The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-06-26
LOOK IN FIFTY"

was making voyage 1Or my health.
The captain, who had himself shared
in the experience he related, began his
tale thus:
"A good many years ago was in
Cape Town, having been forced by i'll
ness to quit my post rs second mate of
largo ship bound to Bombay. A fort
night after the ship sailed l recovered
my health and was fit for work.
81 remember one of those mornings
while was hunting for berth. was
through the water with an occasional
burst of spray Off her weather bow,
which arched little rainbow for her
to rush through when l was accostcd.
turned. 1t was the port captain or
harbor master. l cannot remember the
term by which his office was distin-
guished He had sailed with my father
some years earlier, and had met him
on two occasions in England. He had
done me some kindness while lay in
lodgings in Cape Town and had assured
me of his willingness TO help me find
ship when should be we'll enough to
go to sea He was Scotchman, with
hard, weather colored face and of q
dry, arch expression of eye.
Dye see anything TO fit ye:' said he
"Aye, said 1, "A plenty
"'Well, now. said he, you're the
very mon l was thinking of not half an
hour ago l Wa. i'll A,dcrley street aud
met captain WHO was here last year.
His names HuddcrSlicld He's in
charge of a colonial trader from a South
American port, with small consign
mcnt for this place, and is bound for
Sydney, Now South Wales, where his
little ships owned, chiefly, believe,
by himscl'.
He pointed to large three masted
schooner that was lying within 100
strokes of All oar almost abreast of us.
She looked an exceedingly fine craft A
large Dutch Mdiaman was rolling upon
the swell of the sea within a few cables
length astern of her, and just ahead rode
q Russian auxiliary frigatc very heavily
spared, with great cleaning windows
Ill her stern and a network of gliding
on either quarter, so that the blue brine
under her counter flashed as to the dart
of a sunbeam whenever she lightly sway
ed Yet the schooner held her own in
all points as a picture of beauty and
was not to be dwarfed Tho gilded but
tons of her trucks shone high in the
azure of that afternoon. She was paint
ed white, and CLEAN of dark red, like
some cold, wet flash of sunset broke
from her mctalcd bends whenever she
was moved by the intlowing heavc of
the water.
when got on board, found the lit
tie ship very noble, flush dccllcd YES
sci, with Il clear sweep of sand bright.
yachtlilc pink running from the tatfrail
to the eyes The brasswork was full
of the stars of the western sunshine.
The glass Of her skylights was dar; and
shining. Her ropes were Flemish coilcd,
as though indeed she had been a man
of-war, Everything was clean and neat.
guessed she was about 300 tons bur
den Her crew had knocked of for the
day and were lounging about the Wind
lass, two or three of them strip Il to
the waist, washing themselves. 'llcy
had n colonial air. This might Lave
been owing to their dress of check shirt,
open at the breast, no braces, here and
there molcskinS and here and there q
cabbage tree hat.
The second mate, IL man whose name
l aftcrwarl asccrtaincd was Curzon,
was walking i'll the gangway, smoking
a pipe l inquired if Captain Huddcrs-
field was OH board. He asked me what
my business was, as though suspicious
of visit from stranger after working
hours. was about to explain the reason
thot hp1 Il,
when Captain Huddcrsfield himself
emerged through the little companion
way and stepped on deck, pausing mo-
ment, with the sharp of his hand to his
brow, to gaze in the direction of Cane
Town
He was tall, gcntlcmanly looking
person, thickly bearded, the hair of "a
rich auburn. The skin of his face was
much burnt by the sun. His eyes were
OF liquid blue, and when lie approach
ed and directed them at me l seemed
TO find something glowing and tender
In them, us though he were an cnthusi
asst man of strange. perhaps high,
but always honest, imaginings, dream
CT. His age seemed about 40
That's the captain, said the sec
ond mate.
II lifted my cap and walked up to
him In few words l told him NV
business, adding that held not only a
chief mates, but a masters, certificate
OF competency. He eyed me critically,
but with kindness, and nodded, with
something Of gravity, on my mention
ing the namo Of the port captain. After
we had exchanged few sentences he