Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1890-10-10

Late in the autumn of Al l sailed
from Boston in the ship had commanded
for four years and more-the "Clark Whit.
ney' She was heavy ship for her day
and generation, and heavily spared and
rugged; and believed in having a good
crew. | had four-and-twenty bands be-
sides my self and officers; but they were
not such hands as would have selected
had been at liberty to select.
The truth was, while the ship was being
loaded and the crew shipped, l was on my
back, sick with the measles. 1t was the
second time I'd had them, for l am very
sure that ! took them in course with the
family in my childhood. However, my
wife explained it. She said only very
handsome people had the measles twice.
And l was very glad she thought So
Jack Bracket, my first mate, had taken
the new men-sixteen of them-and a
tough, hard set they were. Never better
man, nor a. better sailor trod ships deck
than was Jack Bracket; but he was an
easy going body, very apt to be imposed
upon and altogether too ready to believe
what others told him without botheriug
himself to think and consider He hated
a wrangle; and vet for all that, let bim be
fully aroused-let somebody trample on
him, and reach the magazine of his temper
and think he could be the most savage,
the most terrible man, in his wrath, that
1 ever saw.
But never mind that. The men had
signed the ships books, and were part of
the crew; and when l saw that they really
wished to sail with me, / tried to be re-
conciled. They had come from two of the
very worst boarding houses il Boston, and
Bracket had taken them on the recon-
mendation of certain shipping agent on
Commercial street, who, for his own and
family's sake shall be nameless here.
We made the run form Boston to Can
ton, China, direct, stopping only at con-
venient ports-Cape-Tow Batavia, and
so on-for supplies. So far as I was con
cerned, l had but little trouble; but
Bracket had great deal. He was easy
and good natured, aud the raScalS put up-
on him. They didn't know what they
were doing. By-and- -by-it was after we
had left Cape Town-they aroused the tiger
in him, and he turned on them with a
vengeance. His first essay in the new
character was during the mid watch on the
second night after passing Good Hope. He
knocked down four Of the men of hand
and two of them he knocked down second
time.
Still, his berth wasn't an easy one. He
was obliged to go armed continually, and
it fretted him, and made him morose and
unjust. But it isn't my purpose to tell of
poor Jacks trials, further than this: BY
the time we bad let go our anchors in the
Canton river, the majority of the crew
were in a state of rank insu5ordinaiion
They never refused to obey me; but they
would obey nobody else The result was,
the sixteen men who had shipped while
was sick, deserted-every man of them
and Bracket begged me not to try to find
| them
From Hong Kong was to proceed to
the Philippines-the port Of Manila, but
couldn't sail without crew. At length,
however, with the assistance of friendly
agent on shore-an English gentleman
whom had known many years. succeed
ed in engaged fourteen Coles. They were
the best I could get, and, was really
glad to take them. I made the run to
Manila in two weeks, and there my Coolies
ran away-every> mothers son of them:
and l afterwards learned that they had
shipped for the sole purpose of reaching
the Island of Luzon.
Thus my ship was left with myself, three
mates, a supercargO and eight men, who
had been.with me several Yeas and upon
whom | could depend; but could not 90
to sea with that crew. In the event Of
battling, changeful weather, the work
would wear them down quickly. 1 made
my want known to our consul, and he
promised to do what he could to aid me
One day Malay, giving his name as
| Palama, came on board, and informed me
that he had sailed in three different Eng
lish ships. and that he had twelve COM
panions, who were good sailors, and that
they would like to go to America l liked
Palana's looks. He was tall, muscular
fellow, somewhere about 80 years of age,
and spoke English so as to be readily
understood. Like all his kind he had a
look in his eye and about the heavy lids
that plainly said:
Don't tread on me-"
"But. didn't think him dangerous.
told him to bring his comrades aboard and
let me have a look at them.
Towards noon on the following day they
came-thirteen of them-all Malays though
with something of the Tagaloc tone about
them. That is, there seemed enough of
the Tagal blood in them to take off the
harshest of the pure Malay character. The
Tdgals are the Luzon Indians OF the
thirteen three, besides Palana, could speak
| English. They were called, respectively
Tolo, Seelah and WalaWala. They all
wanted to go to Americana" They had
heard grand things of that country, and
wanted to see it.
| looked the men over, and led them
about the deck to see how much they knew
of her ship and rigging. l found them far
more proficient than had anticipated.
Good sailor-very good! ALL" declared
Palana, emphatically.
| called Brackett and Dan Sampson. the
latter my second mate, and the result was
we engaged them; and on the very next
day they joined the ship, bag and baggage.
Very soon we We're glad we had secured
them. At the, work of lading they took
hold with a will, not only working faith
fully, but intellgently. And further, when
We came to setting up the standing rig
ging, they proved themselves used to the
work. In short, we-my mates and my
self-lelt that we had been particularly
blessed in securing the Malay seamen.
We left Manila ON a clear morning in for
a run to Batavia, on the Island of Java
distance as we sail, of about eighteen hun
lred miles. The Malays worked splendid
| ly; they were really good sailors A few
of them We're awkward at first on the fore
ropes of the yards, but they could hand
and reef sail with the best Three days
passed, and l could not have asked for
better men; but on the fourth came