The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-06-01
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A DOUBLING THOMAS.
The Way a Western Man Sat Down on q
Whaling Captain.

The Way a Western Man Sat Down on q
II Whaling Captain.
| We had been in New Bedford ten or twelve
days and mad selected our particular sea cap
tain and listened to half & dozen of his yarns
without betraying the slightest evidence of
doubt of any statement, when stranger
from the far west arrived and rather forced
his presence upon our ccterie. We were on
the back veranda of the hotel, five or six of
us and the old whaler, and the latter had just
started in on a story, when the westerner
came out of the smoking room and drew up
chair
Now, go ahead, captain" he brusquely
observed, as ne lighted fresh cigar.
"Well, gents" began the captain, after an
uneasy look around, 81 was going to tell you
about whale as''-
"What species of whale?' interrupted the
stranger. There are several species, you
know, and you had better designate"
IA right whale, sir"
"Oh That's all right; go ahead"
1--WE were lying to and drifting while try
ing out a fish captured the day before, and
/, the wind was FROM
"Was this on Lake Erie or the Atlantic
oceang' put in the stranger.
ION the Atlantic, of course"
"Then an with you. l didn't know but
you were whaling on the lakes. Better locate
the spot a little closer, however"
at was off the coast of Brazil, "replied the
captain in an indignant voice.
That will. do but it is long coast. Go
ahead, and never mind which way the wind
blew"
1--WE were drifting, as / said" continued
the captain, ashe swallowed lump in his
throat, when Che man at the masthead
called '--
Excuse me, captain" interrupted the
stranger, but if all hands were trying out,
why did you have lookout at the mast
headf'
Let him go onI'. called two or three
voices.
"Oh, certainly, but he must be sure of his
facts. Go on, captain; you had man at the
masthead, where he didn't belong at the time,
| but perhaps you managed things that way.
He suddenly sighted whale, didn't hes"
The captain would have retired, but we
looked at him SO appealingly that he decided
to make one more effort.
THE lookout hailed the deck and said that
a large whale was bearing down on our star
board broadside,' he said, after two or three
swallows. Il at once leaped"-
Say, captain softly inquired the stran-
ger, was the lookout man of veracity"
''Of course he wasl"
"All right, then; but | have known look
outs who would lie like trotting horse about
whales. Go on. You were going to say that
you leaped overheard. What happened
thenF'
Gentlemen, can't stand this" protested
the captain, as he rose up
whats the matterz" asked the stranger.
You seem to doubt my word. sir"
Lands alive! but how did you get that
idea? On the contrary, / have the most en-
tire faith in what you say. By the way,
captain, in what year, month and day of the
week was this! What was the name Of your
ship? Are any of the crew willing to go be-
fore magistrate and make affidavit!
should also like
But the captain had turned his back and
walked away, and our pleasant old liar never
returned to us He had been smothered by
the stranger, and we had to hunt up and listen
to the yarns of a mate, who couldn't tell Q
yarn without his face giving him away every
time he pulled leg of truth out Of joint
New York Sun.