Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-10-15

was so many o them that YOU couldn,t
miss what was killed. Why. when
them rats got to runnin' about the brig
the ellyments ID have to be maxim a
big nize outside to make themselves
heard"
"Whew!" whistled the skipper.
81 am only tellin' what s a fact"
said the mate, firmly. We'll. them
rats got so bad that the old man went
pretty nigh plumb crazy. and when the
brig gets to Portland one day he ups
and throws his job away.
The owners puts long Ratchet
faced man from the Kennebec in COM
mand, and he starts in to load the old
hooker with white pine lumber for
Demerary, and. Lord, he did load her.
TOO He crammed the hold chock a
dock, and then began pilin' it up on
deck Blest if it didn't look as if a
meJum-sized man d have to duck his
mead TO walk under the fore yard arm
now, you can laugh if you want to. I
oont care rope yarn. but it's a fact
that when he was a pilin' that lumber
up on deck the most uneasy creeturs 7
ever see was them rats They'd run
ABOUT over the load and ell the time
a-squeakin' most powerful.
Finally we gets her loaded. sterss
aboard, and the next day was fixed to
sail Says L to myself, I'll run up
town and get dram or two. lust to
say good-by to land. and sneal1ed
over the rail and went ND town. The
fust man 1 sees when | went in the
saloon was the old man who used %
command the Hannibal.
Hello, Henery. he sings out.
"how's the HannibaI?"
Ready to sail, with fun cargo o.
lumber and rats" says I. kind O. jok-
in Then l ups and tells him about
now she was loaded and how them
rats was carryin' on
The old man looked kind o. duber-
Gus as he listened to me.
Henery,' SEE he, solemn like,
them rats is forerunner.'
What do you mean? SEE 1.
What time O. the year will you
come south O. Bermudas?' SCI he.
'Considerin' the speed O. that old
hooker, overloaded SEE l, about mid
die July
Right spank into the hurricane
season, sez he, loaded plumb I'D to
the yard arms, brig 40 year old and
soft in her uppers. Henery, them rats
Is forerunner; watch 'em close
We'll, the old man he talked and
looked so solemn like that began to
feel duberous myself, and after l had
taken drink or SO more / went down
to the wharf a thintint o. what the
old man had said. 1t was a bright
moonlight night and when I gets to
the end o the wharf I leans agin a
pile o sugar shocks and looks around.
was admirin' of the night when
hears kerplunk. 1 didn't pay no ct
tention until l hears it agin, and then
l looks at the old hooker AS I'm a
sinner IL them rats wasn't a comm
OF that craft in droves. Just as soon
as they pumped on the wharf they
laid course for big warehouse up
the wharf and '--~'.hed 'em CONF
until giddy with jumpin' rats.
There was one old gray Teller who sot
on the rail until the last one was over.
and then he pumps down and folders
OF EN-. Then | did some thinkin.' The
old mans words was singin' in my
right afore my eyes.
Bennett sez | TO myself. you may
know thing or two. but you don't
maybe know more than an old skinner
five times better sailor shan you. and
you don't know more than 10000 rats
Then goes aboard. quiet like,
picks up my dunnage and lays low I'D
town till the Hannibal sailed.
Nobody never heard tell o. the brig
after that, and nobody never saw
piece O. her wrecl<age"
Il heard down in Portland. one
time" said the skipper. after a pause.
of a second mate who got blind
cl eepin' drunk the day. efore his YES
sci sailed, and when they took him to
the hospital he talked o. nothing but
rats"
Some people" complained Mr.. Ben
nett, never believes anything that a
man tells EN-"
"Oh. believe every word OF your
yarn" retorted the skipper. 'but did
you ever read in your Bible of Ana
nias?" And without waiting for an an
;wer the captain went below.
Mr.. Boggs," said Bennett. after the
captain had disappeared, "you are
scriptoor reader. Who was Ananias?"
The second mate pondered moment.
"oh, he was prophet. Ha was the
I'D man, you know. who sot the bears
On the little boys who sauced him about
having no hair on his head"
recoleks now" said Mr.. Bennett.
MARYlAND'S YOUNG MAVOp