The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-02-07

know I've always been good to you.
Never a mont but I've given you a
silver fourpenny for yourself. And now
you see. mate, I'm pretty low, and de-
serted by all; and, Jim. you'll bring
me II noggin of rum, now won't you,
matey?'
THE doctor" I began.
But he broke in cursing the doctor,
in a feeble voice, but heartily. Doc
tors Is all swabs," he said, land that
doctor there, why, what do he know
about seafaring men? 1 had been in
places hot as pitch. n mates drop
ping round with Yellow Jack, and the
blessed land a%-heaving like the sea
with earthquakes-what do doctors
know of lands like that? And 1 lived
on rum. I tell YOU. It's peen meat ana
drink, and man and wife, to me; n
If I'm not to have my rum now In q
poor old hulk on a lee shore, my
blood'H be on you, Jim, and that doc
tor swab:" and he ran on again for
my fingers fldges." he continued, in the
pleading tone. IT cant keep 'em still,
not I. I haven't had a drop this
blessed day. That doctors a fool. l
tell you. If I don't have a drain O.
rum, Jim, I'll have he horrors; | seen
some on EN- already. l seen old Flint
in the corner there, behind you; as
plllAl as i L CCl ! L olio IL L SNN
the horrors, I'm a man that has lived
rough, n I'll raise Cain. Your doc
tor hisself said one glass wouldn't
hurt me- I'll give o a golden guinea
for a noggin, jim
He. was growing more n more ex-
cited, and this alarmed me, for my ia
ther was very low thai day. and
needed quiet; besides, l was ~reassured
by the doctors words. now quoted to
me, and rather offended by the offer OF
a bride.
IT want none of your money" said
I, but you owe my father. I'll
get you one glass, and no more"
When I brought it to him, he seized
it greedily. and drank it out.
GAY, ay,' said he, that's some bet
ter, sure enough. M now, matey, did
that doctor say how long I was to lie
here in his old berth?'
"A week at least" said 7.
Thunder" he cried. "A week! 1
can't do that: they'd have a black spot
OF me by then. The lubbers is going
about to get the wind of me this
keep what they got, and want to nail
hat is another's. Is that seamanly
behavior, now, I want to know? But
Tn q saving soul I never wasted good
money Of mine, nor lost it, neither: n
I'll trick EN- again. I'm not afraid on
EN-. I'll shake out another reef, matey,
and daddle 'em again"
AS he was thus speaking he had risen
from bed with great difficulty, holding
to my shoulder with a grip that al
most made me cry, and moving his
legs like so nSlch dea weight. His
words, spirited as they We're in mean
ing. contrasted sadly with the weak
ness Of the voice in which they were
uttered. He paused when he had got
frtn o-cfffjrp nnCit{rr m he .a1 Cn .f.
THAT Doctors done me-" he muir
INJURED. my ears Is singing. Lay me
back"
Before I could do much to help him
he had fallen back again to his former
place, where he lay for awhile silent.
"Jim." he said, at length. you saw
that ~seafarins man today?"
BLACK Dog?" 1 asked.
"Ah! Black Dog" says he. Hes a
bad 'un, but there's worse that put
him on. Now, If I can't get away no.
mind you, it's my old s~ea-chest they're
after. You get on a horse-you can,
can't you? Well, then, you get on a
horse, and go towel, yes I will!-to
that eternal doctor swab, and tell him
to pipe all neutrality-suspicious. and SIGH
and he'll lay 'em aboard at the Adj
miral Benbow-all old Flint's crew,
lldi ttAlo wy, LII VI p" Ell 40 . iCAl. L
was first mate, I was, old Flint's first
mate, and I'm the on'y n as knows
the place. Hegave it to me at Savannah,
where he lay a-dying, like as If Z was
to now, you see. But you won't peach
unless they get the black spot on me,
or unless you see that Black Dog
again. or a seafaring man, with one
leg, Jim-him above all
"But what Is the black spot cap
tain?" I asked.
That's a summons, mate. I'll tell
you If they get that. But you keep your
weather-eye open Jim, n I'll share
with you equals. upon my hono-."
He wandered a little longer, his voice
growing weaker; but soon after 7 had
given him his medicine, which he took
like a child, with the remark, "If ever
a seaman wants drugs, it's me-" he fel!
at last into q heavy, swoon-uke sleep ir
which I left him. What I should have
done had all gone well I do not know
Probably 1 should have told the Whole
story to the doctor; for l was in NOR.
tai fear lest the captain hould repent
of his confessions and make an end OF
me. But as things fell, out. my poor
father died quite suddenly that even.
ing, which put all other matters or
one side. Our natural distress, the Wis.
it's of the n~eighbors, the arranging OF
the funeral, and all the work of the inr
to be carried OF in the meanwhile, KEEP,
me so busy that T had scarcely time Il
think of the captain, far less to be
afraid of him.
He got down stairs next morning, tt
be sure, and had his meals as usual
though he eat little, and had more,
am afraid, than his usual supply O.
rum, for he helped himself out of thu
bar, scowling and blowing through hi.
nose, and no one dared TO cross him
On the night before the funeral he wa!
as drunk as ever; and it was shocking
in that house Of mourning, to hear hin
singing away at his ugly old sea-song
but, weak as he was, we were all in feal
Of death for him, and the doctor wa,