New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-20
A FORECASTLE LION.
MR. RTLLEN'S TDYLS OF THE DEEP
sEA-A STREET ARABS RISE
AND pROGRESS


r. Bullen. WHOSE dyls NJ tho whale fisheries
and of the sea have been ,ognized by literary
artists AS masterpieces Of vivid r"alism and
poetic Imagination There are rival claims 10
the honor Of discovering this genius ~ the
fo'c's'le Mr. J. ST. Loe Strachey. who accepted
ono NJ his earliest stories for "Cornhsli." has
perhaps the best right 70 this distinction, and
Mr. Rudyard Kipling. by glowing tribute.
commanded recognition for The Cruise ~ the
Cachalot" as one Of the best romances ~ the
sea ever written \ writer who was unknown
and frendless two years ago has been welcomed
10 the literary field like master workman by
Mr. Kipling Mr. Conan Doyle and other sue
cessful noveIsts While this whole souled gen.
crosby is a new proof Of the amenities OF III.
eratrre at time when authors are suspected
n being Jealous and envious Of one another. Il
remains true that only ono man could have Dis
covered this rough diamond. That Was Mr.
Bunen himself The process vas long and
agonzing and II shadows even his bright,
cherry eyes. ard has left an undortone n pathos
I'm his merry voice
The man is even more interesting than his
r, nancos NJ tho sea This is what he has 70
say when questioned about his strange expert
encos and arduous struggles From the tine
Of my first start into the world at tho age o.
eight aud half wears. was successfully work.
ing AZ a drug store. at boot shop. az lath
vonder as q pagoboy. as plastcrere lad. as
milk boy At trluknako r's a, general drudge
and as a street arab. don't romembor when
wasn't hungry I don't remember any happiness
except in reading. and do remember that my
one aching need always VAS for somebody 10
love- somebody that would love M. and after
settled down ashore / seemed to h. always
Il.
ton in summer and went into another line a. an
addresser ~ circulars as hawker ~ small
goods as anything that could earn few cents
at: but the picture framing business was ter.
riblo. and I've told you how used - pose as an
artists model after II at night and put in some
recreation on Sunday As an extempore preacher
in the street" The frankness with which he
talks about the pathos OF his neglected child
bood his adventures as common sailor and
the carkng cares Of eking ont poor clerks
wages for his family betokens tho unaffected
simplicity IF the man.
The process Of discovering himself began when
he was in his fifth year His father. London
stonemason. had separated from his mother and
turned the child over 10 a maiden aunt. who was
a dressmaker. The boy began n read almos,
as soon as he could speak, for the dressmaker
in order 70 have her hands free for her work
passed him over the garden wall into a school
yard; and while she was sleeping IN bed in the
early morning he used TO take the Bi0ie ana
Paradise Lost" from the mantel shelf and spell
out the short and the long words by the hour
That was the beginning of future career ~
Imagination and literary activity, but The end was
far away In his ninth year he was taken from
the dressmaker's to his stepmothers. where ne
was starved beaten and ill treated until Al
twelve he could endure his suferings NJ longer.
and ran away from place that was not home
m sell newspapers I'm the streets and hnaly to
60 10 sea as a cabin boy
The first four years ~ his sea life VII he toli
I'm detail in THE Log Of A Sea Wait, 20 be pub
lishod late In the autumn As he outlines the
story 4 includes mutiny in Demerara, A snip
wreck and rescue on the Campeche Gays an
interval Of billiard marking in Havana, and an
other Of figurehead carving In Liverpool TWO
months experience as street arab in LONDON
a VOYAGE 70 Jamaica. ending In another snip
wreck: return passage TO England, with thirty
deaths from yellow fever on the ship, voyage
To the East Indies and another 70 Melbourne
adventures as stowaway. and service on
Australian steamers as lamp trimmer. BY
that time he was old enough 10 ship as an ordl-
nary seaman, and one long voyage followed an
/ other
whaler and fell in the way OF having all the
adventures recounted In The Cruise OF the
Cachalot." Without having the fsintest appre-
citation Of the value Of his experience as literary
material. he drifted from port TO port. shipping
now as a mate and again as a sailor before the
mast Marrying at twenty-five In London on
/ Monday girl Of eighteen. he sailed on
Wednesday for Calcutta as a common sailor Tor
/ g a month. and after returning as second mate
was three weeks AT home before starting on
nerilous voyage to Nova Scotia with drunken
skinner His career AT sea closed with series
Of voyages to the West Indies, Mexico. Rotter-
dam Madagascar and Zanzibar.
Mr. Rullen who is now dreamy looking man
Of forty. Of medium height. agile IN figure ana
heavy whiskered recounts his adventures al
sea with flashing eyes and fine glow or en-
thusiasn in his weather beaten face When ne
reverts 70 the fifteen or sixteen years Of arduous
struggle ashore. which made up the tansitoh
period between sea life and literary career MS
voice deepens and the eyes lose their lustre
He was during that period clerk IN us
meteorological office with e a weak Al the
outset his salary seemed to him fortune ou'
as his family increased its purchasing power
shrank and he was forced 70 piece ont his mar
row income and 10 turn his hands n one tnlhs
after another with the energy Of despair WIZ"
office hours from Q to > he had margin ~ un'
/ for other work He opened a shop ani ma''
/ thousands n picture frames. working carry s''
| late. He was street pedler. SUBURBAN IA"
/ ker and an artists model. and eagerly a'e'P'''
any odd Job that came in his way. HIS no"uaS'
were working days in some fresh trade, ana rs
! only recreattons we're reading and street pfe''"
ing on Sundays. It Is with strong sweep u
the arm. in a gesture suggesting man s".'"
ming in deep waters against a swir'ns toe t"''
Mr. Bullen describes this long hearirenn"H
struggle for a bare living FOR himself ard Ms
family