Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-03-01
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A SAILORS YARN.

~ They We're SIX IN number, and were
telling each other stories Of life on the
ocean, such as only men can ten who for
many years have been following the great
briny deep.
Willie James had Unexpectedly APP
peared, and sim Wilson told him they
had heard he had story about snake
in the China sea and would like TO hear
it from beginning t2. end.
~Oh." said Willi& you mean the snake
that towed us into Mong Kong. Amt YOU
heard about hilny He vas wonder, aud
don't you lose no money doubtln that
fact"
TELL Us all about it, piped in Joe Eyer
ton, and he proceeded to do 80.
~Of course you all know abou, my ship
ping on the ship Orient from Frisco for
Manila" Willie began, so | amt gong
to tell you anything about that, excepting
that we got to Manila all rigkt Well,
was proving around that place taking in
the sights and watching the soldiers and
sailors flirting and gallivanting, when ran
across skipper, the like OF which l never
expect to see the rest Of my days. lie was
strapping big fellow, come from Austria
liza before he come from anywhere else,
and finally landed at Manila in the brig
Yokohama, as stanch a looking craft, To
all appearances, as ever stretched san
before favorable wind.
Eve cleared Manila on the 10th OF May
and sailed away for Hongkong the next
day We got along out sight for the first
three or four days, and then gale such
az blows only in that China sea sprung up
from the southland. 1t was swinger-ree,
and don't you forget it. We was then
about midway between Luzon and the Am
phitrites Oh, what fierce one That gale
was. 1t blew all day and night and never
stopped for minute. Along about the
noon hour of the second day 1t seemed to
grow meaner and meaner, and about two
hours later it was a hurricane, so out
rageousIy strong that we couldn't do a
thing but trust to the good Lord and await
developments.
.'For three days that hurricane ragged,
and then it quit, leaving US without any
sails or masts, and one rudder and tiller
was gone, too. Then We were in the China
sea, just as helpless as a baby.
Zone morning some two days after the
sea had Gained down, the old man--his
name was Anderson-was on the deck with
me. looking at what we had left, and Won
dering what was to be our finish, when
seen apparition.
| sit had head like horse, was green,
with great blue spots all over him, had
teeth as big as my two fists, and was
heading straight for our crippled old craft.
"'Oap, says |, it looks to me as II all
Of us fellows had better git ready to take
sail skywards'
fDownwards, you mean, said Cap,
''cause | am thinking the whole blooming
4 4. -k.,.. hp.
low before very long
"By this time that sea horse, sea SER
pent. snake, or whatever he was, was on
US. and before we could get over our first
SILVER he struck our port with his tail.
Such a crashing / never heard as resulted
from that lick. He hit us again and then
he lifted his head out Of the water and
commenced to spit He nearly drowned
the cook, come mighty near washing two
OF our best men into the sea, and doused
the skipper until he looked like swim
ming teacher such as you see in the shows.
| got it in the neck, too.
Finally, we got desperate, and made up
our minds to show fight. The skipper, me
and the cook got big hawser, and tied
piece OF wood to it, and got ready to
soak the thing one. Before we could do
/ it, though, two Of the men threw pot OF
boiling water, filled with pepper at him.
"Then the fun commenced. The serpint
couldn't see them with all the pepper in
his eyes So he foundered around in the
water, throwing great big seas everywhere,
and almost drowning every blooming man
on that boat Suddenly he seemed to
stand straight up in the water. Then we
let 90 at him with the hawser 1t struck
him ON the neck, went round and round,
and the piece of wood gittin' tangled up in
the rope, made knot, and there we was
| with the big varmint. We didn't know
whether to let 20 and let him choke him
self to death, or whether we ought to try
and git our hawser back, and soak him
again.
eve was debatin' this question, when
all of sudden we felt the Yokohama be-
gin to move. The hawser was tied to a
stump of one of our masts, and he had us
in tow, and was taking us through the
water at a 20-knot gait before we knew
what was happening.
Must we cut the rope Cap% yelled.
Not on your eternals, before | git my
reck'nin's,' he answered.
"The old man did some looking at the
compass, and then he raised his hands
toward the sky and commenced to holler.
whats up, Cap? I says.
81 am so happy, / am so happy he
yelled, and then he Gained down and told
us that the snake was towing us straight
to Hong Kong.
"'Glory Hallelulah,' holered Hi Jones,
the mate, and then I hollered, and so did
the cook, and the rest Of the crew, for
that matter, so happy were we all.
'Be all this as it may, we made rec
ord trip to Hong Kong, and sighted that
port before we knew we was good under
way. That snake, according to Cap Ander-
son, towed us to the tune of % knots an
hour. When we sees the houses IN the
Chinaman's town we begin to consider
what We was going to do with the reptile.
'TurR him loose, Cap, said we all, for
he's done us a good turn, and one good
turn is deserving of another
You are right the skipper said, and
then we got an ak, cut the rope and give
three cheers for old greenskin, as he
turned around and headed for the open