Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-19
aailY eagle
AN OLD SALTS YARN.
A Treasure Found Ia Oeveriy-
Made Wooden Leg.
The Whale and the C1am-A Jonah Like
Escape from Death-A Novel Combins-
ton Of Wine Cellar, Bank and
Safety Deposit Vault

An old man sat on the edge Of the string
piece OF South street dock ingenIously
splicing hawser, and his only companion
was short, black clay pipe, from which he
pulled systematically clouds Of rank plug
tobacco smoke with much energy and sat-
.sfaction- His age, says the New York
Tribune, was about sixty his hair long and
gray, and about his withered but kindly
countelance there were many signs of the
hardships and privations he had expert
enced during "a life on the ocean wave"
I Yet his appearance was not particularly
nautical, aside from a sou'western and a
few brass buttons which adorned an an
Gent ''reefer." Nor would ne have attract
ed much attention had il not been for an
old-fashioned wooden leg which was devoid
of al external covering below the knee ex-
icept coat Of white paint. 1t was, more
over, his right leg or necessary substi-
tute for that useful member, and consisted
seemingly Of a straight piece OF timber
which tapered very awkwardly down from
his knee into thick brass ferule at the
bottom.
There was no crutch beside him, and the
reporter was curious 70 know how he man
aged to get about the deck Of vessel with
such primitive-look1ng limb, when be rose
over a narrow plank from the dock To the
deck Of q ralish-looking little schooner,
with q remarkable cat-Eke agility. Then
along the deck and down into the Eliza
Anne's cabin the tell, angular and eccen-
trio figure disappeared for few moments,
returning 30 his work with large Jack
knife, with which be proceeded 70 trim of
the waste or ragged ends of q neat sphce.
for IN a
timber leg-aln Z Ii'' he observed, noticing
the writer had been watching him.
"You are, indeedf" empahatically re-
sponded the assonished reporter, taking a
seat by his side.
Yes, and few on ems smarter nor me
TO this day at seas l always says to my
eldest son, Bill, who owns part of that there
schooner. But, of course, / amt up to
much scaling riggin' or going aloft nova
days-which was the cause Of my losing my
right Leg and subsiquant adoptin' OF this
here apparattuss-"
How long have you worn iti''
''Thirty-yes, thlrty-two years ago last
October, was bowed of the yardarm of
Capn Samuefs peerless clipper ship, the
Dreadnaught-going to the east ard There
was q gale, and ali hands were piped up to
reef and shorten sail, when the fust thing
knew / kinder lost me footing on the stir
rups' Of the lower foretopssil yard and was
thrown on deck"
And
''Aud this here leg that used 70 be was so
badly broken that it had to be amputated at
the knee the next day by the ships surgeon,
and when we arrived IN Liverpool / was
taken 70 the Seamen's Hospital and laid up
for repairs.
Then" continued the ancient mariner
after regarding this wooden extremity with
much admiration for several moments, II
became acquainted with another crippled
sailor who died of consumption. Take
this, Joe,' says be, pointing to this here leg.
faint much, 1 know says he, but may be
useful when you get we'll and with that ne
died"
Ibid il fit!'
'Yes, TO T, and one day was examin-
ing of its wonderful mechanical construc-
ton inside, when / found beneath secret
plug in the hollow part Of the leg here a
wad of bank notes that took my breath
away. Two hundred and fifty POUNDS, sir,
as true as I'm Cap'n Joseph Saltus, of
Glo'ster."
Nv hat did / do with 'ema Why, bless
your heart, put ZEN back again and never
L
confidential whisper) his poor relations d
hear Of the discovery and expect me to SET
tie up Then, after had been in the hos
pital two months, 'Capn Sam visited NE
personally, kind soul and insisted on my
returnin' TO his ship and accepting of job
In the galley My cruise as assistant cook
aboard the old Dreadnsught came mighty
near ending in a watery grave
"How was that?"
You see we were bound for New York,
and just of the banks got into a calm, and
thought I'd try my luck fishing. So l took
big cod hook and line and sat ca the for'a
ran. batting the hook with whole clam,
and. after tying the line TO this wooden ap-
pendage for a fishing pole, cast out to star
board for bite. ] sat there for whole
hour and was almost asleep, when al of
sudden there came such q tug that went
overheard. II was a whale. Just when |
expected TO be swallowed whole like Jonah
something gave way and l was picked up on
the port side Of the ship The worst of II
was there wasn't but one man aboard who
believed whale had pulled me overheard.
you see most OF the crew were asleep.
and 10 make matters worse, me and themate,
a man WHO refused to eat my apple dump
Inns, wasn't extra friendly, and he swore
that was drunk at the time, which asser-
ton most on 'em believed until we arrived
OF Sandy Hook and discovered q dead
whale"
.Anotherln murmured the astonlshed re
porter, preparing 70 hear fresh whale
story.
mo- interrupted the Captain, with an
RTtful wink, 1.-THE same whale that hooked
OF the Psass."
Bat now did you know iti''
"Why, By the line that was hanging out
Of its mouth with this here leg attached TO
it, of course
What, you lost your leg, then9''
YES, for the time being, and / was
mighty lucky had enc to lose, for might
have lost ny life if hadn't parted with my
leg"
''Truei But what killed the whaler'
The clam insisted the Cap'n, (which
was the biggest and toughest clam L ever
saw before or since bsited that hook in the
spring of IS on board the Dreadnaught.
But the thought OF that whale always makes
ne dry" concluded the Capn, bracing his
back against moorlug spite, aud twisting
his wooden leg until that eccentric member
was disloiuted at the knee.
Then, after peering into its internal mys-
terieS with one eye shut, as if locking
through a telescope, he eItricated a bag of
canvas. which. when teuderly unfolded,
contained large black bottle, which he
gszed at with unnistakable reverence, and
turning 10 his amused companion with q
sly twinkle in his starboard eye, said:
Great scheme, amt it, 4 VINE cellar
bank, aud safe deposit vault all in one, and
nobody, not even my old woman, able TO get
G, its valuable contents. Take nip.n