The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-12
NEW FICTION.
DEEP SEA PLuNpERINos. by Frank


DEEP SEA PLUNDERINGs. by Frank
Il. Bullen:
Pubished by ID. Appleton a Co. For
sale by Preston & Rounds. $l.bo)
To the easily INDUCED fancy there is a
fragrance OF tar and OF hemp rope about
this book OF Skipper Bullen's, "a feeling OF
newly washed-down deck drying under
the morning sun. the sound OF the lap
ping wave and the gently creaking rig
ging, the peculiar taste OF the air one
breathes of sky-bounded wastes of heavy
waters-perhaps. too. the inimitable
stencil OF bilge water, the hot ooze or
the pitch between the deck planks in
tropical stew, the boo mot big canvass In
nasty norther, the flavor OF the plug
in your pipe and the weavel I'm your bis
cult. Which is 10 say that the very covers
and fly leaves of Skipper Bullen's book
OF yarns are impregnated with the deep
sea atmosphere in all its varied pheno-
mena. And you see the adventures mar
rated as though you were an actor in
them.
The race of sailors as Skipper Bullen
knew them is about as extinct as the
North American Indian. Sailors are here
with us yet just as the Indian Is, but
as a rule, although of the race, he Is "A
deprecated article. Jusg as the modern In
dian Is only an Indifferent representative
of the mighty red men over whose deau
bodies civilization made its way. And IL
is a curious thing abost the grand old
sailors OF the deep sea, that or whatever
nationality they may be. they
are hardly distinguishable one from
the other, but are of one great distinctive
breed of the deep water sailorman. IL
you doubt IL, read skipper Bullen's yarns.
They are about Yankee sailors, Sean
dinavians, Lime Juicers, Norwegians and
all the rest, but the only specimens that
are distinguished by marked peculiarities
due TO nationality are those from nations
that contribute only an occasional repre-
sentative 10 the sea and are not In soil
and spirit a truly sea-going people. There
are two dozen sea stories in this volume.
They are one and all distinctive, stirring
and fine and they are marvelously varied
In character There is humor and there
Is pathos, comedy and tragedy. The sali-
ormen in them range from fo'k'sie hands
TO abaft-the e-main- mast autocrats. muir
derous mates, monkey-like light yard
men, bully bo'suns, shippers gallant or
tyrant as may be. smugglers, whalers,
bench combers, the cook, the lubber. the
seaman-ordinary, able and landsman--
and all the rest The scenes comprehend
the wide world OF ports and seas and
ATTITUDES that are established I'm the big
ocean wastes only by an imaginary mark.
But all the phases people and scenes or
these fine stories are of the deep sea re-
doent
We remark only one possible exception.
a little story of a medieval attack from
the sea on fortified Coco Island, hard
by Malta, that Is I'm new and different
vein from anything of Skipper Bullen's
that we have happened to come across
and differs also from all the other themes
In this book. These medieval galley
sailors were worsted In the attack which
is, OF itself unusual. The story sug-
NiUh
himself with historical romance. But
we trust he won't. There are great
many writer's who can do that reasonably
well and a rare few that can give us sea
tales with the real smell and feel and
sound and taste TO them like Skipper
Bullen's And the story OF the deep sea
sailor is already history Of the past. his
rugged personality the hardness OF his
existence and the magnitude of his ex-
ploits taking on wonderful glory in the
recollection, until he stands out like some
huge hero in a Morse myth.