The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-19
MY ExpER ERNCa AT SEA.
ow l Overheard a Plot cad Got Rich
through difficulty.
Eronl "a. Nelo Yol.l: .Sttll.

desired privacy while eating stew or
drinking a glass of wine. l could hear
ali that was said in two of them, as Tie
partitions were only cloth; but | had been
n the place two weeks before ANYTHING of
norticlilar interest was dropped from
either. One evening while l was at work
two men entered one of the stalls, de-
vonred stew, and drank some gpog, and,
after lighting cigars, entered upon a CON
versation which at once attracted my at
tention. ..
one.
Everything ship-shape and understood"
replied the other
s'She is insured~
"Way up"
"And no suspicions~
Not one"
''We take machinery to Rio Janeiroi"
eyes. That and other stuff"
land bring back sugar and coffeer'
"Yes, if we return"
what do we get"
"Three thousand apiece"
"Well, don't like it, but I'm in with
you. She's to go down off the Guinea
coast. Ell"
Yes, down that way"
Spring a leak and founder, and all hands
take TO the boats, | supposem
That's the plan"
"Well, here's success to it. The Albatross
sa good old craft, and l hate to see her go,
but one must look out for himself.
"Aye mate, that's gospel truth. That's
what you and me are going to do now. It'll
come from the rich insurance companies,
and no one will be the poorer"
And we can trust Williams to hand over
olr divvyF'
''He's square. He's got to be square"
Twas green country boy, but l caught
on to their talk. They were sailors, and
they were planning the loss of a ship to get
the insurance. | rose up and found hole
in the cloth through which | could get a
look at them. They talked bit moro and
then went out, and within twelve honrs
one of the mysteries occurred. q, Il boy who
had formerly worked for the restaurant, and
vino had fallen sick, recovered sufficiently
to displace me, and | was cast adrift again
with only four bits in my purse. The
next day, but one, as L entered a tavern
on the levee in hopes to find something to
do, the proprietor gave me cordial well
come, with dinner, and at last got around
to say:
Now. my boy, feel like father to you,
! do indeed. You have had a hard time,
and you have been full Of pluck. Pm in
terested in seeing you do well, and have
got nice place for you My brother, who
TAIN and he wants u good boy to sail with
him." .......
But | was never on a ship, protested.
"Of course not, but that makes no differ
ence. You will have a nice little room to
yourself, live like prince, and as for work,
al you will have to do will be to hand the
captain his spy-glasses when ship comes
in sight"
had no desire to go to sea. Indeed.
had Of - hut in, hole ho,, he
had won me over, and that afternoon l was
sent off to the ship in company with several
sailors In two hours after our coming
aboard she started down the river on her
trip, and it was only then that |
got my eyes opened. There was such
hubbub aboard that | had not paid par
ticular attention to officers or men, but all
of sudden discovered that the captain
and mate were the very two men | had seen
and overheard in the oyster booth. Then l
asked the name of the ship, and learned that
it was the Albatross l was greatly troubled,
or would have been if left to myself We
were hardly in tow of the tug before the
first mate, whose name was Mccoy, came
upon me with a ropes end and terrible
curse, and exclaimed:
Now, then, STIR your stumps or I'll break
every bone in your body. Did you come
aboard to play young gentleman, d
you"
That was the beginning. 1 had been
shipped, not as cabin boy, for there was
place for one, but as ships dog, boy
who must come and go at everybody's call,
and who could be kicked and cuffed by
everybody. According to the novelist,
should have found stanch friend in the
fo'castle, q Jack Bolt or Ben Brace, who
would take me under his wing and offer to
fight the whole ship in my behalf, but
80 Al IL. 4 "a
crew were Dagoes and not one of them
showed me the slightest pity. When we
had been out four days | began TO feel very
anxious about the safety of the ship. The
plan was, as overheard it, to take to the
boats, and it suddenly occurred to me that
they would refuse to take me with them.
suppose got this idea from the men tell
ing me that was no good, and that | ought
to be flung overheard, and other express
ions intended to upset me, You can judge
how green | was by what followed. was
in McCoy's watch, and on the night of the
fourth day, as he seemed to soften upa bit
when giving me an order, made bold to
say:
Mr.. Mccoy, when you get ready to have
the ship &C., down. you won't leave me to
drown, will you:"
"W-what!" he gasped as he staggered
back like one shot.
IN Ten minutes ne naQ IL all OUT OF me,
and he stood before me pale-faced and
trembling When he had made sure that |
mad not said anything to any of the crew,
he took me aft and locked me up in state
room designed for the supercargo. Next
morning was taken to the cabin and ques-
toned by the captain and mate and re-
turned to my prison. They were not harsh
with me, but, on the contrary, promised
that ! should go in the captains own boat.
and that | need not work any more. l
vas made cabin boy, and was warned that
dropped one single word to any person
should be flung to the sharks at once.
lney could trust me. Simple Simon that
was. cared only to save myself when the
hour came. / could not realize that the
Suttllng of ship was anything more than
sharp trick. For all | knew, it was prac-
used every day in the year.
One day when we mad been out about two
weeks, as near as / can remember. l was
vent to help the second mate look for some
tnlng wanted fran the lazarette. His name
was Elderson, and he was the only one
aooard who had a friendly look He had
spoken to me kindly two or three times,
and felt that he was friend We were
scarcely alone when he took from his pocket
aoox Of sulphur matches, fshline and
several hooks, and large pocket knife he
landed them to me and said:
:. Ben, take these and stow them away
~ your pocket, and on your life say moth
YOU
he turned from me as if he did not want
y De Questioned, and Ipocketed the articles