St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-12-05
MIDSHlPMAh SHARKIE.
New York Ranordar

New York Recorder.
l. he British sea dog is not hampered
by any delicacy of feeling or sympathy
OF soul. So when Tommy stood con-
tronted with the whitewash, the brush
ana the pig pen, he was surrounded by
lhe sailors whose watch OH deck it was
and they jibed and jeered at the 'brass-
bound gent" numerically. They were
anxious for the work to begin. but in
THIS they were disappointed.
Tommy said he would die before he
would use the whitewash brush.
The boatswain advised him to turn 20
and do the work.
You'd better begin. my lad, and get
it over" he said. The captain will
make 1t hot for you if you don't"
L don't care il he kills me. Pill not
Go any more dirty work as long as Pm
on board this ship" exclaimed Tommy,
and he stamped the deck in parOxysm
of passion.
He be piucky little cove" remarked
one OF the sailors; but what sort of a
chance has he got against the old MANI"
1he skipper came OF the poop at this
moment, SeXtant in hand, to take his
morning observation of the sun. After
this had been accomplished he hap
peIIed TO glance forward at the group
OF seamen making fun of young Tommy.
He bounded to the scene, anxious to
ma out what was the matter.
'BoS'n," ne shouted, what are these
loafers stargazing at? Start them at
their work at once unless you want to
be dlsrated. If this ever occurs again
there shall be no more afternoon
watches below this voyage"
- nd as for VOu rommv v0u urptnhpd
whippersnapper," he continued, catch
hold of that brush and begin. Do you
hear me, sir?"
@Iommy looked his tormentor squarely
Ill the eye. My mother didn't pay you
t50 for me to do mental work of this
kind. You promised her that you would
teach me to be captain said he.
The shippers face grew white with
concentrated rage. He wasn't accus-
toned to anything but blind obedience
from his ''midshlpmen.'
He caught hold Of young Tommy by
the back of the neck as a terrier seiZes
rat, and shook him brutally. Then
he logged him aft into the cabin and
dragged him into the lazarette, where
he put him in irons.
There you will remain" said he,
until you make up your mind to obey
my orders. Discipline must and shall
be maintained aboard this ship" With
this remark he left the boy to his medi-
tatiOns.
The lazarette is dark hole aft in the
stern of the ship-dark and unventilat-
ed. 1t was used on the StornOway as a
| store room. Its atmosphere was sitting,
and the smell of the bilge water, which
had been stirred up by the pitching and
| labOring of the vessel in the heavy
weather encountered in the channel,
was foul in the extreme. When the cap
tain left Tommy he went up the ladder
Which reached into the cabin and pad
locked the hatchway and told the stew
ard to give the boy three biscuits and
aquart of water-a day till he came to
his senses.
The reflections of the shippers small
prisoner were nOnelof the pleasautest.
In none of the rOmances of the sea that
he had read bad he come across such an
incident as this. All the boys in the sea
stories or his book shelf at home were
young heroes and sucking Nelson's.
Ii the captain even gave a hint
| or cruelty TO one Of them,
there was an immediate mutiny
and the offending skipper had to walk
the plank. Tom realized the wide diff
ference between actual sea life and its
simulacrum as depicted by writer's OF
the romantic school. who do not know
| the jib dOwnhaul from a Spanker brazil
He wished himself back at his old home
in PoynihgS, where there was always a
back door to escape by when his rever-
| ened fathers temper was at IFS worst.
On board ship there is no such con-
venient exit from an angry tyrant of a
| skipper. All that victim can do is to
grin and bear 1t philOsOphicalIy. If he
| rebels he is bound to get the worst of it.
! | have been there and know whereof |
| speak.
At the time am writing of the pre-
MUM apprentice system was a disgrace
to the British mercantile marine 1t,
! however, offered such inducements to
| the chief parties i'll the transaction that
| those who suffered from its hardshipS
had no more to say in the matter than a
lot of cyphers. There are always a
number of boys who do not take kindly
to books and have too much animal
| spirit to spend the greater part of their
| time in study. Stern parents not infre-
quently want to get rid of the RESPONSE
biiity of these young reprobates that are