck a sea came over the rail for
ward and sloshed down around him, thor
oughly wetting one foot, because his boot had
a hole in it, / was known as Useless.
"'Here Useless, said Baldy. you little
beast, why the - didn't you grease the
cracks 2
II was mad, and 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. 1 crawled to the edge of
the forehatch, 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
combings he turned imperiously
ASK the boys pardon. He did good
job on the boots, for saw him at it,
"That was a sumner and no mistake. For
mild-mannered Dandy to tell the boss Of the
forecsstle to ask boys pardon was too
much. Baldy 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. His left
shoulder struck the deck first, and then the
big boots came down with a racket that
brought Mr.. Tullis, the second mate, and
Capt Salisbury forward.
whats up here ?" said Mr.. Tullis.
"I am, sir. No man shall strike me, said
Dandy, with a salute.
$50 Am l. said Baldy, as he rose and
made for Dandy again. He got no farther
than before. His head struck the deck first
again.
"'Avast or I'll put you in irons for month,
said the captain. What do you mean by
thatY'
"Baldy crawled on to the hatch much as
had, and then, there being nothing small
about him, told the truth about the whole
matter. After that nobody was so much re-
spected in the forecastle as Dandy. But
when one of the crew tried afterwards to
ohaff Baldy about the licking, he got a slap
across the jaw that made his teeth rattle, and
Baldy said: Well, yeou can't dew it ef Dan
dy kin
IAN this time we'd been carrying on sail,
aud the Blue Coat was Just humping herself.
Capt Salisbury knew u thing or two about
ships and he wasn't going to let any rival
ship get in ahead of bin it he knew it. Az
ter the first two weeks he used to ask the
lookout about every time a sail was reported,
il 1t was a square sail or a rattle. A rattle
was the name he gave to the little three-cOr-
nered sky sails which the Alice carried above
her royals. He was awfully excited when
the lookout reported topsail schooner on
the weather beam one day.
"However, the wind held us we'll, and Just
twenty-five days from the time we passed
Sandy Hook, pilot was coming on board OF
Pernambuco, and was telling the captain the
other ship bad not arrived. We came to an
chor inside the bar before night, and the old
man looked up the oousignees and the GUS
tom officials, He was regular pie for two
days, and then the triangles showed up in the
offing The Alice should have left four days
after we did, aud the captain swore he didn't
get away for Ave.
"You know how long II takes to discharge
a cargo 10 South American port even now,
and it was worse In those days. 1t was Dec.
/, when we got away. l remember that
Capt Salisbury was walking up and down
the quarterback az the land grew faint in the
distance, and WAS saying 10 the little mate /;
| 'Bevns, she's three days out Of Liverpool
The Ranger is a fine thip, but wife and boy,
Beyins, are sessiok.' Presently the captain
went below, leaving Mr.. Bevins TO carry on
every stitch of canvas the old Blue Goat would
stand.
"What made this voyage more exciting to
u.s. and, perhaps, more depressingto 10 the cap
tain, was the fact that the Alioe's captain had
hoped on the rail as we sailed out by him,
! and had said he would be right after us next