The Press., 1890-01-30

PRENTICE MULFoRD.
 L
 In 1856 shipped "before the mast" on the A 1 first class clipper Wizard bound from New York to San Francisco.
 When made up my mind to become sailor, had tried several of this worlds callings and seemed to find none suitable. I had asked counsel of several elderly gentlemen in my native village as to the best way of securing all things needful during my sojourn in this world They said many wise and good things. They looked wise and good. But really the wordy help they offered was unsatisfac- tory. So cut the knot myself and said l would be sailor. explained to my male and female friends that felt my self destined for maritime career. l needed more excitement than could be got out of shore humdrum life. The sea was the place for enterprising youth ful Americans. The American merchant marine needed American officers and sailors. All heard me and agreed. No doubt it was the best thing. And talked on and they agreed with all my arguments. How people will agree with you when it's all one to them what you dol was eighteen and in most respects a fool, including this-that l did not know it.
 The Wizard, on which shipped with five other boys from my native town, was first class clipper. She was fine as she lay at anchor, the tracery of her spars and rigging in relief against the sky, or speeding along under studding sails rigged out on both sides. But once on board and inside her symmetrical lines, things were not so beautiful. Those white, cloud like sails tore mems fingers as, hard and heavy with ice or snow, the sailors tried to furl them. Those graceful, tapering yards, supporting the studding sails, strained and half crushed mems backs when lowered and toted about the deck. There were wooden be- laying pins, iron marline spikes and oth- CT miscellaneous things to fling at mems heads by those in authority. Those cob web like ropes had hard, thick ends ly- ing coiled on deck to lash mems bodies.
 We, the six boys, were obliged to leave our native heaths because there wasn't room for us on them to earn our bread and clothes. We were not clearly aware of this at the time, though an unspoken sentiment prevailed there, as it does in most of the older settled states, that the young man must move away to "seek his fortune."
 The captain of the Wizard was from our native town. Therefore myself and the five other boys had shipped under him, expecting special favors. A mis- take. Never sail under captain who knows your folks at home. You have no business to expect favoritism; he has no business to grant it.
 Twas the last of the six young lubbers to leave the town for New York. On the morning of my departure the moth CTS, sisters and other female relatives of the five who had gone before discovered many other things which they deemed necessary for the urchins to carry on the voyage. So they bore down on me with them, and l bade most of these good people an earthly farewell, loaded down in addition to my own traps, with an assorted cargo of cakes, sweetmeats, bed quilts, Bibles, tracts and one copy o1 "Young's Night Thoughts" for the boys
 ate my last dinner as free man at a Broadway restaurant, and then l went to the wharf where the ship lay. Al ready the tug was alongside, preparatory to hauling her out in the stream. went up the plank and over the side. A gen. tleman in authority asked me, as stepped on deck. if I belonged to the ship said I did. "Take off those togs then, put on your working duds and turn to, then," he remarked. The togs went of. put on my canvas pants and flannel shirt, the garb of sea servitude. Henceforth was slave. The ship just then was not a Sunday school nor SO ciety for ethical culture. It was howl ing pandemonium of paths and orders Fully one-third of the able seamen haG not recovered from their closing out shore spree. and had tumbled into thei1 berths or were sprawled on deck drunk Cargo ir cases, bales, boxes and barrels was stil! ra!:lcd over the bulwarks anc into the hold. Everybody seemed to bs swearing each one on his owr private account, and secondly, all in one general chorus for mutual purposes Many people seemed in command. couldn't distinguish the officers of tht ship from the stevedores. Still officer, continued to turn up everywhere. anG 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 foremast hand and the position of cap tain was only the duration of 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. It was a relief to find at last the end of the mates and to know the exact number of men legiti- mately entitled to swear at me. This