The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-06-28
Concluded from last week. J

From this on, though he carried his
revolver ostentatiously for the cooks
benefit and cursed the men eXplosively
night and day, he obeyed Captain Has
kins' injunction. Until the last day of
the passage he struck no man. But in
the case of George, no longer exempt,
the vocal abuse had the effect of re-
ducing him to state of chronic ter
ror, which found expression in will
ingness to betray to Mr.. Arbuckle all
that was said in the forecastle, in the
hope of finding favor with him. The
mate would listen, of course, and abate
none of his contempt for the informer,
while the crew, easily surmising the
object of the nightly discourse at the
weather main rigging, made life a
burden to George in the watch below.
Never too wholesome in his attitude
toward his fellow men, he yielded to
the pressure and became an Illogical,
irresponsible animal. Never too clean
ly in his personal habits, he became an
offense to the eye and nostfil, and this
induced the mate to apply heroic treat
ment. He doused him with buckets
of water il the morning, washing
down the deck, and, this not availing,
he collared him one dark night when
he had crept aft with new tale,
marched him to the taffran and, in
spite of his screams, tied him to the
end of the mainsheet and lowered him
over the stern, stacking away until the
poor wretch was immersed to his
waist Occasionally lifting sea would
bury him. smothering his cries. Then,
as the stern arose, he would dangle,
dripping and gasping, from the upright
rope until another sea came to over
whelm him. Mr.. Arbuckle watched
from the taffrail and might have pull.
ed him in after he was presumably
cleaner but sudden squall and shift
of wind required his attention and
the work of the watch below for two
hours, during which George remained
overheard, forgotten by all but the
man at the wheel.
At last it was Martin, barely recover
ed from his beating, who informed Mr.,
Arbucllle that if he did not hoist George
aboard he would beckett the. wheel and
call the captain. which induced the otfi=
Ger to curse Martin luridly, but as a
secondary consideration to rescue the
involuntary bather. George would not
talk when he was pulled in. He smil=
ed voluminously in the light from the
pinnacle and muttered incoherently but
would not talk in spite of the stern
command of the mate to tell how he
felt and to state his future intentions
with regard to soap and water. They
led him forward, where his Mortified
shipmates stripped and put him in his
bunk to drivel himself into the sleep Of
utter exhaustion and idiocy. He awak-
ened 12 hours later, and, though he
still gibbered when spoken to, often
repeating the words of the speaker, he
showed no sign of brain, mind or soul
behind the words. They found that he
could pull rope if put in his hands
and would belay when told. He could
not be trusted at the wheel, but learned
to express himself on seeing Il light
and became available on the lookout.
If properly watched. he could paint,
tar down rigging, sweep and scrub the
deck, but could do no work requiring
the intelligence of a pack mule. Yet in
spite of the embargo on his tongue he
could sing the songs he hnd known in
soft, plaintive voice Whilh moved
these rough men to tears, and in spite
Of the terrible experience that had
wrecked his mind he displayed no more
| fear of Mr.. Arbuckle. He never avoid
| ed him. but would smile into his face
with tho innocent candor of a babe.
| What Mr.. Arbuckle thought Of his
| handiwDrk found no expression in his
manner or discourse. He was still the
strict, arbitrary, profane critic of the
! crew that he was before. What Cap
| tain Haskins thought could be surmis=
ed by the fact that he spoke no more to
| his mate and entered the incident in
his official log. The men We're less
! guarded, boldly announcing their inten.
ton to throw him overheard if he went
much further and warning Mr. Ar
buckle in any event to be prepared for
legal proceedings on shore, which did
not in the least affect the officer at the
time, this being the last gossip given
him by George on the night of his
ducking.
1t was when the anchor was dropped
off Tompkinsville, Staten Island, that
he broke out again, to wind up the pas
sage with a proper assertion of his dig
nifty. A slight mistake on the part of
one of them in paying out chain and
the scowling approval of the mistake
in the faces of the rest induced him to
lay about him with a handspike. and
when he had finished three only of the
crew-Tom, Martin and George-could
stand erect. Even the cook was dis
abled. When he left his galley to join
the row, he was met not by a pistol
shot, but simply by the swinging hand
spike, and the hand which held that
sharp carving knife was crushed.
Canvas had been furled while towing
up the bay, so when the pilot had been
put ashore in the dingey the work OF
the day was done, and all hands went
to late supper-seryed one handed by
the cook. When he had cleared off the
dishes from the cabin table, Mr.. Ar
buckle, courageous and confident from
his recent victory, reminded the cap
tain of his pre-eXpressed desire TO bt
paid off before docking.
'You want your pay, do you" asked
the indignant little captain heatedly
You want to quit me now to escape
arrest and leave me to dock this vesse
|