Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-05-09
CHATTER XVIII.

himself in his own ship anon. Tho drink had
made him cheerful and good natured. He
recommended that we should go on deck and
set about trans-shipping while the weather
held, for he was an old hand in these seas,
and never trusted the skies longer than a
quarter of an hour.
''This here list ~ says he, "wants remedy
ing, and that'll follow our easn' of the hold. :"
eyes, said l, "and | should be mighty
thankful If some Of your men would see all
clear aloft for me, that we might start with
running rigging thatll travel capstans
that'll revolve, and sails th9tn spread.n
"Oh we'll manage that for you,n said he.
"Tru-ly she's been bad froze-very bad froze
burned if ever l see worse freeze"
So saying he called to Bill, who seemed
tie principal man Of the boats crew. and
gave him some directions, and Immediately
afterward all the men entered the boat and
rowed away to the ship
While they were absent carried the cap
tain into the hold and left him TO overhaul
it, l told him that an the spirits, provisions
and the like were in the hold and lazarette,
which was true enough-wanting to keep
him out of the rlln-though, thanks TO the
prscaution had taken, l was in no fear even
if he should penetrate so deep aft. Before
he came out fVe-and-twenty stout fellows
arrived in four boats from the ship, and
when we went ON deck we found them going
the rounds Of the vessel, scraping the guns to
get a view of them, peering down the COM
panon everhauling the foreeastle well as
call the hollow beyond the forecastle and
staring aloft with their faces full of grinnng
wonder, the captain sang out to them,
and they all mustered aft.
SNOW, lads said he, there big job be-
fore you-a big job for Cape Horn, mean;
and yoall have to slip through il us if you
was grease, When done there'll be a carouse,
and III warrant ye all such a sup that the
most romantic among yen never cast an
other pning thought in the direction o. your
mothers milk
Having delivered this preface, he divided
the men into two gaDgs-one, under the
boatswan, to attend to the rigging, clear the
canvas of the ice, get the pumps and the cap
STAINS to work, and see all ready for getting
sail on the schooner; the other under the
second mate, to get tackles aloft and break
out the cargo, taking care to trim ship while
so doing
They fell to their several jobs with will
IT'S the habit of our eountrymen to sheer at
the Americans sailors, affirming that if
ever they win battle at sea it is by the help
on British renegades But this protest:
after witnessing the smartness OF those
Yankee whalemen, | would sooner charge
the English than the Americans with lubber-
lness, came the nautical merits of the two
nations ever before me to decide upon They
had the matches open, tackles aloft and men
at work below while the mariners of other
countries would have been standing looking
on and "jawing" upon the course to be
taken. Some overran the fabric aloft,
clearing, cutting away, pounding, making
the ice fly i'll storms; others sweated the cap
STAINS till they clanked; others fell to the
pumps, working with hammers and kettles
of boiling water. The wondrous old
schooner was never buser-no not in the
hey day of her flag, when her guns were
blazing and her people yelling.
As half past three in the afternoon the
breeze began to sit in dark curls upon the
water, and there was evidence enough in the
ha2inesS in the west, and in the loom of the
shoulders of Yapor in the dark blue obscure
there, to warrant sackful for this capful
presently.
II reckon" says the captain to me, after
looking into the west, ''that we'd best knock
of now. There's snow and wind yonder,
and we'd better see all snug while there's
time"
He called to one Of the men to tell the sec
ond mate to come up from below and get the
matches on, and bringing me to the rail he
pointed to boat, and asked if that would
do? said yes, and thanked him heartily for
the gift, which was handsome, must say
the boat being a very good one, though,
to be sure, he had got many times it's value
out of the schooner; and party of men were
forthwith told off to get the boat hoisted and
slowed.
The captain then shook me by the hand,
and, calling farewell to Wilkinson and the
negroes, scrambled into the chains and
dropped into his boat, very highly satisfied, 1
make no doubt, with the business he had done
that day
A boats crew were left behind to help us
to make sail. But the weather looking some
what wild in the west, with the red light of
the sun among the clouds there, and the dark
heave of the swell running into a sickly
crimson under the sun, and then flowing out
dusky again, | got them to treble reef the |
mainsail and hoist it, and then thanking |
them, advised them to be off. We gave them |
cheer when they started, which they re- |
turned, and then, putting Cromwell to the |
tiller, went forward with the Others and
set the topsall ana forestaysall (the sprltsall
lying turledl, winch would De snow enough |
OF canvas I'LL sa" Wha6 the weather was |
like. kept the topsail aback, waiting for |
boat to arrive with my chart and III few |
minutes the boat we had cheered returned |
with what wanted
Meanwhile they were shortening sail on |
the whaler; and, though she was no beauty, |
yet tell you found her as picturesque as |
any ship had ever beheld as she lay with |
her maintopgalantsail clewed up, her top |
sail yards on the caps, and the heads Of men |
knotting the reef points showing black over |
the white cloths, her hull floating up out of |
the hollow and ninging n wet orange CLEAN |
to the west, a tumble of creamy foam about |
her to her rolling-shadows like the passage |
of phantom hands hurrying over her sails to
the swayinr of her masts and the swelling
sea darkIing from her into the east.
l followed nv hands, and hailing the cap
+aiD Who ,vos ~, tho o,a,sar 1ecly oska5 |