St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-05
he pigpen. OF else take the conse-

the pigpen. or else take the conse-
queneeS."
''Pll do neither" said Tommy. The
boys blood was up. and lie began to
show that he had inherited through his
mother some of the courage OF the ''pri
yateersman named Drake" against
whom his father. the Rev. Isaiah, had
so bitterly inyeighed.
This answer surprised the skipper.
He had expected an easy victory over
the lad. He seized piece of ratline
and gave him a dozen cruel laSheS on
his back, which caused him to cry out
with agony.
Its fine morning for horseback
riding, Mr.. Sharkie." he remarked, land
you must mount nv white mare"
So saying he lifted the boy onto the
spanker boom, and. rigging up pair of
impromptu stirrups and bride from
length of the line with which he had
logged him, made him beStride the
boom.
1t is no easy task for an experienced
sailor to preserve his equilibrium on the
spanker boom of ship plunging in a
heavy sea, while as for greenhOrn it is
impossible.
Tommy, with the instincts of self
preservation, hung on as long as he
could, and the worthy captain hugely
enjoyed his eontortiOns. He held on for
minute or two, but as the ship pitched,
bows under, to a sleeper wave than
usual, he could no longer cling to the
boom and, letting go his hold. was
dashed against the lee rail, striking it
head first. HIS skull was fractured He
was taken to his bunk, but never re-
covered consciousness and died the same
evening.
ia foSV I,, Foil
which was duly copied by the chief
mate in the official log: "July IA. 1864.
During a strong gale, at 9 a. rH., Thomas
Sharkie, apprentice, while passing a
gasket around the spanker. fell to the
deck and received such injuries that he
died at p. IN. ~
His effects were taken aft, where they
were Overhauled by Capt. Mckenzie.
In little writing desk he discovered a
farewell letter from his mother incloS-
ing lock of her hair. the money given
him by his uncle, the major, and five
pound note presented to him by the
land shark i'll exchange for his good
clothes this note proved to be counter
felt, by-the-bye) and a few other treas
ures of little account. The captain
pocketed the money.
The body was sewn up at daybreak
next morning in old canvas. When the
watch came on deck the boatswain sang
out: Lay aft all hands and bury the
dead" The men trOoped aft. The
captain. prayer book in hand, read with
considerable righteousness an abbre-
Waited version of the ritual for burial at
sea. At the words ''we, therefore, COM
NIT his body to the deeD," poor little
Tommy was slung unceremOniously into
the sea, and Capt. Mckenzie went below
to breakfast.
That afternoon in the first dog watch
the ''midshipman's" effects were sold
by auction to the highest bidder. They
realized few shillings only. although
they cost his mother $50. And this was
the end of Midshipman Sharkie four
teen days after he sailed away from
London, and in sight of the island of
Madeira, and thus persisted all his hopes
of becoming a sea captain.
As for his heart-broken mother and
his uncle-the major-who cared for
them or their feelings? The skipper
didn't have the common decency to
write home from Calcutta informing
them of Tommy'S death. 1t was a mere
incident in the history of ''mIdshipmen"
in the British merchant marine
Was Capt. Mckenzie punished for the
killing of the boy?
He was not. His voyage was fortunate
from a pecunjary point of view and his
owners presented him with handsome
check