Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-11-08

on; let's do something else"
Right. What shall we do?"
Fish"
''The very thingi Then l can take
salmon as present to Dame CARAT II
tongued if go too often empty hand
ed to see Inez"
So we borrowed boat and net anC
set up the river at the second hour OF
the food We had just grounded oul
boat on the bank near the high bluff
/ where the stream turns off to the north
! and were busy making fast one enc
of our net on the shore when we no
ticed that a stranger had taken up his
quarters on the opposite bank.
He was short, dark, sturdy man In
the dress of a sailor. He wore loose
knee breeches, with a short canvas
smock over them; coarse blue worsted
stockings, and shoes latched with brass
buckles. Round his waist was broad
leather belt, into which was stuck a
bone handled sheath knife; on his up
per spars was huge brown, wide
sleeved, wide skirted coat, with the
tails looped up to be out of the way,
and on his head was a cap of brown
skin. He was standing in a 20 foot
boat, which he had fitted with a house
of canvas and wood, and was finishing
his work by giving it all a generous
coat of tar.
The figure seemed somehow familiar
to me. and when | saw that the tar pot
hung from hook which had been sub
|. stituted for right hand the feeling
that | ought to know the man grew
stronger. Suddenly he broke out into
a song. accompanying himself by beat
ing tattoo with the tar brush on the
top of the cabin. The song was one l
frequently had heard Willie Trehalion
bawl through the Whitby streets years
ago:
Sail away,
Hack away,
Plunderl Trap with tar brush.l
Scatter all the money like q man..
Come back,
Nothing lack,
Thunderl tRsp.l
Gather all the valuables you can.
This one verse was solo and chorus
both. and to begin singing the song
was very much like starting to roll a
big stone down hill-it was easy to
start, but almost impossible to stop till
the voice, like the slope, was exhaust
ed.
willie Trehalion, ahoyw cried, and
the singer turned round to see who was
calling.
He had not altered one jot since l
saw him last. His face was Drowned
by the sun, wrinkled by the winds and
purpled by strong liquors, and, as this
richness Of coloring was In strong con-
trast to the rest of his head, which, un-
derneath the protecting otter skin cap,
was as round and smooth as an ivory
ball, the effect of the whole was dis
tinctly striking. Add to this back
ground of purple and white a globular
blue nose, jag for a mouth, an irreg-
ular depression where the right eye
should have been, and always remem-
bering the iron hook for right hand)
you have a fairly faithful picture of
Willie Trehalion, bos'un.
We pulled across to him. shooting the
salmon net as we went.
..ui low goes A. Willie z, cried. Don't
ca to Il stout lad Since SEED Tnee I4st,
master, but the same face as Willie
Trehalion left eight years ago last gull
egg season. It'll be scraped with a ra-
zor afore long, trust me. And who be
this?"
"My sworn shipmate. Willie"
"Sarvice to you, master. And his
name, if / may be SO boldT
Alexander Ireland" / said. Game
to Whitby since you left"
Willie started when I told him the
name, and 1 saw his solitary eye scan-
ming Alec all over, as II he expected to
see something familiar In him.
ANY manner O. kin to Captain Har-
ry Ireland. what was lost on the Span
ish main|
"Son," said Alec.
"Put II therew cried the sailor, mois-
tenIng his leathern fist and holding 1t
out for Alec to grasp. Put 1t there, II
a young gentleman like you amt too
proud sailed under your father,
lad"
"Sailed with my fatherv exclaimed
Alec excitedly. "Then you can tell me
about him."
'That | can. l sailed with him to
the Barbary coast an back just afore
he left London river for the Spanish
main. 1t was r'yal voyage we made
an good for him II he'd been content
homo then.
But he was always u venturesome
man, was Cap'n Ireland, an his search
for Manoa proved to be his last voyage,
poor bodyv
"Tell me about IT," said Alec eagerly.
And could see that his face was flush
ed with excitement at the prospect OF
hearing news Of his father.
1--WE went out to the Barbary coast
with about ten peddler's packs o. beads
an gewgaws, along with some risted
nails an a few score o. barrel hoops, an
we came back with a cargo as n Jew
would sell his beard for a look at
Such a cargo-gould dust an gould peas
an gould pebbles an ornaments o gould
an n great gould kettle big enough &c
stew u goat In, that Cap'n Ireland gave
to the queens own majesty! tell 'ee
there was gould enough to I'LL this boat
O. mine three times over. Why, there
was many o. us as selled the ragged
old clothes off our backs, let alone
what was slowed away In the chests
an some even would have traded the
weapons O. the ship o. Captain Ireland
hadn't stopped them. Elephants teeth
there was, some black with age m
some still bloody from their moorings
an river horses teeth an other things
as dlsremember the outlandish names
Of An when we left the king o. the
blacks fell a-blubbering because we
had nothing more to sell him.
"a right swift pass we made O II
home, too-5S days out O. the Barbary
rlyer-never an hour more-when oui
anchor was dropped again In honest
Thames mud. An when the merchants
came aboard with their clerks an the
news was spread on shore the bells
was set a-ringing out O. sympathy with
our good fortune. II was r'yal yoy'
age for surew
"And afterwardT asked Alec when
the boatswaln stopped.
"Afterwnrd? Why. afterward we
went an spent our money like men
No more work for spell. 80 of we sci
ashore. We lived like emperors, sparinl
nothing we wanted. some for week
some O. the thrifty ones even longer
You should ha' seen us setting casks o
good ale abroach for every one to
drink your fathers health, young sir