Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-01-02
dor the nromotion of the Aoiral Sofia agrirultural


.
TTompkins, That would make full
cargo for book, and I warrant You it
would be read with interest Why nc:
put it in that form"
One cannot reach the position Of mate
of a craft sailing to all ports without a
fair education, but even out OF hun
dred college bred men not more than
one in hundred ever attempts book,
I'm told. One must have a gift that
way, they say. I'm sure that nature did
not give it to me, but after thinking the
matter over for fortnight-getting my
latitude and longitude, as 1t were-I
answered my friend after this fashion:
"I'm but plain sailor man, as you
know, and can only write In plain
sailor fashion. IF you think the readers
of books will overlook myjslips Of gram
mar and not be too particular about my
language as talk to them, and If you
yourself will agree to write the first
chapter and get me under weigh and
we'll off the coast, 80 to say, I will try
my hand at print. p"
He instantly replied that it was a
bargain, and as he has stuck to his
promise must stick to mime.
The Hindu was fine new bark
hailing from the port lof Liverpool.
One-half of her was owned by Mr..
Abernethy, the we'll known trader, and
Captain CLARK and each owned quar-.
ter interest. The captain was my own
brother.in-law, and, though ! held a
masters certificate and was competent
to command ship, circumstances made
me glad to take the berth of mate for a
few voyages. We had come home with
full cargo from Smyrna, but had met
with disaster on the way, and the Hin
du had to 60 to the dockyard for repairs
as soon as unloaded. When the last Of
the cargo was out of her. said to the
captain:
''Tom, I think I'll take run up
country and have bito visit with
mother. It's going on three years now
since had sight of her blessed face,
and if I don't take advantage Of this
breeze it may be three years more" !"
"By all means, Ralph by all
means" was his ready reply, "and I'll
send her new dress and my love along
with you. You can have couple OF
weeks on firm ground, and, if the Lord
spares your life to get back. you'll like
" be the better for 1t, though I've
known of plenty of cases where even a
week in the country was the spelling OF
q good sailor man."
That's the way, may, it please the
reader, happened to arrive at the town
of Dudley on the day before the events
recorded in the chapter that has gone
before. My old mother had lived there
for nigh upon 30 years, wife and widow,
and you'll excuse me for saying I am
proud to declare that itwas my money,
earned BY hard knocH at sea, which
gave her the Bttlo home and kept the
pot 6of fifn1. II itwssi- the~pofpnler
belief, which is all wrong, that 10 sail
or man ever makes good use Of dollar,
! shouldn't have made the above state
ment.
I arrived in Dudley in the morning.
Along about 8 O'Clock in the evening
word came to me that some Of my old
friends had gathered at the Dudley inn
not far away and on the banks of the
Severn to drink cup and have chat
with me, and I went over. 1found Tom
Vance, Jerry Simpson, John Wakefield
and two or three more-all old chums,
and SOME Of them sailors who had given
up going to sea. With chat and cup and
story the time fled rapidly away, and
the first we knew it had gone four bells,
which signifies 10 O'Clock. It was lit
tie later, and I was about to take my
departure, when Jerry Simpson, who
had lost an arm a year before and who
lived in cabin across the river, speaks
up and says:
"Come, now, but who is to take one
of the skiffs at the landing and set me
across at my door,"
tits me that'll be glad to set you
over," replies to his words. And pres
emily we went down and got aboard Of
one Of the small craft drawn up on the
bank.
The Severn is but a small stream at
that point, and I soon had old Jerry
safe on the far shore. It was quiet
night, with never soul aboard, and as
I pulled ont after bidding my old friend
good night and seeing him disappear in
the darkness I rowed up the stream q
few rods and then let the boat drift
back. I can't say why did this, except
that the solemn stiffness of the night
gave me a rather serious turn, and ! felt
that I wanted to be by myself for bit
before going home.
Crash! Bump! Smash! A boat had
run into me as was drifting and mus
ing. 1t was being pulled SO fast that it
stove great hole in the port bow Of my
skiff, and the water rushed in on me as
I lay sprawling on the bottom boards.
However, I was up like monkey, and
as my skiff filled leaped into the craft
which had brought about the collision.
Everything happened inside Of 10 or 15
seconds. When the man who was row.
ing, and so bad his back to me, looked
over his shoulder, was seated in the
bow of his boat, and mine was water
logged.
Course you for an idiot, but why did
you run into my craft9" he gasped at
me as he slowed himself around on the
thwart
"But it was you who ran into me,
SIR" replied, feeling no anger what
ever.