The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-20
n their best mastering clothes, depart over

in their best mastering clothes, depart over
the side for merry whirl ashore.
Tie men ready to go on liberty were
mustered in patches on the quarter deck,
and away they went in boatloads, juggling
the American gold in the chamois bags
suspended by strings beneath their muster
ing shirts. The quarantined men, looking
dismal and down in the mouth stood
around in silent parties, smoking their
pipes and watching the departure of their
more fortunate shipmates When the last
cutterload of liberty bound men had
showed off for the shore, Commander
Schley came out of his cabin door and
stepped up the poop ladder for his morn.
ing constitutional lie strolled up and
down with his hands behind him, occa-
siOnaily glancng in the direction of the
departing steam cutter, filed with shore
making bluejackets from his ship. Then
Schley began to size up the disconsolate-
looking groups of quarantined men slouch-
ing around on the spaF deck up for ard of
the main stick. He looked at them out of
the corner of his eye for a while, and then
he stepped down the ladder and came for
ward.
You boys hop into your mastering
clothes,' said Schley, land when the steam
cutter returns you may go off to the
beach and enjoy yourselves. TN give Or
der to the paymaster TO let you all have
whatever part of your withheld pay you'n
need for a day ashore"
The happy men set up a cheer when
Schley started aft. He wheeled and re-
turned to the main stick.
And, l say" he put in, as a sort of
afterthought, come back right this time
you fellows. Act like American sailors
and there'n be no need of quarantining YOU
any more. l don't want a man of YOU to
nave to be whipped aboard in a bo-sun's
chalr when he comes off to the ship this
time"
The men took up the cheer again where
they had left off, and there wasn't a man
in that quaranttned gang that wasn't
marked into the log clean and sober"
when the liberty party returned aboard
late on Christmas night American blue
Jackets put on their honor by a kindly
commander never break their parole.
In the old navy the bluejackets had a
custom of asking the skipper to white
wash the books on New Years morning
Several dozen of the quarantined men
whose names had been inscribed on The
bad conduct lists for trivial offenses. yonld
assemble at the mast and ask to have
an interview with the commanding Off
GER When the skipper made his appear-
ance out of his cabin and walked forward
to the mast the leader of the bIuefarlxets
would step out of the gang and quietly
hand the commander a new bucket filled
with Whitewash and a big Whitewash
brush sticking in it. This pantomjIna
meant that the Guaranteed men asked
the skipper to 'whitewash the books. an d
to erase all of the names off the bad con-
duct lists, thereby giving all hands a.
chance to begin the New Year right If
the skipper took the bucket from the
hands of the bluejacket they would set
up a cheer, for they knew that the com
manding officers acceptance of the bucket
meant that he would accede to their nan
tornime request. But if the skipper shook
his head and declined to receive the buck
ct the men would quietly dispense, al
ways looking cheap, but not making any
criticisms.
Schley never turned down a gang of
guaranteed bluejackets who presented
him with a New Year gift of bucket Of
whitewash. He Invariably "whitewashed
the books for the men. His ship was
lying in the harbor of MonteVideo one
New Year morning, and the gang with
the whtewash bucket was unusually large
skipper had only been quarantined for
three or four days. When the second
class gunner's mate handed the bucket
to Schley he took it. smiling rehectively
1.-THE surgeon" said he, turning to The
executive officer. was talking TO me the
other day about giving the men forward
some sort of a tonic while we cruise In
these low ATTITUDES. Well, the lads may
need a tonic, but I'm quite certain that
none of them needs any nerve food"
The books were whitewashed, all the
same.