The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-04-03

and from the view point ol
81 $hipmasters and owners it was good.
Inside from slight mention Of an indie
u ,endence of character which had pre-
II vented their recommending him for a
Command, captains with whom he had
allied spoke well of him. They agreed
hat he knew his business He could
~ lick a crew into shape before the
Green hands had learned the roFes. He
a58.ould get more work out OF them than
3Ki.ould ordinarily be got out Of double their
Number. He could take a lofty, skysaIl
syarder-dingy and rusty from a long stay
lat the dock-and with the poorest or
Hcrews could have hcr spfck and span az
Ia Yacht before reaching the Horn or the
N8bcaue. In q sudden sGuaIl he could short
Zen down to topgallant sails before the
~2faswatch below could reach the deck TO
s1htelp. IN short, he was, as one skipper
Jexpressed it, 1.-The two ends and the blight
h3,of a sailor and in the opinion OF all OF
sHstlem, the best chief nete out Of New
siasYork. The opinion Of sailors who had
Unsigned under him was equally unanimous,
'4Nbut, being unfit for publication, IS not
here. It does not matter. Gossip
the forecastle and sailors boarding
sfhouse would not have influenced Captain
at this stare Of his development.
Eeven had he heard it. A secret and un-
dissatisfied yearning for higher things, hid
s8sden in his soul since his first voyage with
Fhis father. would have risen UP TO Offset
iHfsuch gossip.
At ship chambers stores, agents and
scCnsuls' Offices. and at shiDmasters' tables
he had listened to tales told by his con-
II. ~sfreres Of mutinoUs crews, double irons
4Rsand bread and water, Delaying pin and
ihandspike medicine, powder and buckshot
Iarguments and other details incident to
s8tt ba oororpn1cut Of hiO Cbjnc and no tho
~5sglittle, withered, kindly faced old man.
who had never struck a blow or received
.flone, who did not need q mate to keep his
imen at work, whose ancient little vessel
6iwas known as the Sailors Home
FL would have lived such experiences and
told such tales. His humdrum life Dalled
upon him. Hence his secret warnings
mir hence his delight when, looking for &
mate at Callao, he was introduced by the
@is consul to Mr.. George Arbuckle, the crack
chief officer of big ships, the dashing.
M handsome six-footer whose reputation was
ME so good, who for 20 years had signed in
Il nothing smaller than 1000 tons register.
ls and who would sign. with Captain Has
5# kins now, only because s~hipwrech had left
HIS him penniless. and the consul. having pro-
cured him Il berth, declined further as
ITb sistance.
iii take the berth, captain" he said,
land be aboard in the morning: bit
81 there's one thing I stick out for. There's
no second mate, you say, SO I'll have
f more than my share of the work. What
I want is, no interference between me
hi. and the men. I'm not used to it, in the
first place; and then, I'll have no time
f for it. | don't believe in coddling men,
and if l break one O. their heads-that's
my business. If I kill one O. them that's
my business, too. but III expect MY
money at quarantine, as usual, and a
fiji chance to skip before we dock"
Certainly, certainly" stammered the
4s little captain. II understand, Mr.. Ar
buckle. \ mate has rights which a
N master is bound to respect. | leave things
a4 entirely to you-as far as the work goes.
tz You know your business. / heard of you
10 years ago. | have six in the fOrecas-
E tie. A little stirring up won't hurt EN-.
"a Suit yourself. Stir 'em up, if you like
i So, Mr.. George Arbuckle became mate
of the little brigantine Warrior. loaded
and cleared for New York. On his wa,
to the dock in the morning, he stopped
at the consulate to post a letter home
TAT and listened to this from the white hair
NM ed old consul.
e5 Il heard you speak carelessly, of break
ing heads and killing men. You have
done this befcre-I have heard of you
and will possibly do it again; but, be as.
sured, sir, on the word of an old man wht
has studied men and events, the wrons
we do comes home to us this side OF tn
grave, and the men we kill come back Il
28 watch US die. Here is a letter, just il
s from the Frisco steamer, for one Of you
EE crew."
MIR. Arbuc1le laughed at the admOni
NS ton, shook hands with the consul, peck
Hill eted the letter anG went on board. Whe1
he had changed his clothes and reache'
VS. the deck, he found that Capt. Haskin
AI had mustered the crew at the mainmast
& These are my men, Mr.. Arbuckle.
Ee said the captain. Men. this is Mr.. Ar
buckle, who goes home mate with US
3 A gray-bearded man, elderly but active
l stepped forward from the group and duck
ls ing his head with a concilatory grin, sale
sH partly to the captain, partly to the off
Ger:
II knew Mr.. Arbuckle when he was
boy, sir. though I don't 'spose he mem
As bers me. l lived in Tompkinsville
NH while. He used to chum wi my nephe
my namesake. My names Marti
H Mathews, sir
II Mr.. Arbucl1le made no immediate re
f sporse. He was looking into each fac
f. with a dispassiCnate stare, and only gay
~ The old sailor his share Of the scrutln,
Ill. When he had finished the inspection /
said quietly to the crew as a whole:
fE 1--WE taken your measure. Now, /
&f me tell You at the start-I expect Whe
speak to a man that that man will jun
#f not walk, or run, but jump. Cnde
- stand? Then we can get along. But.
SIT he don't-if ! have to speak twice to
man-that man'll wish himself dead. q
d~erstand? Ny names Arbuckle. Ever he
- O. me? My first name is Mister. Remer
sHV Der that
s#M The men-all but the negro cook Shit
S#H ed their feet uneasily and dropped the
ewes when his searching glance met the
saNI But the cook returned his stare.
HIN 81 think, sir" said Martin, you'll fl
us all right. I've sailed three v'yag
ssMN. wi Capt. Haskins."
..Two and a half too many. And RIG
here. old man, let me say to you: /
SE9# 80 for tOWnieS aboard Ship The Il