The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-09-15
THE CAPTAINS STORY.

retired shipmacter, with the gaze of n vulture |
under the apparently sleepy lid, and face |
full of lines and discoloration like the wrink |
ling of currents in the CLASSY swathes of u
dead calm on some dingy spread of water of
the West African coast-''I had been always
a bit superstitious mp to then, but l own that
that Job cured me. But il made me see also
that it isn't reasonable to be too contemptu-
GUS of ones fellow-creatures who believe in
spirits aud manifestations of which there is
no organ, sense or quality in human body to
take notice of, saving credulity.
1t comes to this, sir human nature never
gets beyond certain pass. We sail to that
point, and then the wind shifts, and we drop
astern. From time to time it is put into
us to think foolshly, that the thoughtful
amongst us may understand how little ahead
OF the old folks We are in spite of all our dis
coveries. I've watched this fad of ghosts
amongst us of late; the growth of societies
which aim to enlarge mems knowledge OF
what doesn't exist, and it takes me back tc
tine days when was a young 'un, when there
were still witches in the country, and old
women were ducked and drowned for sailing
athwart the moonlight on broom-stieks. W.
were bit coarser then in our superstitions
than now, made our ghosts hays instead OF
spirits of beauty, fled from candles in tur.
nips, and reckoned when old DOGGY wanted
us he arrived down the chimney. But the
quality remains the same. 1t is only bright
ened in these times, polished up and made
70 look in other days finer, Now, however,
to give you my yarn.
Il was master of ship of eight hundred
tons. We were loaded with a general cargo,
bound to the east Indies. 1t is many years
ago, when ships companies were numerous,
partly through the compulsion of the naviga.
ton laws, partly because owners wanted
their ships to keep afoat, partly because
you wouldn't have got sailors to ship II there
had not been hands to do the work; and my
complement numbered between forty and
forty-fve men. In crowd of this kind one
doesn't take particular notice. When the
crew are few you come to know your Jims,
and Joes, and Toms, as you come to know
your dogs at home, or as man who is
worth only few shillings is not only con-
Rcious of what he has in his pocket, but can
tell you the character of the coins also. We
were without passengers, simply well
manned cargo vessel, all of the olden time,
though handsome boat in her way; frigate-
built, painted ports, wide channels, great
black tons, the yards square enough to
serve line of battle-ship, and the
royals, when mastheaded, sitting close
against the trllcks-the properest topping of
to my taste, to the fabric of full-rigged
ship. We had been out fortnight, when in
the afternoon there came on asudden squat.
The fore and mizZen topgallant sails were
clewed up, with hand standing by at the
main top gallant halliards. l noticed some
figures in the forerigging going aloft to roll
up the sail there, and then on sudden there
was a commotion: a running of men forward
and gathering of them into heap around
something | told the mate to go and see
what was the matter. He returned with the
news that q man in the act ofgoing aloft had
fallen dead on the deck of the rail. We were
without..a doctor, and all hands looked to
me in a case of this kind. walked to where
the man lay land found him to be an able
seaman; an old yellow-haired man, whose
face had before taken notice of for the
CHASTITY complexion of it; sort of dusky
parchment-like hue, the color of q sailors duff
that's been too long in the coppers. The lids
were half closed, nothing but the whites
showing; the lips set hard in sort o
half grin, without froth, and the arms out
stretched in the posture of crucifed person
Short of skeleton, to my notion, one ought
to never be able to say cock-surely, pointing
to a body, this is death The fellow might
be in a faint or in fit, or in n cataleptic; has
body in deaths straight jacket, and the MIND
within all alive and wondering what the
deuce has gone wrong outside. l ordered him
to be carried to his bunk and to be rubbed
and to be treated as if he was to be brought
to, and if that failed then to be slowed away
out of sight of the men, but MOTTO be stitched
ND for a bit, so that if there was any spark
e. -, ;oht hnvo n nhapnp The fnc
is | wanted to make sure he was dead maj
before he was tossed overbOard-a yer,
proper feeling in me, no doubt, though Their
was touch of morbidity in it, too, for, t.
tell the truth, the one quite horror of my lif
in those days the thought of being buried
alive, and what feared for myself was no
the sort of a man to put upon another"
"Well after two days we were all agreed
that he was dead, so gave orders for hin
to be stitched up and brought to the gang
way, and next morning after breakfast we hell
the service 1t was always my desire tina
matters of this kind should be carried gu
with proper solemnity. | considered j
worked as q wholesome influence among IN
sailors, who were made to understand that I
dead seaman on the ocean was to be treatet
Ms if he were a dead pauper out OF a work
house; that a show of respect and regret q
all events, should go to his funeral, since
shipmate is a shipmate the wide world over
The body, stitched in it's hammock, with SINK
er slowed away in the clews, was, placed upol
grating and covered with the ensign. ihel
the grating was lifted by four men ant
brought to the rail, one end of it resting
there, the other end supported by two men
who stood ready to whip off the ensign an
let the body slide when the time should com
for so doing. All hands gathered around
washed and clean. 1t was quie
morning, light breeze of wind blowing
| the ship under all plain sail, everything sllen
| aloft, the deck heaving slightly to the sma
| beam sea- | came out of the cabin with m.
nrayer-book in nv hand and started to read
| the men barring their heads, with the GRIND
| ing here and there of a jaw upon hunk @
tobacco s. anding high in the cheek-bone, an
| much wistful and inquisitiye peerlng at poo
Jacks outline by eyes bleared by the gales c
wind into which they had started. was pre-
ceeding, reading with great emphasis an
solemnity, when there arose from under tn
ensign a short muffied, grooming sort OF CT
! of For Gods sake cut me adrift, mates. II
sutfocating.' The prayer-book fell from m
| hand. the two fellows who were holding tn
| grating let go of it and bolted forward
| whereupon off rolled the body on to the dec
amongst the feet of the sailors, who, lettln
ay a volley of curses in their alarm, bolted
all directions, some of them even jumping II
| TO Une rlSRlHS. lldu u ponooA
amongst us the clearance effected could NO
have been more complete. =,
'The mates had run away as well as Tn
seamen, and the cowardice of all hands qulcl
" put temper enough in me to rally m
nerves. Quick | bawled; cut the poo
wretch adrift or he'll be suffOcated in goo
earnest, and it will be worse murder don
than had we buried him. On this the CHI
mate and some others came to the bod.
shouldering one another, and ripped opee
the hammock Well, dead or alive, ,twoul
have been better to have given the thing II
last toss than to have witnessed such sigh
You see it was warmish weather, and tn
body besides had been but I'll say no mol
on that; only that such an apparition Tlsln
before the stoutest army that eyer TOOK I'll
field would have sent it flying without wal
ing for the buglars to sound But he caile
ont that he was suffocating, and we locke
to see him move, all hands comming up
lunches at a time, till there we were all OF
heaying and squirming middle, with this no
ror in the midst of us, and the men squirte
Juice in all directions through sheer loathln
If that man bent dead, said the bosom
INV ewes amt mates Did he wriggle ,
ALP said /, addressing one OF the Il
lows who held the grating, before you let
and run away?' The man answered
hadn't noticed any movement. He spok
ANYWAY said the mate. well. pickle n
ewes for onions if there was ever rummi
start than this, cried the carpenter, stooplI
| ,v.I han