The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1903-08-06

nothing and could handle Reed better
than l could. l will add that he could
handle me also, in spite of every, effort
on my part. He had great strength, and
could hold me as though l was in wise.
But he never took advantage Of his
great strength to impose onSany one,
and was always the friend of the under
dog. | had come out of the school
house with abject fear in my heart, but
fear that when l returned had some
thing of the strut of a peacock. On
entering the school room | received a
pleasant smile from the teacher, and
from his daughter Lizzie, who had
managed in some way to see the con-
| tlict, knowing that it must come.
| know that they were much gratified
| because the honor of the conflict had
| been sustained by the boy from the
| back tier of lots. This was not my last
| fight with Reed: for he, thinking that l
got the advantage of him by some acct
dent, continued to get up fight with
me until he found it was no accident
and that he got it little hotter each
| time. SO he gave it up and would try to
| get crowd to attack me. At such times
| the gallant Fred Gilmore would stand
! by my side, and we two we're more than
a match for all of them When Fred
was not around was made to see stars,
but when | got Reed alone he had to
see two stars, and as | met him alone
about three times where he met me
with his crowd once he soon got enough
| of it and we became good friends. And
few years later we were shipmates in
| ships forecastle and he was always
my friend The poor fellow died at sea
shortly after
There were about twenty boys near
my age at this school, some older, some
younger, and most of them subsequently
became masters of vessels. OF all these
| recall but one that is living, Though
there may be others and that one is
Captain AIonzo Shute of Belfast
The first time | fioated On salt water
was i'll punt handled by Fred Gilmore.
| 1t was this way: After the close of the
school | hired with MI. Stevenson to
run his farm so far as l could and do
| the chores for So a month. MI. Steven
son was ship carpenter, and was killed
in shipyard at the upper bridge that
same year. There were fish weirs along
the shore in those days, and Fred per
suaded me to get into an old punt on
the shore and let him scull me off to the
weir. 1t was leaky craft, and on re-
turning from the weir, and when near
the shore, she capsized in about five feet
of water and l got my first baptism in
salt water. The first night ever spent
Oh board vessel we slept in the same
bunk on board the brig or topsail
schooner Martha Washington, owned
by Capt. Robert Patterson, the father
of Mrs. A. D. Chase. The late Capt.
Isaac NJ. Boardman was master, and
the late Capt. John Moore mate. The
brig had Just been discharged of a car
90 of molasses for Sibley & Wilson, and
as there was no marine railway at Bel
fast in those days they beached vessels
on Patterson's point, east side, to clean
their bottoms. While the vessel lay on
the beach for that purpose the boys of
the neighborhood, among them Fred
Gilmore and myself, spent the night on
board. That was my first night with
bed bugs, and | also got my first smell
of bilge water.
My first trip coasting was in the old
schooner Dione, Capt. John shute mas
ter. He was the grandfather of Charles
and Fred Gilmore. Her officers and
crew, besides the captain, were Charles
Gilmore, aged about 16, mate; Fred Gil
more and myself. aged about IA. crew
and cook alternately. But we did not
have much cooking to do as our voy-
ages were not long. Mrs. Gilmore,
mother of the boys, did about all the
cooking at her home, which was sent
on board at the beginning OF each voy'
age. We would 60 to Bangor, take on
cargo of lumber, return to Belfast
stock up with cooked provisions from
the house, and then start on our voyage
to Boston, Salem, Lynn or elsewhere
As the captain and the schooner were
old and the mate and crew young We
never passed a good harbor after foul
o'clock in the afternoon, but were
underway at four o'clock in the morn
ing. weather permitting. When the
weather was bad, and our stock Of
; grub ran short, we fell back on the IN
> evitable ration of down east coaster
but we never fell back on it very hard
} viz, cod fish, potatoes and pork rat
hard bread, and tea made in an iron tes
kettle and sweetened with molasses.
AS look back on the shore OF time
now see that the three trips took II
the old Dione were among the pleas
| Il