The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-01-21
CHATTER V.-Continued.

''Good-day, sir Mr.. Paul told me
that you might come on board today.
/ have taken Captain Ryders place.
My name is Jack Castles"
Tom held out his hand. How do yoa
do? Mr.. Paul told me about you, ana
said that you would not mind my COM
ing on board the baruue and the 9TH
er vessels. and fishing. and potterihS
about, and all that. just as nave done
Tor the last two years, when captain
Ryder was in charge"
Certainly sir. 1 shall be very glad
indeed. 1t will be a very lonely game
here for me-talIing care Of these con-
demned old crates"
You are lane / see"
YES, sir I only came out of Sgd
ney hospital last week. I was second
mate on the old COquette,' which be-
longs to Potts and Paul, and was shot
in the foot at the Solomon Islands IN
a trading cruise. A man-Of-War doc
tor did something wrong to 1t, and SO
l came to Sydney, as every one sald
1 should have to lose my leg. But the
hospital doctors fixed me up, and l
shall be all right in few weeks. MI
Paul came to see me in the hospital
and said he would look after me until
was fit TO so TO sea again. Then Cap
tain Ryder died, and Mr.. Paul said L
could have this berth. VIII you come
below, sir anC show me what or cap
tain Ryder's gear you are taking away
so that I can stow the rest in his chest.
and send it ashore to Mr.. PauPs store
Tom soon collected the few articles
which the old man had asked him TO
accept-his nautical instruments ana
books, a watch and chain, and small
oaken cabinet, filled to the brim with
all those little odds and ends tnaL
every seaman manages to accumulate
ron in
palms to broken knives and spare
watch glasses. and much-sOiled reels
OF cotton and hanks of thread
Coming on deck Tom placed his par
eel on the szyIight, and, leaning on the
rail, looked at the scene before him.
The little bay was quieter even than
usual, and no sign Of life was visible,
except a column of pale blue smoke,
ascending straight in air from the
barques galley. where Castles was pre-
pairing his suppeT-the other two ship
keepers being asleep under the awnings
of their respective vessels. The water
was as smooth as glass, and lay gleam-
ing like silver under the still tOrrld
rays of the WesteTing sun Now and
then a leaping fish would flash up like
a knife blade, and then fan back, send
ing out widening ripples, then again all
would be quiet.
AS rom. WITH ltlItD d. liAor ACeAAANNA III
on the rail- Castles came out of the
galley and asked him if he would have
cup of tea, and "a bit Of supper at
o'clock"
Thank you. ] Will. Isn't it very calm
and quiet this afternOOn?"
Yes. sir" assented the sailor. 4
suppose YOU know the names and
stories of all these old hOOkers, sir?''
and he waved his hand towards the 81
lent ships
"Oh, yes. / know all about them. and
have been over them all dozens of
times. This old barque, the simon
Bolivar was once a COOlie ship, and
on her last voyage to CallaO the coolies
rose and murdered all the officers and
crew. If you look about in the cabin
you will see scores Of bullet holes In
the woodwork-the captain and Off
GERS made their last stand in the cab
in, but the Cinnamon fired at them
through the skylight. until all were
killed That dismantled old wooden
paddle steamer is the Queen Carroll
ma she was once q Dutch gunbOat,
and came TO Sydney to be docked and
repaired. but it was found 1t would cost
so much that she was sold, and her
engines take out of her, and she was
turned into a COIlier-nOw she is rot
ting away; hat big fore and aft
schooner, with her lower masts painted
yellow, is the Oscar She was sla-
yer, and was captured off New Britain
four years ago by the 'ViragO,' with a
hundred natives on board, and her cap
tain and two mates are now in prison.
On the voyage TO Sydney she ran on a
reef, and hOgged herself, so no one will
buy her. although she is otherwise a
beautiful vessel; she belongs to a par
son in Sydney; at the captains trial,
he said he really didn't know what the
vessel had been dOing-he left every
thing to the captain and he pretended
10 be greatly Mortified at learning she
had been 'blackbiTding,' but the cap
tain proved that he knew all about
that, and two other VO ages as well.
THE fat-Ioo-sing, chunky brig with
tie bulging quarters and stern ports,
and built-up masts, is one of the old
est vessels aflOat, her name is The
Venus and she was built for the navy
as a ten-sun brig at Port Royal in
Jamaica in 1900, was twice captured by
the French, and then recaptured; then
she was turned into a convict trans
mort. and 1 know lot Of old cOnvicts
In Tasmania. who came out in her from
1881 to 1885 She has the most lovely
old cabin-aiI mahogany paneling,
black with age. I hear she has just
been sold, and is to be locked and
rugged. and sent 10 Port Darwin as a
storeship for the overland Telegraph
company And" he added with a sigh,
Il shall miss the poor old thing very
much. for just under her stern Captain
RYDER, the man who is in charge The
Venus and / caught one of the big
gest sharks ever seen in Sydney. 1t
was eighteen feet long, and as big
round the body as a bullock. We set
a floating bait for him with an empty
beef keg for a drOgue and let il drift
about the cove. About 8 o'clock at
night We heard a fearful splashing,
and we saw that he was hooked and
was careenine around. We yelled and
shouted TO the men who live at the
sandstone qumries ust over their OF
the point, to come over in their boat
and help Us. And d nice time we had
if took eleven Of US 10 set the great
brute into shallow water, where Cap