San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-31
A MAD DOG ON SHIP BOARD
THE PEERLESS BIG DOG OWNED THE
VESSEL FOR A TIME.
He Drove TIE Crew Into the Rigging and
the Mate from the Wheel-The Ship
with Canvas Spread Sails without a
Helmsman-Killeda at Last.

| Peerless. We were bounding along before a
| ten knot breeze, with every stitch of canvas
on 1t was a hot summer day in the first
year of the war. Capt. Romans himself was
| at the Wheel and. familiar as he was with
| the vision of his ship with all her fair wealth
er duds on, he could not help casting an adj
| mirng eve aloft now and then. About ten
feet from the skipper, crouching on the deck,
was his big Newfoundland dog, Boatswain,
the pet of the ships crew and the idol of her
commander. Boatswain was soft eyed,
| intelligent creature, prre blooded and su-
perbly formed. He had made half dozen
| voyages in the Peerless, and could pull on a
| halyard and help to tend sheet like a sailor
man. He was more like a shipmate than a
| dog to US. He had distinguished himself
while in port, and got his name in the news
papers, by rescuing two men who had tum.
bled overheard This was the limit of his
achievements as hero.
THE DOG GOES MAD.
While the skipper was looking up at the
trembling, sun kissed towers of duck a change
came over Boatswain's face. His head was
pillowed between his extended forepaws and
he was painting, and had been painting for an
hour or so, from the excessive heat. His
eyes, usually gentle, became unnaturally
bright, and he sprang to his feet and ran I'M
steadily forward. The captain, who had
noted the dogs changed aspect, called the
mate to the wheel and went after his shaggy
protege. =
"Boats'nl Boats'n!" called the skipper.
coaxingly. "Come here, good fellow-come
here!' But Boatswain ignored his masters
invitation, and charged sailor who was
holystoning forward. There must have been
something particularly ferocious in the New
foundland's appearance to cause the sailors
face to blanch and drive him on run into
the foferigging. The skipper got front
view of Boatswain moment later. The ami
NAL was frothing at the mouth. He rushed
with a low growl at his master, who turned
and made for the port rail, along which he
ran to the main rigging, climbing into it
Just as the dogs teeth met, with the clack of
castanets, in the air, not two inches from the
bottom of his trousers. By this time every
man had abandoned work and followed the
example Of the captain. The mate and the
colored cook, Washington, were the only men
within reach of the mad brute. The cook
was sitting at the door of the galley. He had
yielded to the soporifc influence of the sun
shine, and was nodding over bowl of half
down into the cabin and get a shotgun.
Wash didn't hear the shouts until the dog was
within twenty feet of him. He was some
what afraid of Boatswain anyhow, and Boat
swain mad, with flashing eyes and foamy
chops, filled him with terror.
HE OWNS THE VESSEL.
He was paralyzed for a second. Then he got
on his feet, upsetting the bowl of scouse, and
backed tremblingly and quickly into the gal
ley, slamming the door just in time to shut
out the dog, whose body struck the lower
panel with thud that made the cook shiver
some more for his salvation.
Two sailors made dash for the cabin to
get the shotgun when Boatswain went for the
cook, but the cunning Newfoundland inter-
cepted them and drove them back in the rig
ging. The mate made himself small as
possible behind the Wheel but the mad brute
spied him and made plunge for him. The
mate knew that if he deserted the wheel the
ship probably would breach to Immediately,
and may be become partial wreck he also
knew that if Boatswain bit him be would be
doomed man. 1t didn't take him long to
make up his mind what to do. He sprang to
the rail and jumped into the mizzen rigging,
and Boatswain became absolute master of the
Peerless. The gun of rebel privateer which
we were not altogether sure of avoiding
could not have created such panic aboard
our ship The dog rushed from rail to rail,
aft, and made wild leaps up toward the rig
ging in vain attempts to get at the frightened
men. How long the dear old ship was with
out a helmsman the captain and the super
cargo were never able to tell. 1t may have
been three minutes and it may have been ten,
but Capt. Romans said he believed it was
about half an hour. Not once during this
critical time did she threaten to breach to.
She held her course nobly, as if guided by a
phantom SteerSman.
KILLED BY STRATEGY.
The captain looked fearfully aloft, expect
ing momentarily to see the ships sails set
aback and hear a crashing of spars.
For Gods sake, Henderson, he shouted to
| a man forward, make diversion there and
| get that dog away from the cabin"
The sailor mounted the topgallant forecas-
| tie and began laying about him with a rope
and yelling. The dog pricked up its ears,
| located the hubbub, and bounded forward.
| Henderson clambered out on the bowsprit,
and Capt. Romans and Mr.. Smith, the su-
| percargo, leaped to the deck and dashed into
the cabin. The dog seemed to realize that he
| had been tricked when he got well forward
| and saw nobody to bite He wheeled around
and ran aft just as Capt. Romans emerged
| from the cabin with double barreled shot
| gun, followed by young Mr.. Smith with re-
! volver. They were less than five feet from
the cabin door when Boatswain confronted
them. He sprang on his hind legs to bite
the barrels of the threatening gun. Three
reports, almost simultaneous, rang out and
1 Do IN, fall ha wit