Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1891-07-29

RY EVENING DEM
leeches just lifting. she was still well
away from her course, and her prog
ress under all three top-sa;ls was all
leeway.
But soon saw that she could not
carry two of the three top-sails, owing
to the tremendous sudden pressure put
upon. the masts by her lurches to wind
ward; and, sure enough Duckling,
(who had turned out along with all
hands when the gale had first struck
the ship roared through a speaking
trumpet to clew up and furl the fore
and mizzen top-sails.
1t took all hands to deal with each
sail separately, and l helped to stow
the foretop-sail.
The ship was now as snug as we
could make her, hove to under close
reefed maintop=sail and foretop-mast
staysail, riding tolerably we'll, though,
to be sure, the wind had not yet had
time to raise much of sea. The crew
were tagged by their heavy work, and
the captain ordered the steward to
serve out lot of grog apiece to them,
more out of policy than pity, 1 think,
as he would remember what was in
their minds respecting their provisions,
and how the ships safety depended on
their obedience.
CHAPTER VII
All that night it blew terribly hard,
and raised as wild and raging a sea as
ever l remember hearing or seeing
described. During my watch-that is,
from midnight until four o'clock-the
wind veered couple of points, but
had gone back again only to blow
harder, just as though it had stepped
out of its way a trife to catch extra
breath.
was quite worn out by the time my
turn came to go below, and though
the vessel was grooming like live
creature in its death-agonies, and the
seas humping against her with such
shocks as kept me thinking that she
was striking hard ground, fell asleep
as soon as my head touched the pill
low, and never moved until routed out
by Duckling four hours afterward.
in the least The main deck was fairly
afloat, but I ascertained from Duck
ling that the well had been sounded
and the ship found dry; and therefore
since we were tight below it mattered
little what water was shipped above,
as the matches were securely battened
down fore and aft But still she la
bored under serious disadvantage from
being so heavily overloaded.
Partly out of curiosity and part
ly with wish to hearten the men l
looked into the forcastle. The dark
ness here was made visible by an oil
lamp resembling a coffee-pot with a
wick in the spout which burned black
and smokily.
The whole of the crew were below.
Some of the men lay smoking in their
hunks, others in their hammocks with
their boots over the edge; one was
patching a coat, another greasing his
boots, others were seated in a group
talking, while under the lamp were a
couple of men playing at cards upon a
chest, three or four watching, and
holding on by the hammocks, over their
heads.
A man, lying in his bunk with his
face toward me, started up and sent
his legs, incased in blanket trousers
and brown olen stockings, flying
out.
Here's Mr.. Royle, mates!'' he called
out "Let's ask him the name of the
port the captain means to touch at for
proper food, for we aren't goin' to wait
much longer
Don't ask me any questions of that
kind, my lads" I replied, promptly,
seeing a general movement of heads in
the hunks and hammocks. I'D give
you proper victuals if had the order
ing Of them; and 1 have spoken to Cap
tain Coxon about you, and 1 am sure
he will see this matter put to rights. ="
"Who thinks" said voice from a
L La
ourselves be grinded as we was last
night, without proper whites to sup
port us? I'd rather have signed arti-
cles for a coal-barge with drowned
rats to eat from Gravesend to Whitsta-
BILE than shipped in this here cursed
vessel, where the breads just fit to
make savages retchr'
L had not bargained for this, but
had merely meant to address them
cheerily, with a few words of approval
of the smart way in which they had
worked the ship in the night. Seeing
that my presence would do no good,
l turned about and left the forecast1e,
hearing, as l came way, one of the
Dutchmen cry out: ''Look here, Mr.
Rile, will you be pleashed to ssay when
we are to how something to eat?-for
We will kill tie pigs in the long-boat, if
the skipper don't mindt-so look out!'
AS ill-luck would have it, Captain
| Coxon was at the break of the poop and
saw me come out of the forecastle.
He waited until he had got me along
side of him, when he asked me what /
was doing among the men.
81 looked in to give them good
word for the work they did last night, "
I answered.
"And who asked you to give them a
good word, as you call it?'
81 have never had to wait orders to
encourage crew."
''Mind what you are about, sirr' he
exclaimed, in a voice tremulous with
rage. 81 see through your game, and
I'll put stopper upon it that you won't
like.
"What game, sirP Let me have your
meaning"
IAN internal mutinous gamer' he
roared. Don't talk to me, sir! ]
know you! I've had my eye upon you!
You'll play false if you can, and are
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