The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1902-09-24
a Young
Commands

wv - ss,l - - sssS~ = v
'1s that the chap we skipped un-
der9 Why, he hasn't, grown 9
beard vet"
"NeVertKssless he is the skipper
Of thisscraft;,iand .right;smertione.
too. as you'll find out IL you. cruise
many months aboard Of her"
"That may be, but I'd rather see
a man on the, quarter deck than q
boy" E
what's thd difference if the boy
has mans head on his shoulders !?
L isn't always those who have lived
Ihc longest III this world that know
the most, as I have found out. Our
skipper and I were shipmates on
the voyage that he jumped from be-
fore the mast to the quarter deck"
"Don't see how he could do it,"
grumbled the one addressed as Tom.
at was this way" began Bill
Beckett that same evening in the
Ndog watch" when he and his COM
panion Tom, who was also boat
steerer, we're leaning idly over the
weather rail, gazing out on the vast
expanse of waters over which their
vessel was bounding before fair
wind.
'It's little over four years now
since I joined the Race Horse down
in one of the Kanaka islands. T
had run away from another ship
and. had beach combed' it nautical
parlance for tramp) until I got q
chance in the Race Horse. We were
going north to cruise in the Okhotsk
sea. The skipper was before the
mast then. He was chap that
didn't have to see thing done
more than twice before ne could do
it himself.
RI handled the harpoons in the
mates boat, and little Blue Fin, as
we called our cap'n that is now,
pulled the bow oar in the same
craft. One morning just little aft
er daylight the lookout in the cross
trees raised school of sperm
whales. We had a pretty stiff
breeze the night before, and the sea
was still running high. We lowered
away, however, our three boats
mates. second mates and third's.
"I'll take that fellow up to
wind'ardP called our officer as he
pointed to q big whale that was
playing around on the outside Of
the school as though he was placed
there to protect the cows, and calves
that were huddled together in the
middle from any danger.
"Iook out, Bill says the mate
to me as he stood grasping the
steering oar. Look out, man, and
don't miss him. There's a good
hundred barrels there
"tAye, aye, SIR said /. Lay me
on close enough, and I'll drive both
irons into him clear to the beck
ets.'
"There was no danger but what
he'd do it, for the fellow didn't
know what it was to be afraid Of
whale. I wasn't going to take any
chances, so I waited till the boat al
most touched the big brute, then T
let fly both harpoons, one after an
other, and sung out, Stern allY
When the boys were backing so as
to give the whale room to play, I
went aft to change places with the
mate, and he walked forward to his
station in the bow to kill the Ash
with a lance.
'Now, this whale was one Of
those kind of fellows that take his
medicine easy at first, but fights
Like fury before he h'ists mis- red
flag. He didn't sound but lay and
wallowed for a minute or two, then
began to swing round 30 as to get
sight Of US.
"tHe's going to give us tussle,'
called the mate.
"rAye, aye; he's a fighter says I.
"Then | caught sight Of Blue
Fins face. All the other chaps
were glancing over their shoulders
and beginning to get a little shaky,
but he sat on his thwart with his
hand grasping the oar, just as quiet
and unconcerned as if he were in a
shff on a mill pond and not within
half a cables length Of mad bull
sperm that threatened to send him
and his shipmates to Davy Jones'
locker at any minute.
Stand by to jumpI' called the
mate. He's coming fer .sY! a
Now, you know there's no boat
quick enough to get out Of the way
OF o; whale when he makes rush, SO
u, the only thing to do is to leave her.
Ihe other men sprang to their feet,
out the boy still sat there, and I
began to think he was paralyzed
with fright.
:, Stand up to jump, Blue Finp I
called: sAnd when you go leap
SfrQ1nht Co.