The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1886-02-24
THE wREcKeBs.
y sALog's sToaY.

tors, pirates and such, may be |
can interest you in an adventure
which oeeprfed SO recently that all
the particulars are ye! fresh in my
mind.
lam a sailor man, and ! am as
homes. as tho general run Of them.
I was in New Orleans, Knocking
around for a berth, when one day
on the lovee at the foot Of Canal
street, man with a blink to his
left eye seems TO take a great shine
to me. lie invites me to drink
with him and join him al dinaer,
and, when he believes tho time 10
be ripe be says; You look like an
honest chap ana I.iUh't deny lhnt
I've taken a liking to you. How
would you like to ship with my
captain?'
"And wboInay your captain be2"
l asked.
Captain Mccall, Of the schooner
Glance, and I'm saying to sou that
a better man never gave orders
from the quarserdeck, and that a
better vessel than the Glance was
never put together"
"And what may be the voyage. .
He looks hard at me a long time
before replying, and then draws
down bis left eye and whispers:
Come aboard and see the captain.
He'll be glad TO shake hands and
tell you all about il!
/ must own to my confusion that
| am u drinking man, as most sail.
ors are, and that this chap with a
blink to his eye had me half seas
over before We left the saloon. We
had another drink or two before
reaching the schooner, ard when
we went aboard | was in no condi.
tion to idge Of men or things. /
remember Vi meeting three or four
men and Of drinking again, aud
then all memory was gone, When
| came to my senses the schooner
was in the Gulf of Mexico, head.
ing almost north, and the hour was
4 o'clock in the afternoon.
Stiff and sore, and thoroughly
frightened to tind myself at sea, |
crawlsd out Of the close and Ill.
smelling forecaslle aud made my
way on deck. The crew were all
there, including the captain
There we're five white men, two
and Im6de the eight man.
There was a light breeze from the
southeast, and an island was in
sight off to the norCh~est. A sin.
gle look satisfied me that We were
headed for Chandelcur Bay, on the
Mississippi coast
I was greeted in a pleasant fash.
ion by the men, and the captain
beckonGd the into hiscabin, poured
out a stiff glass of grog, and said; =
"Yon'll feel better after drinking
it. It's good grog that puts heart
into q sailor man."
"WilI you tell me what schooner
this is, and how | came to be
aboard Of herr" l asked, never
minding his soft ways and the liq.
uor he had placed under my nose.
"Why, man, have you gone clean
daft?" he called out. "You came
to me for u berth' on the Glance,
and l, Captain Mccall, signed you
for n trip to Santa Rosa island and
return, You were sober enough
when you signed articles. Come,
down with the grog, and wish us a
successful voyage"
captain Mccall, I never signed
with you'll ! says, looking him
straight in the eye. "And if you
are bound to the n1rtheast, why
are you holding to tho north2"
"Tut, tut, man! am not used to
such talk aboard this vessel. Go
on deck and do your duty, and if
you dare talk mutiny I'll put a
bullet through your head"
With that | turned aud left him,
and to say that was in a rage
would hardly describe my feelings.
Ny sailors instinct had shown me
that was on u wrecker, and such
wreckers are no better than pirates.
| had been duped aboard to make
up the complement of men, and
if they discovered that / was not
hand and heart with them they'd
have little hesitation in taking my
life.
| went forward to the bows, and
presently the mate joined mo. He
was the man with the blink in his
eye, and | laid all the trouble to
him. Io spoke very softly, but |
was SO bold and bitter that he soon
aew mad and abused me in the