The Savannah morning news., 1900-12-19
ANCIENT MARINERS TALE
BOAT WAS so GREEN THAT THE
TIMERS srRoUTED.
4 Floating Arbor An the sca-nut
the Crew CRme 60 Grief a. the
vessel Finally refused ." sieve.

FROM thN NfN hufh AlfhfNs
We'll. I'm blarstedg' exclaimed Cap'n
Elly. as the skipper ended his yarn.
"Bless me- II that amt a good un."
The story teller was long. rawbone0
fellow. Ills clothes hung loosely. after
the style OF the sea Hts face. tanned by
wandcrinEs in many clmcs. was puck
cred into countless wrinkles From bis
mouth there Issued. as he talked periodic
fountains of tobacco Juice each OF which
was hurled through a crack IN the noor
with mathematical precision-an accom-.
plishment TO which the skipper WAS
largely indebted Tor the great respect In
which no was held by the familiar spirits
with whom be kept company.
There was once a time when this prince
OF yarn-spinners was known hy civilized
name-a name with tWo. maybe three.
parts 20 A. like those OF ordinary poo
pie. But wheu. years ago. he made his
appearance In South street. nobody knew
who be was, nor did he ever vouchsafe
any information on the subject After ~
while he came 10 be known as "the skip
per-" Everybody called him by that title.
and his stories Of the sea were repeated
10 the far corners OF the East River pier
line Folks wondered how Old he was,
for. although the wrinkles on his face
would have done credit 10 "A mummy. hir
coal-hlack hair was as thick as a boys
Al In all. though his gaunt form. six
feet and more in hight, was as Wei known
along South stree; as tho piers them
selves. the skipper was most mysterious
character
Bless me. NJ that ainS good uu, said
Cap'n Billy again.
sure thing i is." echoed Capn Jerry.
Great" INTERCEPTED longshorcman
over Ia the FAR corner.
Bully remarked his companion, with
emphasis.
Then they oil went away from their
club-the Office Of "A certain towboat com
pany where they assembled each day TO
do honor TO the memory OF the late Baron
Munchausen And after they had Hepar-
ated they repeated the shippers story
from one end OF South street 20 the other.
until everybody from the TAT bartender In
Cuyler's Alley 40 the pier guards At Cor
lears Hook had heard y.
This was the story.
'"Twas when ] was in m West Indy
,rade-somethln' like twenty, or thirty. OF
forty years ago. My bosses held QUE In
Portland Maine, an they owned seN raj
went 90 work with EN-. / wns pui aho1rd
o. the brig For a voyage or two after I
took her she was an right. but then she
got wrecked. an tn crew, bein' me an.
twenty Others. was picked up out q IN
water BY a steamboat.
eve got back 20 Portland. an found
We were all out o. work. Tn bosses didn
want TO IRE any o IN men they had on
IN other ships an they dldnt have no
new ships 10 put US on. So there we we're
stranded.
HAD a noat built.
''Wen. after ia been shere day or
two. an sdee hi me ] took my old mate
aside-sam sullivan was his namc-aH pnt
him mex 10 IN whole scheme. H@'d al
ready told me as how bed biz o. coin
slowed away In his jeans. an / knowed
had "a little mysef. 80 We ranged things
f,ss enough Then We set out together
FOR a certain pint OF m coast. hfty miles
or 20 b'yond Portland. "A that pint there
were some boat builders that ] knowed
ahout ueople that built ro@boats an
small sailing crafts an sometimes little
schooners. They we're rough builders, Tor
sure. but I'd heard they codd put up "a
boat thatd keep our III water
wen get a schooner for ourselves. /
said to sullivan AN then well DO bus
ness IN III Indies on our own hook
Gle was agreeable 30 we started out 20
Ak m deal. tn builders named price,
am We paid 'em part o IA money, prom
lsin' m rest by-an'-by. Then We watched
EN- nut together m schooner. For sevrat
months they worked. usin' green wood cut
fresh from the forcst-an' II didn't cost
'em q cent. for that was bong Time aso.
an not many folks lived In IN country
round about 30 IN boat builders JUS
nareed their timber from m gov ment.
al last she was finished. Gec' She
was rough lookln'i Green az grass all
through an through. rugged with sails
that looked Ike bags. carryin' three masts'
with bark on 'em like growin' trees--she
! was q peachl But the tar they pitched
her with was all o. X. an she was butt
20 last for good. she didn't leak little
biz. am th wsy she went through IN
water was sight seein' as she was 20
clumsy-like that q didn't seem possible
she could be- sailed az all. But she Was a
good schooner. as far a. jus goin was
! consarned. Twas other things that was
| M trouble with her. but we found Out too
| late what them things were,
Ion We sailed We had got together a
| crew OF ten likely chaps. me an my mate
had, an twas our plan 10 go az fast ~
we could TO Cuby, there gettim cargo o
/ stuH ~ bring home an smuggle In In
/ NUAht q MtAh We u t'A aAt"tfn 81 80
| Virglnny or caro'iny Fhcres, when sud
denly IN trouble begun
Early one morniu Sullivan comes
a-bustin' into my cabin. Wavin' his hands
an iellln like mad.
whats up7' said !.
s'como here he howled. Come here
| quick
II went. When reached the DECK Sui
| Ivan grabbed me an pinted his hinges
| toward the narboard bOw. Jimmy
/ Christmas, What dye s'pose ! saw therel
| Twas tree. a Twin. CROWN green tree
Twas CROWN right square cnt o m
deck. an Il had already gone up seven o.
eight foot high ran up an looked "a H.
| No. there wasn't no doubt Of u. Our green
1 schooner had begun TO sprout
II Amt supersteetlous-not a ht-bul
THAT got me An there was N mate. a
| yelllu' like a demon. an a-crossin' himself
| an over IN men. too. was on deck by
thls time. They we're skeercd right, / can
tell YOU. an you wouldn't "a blamed 'cm.
/ either for a tree CROWN out q the deck
/ Of schooner did really look kind o
1 Epirit-like
| Get together. boys ! said. when !
saw 'em lookin' 50 dumfumoxcd. Get to-
/ gether 'Tain't no harm done. Wen have a
/ bit O shade aboard IL this thing keep.
up
Il had a hard tlmo.sayin' that an pre-
tcndln' not 10 be frightened. for ! feil
sort o. curious. But | put on a brassy IN
an made a. u didn't care little BIT
J whether IN blasted tree was CROWN there
or not Ia fac. ! told m men that ia