Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-02-12

by good fortune we did not have to
carry over the neck of land, for just
above the gravel beach was wide
ledge on which we could pile tho
stores. We ate aboard and so had no
opportunity of seeing what Captain
Selover and his men We're about I'M
til evening. Then we discovered that
they had collected and lowered to the
beach quantity of stateroom doors
from the wreck and had trundled the
galley stove TO the edge, where it
awaited our assistance. We hitched
a cable to it and let it down gently.
The Niger was immensely pleased.
After soEsa experiment he got it to
draw ant SO cooked us our supper on
1t. After supper Captain Selover row.
ed back to the ship.
'Eagen," he had said, drawing me
aside, I'm going to leave you with
them. It's better that one of us-I
think as owner l ought to be aboard
"Of course, SIR" said l, Its the on
ly proper place for YOU
I'm glad you think so,' he rejo.n-
ed, apparently relieved. and any
way" he cried, with burst of feel
ing, Il hate the gritty feeling of it IN
der my feet! Solid oaks the only
walking for a man."
He left me hastily as though trife
ashamed. l thought he seemed de-
pressed. even little furtive, and yet
on analysis l could discover nothing
definite on which to base such con-
clusion.
1t was rather a feeling of differ
ence from the man l had known. In
my fatigue it seemed hardly worth
thinking about.
The men had rolled themselves in
their blankets, tired with the long day.
Next morning Captain Selover was
ashore early. He had quite recovered
his spirits and offered me a dram Of
French brandy. which l refused. We
worked hard again. Again the master
returned at night to his vessel, this
Again the men, drugged by toll, turned
in early and slept like the dead
We became entangled in a mesh of
days like these, during which things
were accomplished. but in which was
no space for anything but the tasks
imposed upon us. The men for the
most part had little TO say.
"Por Dios, eet is too mooch work"
sighed Perdosa once.
Why don't you kick to the old man,
then?" sneered Thrackles.
The silence that followed and the
sullenness with which Perdosa read
dressed himself to his work was sig
nifcant enough of Captain Selover's
past relations with the men.
And how we did clean her. We
stripped her of every stitch and silver
until she foated high, an empty hull,
even her spars and running rigging
ashore. | understood now the crews
grumbling. We literally went at her
with nailbrush.
Captain Selover took charge of us
when we had reached this period. He
and the Niger and Perdosa had long
since finished the installation of the
permanent camp. They had built us
huts from the wreck. collecting state
room doors for the sides and matches
FOR the roofs, huge and solid. with iron
rings in them. The bronze and iron
ventilation gratings TO the doors gave
us glimpses of the coast through fret
work. The rich inlaying of woods
surrounded us. We set up on solid
rock the galley stove. with its rails to
hold the cooking pots from upsetting
in a seaway. In it we burned the de-
bris of the wreck, all sorts of wood,
some sweet and aromatic and spicy
as nm incensed cathedral. have seen
the Niger boiling beans over a blaze
of sandalwood fragrant as an eastern
shop.
First we scrubbed the Laughing
Lass, then we p>inted her and resized
and tarred her standing rigging. re-
sized and rove her running gear. slush-
ed her masts. finally careened her and
scraped and painted her below.
When We had quite finished. we had
the anchor chain dealt out TO Us in
and scraped, pounded and
polished that These Were, indeed,
days full Of labor.
Being busy from morning until night. !
we knew but little Of what was about