Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1905-03-09
DAILY SHORT STORY
MY ONE FACULTY.
IOriginaLf

LAiEiEl4lGll
I am an example of the value of pos
sessing one faculty alone in 4 very high
degree. As a boy at school never
could learn my lessons. and my father,
who otherwise would have wished me
to take n profession. put me on a ship
as cabin boy. remarking that such
career was good enough for n Ounce.
The captain took 4 fancy to me and
tried to teach me navigation, but there
were 50 many sines, cosineS. ares and
angles about it TO bewilder me that he
soon gave it up in despair. So it seemed
that I must continue 10 wait on the
ships company, clean the cabin win
dows and ut mealtimes assist the cook
in the galley
One morning when I was washing
the breakfast dishes 1 noticed that the
ship had been brought up 10 the wind.
which was tapping in the sails. Soon
after, having occasion to go to the after
cabin, 1 saw the captain and the first
mate standing looking at the rudder
post. Though the tiller was dashed fast,
the ruddeT swayed with the waves.
This was because the rudder post was
defective. As the rudder moved the
post would twist, opening and closing
huge cracks. OF course the ship was
without steerage. The captain looked
anxious.
Captain" l said. when the cracks
open fill them with wedges, and your
post Will hold firm"
The captain turned and looked 1T me,
astOnished that a cabin boy should dare
to advise him. Then lie gruftly ordered
the mate to 90 and get the wedges.
They We're driven in the cracks. iron
bands were put around the post, and it
held good till we reached port.
1t had become evident that possess
ed ingenuity.
The captain considered that by my
suggestion | had saved the ship and
on reaching home told the owners, who
placed Il thousand dollars in bank TO
be given me on my coming of age My
father was much perplexed at the sto- /
~ and, thinking that perhaps my teach I
ers had been at fault. wished me TO re- I
main at home and try school again. |
But hated books and took kindly to /
4 " INK IAAt Oll tAlt Ottsil 30 III ldAlti.
deciding that there must be some mis- /
take about my ingenious suggestion, /
relapSed into the belief that | was still /
a Ounce and the position of cabin boy /
quite good enough for me. But he was /
again doomed to revise his opinion /
when / returned from the next voyage. /
We were in the China sea not far |
from the Malay peninsula. having |
aboard Il cargo of oil. There is no part /,
of the globe where piracy has been and |
is today more common. One evening |
Just before sunset I went on deck and /
saw the captain and both mates ex- /
aiming with glasses a small vessel to /
the leeward, which was towing good |
sized bark. Suddenly the smaller YES !
sci drew away from the other and sail |
ed toward Us. Though she showed no /
flag, our captain knew her to be 4 pi- !
rate with prize in tow. and, since we
had nothing with which to defend our
selves except small arms, he had no /
doubt that as soon as the craft could /
reach us we would walk the plank
Captain" l said. get up n barrel of /
oil and pour it over the decks. except |
the poop. Then get The men up there.
with the arms. hoist the white flag and |
let them come aboard"
The captain stared at me for a mo- |
meut. the color gradually coming to |
his cheeks with hope. then ordered not /
one barrel but a dozen brought up and |
stove at different parts of the deck. The
ratlines, the buIwarks. every bit of sur
face was shining with oil Then the
men were gathered with the small arms /
on the poop" BY this time the skull
and crossbOnes" were raised on the /
pirate, and in few minutes more she
was within hailing distance Since |
there was no appearance of resistance. |
she sent out the boats. loaded with |
copper cOlorel villains. leaving only q |
small crew aboard. There was conSid- /
arable sea on. and we were rolling heav-
ly. One boat made for the bow. the |,
other for the waist. and the crews Il
climbed up on to the deck. The first i
man to reach it slid on 10 IL from the Il
lilCd cuuwaIc. His feet shot out from
Inder him, and lie cOaSted into the Il
;cupperS. In Il few moments some
weHty men were sliding about us the
hip rolled. while we, taking out our
guns which we had concealed under
'ur jackets, opened fire. Before the
pirates could get their legs we had
every one Of them except
hose who had not left the boats. They,
seeing the disaster. pulled for their
-eSsel. but we picked them of as they
owed. The men on the pirate, terror
stricken at what they could not under
nt.s 1 I