Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-17
In SAGA oETR1a OLSEN.
Ns1ma;sll r..,s..r ] AEz

None of the mates watch came aboard
that night. The men of the other watch
came stra ggling aboard toward dusk. They
had no guilty consciences to keep them
away. The others made for the hills up by
the Pail and were captured by the police
next day and brought aboard In irons. Inc
mate himself conducted the hunt, but
lodged no complaint against then-he only
wanted them with him on the passage to
Frisco.
OF course he left Honolulu on the Aloha
as mate The record of that passage is lost
to authentic history. but occasionally you
meet Il sailor who will tell you that there
really is a hell. because he has been there.
The port watch of the Aloha reached FRS
co alive that passage, but they were car
ried ashore on stretchers aboard the marine
hospital launch. Nor was Trig Olafsen
ever heard to complain of having gone I'M
avenged. He always refers to that passage
with a big complaceHt smile that sends his
two-iip whiskers up like bull horns.
Now to his story. He only tells 1t when
turns, but you do neither-you listen. spell
bound. And after he has finished you
know why the Vikings of old ruled the
He begins by swearing at the spanker-
block VIXEN it lambs. You can't depend on
it; it's treacherous, he says. 1t usually
takes five beers to bring him through a
treatise on its proper management. About
then he II plunge into his story, as he
plunged into the tropical that dark
morning.
When he rose he saw the Aloha's stern
fading into the darkness
Haul in on your forebraceS!" he rOared,
expecting to hear the shouts of the watch
and the rattle Of blocks and cordage. But
ne heard only the tapping of the still seeth-
ing wake about him, and then suddenly he
realized the truth. The stern light dwin
died and at last danced far off, a mere
speck
l can see him yet as he described that
moment. The dark pupils of his pale blue
N f,,l,a.
straight out as though he held a stick be-
tween his clenched teeth
De hounds he grinds. "Dey viii leave
me-fannen BRENDA mig-dey will leave me.
MOI Ven a Hfeboat dey trow me-but /
kan swim-by God-I kan swim-and 1
will not sfnk-by God! Hey. you lubbersr'
Here he roars as he did in the water You
hear me- you Id dogs! 1 kan swim. and
L swim clear to hell before l gives up! 1
VIII swim to Honolulu, and If 1 can't tow
my blasted carcass dat far-I swim in
spirit will haunt .you-on de night
vatches-I Will haunt you till YOU yoump
overboard,'
He doesn't say SO, but you know that he
peeled OH ms clothes and struck out after
the ship. His powerful jaw is set and the
muscles under his ears are like huge wal
nuts. Then he sees the bark, by the light
or the breaking dawn, miles ahead. and
they nave hove her to. AS he mounts the
crest or wave he sees boat put off,
Here he usually laughs.
BY gum-it vas funny You know-dat
IN skipper-he tink he find me. Dew
hunt all oIer-and l vas six miles asternS
ma, ma, ha hat was funny. 1 don't even
shout. Watts de use? 1 joost larfs and
laris-vay out dere in de vater''
And he goes off into another spasm of
lleirltneht. here he pauses. nor does he
resume until he has disposed of two more
beers His mustache droops again. the
nerce glare returns into those sea-gray
eyes. e'
Den dey brace up de fore yards again
anu go on You see dey goes on, vile 1
swims after, six-seven-eight miles astern
lou tink l viii drown? Not much, I kan
sWlin-ciear to Honolulu-or hell. l doesn't
care vitch-only l gets to dose fellers l
wants to meet dem again.
But amt dot the worst ting Won aver
heard of, to leave a shpmate to drown in
q snood sea? Would you do dat to your
worst enemy?''
Here he wakes sentimental and s!obbers
through q dissertation on the ethics of
shlpmate fellowship He wants you to I'M
derstand he never hit fellow when he was
down, especially shipnate
QUO you see fellow drop overheard
and not raise the cry? No you wouldn't
not even if 1t was the Chinese cook"
rev more drinks wash away the tears
Again lie brSt,cs
But | gets even wild dem, l will not
drown-I will not-I Will not,'
lie falrly roars this, and TrfG's roar is a
few keys lower than buIs below
No. viii swim after dot gang OF larri-
Y
On he goes, With him you see the white
sails fade out on the horizon, and with him
you are alone in the great circle. Drunk as
he Is he speaks distinctly now, carefully
articulates each word. Have you ever been
out in a small boat alone with the eulls a
clear horizon, and land a thousand miles
away? No. He has. It's q sensation that
sets the entrails wriggling within you.
But think, then, he continues pointing
huge Snarled forefinger at YOU think
then-Eow would you feel without a boat
in mfdocean with a clear horizon about
you?, How would you feel them"
r. You know-with his eyes looking into
yours. You know you would throw up
your hands and sink. But no-not with
that fiery hate in you that burns in your
very bowels. You would swim-swim-
Swim-sWim,
You are always with him-with him as he
treads water. or strikes out or floats look
ing up into the blue cloudless sky You see
the lroth in his hery' hair, the spume in his
tawny mustaches, sometimes floating about
his mouth like seaWeed, and those huge
white limbs moving under water And YOU
see that broad. square chin beat against
the wayelets like the prov of Viking
pirate ship So he fought. ten long hours
fought while the sun climbed up the center
OF the metallic dome of the heavens and
began to descend again, and the screaming
Sulls circled about his head and even light
ed near by.
Here he pauses once more, and tells you
he sank picture flashed before him
He saw the men of his watch stalking about
the streets of Honolulu. He saw them in
the drinking shops leaning against the bars.
He heard them telling how he had drowned
and they chuckled and ogled one another
He saw big Steve grin. as he said:
Poor sucker. we'd "a picked him IN If
we cOulGi'
Sink, Never! He could swim-a thou-
sand miles! He could swim in spite of he'll
itself.
He must have been a fearsome sight then
shooting up again. above The surface like
sea demon. shouting vengeance, Neyeri
he VIII swim-swim-sw im-swim,
BY this time he is pretty drunk II be
were an ordinary man you would saw he
was nervously unstrung. But Trig Olafsen
has no nerves, so he's only beastly drunk
But still you feel the thrill of fire in that
last squirt.
Here he gets maudf1n and funny at once
and you can't quite make out what han
pened. You know he saw the foresails of a
square-rigSed ship, but he doesn't tell how
he got aboard it. Figuratively speak king he
slobbers and falls all over the captain and
bos'n of the Garnet. Then he laughs again
You know, dey ask me. We're Won Come
from? Ha. ha. ha. hal 1 tell dem 7 vas
in a whales belly like Yora. Ha, ha ba
ha! don't tell dem nothing till next dav
BY this time he is too drunk to tell moro