The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-03-13
A TAR'S SALTY YARN.
as TOLD BY CHIEF WOMAN
MYERS RECRUITING PARTY.
TWO Maseots on Board Of the Old
Sailing Vessel Jamestown-How
the Mule Yielded Himself
To the Death Agonies.

.'iutlHS olllCe some OF tne hpplCdntS
for enlistment were speaking Of Mas
cots Chief Yeoman Meyers of the
.recruitinf party, who has gained re-
putatitn, whether enviable or Dot,
.of being the most patent yearner of
the navy. related the following:
Speaking of Mascots reminds me
.of two pets We had on the old James.
town. 1t was some twenty years ago.
1t was in the days of salt; It was
true that some of our cruisers had
steam but the particular ship that
] speak Of depended upon sail alone.
The mascots ! speak of were a pig
and mule. You may think that
am stretching it some when tell
you that the pig and the mule were
vast friends. Why, that mule would
not so to sleep at night unless the
pig was with him, and the pig, If
anyone gave him tlt-bit in the way
Of acabbageleaf or something like
that. would run to share it with the
mule.
The mule had one bad habit He
was very fond Of ships tobacco; jpst
give him a plug of tobacco and he
would close his eyes and chew away
as contented as any old sailor that
you ever saw. Strange to say that
nothing would induce the pig to
chew tobacco. for which we all gave
him due credit; but offer him a ligh.
ted pipe, and he was there with all
four feet lie would sit back, his lit
tie eyes twinkling with delight, and
smoke that pipe with more enjoy
ment than the oldest salt in
the ship, and it was worth your life
to take a pipe within kicking dist.
ance Of the mule.
The mule had another bad habit;
while the pig was very devout as far
as pigs go, the mule was just the
other way. 1t was the custom when
the crew were called aft to get their
hamocks, for the chaplain of the
ship TO offer a prayer. The crew and
the pig were all attention; not so
the mule. The chaplain wound start
the prayer, get half way through and
the mule would look around, lay
back his ears, and the way he would
bray would waken the dead. There
was nothing to 1t. The chaplain
would have to belay his prayer un-
Ill his muleship got through.
We had built pen for the mule on
the quarter deck. At eight bells we
would drive him in and put up the
bars, The pig objected TO turning in
so early, but when he did decide to
turn in and came aft, he coult not
get into the pen. He would start a
horrible squealing and keep it up un-
I'll the mule would reach over the
top OF the pen, catch the pig by the
back of the neck with his teeth, and
lift him in. then they would lie down
together and sleep like two little ba-
bies.
Now some people think that ami
mails do not become attached to each
other. ! know different. We were
crossing the western ocean, bound
from Newport, II. l., to Lisbon, Por-
tugal, when we got in gale of wind,
a regular northwester. \ big sea boar
'ed us and the pig was washed over
rd. The mule saw him go and
was actually frantic. We called all
hands. Before We could back the
main yard that mule was overheard
he had jumped to the rescue Of the
pig. We lowered a life boat. II took us
two hours to get a sling around the
mule and hoist him over the side,
and all the time he had the pig by
the nape of the neck, the pig squeal-
ing all the time SO one could hear
him for miles around. We finally
got them on board. After that the
mule would not let the pig out of his
sight for a moment.
Say animals are not affectionate, l
know better, That mule was sure
fond of that pig. We rigged a kind
of harness for the mule and every
morning when we sweated up the
hallards, we would hoL on the mule
and he would do more work than all
the men on the ship. He knew the
boatswain's call as well as any man
on board. When the boatswain
piped belay, the mule would stop,
wait until the halliards were belay-
ed, then walk TO the next one, and so
on till all were finished. The mule
knew every person on the ship; when
the captain would come on deck Bill
would stand at attention and wag
his ears by way of salute. When
the boatswain piped all hands to din
ner he would he haw with delight,
and on Sunday when We had general