The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-02-15
Copyright 1907, by Daily Story Pub. Coz


the forecastle as a fair wind came
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.
"Ye cant count anything extraor-
dinary at sea-" he said, 81 had a
Guare experience, once, on the brig
Manitou."
Give 1t to us, Pat" we cried in
chorus.
"Ye see" began Pat, examining
down the tobacco in vile smelling
pipe with his stubby forefnger, Il
was on the brig Manitou and we had
loaded a ca go 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 a pile Of
bafe ixtract which they do at Frey
Bentoe. The bones they pile up on
the pampas until there's a chance of
shipping them to America where they
grind 'em up for fertilizer.
I'VE loaded some 400 ton all shapes
and sizes and there was 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. 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 and millions
of em. Whin at first only few came
up we laughed at the quick moving
things, but when the decks were
smothered with 'em laughing was
stopped and swearing taken up.
We'll it was name enough to have
the blooming things crawling over
ones bunk. ones food and ones hair,
but whin they got TO biting thin it be-
came serious. Although 1t was blister
ing hot we were all a wearing sea
boots as if we was coming to the
north pole instead of to the equator.
Thin a deppytation goes aft.
I'VE 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.
I'VE took some birthstone and set It
afire, thin we lowers 1t down the
hatch and shuts up all the holes and
crivices 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
druv 'em out. Everywhere cintipedes,
nothing but cintipedes.
"Thin we stopped up the hawse
holes and rigged the pump so as to
flood 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
the cintipedes were all over the cabin
and whin about noon we sights a sail
he ordered the distress signal to be
bent to the halliards and sint aloft.
The vessel, bark 1t was, hove to and
sint a boat to us. Whin II reached us
we cast a painter to it but the officer
didn't make any move to board us.
81, fVt NJ hA a
asks:
whats wrong wild ye? Ye look
all right aloft.'
I'm a suff'rin," sez the skipper, in
reply, "wid pistilence of bugs and /
want your advice and hip
Bugs, screams the man In the
boat. what are ye a talking about?'
"'My brig is jist alive wild cinti.
pedes, answers the skipper, and they
worriting me and my crew TO death
"The man got red in the face. /
reckon he thought the skipper was
making fun of him.
"Tn tell you how to get rid OF
your bugs he cries, mad like, 'ye take
more water in your whisky and wild
that he casts off the line and orders
the boat pulled back to the bark.
Now, I'd been standing by to lower
a ladder to the man If he wanted to
board us and had seen a stream of
cintipedes running along the line to
the boat. Afore the boat had reached
the bark l saw the man stand up and
shake b fist at our brig. thin. he
slapped himself nightly about the
legs.
"we'up few less, ,cintipedes aboard.
sorr," 81 | to the skipper, "for lot
wint along the line to yon boat"
Il saw EN-" he winked his eye
whin he said it. tits put an idee into
my head. Pat"
He calls the mate and the two had
long palaver on the poop and
thin the mate orders all the top hamp.
er sint down. The top and top gal,
liant masts were lowered and slowed
on the deck. We were ordered To
A. ,to4tuo, In a ,xaouod ,.r,,. L..