The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09

garded as a, changed animal who had
repented and forsaken his evil ways
for life. But my opinion OF him never
changed. 1t was never asked, and
knew better than to offer it. but there
was lurking devil in his sleepy eyes
that assured me if ever he got loose
again his previous achievements would
pale into insignificance before the feats
Of diaboltcal ingenuity he would then
perform. Still the days and weeks
rolled by uneventfully until we were
we'll into the fine weather to tho
north h'ard of the line in the Atlantic.
We had been exceptionally favored
by the absence Of rain. and owing TO
the exertionS of the second mate, who
was an enthusiast over his paint work.
her bulwarks within and her houses
were a perfectly dazzling white, with
sainy sheen like enamel In fact,
heard him remark. with pardonable
pride that he'd never seen the paint
look so we'll in all his seven voyages
as the second Of the Belle. Tenderly.
as if it were his wife's face, he would
go over that paintwork even in his
watch below, with bits of soft rag
and some clean water, Wiping off every
spot of deflement as soon as it ap-
peared. Tarring down was accom-
plished without a spot or smear upon
the paint, and the decks having been
holystOned and vanished. the second
mate now began to breathe freely. No
more dirty work remained to be done
and he would have a lot more time
to devote to his beloved white paint.
We had been slipping along pretty
fast to the north ard and one afternoon
the old man had all hands UP to bend
our winter suit of sails. Every moth
er's son of them were aIoft except me,
and was busy about the mainmast
Gf in hxr n NJ md he 01r1cr
gear, as / was ordered from above. AS
they had hOiSted all the sails up before
they had started alOft, they were there
a long time, as busy as bees, trying to
get the job finished. AT last all was
ready and down they came. One OF
them went for'ard for something and
Immediately raised an outcry that
brought all hands rushing to the spot,
thinking that the ship was on fire or
something. The sight tney saw was a
paralyzing one to a sailor. On both
sides of the bulWarks and the lower
panels OF the house were great smears
and splasheS of Stockholm tar, while
all along the nice blue covering board
the mess was indescribable. With one
accord everybody shouted:
That - mOnkey!"
Yes, as they spoke there was q dull
thud, and down from a1oft fell a huge
oakum wad saturated with tar. They
looked up and there sat an Internal
object, hardly distinguishable for a
monkey, being smothered from head
to tail end with the rnick glutinous
stuff But his white teeth cleaned and
his wicked eye twinkIed merrily, as he
thought of the heavenly time he'd been
having, a recompense for what must
have seemed years of waiting. Too late
the men now remembered that the tar
barrel, it's head completely out, had
been left upended by the windlass,
where it had been placed for convent
cnce during tarring down. 1t was there
still, but leading from IT in all direc-
tions were streams Of tar where Joc<o
had dragged away the dripping wads
he had fished out Of its black depths.
was never revengeful. but If I had
been I should have felt sorry for the
second mate. my old tyrant, now. He
dropped and withered like a scarlet
runner under the first sharp frost. Not
a word did he say, but he looked as az
all the curses in every tongue that
ever were spoken were pouring over
his brain in flood. Pursuit OF the
monkey was out OF the question.
Clambering over the newly tarred rig
ging was bad enough when done with
all care, but in a chase, especially
over places where it had been freshly
enointed by the fugitive, We should
have had all hands captured like fiies
on a gummed string.
They all stood and glared at the
mess like men not knowing how to
adjust their minds to this new cOndi-
ton of things, nor, when the skipper
and mate came forward to see what
was the matter, did they contribute
any words good, bad or Indifferent.
Apparently they would have remained
there till they dropped, fascinated by
the horrible sight, but suddenly pierc-
ing screams aft startled everybody.
JOcko had crept down the mizzen
rigging and pOunced upon poor little
Tip, who was delicately combing him
self Che was as daintily clean as a
cat) on the after hatch. And now
Jocko was perched on the cro'jack
yard vigorously wiping his tar
drenched fur with Tip as IL he had
been a dry wad.
The second mate started from his
lethargy and sprang aIOft to the rescue
of his screaming pet with an agility
scarcely inferior to that OF JOckO. Rage
seemed to give him energy. for pres
emily he pressed JockO so hard Che let
poor little Tip go as soon as he saw his
pursuer) that he ran out along the
mizzen topsan brace and. balancing
himself for a moment, covered his
eyes with his hands and sprang into
the sea- BObbing up like a cork he
struck out away from the ship which
was only just moving, Dur IN less than
five minutes he repented his rashness
and swan back. A line was flung to
him, he promptly seized it and was at
once captive again. The men were
so impressed by his prowess that they
refused to allow the second mate to
touch him. nor did any Of them even
beat him lest they should have bad
luck. But they replaced the chafed-
through ring he had broken by a mas
siVe connecting link and when lam
rach's man came aboard in London
Jocko was sold to him for five shillings.
Tip went to the Crystal Palace and
met a worse fate.