The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1894-05-09

$50 WILL YOU BE LEFTP'
craft commanded by satan himself with
five feet of water in her hold. There was
a crew of 23 men all told, and did not
get sight of the captain until the two
watches were chosen just before supper
In dividing the men into watches the
captain and first mate select alternately,
although the captain stands no watch,
and his men go to the second mate. 1t
is usual for the captain to make short
speech to the men on this occasion. Ii
men ashore were going to work for a
contractor, nothing of the sort would be
expected, but sailors look for it and
would think it ominous if omitted. On
this occasion Captain Duff, who was
a short, thiclxset and brutal looking
man, showed his hands deep into his
pockets, glared around him like hun
CRY wolf and growled out:
"a lovely looking lot OF swabs you
are to put craft around the Horn in bad
weather! They have raked the cutters
to give me crew, and maybe you think
YOU are going on pleasure trip. Iwant
to say to you right on the start that
lump is the word, and if there is any
soldering somebody will get hurt If
there's a skulker among you, he'd better
Jump overheard now. Look at the crowd
of you'll A more hangdog gang of loafers
never set eyes ON, and / wonder how
they came to let you out of Jail III
work you up to it, however! You are on
a real ship and under a real sea captain
now, and | tell you I'll make things
lively for your
AS a matter Of fact, he had had his
pick of men, and better crew could not
have been found, and his bitter words
put some of the men on edge. What
the captain says the mates will swear
to- is an old saying at sea. In other
words, they take their cue from him.
Their aim is to secure his good will and
deserve his commentator. II he is
down" on the crew, they are abusive
and tyrannical Neither of the mates
had sailed with Captain Duff before.
We saw by their demeanor that his
speech had given them their cue, and
that we should have hard time of 1t,
but the subject was not discussed to any
extent. Tyranny and brutality at sea
are the rule and not the exception.
From the time we left the capes till
we were we'll down to the Horn there
was no let up on the part of the mates,
and now and then Captain Duff encour-
aged them to greater exert1ons. NO
man. no matter how smart and willing
he was, escaped the kicks and cuffs so
literally bestowed, and several were Sc
verely injured by blows from Delaying
pins. The result of this persistent abuse
was to put the whole crew in state OF
sulks, and every man was resolved to 90
as little work as possible. There was
plenty of talk, but no talk of mut1ny'
You must drive sailor to the dead line
before he will resort to that One morn
ing inst after breakfast, while the bark
was slipping along under light breeze
a wreck was sighted dead ahead. When
we got up with her, we found her to be
the English brig Unicorn, which had
been dismasted and waterlogged III
souall two DAYS before. Her captain and
seven men were on board, while several
hands had been swept away. We got
this information from her decks as the
bark lay hove to within speaking dis
tance The weather was fine, and there
was no sea on, and every man OF us, OF
course, expected boat would be low
cred and the unfortunate seamen trans
ferred to our decks
What motive guided Captain Duff IN
his barbarous course never knew, but
after lying by the wreck for quarter OF
am hour he suddenly ordered the yards
to be swung and the Wanderer to re-
sumo her course. When the unfortunates
witnessed the move, they cried out In
chorus in way to touch the heart, but
Captain Duff and hismates only laughed
at them. To refuse to take those poor
fellows off was q crime as horrible as
murfer, for they were not only IN peril
but suffering hunger and thirst - well
Actuated by the dictates Of comma hu-
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