New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-24

s,oL IN hi. hunk He then kept the vegetables for
his own table 1t Ia hardly to be wondered AZ ina.
| Mr. Hamblcn groaned in his misery ana cursed
the man who ignored his state. But he plays that
captan's part all over again when he himse1 gets
| the chance Doubtless ''Dago Charley" needed d's-
cIpline A Maltese ruffian with knife under MS
shirt was hardly the man to he coaxed WIN IAN
words. But when the author OF this Voiume quo'es
himself as observing. "Ill either tame him or XII
him before sundown" and proceeds to describe
his manner OF reducing the Maltese 10 ter"s' We
begin to feel that he Is paying on ola sruuse'.
This II may be repeated. is eloquent OF the true
state OF affairs on board English and American
sailing ships not alone In the sixties ana seVentles
but In the present day. The apparently pe"ceao'e
and even gentlemanly master Of vessei sail'"s
from an American port has been known 10 confess
that he only refrained from maltreating ms me"
because as the law now exists II might DE ihcoh-
venient for him on reaching the end OF MS Voy
age sailor to-day has some little chance OF reores
and we are Informed by the philanthropic poues
who take an interest In the merchant marine th"'
captains and men get on much better ina" WAS
formerly the case. To some extent this IL true
but II is a fact easily proved. and one to the truth
OF which Mr. Hamblen would himself In all iKeii-
hood he willing subscribe. that the Drutahty ol
officers and the sodden wrechcdncss OF men pefore
the mast are still much in need OF modhca''on
and amelioration "Who wouldn't sell farm ana
go TO sea-" line familiar TO all seaiarihs
mon Sailors recognize its latent sarcasm. and
the general public would recognize 1t the more
speedily If the life OF the forecastle were more
widely known. As 1t IT, few who nave paruci-
pated In II have the faculty for setting down theh
recollectons In black and white. Few, II may DE
added have Mr. Hamblens happy humor. lie mas
felt to the full the awful weight OF forecast'e
discipline His narrative shows that he knows II
any man does. what dogs life the sailor H.
But typical to the last of the resignation with
which Jack meets his misfortunes he never loses
ham rniI
spirits long after they might reasonably be ex-
pected sink fathoms deep.
Nothing could be spontaneous. more taking
than his passage on the Christmas dinner that faien
TO materialze in quite the right way In the forecasta
Of the Oriana eff the Azores. \ pig had been k'ieh
ard the mon have baked pork and plum
duff with sauce. for the festival. The Oriana was
plunging hllndly through heavy sea. Ike fren-
zicd carthorse. run amuck In a crowded highway.
She iron ship and her rails wen; under with
every sea The decks full Of water, when three
men returned from the galley to the forecastle with
the Christmas dinner In their hands. The rest may
be given In Mr. Ham5en's words:
A big sea raised her stern high in air The fell
low who had the pork yelled for somebody TO open the
door. and somebody did with the result tina; as her
went up. the three men. with the grub and
tidal wave OF salt water. all came into the forecaste
The whole watch were sitting on their chests wait;
ing for their dinner or perhaps. some were NOT en-
washed all the men and chests up into the eyes of
her and drowned all the over hunks The pork
and dun somewhere. The sauce. of course,
disappeared entirely. Every man was soaked. and
} every rag Of clothing belonging 10 the whole
watch except the bedding In the uppc- hunks. and
that pretty well wet from the splashing.
After the hood had subsilcd, there came a jawing
match. WHO hollered 10 open tina. door, NO
Blu, VIVA bloody fool opened IL" 80 and So
You're a Tar" thought there would be general
but they 100 wet and cold ard disheartened
fight about anything. They pulled their chests OH,
from under each other. satisfied themselves that they
didn't own dry stitch for change. and then,
fishing on; the pork and duff from under the bunks
threw the latter overheard and made sorry Christ
dinner on scm-Saturated fresh pork and hard
tack.
Every line OF this hits the mark and to any onc
who knows the forecsse and its types the picture
appeals with the urgency Of ID familiar things All
through his four hundred and more pages Mr.. Ham
blen is equally unaffected and forcble. equally pic
turcsque TO 30 through one chapter Il 10 pass
with lively anticipation To the next. The author is
frutally frank about his well ~ other mems
brutalities. but he holds the sy,npatnies of his
reader, nevertheless. His book is destined be
remembered.