The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-12-21

not recovered from their closing out
shore spree, and had tumbled into their
berths or were sprawled on deck drunk.
Cargo in cases, bales, boxes and barrels
was still ratified over the bulwarks and
into the hold. Everybody seemed to be
swearing-first, each one on his own
private account, and secondly, all in one
general chorus for mutual purposes.
Many people seemed in command.
couldn't distinguish the Gilmore ~ the
shin from tie srevedores. sui officers
continued 10 turn UP everywhere. and
each officer ordered me to some particu'
lar and separate duty.
The world looked pretty black to me
then. wished there was some way out
of it. On shore the period between the
foremost hand and the position of cap
tain was only the duration of a thought.
Here it was an eternity. Day dreams
are short, real experience is long. But
all this is often in youth difficult mat
ter to realize.
There came along short, stout man
with deeper voice and more sonorous
oath than anybody else. This was the
fourth and last mate. 1t was relief to
find at last the end of the mates and to
know the exact number of men legiti-
mateIv entitled to swear at me. This
gentleman for season concentrated
himself entirely on me. He ordered me
with broom and scraper into the ships
pig pen, which he argued needed clean
ing This was my first well defined
maritime duty. 1t was lower round OF
the ladder than I had anticipated. l.
seemed in it's nature an occupation more
bucolic than nautical. l would have
preferred, also, that compliance with the
order had not been exacted until the ship
had left the wharf, because there were
several shore visitors on board, and
among them two of my intimate friends,
who had come to see me off. There they
stood, in all the bravery of silk hats and
fashionably-cut attire, conversing on
terms of equality with the first mate.
They could talk with him on the weather
or any subject. /, by virtue of my in
ferior position, was not at liberty to
speak to this potentate at all.
jumped into the pig pen. Thus des-
tiny, despite our inclinations, forces
down our Threats these bitter pills. The
fourth mate was not more than year
my senior. He stood over me during the
entire process and scolded, cursed and
commanded. My shore friends looked on
srom afar and grinned. Already they
| nj <.hn xyb
yawned between me and them, and
! governed their actions accordingly. Al
ready did they involuntarily patronize
me- 1t requires a wise man to detect
the wickedness and deceit in his own
nature. Probably should have SINH
larly acted had our positions been re-
versed. The mate was very particular
Ne made me sweep and scrape ever
corner with an elaborate and painful!
accuracy. He sent me into the pigs
house to further perfect the work. Twas
obliged to enter it in an almost recum-
bent position. The pig ran out disgust
ed. scraped his floor in a similar mood.
Thus commenced life on the ocear
wave.
| But / got even with the mate. Destiny
made mo my own involuntary avenger
of the indignity put upon me. By in
ignity don't mean the cleaning of the
pig pen. That was an honorable though
mental occupation-at least, in theory
Cincinnatus on his farm may have done
the same thing. But do mean the sour
rility and abuse the young officer be-
slowed on me, while l did my best to
execute his bidding.
| 1 hauled the young man overheard
about three minutes afterward, but he
never knew did it, and | never allowed
myself to think Of the occurrence while
on shipboard, for fear the powers of the
air might ventilate the matter. 1t came
about in this way: A line was passed
through hawse hole forward to the tn,
which was putting, fretting, Tuning, ar
churning with her screw the mud ooze
and garbage floating in the slip into g.
closer fusion. My friend the mate stood
on the forechains with the end of the
heavy rope in both hands, trying to pass
it to those on the tug. This line running
through the hawse hole aft was lying
pear where stood. Some one called out:
Haul in on that liner supposed that
| the order referred to me and the hawser
wing at my side. So l hauled with all
my might. felt at first some resistance
something like a Juggling at the other
end. I hauled all the harder. Then
something seemed to give way. 1t
hauled easier. heard, coincident with
these sensations, splash, loud cries,
much swearing and the yell of MAN
overboardr' 1 raised my head over the
bulwarks and there was my mate,
laundering amid dock ooze, rotten or
anges and salt water. 1t was he who
held the other end of the line, and my
hauling had caused the center of gravity
in his short body to shift beyond the
base, and in accordance with a natural
Jaw he had gone overheard. He was
ihe general cynosure of all eyes. They
fished him out, wet and swearing. There
was a vigorous demand for the miscre-