Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1903-12-12

SI0A COuVGTSdllOu udu tuIIlSu
upon thirst" Perhaps the
9 9 subject was not entirely
I L out Of place, although the
Hc< half dozen ancient marin
ws assembled in the little back parlor
If an old inn at Livingston, Staten Isl-
and, all of them inmates of the Sail
DIS Snug Harbor. had been doing their
best to Danish thirst for hours past.
Talk bout thirst" growled old Sam
Padler, who is Familiarity known
around around the Sailors Home as
"Stumpy" because he is near
ly as broad as he is long or perhaps OH
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 seed
hull ships crew lynn stiff and dead
for want of drop O. water? Yes,
sirs. 1t tecks me to talk bout thirst.
tell you, gentlemen, a man as amt no
thirst is 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
sol, mn silence until the old salt has
ovei hauled his thinking tackle. unrav-
eled and Strengthened out his yarn,
knocked out his pipe upon his leg. spit
three times, cut himself a new chew of
tobacco. and shut his eyes for the
space of a few moments. Then he
sails in and nothing will stop him.
Should there be the slightest Interrupt
ton 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
c. his yarn and went full steam ahead.
II was mate on the steamship Glen
earn early in the year 1884," he said.
I'VE were carrying 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 lon
gitude 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
been planted there by Providence for
the express purpose of knocking the
bottoms out of ships, we sights brig,
just nor-ard of our course.
well. sirs, reckon we WIZ about
five degrees north of the equa tor, and
the sun teaming straight down on us,
making the whole ship like a fryin'
pan. and it was no use wfshin' 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
scorcher There was not a ca. full O.
wind stirrin'. and not ripple on the
water; but a swell, which seemed like
as if the sea waZ breathin' hard and
heavy in its sleep.
"Briss with all sails set and f1appin',
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 OH 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 ut her
Tor an i'll hammered tramp, and if the
code had had cuss words in it he might
nave run up flags telling her and all
aboard of her to go to warmer place
tnan 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: MIR.
Padler.' he says, take squirt at that
brig through my glass. Blame me If
don't think there's sutthing wrong
with her.
"'She amt shipshape, for sartain,'
says I. am there amt a soul stirring
aboard, as I can see.'
'"Well.' he says, that settles it. I'm
going to take a 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, 1
relt 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 q school
o sharks which were cruising round
end round the big, like Gagged lions at
8eedin' time.
Try her port side! yelled the cap.
ta1n, SO we pulled under her stern. and
sure enough we found the port gang
way open. There. a-sitting on the
deck. his legs danglin' over the side.
wuz man. His back was restin'
against a barrel, and from his right
hand, which lay upon the deck,
streamed long white sheet or table.
cloth, or sutthing like that.
"'Ahoy therev hollered, but he
didn't stir an inch, and one o. the cut
ter's crew he takes slap at him with
an oar. A swarm - as buzzed into the
air, and every If boat seemed
to gasp and tn he. Dead as