Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-11-11
REFORMED BY A
STORM AT SEA.

| that tames a landsman, I don't care
how hardened he may have been
/ ashore said an old sea captain, wbo
began on tramp ship, and worked
! up to his place on the bridge OF a
coast liner. we who 20 down %
| the sea in ships, indeed, see the works
of the Lord and His wonders.
"One Of the wonders is 10 see man
4 who has been a tough customer On
| dry land turn white about the gillg
| when he is aboard ship when the
ship is swatted by heavy sea. It's
the best place in the world to refors.
such a man
| Some years ago, when | was q
Cape rounder, just before we put out
1 from New York fine boxing man
| and his son, the latter about is, I
should say, came aboard while we
| were putting in the last of the cargo
at Brooklyn pier. The father hal
! letter to me from the chaplain OF a
seaman mission.
"He told me while his boy was lool1
/ ing over the ship that the boy was q
natural-born sport and high roller
and that the schools he had attended
and the church influences he had had
| had been OF no avail He said that
/ the chaplain Of the mission. who was
an old friend of his, had suggested
that the boy ought to go to sea.
The father placed a purse in M
| keeping, and told me to use my judg
ment in handing out the contents. The
| fathers love for his son was that of
strong man. He said not to spare
any expense on the lad if he got sick
| and he added with sort of shaky voice.
If he dies on your hands, | want
+ him to have the best funeral that man
can have at sea-.
THE boy did not know why he was be-
| ing shipped He thought it was a lark.
1t wouldn't "a done to let him know the
| truth. His father stood on the pier un-
| til the ship had gone to her haven IN
| der the hill, as one poet says.
THE first week we were out the sea
| was smooth enough to dance on. IN
that time the kid actually taught my
| crew, tough as il was, lot of new tricks
| They just thought he was a bit smarter
and more outrageous than anything
they had up with. on land or at sea.
The ninth day out we had a squat
! that shook the ship some. It kept on
as knew it would. until the ship got the
shudders A sort of sleet storm fol-
lowed that made the masts look like
icicles. and the sheets stood out in the
night until they looked like ghosts lir-
ing UP for a quadrille.
1T was fun for the landsman's kid for
awhile Even when some OF my crew
looked frightened, that kid stood, or
rather he frolicked about. with a sort OF
Casabianca bravado that made me look
at him in wonder
Finally the ship ratified in her icy
shrouds like some chained monster that
tries 10 shake oil its chai~s The hurfi-
cane had us.
1T was about as hard blow as / had
/ ever seen OF the southern coa lost
sight of The land sinner, in my duties,
until | accidentally stumbled over hin.
He was damned up against the chart
house He looked to me as if he had
been done for
Busy as was. I picked him up and
carried him in my arms to my room. 4
| just threw him in and left him. Nobody
slept on that ship that night The next
| day the sea had thrashed itself out. and
we knew the worst was over.
Then went TO see the sick IN, and
| ! tiptoed cause I expected to find him
| ready for burial. But he wasn't He was
on his knees, his face hid in his hands
Il stood aside for a few minutes, ont
/ - H. b IA,
/ a hoy that was brought up that way. /
stood it as long as could, and then |
went and kneeled down by him and put
my arm around him
When he didn't stir | raised up bis
! head The ship fever had struck him,
and he didn't know me. But was salts
| fed that ne knew what he was doing
when he kneeled down.
Il put him in bunk Ididnt do mucb
the halsnce of that voyage but tend
that kid He wasted and gained ana
end of the long voyage he got so he could
walk out When we sailed into Bahia
1 tsok him ashore
/ He insisted on staying there until
our return voyage. and left him in good
/ hands When we got back found him
in good shape but quite tame. When
asked him If he would come back with
me he said he would if would let him
come as he wanted to.
Il asked him how he wanted TO ship.
| He said he didn't know what we called it
on shipboard but he would like the job
| of preaching to the sailors. | had no
| chaplain-never had My crew thought
chaplain was hoodoo. But told him
he could try it. And he did.
"All the way up the coast, when my
! crew was not on duty they were huddled
about that boy listening to things they
never heard before so far as / knew.
| In fact, had to call him down ocoa-
sionally for keeping the crew from their
| work
I