The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-08

by and by" He might have added that
he now carries his certificate as a
junior officer, and the fates look as if
they mean to make him fuIl-blown
skipper before he gets beard.
'You might tell me, so 1 may ask one
or two questions on them, the main
facts of your skippership of the Trafal-
gar"
briefly they are these: We were
sailing from Batavia for Melbourne ii
ballast. Capt. Edward died of Java
fever while we were lying in Batavia.
We left two men i'll in hospital and two
had deserted so we sailed with crew,
all told, of twenty-three hands. Mr..
Roberts, who had been first mate, was
now in command; we had got new
first mate, Mr.. Norwood; a seaman
from the fo'c'sle had been made second
mate, and was ranked third mate"
And so you put out on October 90
last, think, for Melbourne?'
Eyes, taking the fever with us, I'm
sorry to say. l had been i'll of it my
self, and suffered a two-hours' attack
almost every day until we reached Mel
bourne. But | was spared, although
while the attacks were on 1 really
don't think should have cared how it
went with me. Well, first an able sea-
man died, then Mr.. Roberts and the
carpenter, then Mr. Norwood and then
the cook. A desolating business it
was, and sadly demoralized the crew,
especially as they were left with my
self,,an apprentice just out of his time,
a boy2-as the only one on board who
could navigate,
But didn't the prospect appear a
tremendous-loollingO one to you?"
Really, l can't say that I ever
thought of that; perhaps because l had
not time; perhaps because while Mr..
Roberts and Mr.. Norwood were lying
i'll had already been navigating the
ship. You see, the third mate, with
whom | took watch and watch about
from the time we lost the other officers,
could not navigate; but, frankly, |
hadn't any fear about being able to
take the Trafalgar to Melbourne, and
l told the men so. They wanted to
make for the nearest port in Australia,
but | set my face against that, because
it would have involved great expense
to the owners Besides, us | argued
with them, if l could navigate the
ship to the nearest port in Australia, I
could navigate her to Melbourne"
Il believe they didn't work with you
just as heartily as they might have
done"
LAS have said, the deaths on board
and the position we were left in made
the men see things very blackly. 1t
was from that fact that any difficulties
l had with them arose, not from de-
sire, I'm certain, to cause difficulties.
Anybody who knows what sailors are
will easily understand their fidgetiness
and the troubles they made as a result
of it. If had been in the foc'Sle and
seen a lad taking the bearings day
after day on the quarter deck, and had
| known that he was the only frail
guide on the trackless sea-why, I
think might myself have been trife
uneasy. All the mon could have done
would have been to take a given direc-
tion---the direction of the Australian
oontinent-and bear up for it. Either
that or have trusted to being picked
up by passing ship. In the first
case, they must run her aground on the
first land they touched. 1t might have
been barren coast, hundreds of miles
from civilization. Whatever happened
to them, she must have been lost. As
to being picked up by another ship
well, the comment on that is that wo
didn't see one on the whole voyage"
Naturally, only those on board the
Trafalgar could really recognize all
that was meant in your sllippershTp?'
I'VE had good bit Of rough weather
when we got into Australian ATTITUDES;
had sails blown away and 50 on; but
got to Melbourne all right in time for
Christmas-on December L. Immediate
ly they got foot on shore the men forgot
all their troubles and couldn't sar 100
kind things to me, as, indeed, it has
been also with other people since
The whole affair was, no doubt,
strange-and may never occur again
anyhow in my experience. Perhaps it
was not without its risks, but if | had
set to doubling about the result we
might not have got through as we did,
you know. London Letter.
Caught Nothing But Spanking.
A Georgia boy, thought to be lost,
was found on the banks of river,
where he had been steadily fishing for
three days.