The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-12-09

u u u out of place, although the
Hc~ half dozen ancient marin
,rs assembled in the little back parlor
If an old inn at Livingston, Staten Isl.
and, all Of them inmates of the Sail
prs Snug Harbor. had been doing their
best to Danish thirst for hours past.
Talk bout thirst" growled old Sam
Padler. who is familarly known
around around the Sailors Home as
"Stumpy"-perhaps because he is near
" as broad as he is long or perhaps on
account Of his wooden leg, on which
he repeatedly knocks the ashes from
his pipe. you fellers amt no call to
talk bout thirst" said Stumpy. II
know what it means. for amt l seed
hull ships crew lyin' stiff and dead
for want of drop o. water? Yes
sirs. 1t tecks me to talk bout thirst
tell you. gentlemen, man as amt no
thirst is a rat, that's what heis.' After
whetting our appetites in this senten.
tious manner Stumpy lapsed into pro.
found silence.
Those who would profit by the old
sea dogs anecdotes must follow GER.
tain fixed formula. They must sit in
solemn silence until the old salt has
overhauled his thinking tackle unrav-
eled and Strengthened out his yarn,
knocked out his pipe upon his leg. spit
three times, cut himself new chew of
tobacco. and shut his eyes for the
space of 4 few moments. Then he
sails in and nothing will stop him.
Should there be the slightest interrup.
tion to these proceedings he rises,
seizes his cane. glares around angrily.
and stalks out of the room, pounding
the bare boards with the thump of his
wooden leg.
Conditions being duly Observed the
night when some one had innocently
preached the subject of thirst"
Stumpy cheerfully took up the thread
G. his yarn and went full steam ahead.
II was mate on the steamship Glen
earn early in the year 1884," he said.
1--WE We're carrying a cargo mostly iron
and bound for Shanghai, bein in the
tea trade. We'd had roughish time
of it in the Bay o. Biscay and been
shook up some in the Mediterranean.
slipped through the Suez Canal and
reached about seventy-three east Ion
gltude without anything worth calling
an adventure. when one day, while
Keeping a sharp lookout for shoals
ahead. for we wuz bearing down upon
that chain of coral reefs called the
Malvine Islands, which seem to have
bean planted there by Providence for
the express purpose of knocking the
bottoms out of ships. we sights n brig,
just nor-ard of our course.
"Well, slrs. I reckon we WIZ about
five degrees north of the equator. and
the sun teaming straight down on us,
making the whole ship like a fryin'
pan, and it was no use wishin' n mans
shadder might never grow no less. for
he could cover all the shadder he'd got
with the sOles Of his feet. 1t was a
scorcher. There was not ca. full O.
wind stirrin', and not n ripple OH the
water; but swell, which seemed like
as If the sea waz breathin' hard and
heavy in its sleep.
"Brigs with all sails set and nappin'
rockin' broadside on. and aimlessly on
the swell, amt such uncommon sights
in the doldrums, but there was some
thing uncanny about that ere craft as
kept all eyes bent on her as we passed
her about four miles off on our port
bow. To begin with she didn't show
no colors, and when we got no answer
to our signals the captain swore Mt her
Tor an III hammered tramp, and If the
code had had cuss words in 1t he might
have run up flags telling her and all
aboard of her to go to a warmer place
than what they was in, and Lord
knows that wuz hot enough.
"Well, sirs, we'd left her maybe two
miles astern. when the skipper called
me on to the bridge and says: Mr..
Padler,' he says, take a squlnt at that
brig through my glass. Blame me II !
don't think there's sutthing wrong
with her.
She amt shlpshape. for sartain,'
says ]. AN there amt soul stirring
aboard. as can see.'
Well he says, that settles II. I'm
going to take stretch off our course
and see what's her little game
Half an hour after we ran as close
alongside as the swell would allow
and we halls her; but all was as silent
as the grave. Give yer my word.
felt sort O. creepy all over when the
captain orders me to get the crew OF
the cutter together and board her. AS
we made for her starboard gangway
we hollered for all we wuz worth, but
our cries did nothing but scare a school
o. sharks which were cruising round
snd round the big. like Gagged lions al
zeedin' time.
""Try her port sidev yelled the can
tain, so we pulled under her stern. and
sure enough we found the port gang
way open. There. a.sitting on tht
deck, his legs danglln' over the side
wuz a man. His back was restin
against barrel. and from his right
hand, which lay upon the deck
streamed long white sheet or table
cloth, or sutthIng like that.
"'Ahoy therev l hollered, but hs
didn't stir an inch. and one o. the cut
ter's crew he takes . slap at him with
IN oar. Aswarm o hies buzzed into thu
air. and every man in our boat seemed
70 gasp and turn sleklike. Dead Il