Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-06-22

school, but unlike his successful
brethren he had not graduated later on
to the smooth things of a wen manned
passenger liner For his Gins he had
remained tho pitiful knock about skip
per. a man with knife edged words al
ways ready on the Hip of his teeth, 4
lcadcn whistle i'm one Jacket pocket and
q lethal Weapon in the other.
lie was an excellent seaman and
navigator q man capable OF going an
utirc voyage without taking of his
clothes or enjoying one watch Of regu
lag sleep Taking into account these
qualifications, il may be understood
thet While iu command AT sea he
credited himself with the powers of a
czar and was entirely unscrupulous in
gail5ng ends which expediency or his
owners laid down for him. and though
not pAt siCaly powerful he had the
pluck OF a tgg and an unholy reputa-
tion for craftsmanship. For the hand
ling OF such 4 mena gtrie OF all nation
scrouudreldom and lncapacity as bunk
ed in the steamship Port Eces no bet
ter man taan owen kcttle Dreathcd in
either hemisphere.
The crew signed their marks on the
articles at the shipping Office in the
sailors home and went grumbling to
set lid IF their advances. Later most
uf them turned up on the steamer some
Va iAtA Atlt4i Ntl tQiA EtDAS Apll' w ia
duDnage sacks, which took TO the un-
initiated ike pilloWslips, some appar-
entity posse SSsjng nothing but the
squalil raImout they stood up In.
There was not one OF them dressed like
sailor according 70 the conventional
idea Yet most Of them had made their
bread upon he seas since early boy
hood, which shows what conventional
ideas are sometimes worth. They were
most of them oldtsh men and looked
even older than their oars
The engineers came on board early
for he most part in scrubby blue serge
and soul black temper. They grumbled
at the messgoom IN broad Glaswegian,
prophesied eyil Cu advance) about the
capacities pc the mCssroom steward
ana ships cook, dumped their belong
ings into their various rooms and
changed 10 apparel more suitable for
tail twisting IN the unclCan regions be-
low Then they Went on duty. quar-
relied with the donkeyman who was
making steam for the win, hes and pro-
ceedcd to split up their crew OF fire.
men and trimmcra into watches and
apportion them 20 furnace doors and
bnukers,
The three mates, he boatswain and
he carpenter were also on board be-
times, most Of them large headed with
recent lEbauous and feeling cautank-
erous accordingly There was a small
general cargo being shipped for New
Orleans, and ii gave these worthy Of
ficers ease to ana occasional acid fault
with the stevedor's crew or the crane
men on the wharf, bat FOR the most part
they shulfled about the decks ia easy
slippers, attending 10 the various ship
duties in massive sueerinE silence.
Patrick Cambel came into the chart
room on the bridge deck, closing the
do ht fFII Isi f4h i4l a
crowd you've collected he said.
Aren't they?" replied Captain Eet-
tie from a sofa locker. They're just a.
terror OF q crew. You wait till We gex
10 sea, and they start on mischief My
mates a cur. He wouldn't stand UP to
Chinaman And the rest of the after
guard is much OF pattern, picked that
way on purpose oh, | tell you, Mr..
Cambel, that | stand alone, and / shall
have my hands full But let EN- start,
the brutcS, I'll haze them. Ii isn't
new sort of tea party this with me-"
You're going into il with your eyes
open anyway"
on don't YOU make any error" sald
Kettle. Il know nv Job And il I warn
you it's because you'll sec things for
yourself and perhaps join in at them.
l don't so and tell everybody Not
much They think ashore I've got a
real soft thing on this time. Why, do
you know, Mr.. Cambel," he added with
a thin, sour grin, my Ola woman want
ed to come with me for the trip?' She
said ii was so long since she's had a
whin of outside air that now I'd such
q tidy steamboat under me she couldn't
miss the chance. Yes, and she said
she'd bring one of the kids with her
that wanted TO be a sailor, like his
daddy | tell you she was that took
on the idea she'd hear no refusal and /
had 10 write q letter to owners and get
them TO wire back q No she could read
for herself It'd look well set 10 music.
that tale, wouldn't it, Sort OF jumpy
music, You know. with o-heave
hGmbug chorus to it, same as all
sailors songs that you hear in the
halls"
Cambel shrugged his shoulders.
What can you expect AT che pricc2" he
asked. This isn't a Gl2 a month
berth, and you've thrashcd across
Atlantic in a worse ship for less"
Don't You mistake me- retorted
Kettle. I'm working for fun value re-
ceived, and there's many an ola sailor'd
like TO be in my shoes if he only knew.
I'm not grumbling at the berth. only
when a mans on a racket Of this kind
it's a bit hard on ham to have "a wife
and Kids he's fool enough to be fond or
It's an ugly amusement lying to them
Ike a play actor when YOU know lps
ten chances to one yOu'll over see
English mud again That's the way IL
cuts, though ! suppose you'I think 1t
all a saiIor's grumble. Perhaps you
aren't a married man2"
No, I'm not
Continued Next Week.)