Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-10-24

anything Of that boy at the muster, nor
yet the first nor the second mate. But
before the Britisher cleared off they had
to see the ships book, and of course,
there was the Youngsters name as plain
as you like Then they began hunt
high and low for their missing boy, al
though the captain swore the boy was
born at Nantucket and his father was
a wellknown citizen Of that port. But
right in the middle of the argument there
was 4 splash on the lee side of the
whaler and shout, Man OverbOardr
SO they lowered a boat. But it was Ito
good; the second mate came back and
reported that the lad-the very lad they
were all trying to fnd-had gone down
the third time. and they couldn't lind his
bOdy-the sharks must have taken it.
So the British officer remarks. That's
what comes of tr:ing to dodge the
Kings service and with that he ia kes
himself off and goes to tell the edifylng
story to his shipmates aboard the Pea
cock.
WAS that lad eaten by the sharks 7?
Not much. What's the use of fore
chains: What's the use of a dolphin
Striker-eh?
by the time the Britisher had sheered
off and gone, and the crew of the whaler
had about gotten through grieving over
their messmate that the cruel sharks had
eaten. that LOwestoft lad was good and
cramped with hanging on the fore brace
and hugging the dolphin striker of the
whaler However. when he saw that the
danger was all over. he just crawled in
over the bow taffrail with Il kind of 4
sheepish grin on his face. And there you
are.
.Glad TO see him? Of course they
were 1t was all the skipper could do 10
keep his men from raising a cheer that
would have attracted the attention of the
,r1rIN4 l,,. .,,.1-
them.
But from that time on the Lowestoft
boy was prime favOrite on board OF that
whaler, l can tell you, and he might have
come to be Il whaling skipper himself if
it hadn't been for two things
''We0. one thing was the lad had set
his heart on a girl that lived up the coast
this way bit. She was afterward my
mother. it so happened. Yes, that's how
| came to get the story. The lad had
the honor to be my father in later years.
Then another thing was he wanted
they did to him. 1t appears he didn't
like the notion of taking a swim among
the sharks every time British ship ran
across his ship. So, to avoid that he
shipped aboard a United States war
ship, and the name of that ship was the
HOrnet-See!
$50 the next time that lad saw his gra-
cious royal majesty's ship the Peacock,
why, he didn't jump overheard, nor have
to swarm up the fore chains and the
stays of the Hornet, nor hang on to a
dolphin striker. But, on the contrary.
he stood by on the main deck and handled
a breeching of a broadside gun. and had
the pleasure of hollering with his Yankee
messmates when the British ensign went
down and the Stars and Stripes went mp
above it.
''That's one reason why I have a kind
of a family prejudice in favor of those
old-fashioned jib-booms and dolphin
strikers. You may think it funny IN me,
but | hate to see vessel that hasn't q
jib-boom. But, mind you. you mustn't
think that's the only reason [ have for
sticking to dolphin strikers-because my
father stuck to one. [ can tell you things
that happened in my own experience.
But there That's enough of a yarn
for one afternoon, isn't it?'
oh as for your gunboat. Yes,
haven't any doubt that she could give 4
good account of a Spaniard, Just as she
is, without even a bowsprit. Oh. yes.
But she would be a heap better without
that ugly snout."