The San Francisco call., 1896-04-26


They were all alike. They put up
N all sorts of jobs on poor Jack to beat
him out of his hard-earned money,
and when penniless they would force him
aboard some outward-bo bound ship with
curse and frown.
The only time these women showed any
kindness to the sailors who poured money
into their laps was when they returned
from a long voyage with fat purses. They
were then received with open arms and
greeted with no end OF smiles There was
plenty of butter for their bread and they
were treated 10 the fat of the land. But
this condition of affairs never lasted very
long for as soon as their pocketbooks be-
gan to grow lean the smiles on the faces of
these landladies turned into frowns and
instead of butter one received black looks.
The bark that L was on had returned to
Liverpool from a voyage that we made to
Odessa, in the Black Sea. Two of us de-
cided to leave and ship "round the Horn"
for California. There was a months
wages due us, which we drew, and went
to Mrs. Swanson's sailor boarding house,
in Kent square. She was recommended
to MS as a kind motherly woman, but we
found her no better than the rest OF them.
She was a big, fat female with berry
sounded like a mans. Her husband was
Swedish sailor, who went to sea in sum-
mer and in the winter she kept him home
to help around the house.
When Mrs. Swanson learned that we
had but little money there was no butter
for our bread and she divided one red her.
ring between two of us. We had been
in her house but few days when we no.
ticed the dark shadows gathering around
her face and it got to be very squally in
the dining-room.
"Why don't you and that Dago go look
for ship?" she said, with scream, as she
threw the tail end of a herring on TO my
plate
'We're waiting for that Yankee ship
that's loading in the Princess dock for
California" p" | answered.
THAT there ship won't be ready for
month yet. I'll ship both of yez on an
East Indiaman tomorrow"
but we want TO go to California and
Wen wait for that ship. We've money
enough with the advance that We'll get TO
square up with you" said |, not thinking
she would do me bodily harm.
BLAST yer eyes, yen want a fit out. won't
yerp and she struck me blow with her
fist that knocked me senseless, and added,
''ye blasted spongers ye've ate up all me
butter and me herrin's divil blast the bit
more yen get"
When tomorrow came Antonio and
went with her willingly and she shipped
us in her East Indiaman. She did more,
she drew our advance notes, cashed 'em
and put the money in her own pocket.
MY chum and | are about to leave
England for a long voyage, Mrs Swan
SON" L said, mastering up little courage
'and you know there are many things
which we need"
She hesitated a moment, then said:
Come with me to Rosinshines. He
keeps pawnshop over there in VauxhalI
road and I'll fix yez." She hustled us to
the store and told Mr.. Rosinshine to give
that there Irish lad suit of oilskins and a
sou'wester, one hook pot, plate, pannikin
and spoon (all TIM, two bars brown soap,
one straw mattress, one box Holloway's
pills and one small tin hogs lard to grease
his sea boots. "And that Dago there"
she added, turning 70 my chum, YOU'D
better give him a secondhand sheath
knife and belt, one pair wooden mits, two
pair stockings and shillings' worth of
twist (tobacco)."
Antonio tried to persuade Rosinshine
IN broken English to give him some more
things, but the pawnshop man would not
listen. "Y on gets no more, he said. Mrs.
Swanshin she pays for desc things; if you
want to do any growing growl nit her"
Well the next day found us on board
the Black Eagle. She was large full
rigged ship, painted black all around on
the outside, and the pant on her inside
bulwarks looked like the color of auaran-
rudder head TO the hawsepipes and Noticed
two harness casks, one marked beef the
other pork, lashed to the deck abaft the
malnmast and close to the pumps the
journals of which looked rusty, a sure
sign that she was tight. She carried a
main skysail ogallant stu'nsaiis and
single patent reefed topsails. Her sails.
standing, rigging and running gear were
made of hemp even to the earrings and
signal halyards. The top of the pinnacle
and the head of the main deck capstan
were the only brass work visible. Passing
by the galley door l saw the cook inside
preparing pea soup. He had his greasy
shirtsleeves rolled up above the elbows
and he was very dirty looking. The hair
on his face and head, and there was plenty
OF it, resembled the stiff and sticky sur
face of manila doormat on a rainv
day.
1t was while swabbing up the qua rter-
deck next morning that 1 heard CAPTAIN
Bassett, her commander, give orders to
the chief mate, and though small in
stature, guessed that he imagined him
self much bigger than the mainmast. and
he soon gave all on board TO understand
that he was much taller than he looked.
He was fine sailor, felt at home on the
quarterback, and in the tropics he dressed
in pure white. There were thirty of us be-
fore the mast, most of whom were natives
of the British Isles, and all were good
shanty singers.
No harm befell us on the outward trip,
though we encountered the usual gales,
squalls calms, frosty and sunny weather.
Everything went merry as marriage
bell, and every body on board was happy.
After leaving Bombay, homeward bound,
we picked up norther that sent us flying
down the Arabian Sea and out into the
Indian Ocean, where we ran right into the
teeth OF typhoon which threw the ship
over on her beam ends and held her there
for many hours, while the big green waves
tossed her about and broke clean over u.s.
Let go those lee-topsail sheets!" roared
Bassett, as she careened over to port; but
before we could man the clewlines all three
OF the sails had split, the wind tore the
canvas from the bolt ropes and, like
Holmes Sunday breeches, they "went fiy-
ing through the air as ii the devil had been
in them"
We hung onto our masts, for no sooner
had the captain given orders to cut away
the weather topgallant and topmast back
stays than he countermanded them. Other
sails were bent, and by the next afternoon
the Black Eagle was again WORKING har