The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-10-21
A NOBLE HEART.

used to think, said Captain Streeter,
that Jogging at sea was n necessary duty.
AT that time there were but few masters
more passionate or severe than L was. Men
used TO run away from me, and on more
than one occasion my life has been in dan
ger from the violence OF men whom / had
abused. / used the cat and ropes end al
most as freely as / used my tongue; and
used to wonder how it happened that al
ways bad the luck TO get such bad men.
When / was about forty years of age |
book command of the ship Petersham. She
was an old craft and had seen full as much
service IA she was capable OF seeing with
safety. But her owners were willing to
trust valuable cargo in her, so l wouldn't
refuse To trust myself. We were bound To
Liverpool, ard nothing unusual happened
until about the third day out. when we ran
foui of a small iceberg. TWAS early in the
morning-before suErise-and not above
six or eight feet of ice was out or water, it
having been melted away in the warm wa
ters of the Gulf stream. L did not think we
had sustained much injury, for the shock
was slight; but / was very angry, and gave
the lookout" n severe punishment, without
stopping to inquire whether he could have
seen the berg IN season to escape it.
My cabin boy was named Jack Withers.
de was fourteen years of age. and this was
his first voyage. He was n bright. quick,
intelligent lad, but soon made myself be-
heye that he had an awful disposition.
fancied he was the most stubborn piece of
humanity had ever come across. | made
up my mind that he had never been properly
governed, and resolved to break him in.
j told him should curb his temper before
had done with him. in reply, he told me
n l..,l LII IL. 6 4.
fogged him with the end of the mizzen
top. gallant halyards till he could hardly
stand. ] asked him if he had got enough,
aud he told me that | might fog him M ore
if L wished it. / felt strong inclination
to throw the boy overheard; but at that mo-
ment he staggered back against the miz-
.yen-mast from absolute weakness, and
aeft him to himself. When l reasoned
calmly about the boys disposition | was
forced to acknowledge that he was one of
the smartest and most faithful lads l had
seen. When / asked him to do anything
he would be off like rocket; but when /
roughly ordered him to do it, then came
the disposition with which l had found
fault.
One day, when it was near noon, l spoke
to hun, aud told him to go below and bring
up my quadrant. He was looking over the
quarter rail, and l knew that ne did not hear
me; and the next time I spoke ripped out,
and indmated that If he didn't move I'd
help him.
IL didn't hear you," he said, with rather
an independent tone.
"No Words" said |.
81 suppose / can speak," be retorted,
moving slowly toward the companionway.
His looks, words, and the slow, careless
manner in which he moved, fred me in a
moment, and l grasped him by the collar.
speak to me again like that, and | will
fog you within an inch of your life" said l..
You can fog away, he replied, firm and
uudlunted as n rock.
And / did fog him. l caught up the end
of rope. and beat him till my arm fairly
.ached: nut he never WINGED.
flows tn at?" said /.
"There's little more life in me you'd
better fog out, was the reply.
A nd beat him again. beat him till he
ga nix from my hand on the iail; and then
sent one of the men for my quadrant.
When it came, and had al justed it for my
observation, / found that the sun was al
ready past the meridian and | was too late
This added fuel to my madness, and quick
ay Selling the lad by the collar, led him to
the main hatchway, and had the hatch taxi
en- eff. l then thrust him down, and swore
Il
ness was broken. The hatch was then put
on, and / went into the cabin. / suffered a
good deal that afternoon, not with any
computations for what had done, but with
my own temper and bitterness. 1t made me
mad To think l could not conquer the boy
thlt | could not break down his cool oppo-
eition. But Ill do it, / said TO myself; by
the heavens above me, Ill starve him into
1T, or he shall die under the operation.
After supper went to the hate hway, and
called out to him, but he returned me no
Sanswer. SO / closed the hatch and went
away. AT 10 o'clock / called again, and
again l got no answer. | might have
Thought that the fogging had taken away
his senses, had not some of the men as
,sured me that they had heard him not an
hour before talking to himself. L did not
trouble him again till morning.
After breakfast | went to the hatchway
and called ont TO him once more. l heard
nothing from hun, nor could / see him.
had not seen him since | put him down
there / called out to HIM several times,
but he would make no reply; and yet the
same men told me they had heard him talk
ing that very morning. He seemed to be
calling ON them for help. but he would not
ask me. He'll beg before he'll starve," l
thought. and SO determined to let him stay
there. j supposed that he had crawled for
ward to the forecastle bulkhead in order TO
make the sailors hear HIM. Some Of the
men asked leave TO go down and look after
him, but refused. | Threatened to punish
the first man who dared to go down.
AZ noon / went again, and, az he did not
answer me this time, l resolved that he
should come to the hatchway and ask me
ere | went any more. The day passed
away, and when evening came l began to
DC startled. | thought of the many lood
'quih ties the boy had-and of his widowed
mother. He had been in the hold Thirty
SIX hours, and all of forty without food OF
drink. lie must be too weak to cry out
now. II was hard for me 10 give il up. II
he uied there from absolute starvation il
might 80 harder with ne slim SO, al