The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-03-20
peru. .

For The Constitution.
eyes, sir" said old Jack West refectively,
'I've been sh!pmates with many natal born
brave man, but the bravest I'm ever l shipped
yet with was ten-year-old name Peru"
name what2'
The old tar deliberately knocked the ashes
from his clay pipe, and, having performed that
maneuyer with the calmness and dignity be-
coming boatswain's mate, he glanced coolly
at his interrogation.
Name Peru"
"How came i'm name Peru?"
! Old Jack laid his pipe in his lap, and
| drawing his jack knife and navy plug, slowly
| began shaving off strips of tobacco, until his
critical glance measured pipe full. Then,
crumbling the tobacco in his left hand until it
was almost powdered, he tucked the knife
! back in his belt, and emptied the tobacco into
his pipe.
'"Who took my matches?" asked the old
man as lie fumbled in hispocket.
A light was handed him, and presently, as
the smoke curled upward Jack settled his
broad back comfortably against convenient
chest and looked thoughtiully upward
That was his invari able way Of announcing
ready, aud they all knew it,
Lets have the yarn, Jack"
well, boys it's like this 1t was back il '39
wen I was younger an l am now, an down
yere on the south Pacific with the flagship Ma
rion. Twas the spryest man in the gigs crew
in them days, an pulled for ole Admiral lyG,l3I
long time ago it was, too. Well, one evenln' in
April. the admiral wanted to go ashore am
they sung out for the gigs crew, an in a shake
or 50 we was alongside the quay in Calao. The
boats crew was left in the gig, an I'll boun'
they was all snoozin' wen the ole admiral
stepped in an piped sorter quick like.
least off there, boys, and pull for the ship"
IAN there he was with the tjllrr TOOPS in his
hands, with a basket or bottles handy and
crouched down between his feet like scared
houn' was one or the cutest chips Of er lub5er
you ever lay eyes on.
81 heerd the admiral say presently:
What's your name nigger"" and the lit
tie shaver piped back, sorter tremlin'
" Peru, senor.'"
"And after that he was Peru.
"Ihem wasn't the days wen lubJer could
boast about like he owned the ship, nor yit tho
time W EN- coward folks was in demand but
somehow or other they all liked the little
shaver. He would tremble if the wind bowed
but he was so humble like an handy that they
all had a kin word for little Peru. Jes tell
i'm an lie would go, an better shoeblack for
Sunday inspection / amt seed yit The admi-
raj had little gal long with i'm, er orphan,
an she was mighty, pretty one. Maybe the
admiral didn' love that little gal o hisn.
Bless my soul, they warn't anything good
enough Tor her, an if anybody besides the adj
miral knowed it, that Teller was little Peru.
Wen skies was good that little gal would come
on deck, an little Peru was happy as a king,
an the old admiral would just smoke his big
pipe and pace the quarter deck an look as if
he didn't care whether it raned or showed.
You never seed preutier picture in the chap
lain's book than them little shavers made way
back in 80 Peru he would look as trim an
pretty an happy as you please, an that little
gal with long hair an a laugh-Why these we're
mermaids amt no circumstance.
"Well one night the storm came on sudden
,sI,,,
it warnt storm. Royals an to'gallants was
down an topsails to the las reef, but the old
ship pitched an rolled an heaved like You
never seed. lowed as how me an Davy Jones
would be shipmates if that thing didn't stop
fore long, with the masts swayin an
creakin'. The water rolled over her bows an
swept the decks clean as whistle-chcken
coops, kegs, spars an all. There was the old
admiral with his arms wrapped in the riggn
gear an sheltered like by the mast, an Peru
with his big eyes shinin' an stickin' like
leach alongside the admiral. 1t was wuss an
wuss, an long bout four bells wen it gittin'
dark already, heerd the little gal say:
I" Papa! Where is papa?
'She must er got scared down in the cabin.
an there she war at the cabin ladder Jes as
she started fur the admiral the ship give one
big long lurch and the green seas rolled aft
like flash or lightnin'.
Il heerd one little scream, an seem like [ !
can sorter remember white face as the Tater
!
gal was gone. An the admiral? 1t beats lie
to hear d woman cry, but never want to see
such agony again. lie was crazy an if me
and Tom Bowen an old Ben Towns hadn' er
grabbed i'm the Marion wouldn't er had no
admiral, sure 1t was so quick.
Little Peru? There was one old cracked
life preserver strapped there 10 the miZZen
mast W at I'd used for pillow ever since we
left Frisco. And before you could wink the
life preseryer was gone an Peru was gone.
Right overheard an tue waves like the hills.
/ jes shuddereq all over.
"The ship was put aback, and the life boat
lowered an manned. They knew that little
Essie was gone, an Peru was gone, an not
man finched as she dropped into the foam.
81 watched the brave fellows as they showed
off an felt mighty solemn, boys, for they
don't git back often in storm like that. In
little while they was lost i'll the dark, an you
conldn't hear them hail any longer
The old admiral had sorter quoted down,
an jes wrung his hands an moaned same as a
woman.
''It was awful. We must or been nearly half
q knot from where the little gal went over
an, driftin in spite of all We could do. Them
minutes was mighty long ones, an L jis
knowed if that crew ever got back they
wouldn't bring neither ESsie nor Peru, an it
T;oula kill the admiral There he was with his
glasses peekin' into the dark, an the lads
watchin' an hopin'.
"Suddenlike he threw down the glass an
yelled:
"'Doat ahoy'
81 thought the brave old admiral bad just
gone crazy from grief an anXiousness, but
listened an it seemed like heerd the hail re-
turned 1t was faint an mist like, les as they
say the Flying Dutchman halls you at night,
The old admiral clasped his hands an
said:
"'Thank God Thank Godp
Then he put his hands to his mouth an
yelled again:
"'Boat ahoyl'
can the answer came back faint
'Aye-aye-sirp
"And the admiral cried an laughed. an
laughed an cried till the tears come into my
eyes
II knowed, you see, that they never could
pick up baby even il she could a lived through
It all, an pitied the admiral, fur the disap-
pointment would kill i'm. He never seemed
TO imagine that the little gal might not be
there.