Waterbury evening Democrat., 1893-06-08
z EVENING DEMOCRAT, THURSDAY. JUNE s. 1898

uefS were orders. we could not leave
the ships, and the frequent visits of the
Alabama herself to the harbor, forcing
herself into our midst as the saying
goes, were very vivid reminders that
ueutral waters were a pretty good sort
IF invention.
Although we passed the long weeks
and months as pleasantly as we could
with all kinds of arrangements for kill
ing time, both on shipboard and on
shore, there was, of course, a continual
and conce rted growl going up from our
little band of Yankee shippers; and old
aobbs was the star growler of us all.
Now, to attain that distinction among
sailors man must growl at the slight
est provocation, vehemently and with
highly artistic fee'ing-not to mention
q generous favoring of profanity. So
you can imagine the effect when Hobbs
opened out at something that displeased
him.
ellis ship was the Humming Bird, a
| brand-new clipper hailing from Boston.
The trip out to Hong Kong had been
her maiden one, and it was chatting to
Hobbs not very smooth temper to have
her lie idle so early in her career. Having
great faith in the ships speed and in his
seamanship, he was more than anxious
to put to sea, and let Semmes catch him
if he could; but, like the rest of us, his
orders to remain were positive.
occasionally ship would manage to
clear by sailing under some foreign
flag; but, as it was a complicated
process involving fathoms of red tape,
and very often fell through just when
everything seemed favorable, it was not
resorted to very often. When it was
| tried, however, old Hobbs would go on
his beam ends with wrath. He would
fume and rant, casting aspersions on
the patriotism of the owners, the
agents, the officers, and even the Chi
nese crew. He was so intensely patri-
otic that to see a good Yankee craft
| sail under false colors would keep him
| boiling for week.
"You can see then what his feelings
were when one day he was ordered to
proceed to Sumatra under the British
| flag. He fumed, ranted and swore, and
| then fumed, ranted and swore over
again, with few extra choice nautical
anathemas thrown in for emphasis.
This necessary operation over, he sent
ashore to the native sailmakers for a
British flag, the smallest to be had
When it came aboard-it was about two
by four feet in size-Hobbs looked at it
aslzance, and ordered it put out of sight
until sailing day.
"Sailing day arrived, and the British
flag was seen fluttering quietly from its
proper place on the Humming Bird. 1t
attracted mighty little attention, how
ever, for the Alabama was entering
| the harbor She foated slowly along
and dropped anchor exceedingly close
to the Humming Bird. About this time
! the harbor master was seen in his boat
being rowed rapidly towards Hobbs
ship, and huge bundle of bunting,
about the size of an old shellback's sea
chest, was rapidly hauled to the main
top of the uumming Bird
'"rhe harbor master pulled up along
side the Humming Bird and yelled for
the captain. 1t could be seen that he
was angry about something. Hobbs
came to the rail in his plug hat and
tong-tailed bottle-green coat, the Gus
tomary uniform of a skipper in those
days, and asked the harbor master what
he could do.