Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-03

boy accustomed TO fewer haltpence than
kicks! Besides, my love was akin to
spiritual worship.
However, | made up my mind that if
curios would make Mrs. Crowninshield
happy would do my best to afford her
pleasure. So when we were bowling
along through the northeast trades and
the flying fish came aboard l used to
pick out the finest and largest and pre-
serve them for keeping, after the recipe
of an old sailor, who was something of
taxidermist. These fish would mount
on panels of wood given to me by the
carpenter, and with their wings extended
with ingenious skill Though say it who
shouldn't they looked quite ornamental.
The captain did his best to make a
smart passage. The Coromandel was in
her best trim and was kept moving all
the time. When we got downto about
35 degs. south latitude, and were in hopes
of getting piping westerly breeze with
which to run down, we were hampered
by dead calm. 1t was quite lucky for
me, but the skipper fretted and fumed
like newly caught bear in pit. He
wanted to make the smartest passage on
record. The ship was surrounded by
iocks of Cape pigeons, Cape hens and an
occasional albatross. The pigeons, which
are birds of beautiful plumage, were
caught easily with hook and line. All
you had to do was to throw over your
line baited with a morsel of salt pork
and haul them in hand over fist. |
caught several hundred and grew quite
expert in skinning them and curing the
skins. They were all intended for Mrs.
Crowninshield.
1t was a triumphant hour for me when
captured an albatross. l am an old,
broken down man now, having been a
sailor boy and man for moro than fifty
years, and chiefly in the southern trade.
For voyage after voyage have tried to
catch an albatross with bait, but failed
always. Cape hens-the vultures of the
sea-you can capture at will. They will
bite at any garbage. But the albatross
is cleanly bird and never knew one
to be taken with hook and line.
This morning, however, was on the
forecastle head, hanging out shirt to
dry, when the albatross blundered on
board. He was a magnificent bird, one
of the finest l ever saw. He settled down
on the deck and looked like sailor that
had lost his bearings. In moment en-
sued a battle that beat hollow the tilt of
the Knight of the Sorrowful Figure in
his duel with the windmills. l grabbed
him by the neck and he thrashed at me
with bill and wing. The watch below,
| hearing the noise, came running on deck
and rescued me, all covered with blood.
For the next two days was engaged ON
his skin. 1t used up all my arsenical
soap, and had to get bottle OF red
pepper from the steward to complete the
task. 1t was all for Mrs. Crowninshield.
Did any misfortune happen the ship
after the killing of the albatross? Not a
| misfortune.
The ancient mariner was an adept in
romantic fiction. You can kill alba
trosses without any weather breeding
results. | have no superstition, but
will tell you something CLEANED from
| ripe experience. Fish, flesh and fowl
may be sacrificed at sea without any su-
pernatural results. But l have never
known pig to be stuck aboard ship
but that either gale of wind followed
or something disastrous happened. This
will swear to.
We got to Colombo on the hundredth
day out from Salem-a capital passage
in those days. Every rupee could scrape
up was spent in gathering together curios
for Mrs. Crowninshield. My father, a
well to do Salem merchant, had thought
fully placed in the captains hands a
couple of hundred dollars to be doled
out to me during our stay on the Indian
coast. bought big cedar wood trunk
with quaint silver handles, and in this
moth proof receptacle slowed away all
my precious bird skins and mounted fly,
ing fish. My love grew madder than ever.
l had a letter of introduction to a
charming English family living near Ka-
duwella, a Singhalese village on the
southern bank of the Kalany river, about
days journey in bullock wagon from
Colombo. easily obtaiaed leave Of alb
sence while the ship was discharging her
cargo, and spent a week there thoroughly
enjoying myself. My host made things
very pleasant for me, and we took many
excursions in the neighborhood that
pleased me much.
One of the famous resorts thereabout
was Buddhist temple, irreverently
called joss house by heathens and bar
barians. Cut out of the natural rock, il
was shaded by banyan trees, whose big
leaves, shaped like heart, quivered con
tinually in aspen fashion.
Inside the temple, which was guarded
by fat, good natured priest clad in a
yellow robe, reclined the image of Bud
dha, leaning on his left arm. The priest
showed us around the temple, and ex-
plored every nook and corner. Carefully
concealed behind curtain was little
niche in which were arranged number
of little idols, evidently the priests own
particular Lares and Penates. One was
the quaintest and most picturesque thing
of the kind you ever saw. 1t was carved
out of a block of teak, and was four feet
high. It had three heads, each of which
was supplied with three eyes of greenish
stones which looked like emeralds.
The priest wouldn't sell me this idol,
and in fact looked quite offended when
offered to purchase it. He was propi-
tiated and appeased, however, by the
welcome gift of rupee.