The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1907-03-21

freshly astern and every sail was
drawing. We were just commenting
on Ike Adams yarn about the finding
Of the dead sailor in his own sea
chest, when Pat Cannon broke in.
aYe can't count anything extraor-
binary at sea" he said, Il had
quare experience. once. on the brig
Manitou"
Give it to US. Pat" we cried in
chorus.
"Ye see" began Pat, cramming
down the tobacco in vile smelling
pipe with his stubby forefnger, 4
was on the brig Manitou and we had
loaded a cargo Of bones at Rosario on
the La Plata, bound for Baltimore. In
Argentina there's lots OF horses and
cattle killed for their hides and tallow
to say nothing Of making pile OF
bafe ixtract which they do at Frey
Bentoe. The bones they pile up on
the pampas until there's chance Of
shipping them to America where they
grind EN- up for fertilizer.
I'VE loaded some 400 ton all shapes
and sizes and there swas nothing out
Of the way with the bones save their
nasty musty smell, but by the time
we had pulled UP half way to the
equator we found we had shipped
more than bones. The brig was alive
with cintipedes I don't know if they
were sitting in the middle Of the bones
Matching their eggs or only taking a
slape, but out they came ant millions
Of em. Whin at first only few came
up we laughed ct the quick moving
things, but when the decks were
smothered with 'em laughing was
stopped and swearing taken up.
well, 1t was name enough to have
the blooming things crawling over
one's bunk, ones food and ones hair,
hut whin they got to biting thin It be-
came serious. Although it was blister
ing hot we were all wearing sea
boots as If we was coming to the
north pole instead Of to the equator.
Thin deppytation goes aft.
1--WE can't stand it, sorr" we sez to
the skipper, these bugs are biting us
and we'd ask you to put into some
handy port so we can get rid Of 'em,"
we sez.
"The nearest port we can make, "
sez the skipper, is Rio Grande and
don't want to put in there for it's a
very Expensive place. I'll smoke the
craytures out" sez he
1--WE took some birthstone and set It
afire, thin we lowers 1t down the
hatch and shuts up all the holes and
crlvices we could find but Glory be,
there's where we made a mistake. We
druv 'em out of the hold into the
cabin, the forecastle and on deck.
The birthstone couldn't kill 'em only
druy 'em out. Everywhere cintipedes,
nothing but cintipedes.
Thin we stopped up the hawse
holes and rugged the pump so as to
food the deck and drown the insects.
but bless your soul whin the water
came they climbed the rigging like
able-bodied seamen and stayed up
there till we had to let the water off,
We'll then we didn't know what to
do; the skipper was worried too for
the cintipedes were all over the cabin
and whin about noon we sights sail
he ordered the distress signal to be
bent to the halliards and sint aloft
The vessel. a bark It was, hove to and
sInt a boat to us. Whin II reached us
we cast a painter to 1t but the officer
didn't make any move to board us
He gives a squint up at the spars and
asks:
What's wrong wild ye? Ye look
all right aloft'
'sI'm suff'rin." sez the skipper, in
reply, "wid a Distilence Of bugs and
want your advice and hip
Bugs, screams the man in the
boat, what are ye a talking abouty
MY brig IS jist alive wild cinti
pedes. answers the skipper, and they
worriting me and my crew to death.
aThe man got red in the face.
reckon he thought the skipper wal
making fun Of him.
eIll tell you how to get rid o.
your bugs, he cries, mad like, 'ye take
more water in. your whisky. and wiC
that he casts of the line and orders
the boat pulled back to the bark.
NOV, I'd been standing by to lower
a ladder to the man II he wanted tC
board Us and I had seen a stream d
clntipedes running along the line tC
the boat. Afore the boat had reached
the bark saw the man stand up ant
shake his fist at our brig. thin. hs
slapped himself nightly about ths
legs.
"We's, a few less cintipedes aboard
sorr," s-z / to the skipper. for a lo
wlnt along the line to yon boat.
4 saw en- he winked his eyt
whin he said 1t, its put an idce int,
my head. Pat.
HE calls the mate and the two has
a long palayer on the poop ant
thin the mate orders all the top hamp
er sInt down. The top and top gal
liant masts were lowered and stowet
on the deck. We we're ordered Il
leave the rigging in a rugged way jus
as II the spars had been carried ava,