The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-29
The GHOSTLY GULL.
BY wAUTER II. HoIrEN.

BY WAITER H. HOITEN.
Down at the end OF the docks be-
yond the custom house you come 20
two or three derelicts OF the ocean
ferries. They may be old and USE
less, but a. there 10 certain ainOcnt
Of value attached to them, an old
Waterman takes them in his safekeep-
Ing: an old, shrivelled-up little sea
man he ID. O Mt priest for his sacred
trust.
Tie would shake his head over them
and point out their superiority over
the modern built vessel to the break
ers men when. they came to warp
them down to the yards. They would
laugh at his remarks as one OF his
eccentricitios to be humored.
"OP Gully Sam. amt he just mad ?"
they would say; him and his bloomin'
gulls."
0ulls were one Of the old mans
screaming, wheeling flights up. at his
end OF the dock; herring gulls, razor
backs, mackerel cock. they all knew
him. He would beg scraps out OF
every galley along the quay to feed
them and stinted himself Of even his
beloved to buy them scrapped fish out
OF the Dogger Bank carriers In win
ter time.
We know by, gulls ain't ord'ny
birds" he confided to me one after
noon while we sat and watched the
whtrring fiocks settling down on the
rail OF dismantled brig to plume
their white and grey plumage.
But In what way?" / inquired.
He tapped my arm impressively
with the bowl OF his pipe.
Amt We heard tell where the souls
o the wicket saiiormen 60, ay? But
We amt b'lievin'. can sect in yer
face. 'tis because we don't know
proply. I'll tell ye."
Il was once aboard a coaster outer
Gallao wi hides. A dirty. stinkin' job
twas, too. but there was money int.
an bein young warn't too particu-
lar But for all the profit twas
JOB man couldn't stick at long, SO
while l was there saw the whole
crowd change over, all 'cept the oil
, man. an he was part owner.
SO we was allus wantin' hands,
more or less. an one trip the OF man
came abcrd wi a fellie an sent him
forfard as a new hand. l didn't like
the look OF him much: an understood,
shifttyeyed Dago, wi bellyful o.
curses an general run on him as
ye'd think twice afore trusting him
wi an empty galley jar Still, mans
man when ye're short. an II he
couldn't 90 mans work at sea. he
cd bread out smelly hides In har-
Dor.
I'VE were runnin' North. when the
old man looked round an spotted that
Dago.
Here We blamed greaser: let's see
hat
them main r'yals,' he shouted.
He went up 'em like a cat. he
waltzed along the yard like Stepney
orphan. an peered down on us.
"'Muy bueno. captain he shouted
down. an took of his hat, an ye could
sec his white teeth a-shinin' under his
whiskers. But he's 30 sooner spoke
than from above him there swooped
down the biggest gull rye ever seen.
A darned greet bird. wi eyes like a
flame an blood red beax
The Dago heard It comin' anc
shrieked like girl: 1t just missed
him an went swingin' ny. an he canre
down the ropes wi run as took
ev'ry bit OF skin outer the palm O. his
hands. the black fear In his face.
He didn't come up for two days,
! but when he did that bird was waitin.
.pt Atai va vic - tuS yAIoS. IL came
down az afore directly 1t spotted him
an the Dago ran for the galley lust
in time. l was close agen 1t, an heaven
a reefin' spike at II, but. dye b1,eve
me, by? that spike went clean through
1t.
| Things got so that the Dago daren't
| go UP on deck daytime, but took night
i watches. when the bird couldn't see
him Then we ran into a nasty blow
We'd plenty of warm: the sea all went
nat. nary movement ont, &c. Ill the
world like bit o. greeny-grey can.
/ vas soin' UP and down. The mate
tawled to shorten sale. The OF man
came ZIP at a runntn' an spied the
Daso behind the galley door.
'Ye waller skulker," he bawled. get
up an lend a hand.
THE Dago didn't bulge, so the OF
man took q runnin' kick at hir,--a,r
! the Dago came up the riggin' to uh.
We'd been up there some minutes a.
! workin' like mad, when ~ the Dago
j was maxim fast clew I heard tina,
noise agen. that deviiish fiappin' IAN.
the screanin'. ! looked round. ana
| Just got sight Of the Dagn W.T. that
greet beak a cotthin' him fair a-tweer,
| the eyes on him slippin' offn the yaro
ON to the bellyin' O. the sail blow.
| Then II game over dark az II the sum-
heen sudden doused: there was roar.
IN noise. an the rushin' sound o. wat
! er. nm we got back to the deck by h
j work things out
| 1T was hours after when II got
lisht agen: It seemed days. We'd go,
through It fairly we'll. bein' snuggeo
j down for'nt. but the DaEo had gone.
| there want sign o. him. All OF
Us along the yard had heard the bird.
sn' the skipper blow had seen HIN,
fan: but that was all we knew.
when we Kot back to Callao
weeks later, the karbor master came
| airard an asked for that Daeo. TIL.
skipper told him we'd lost him in tn.
! ts.~. an showed him the log. TIL.
hcrtor master, he shrugged his shout
ders an 1T a cigarette.
"'Pueno." said he: ~ he had come
hack he would have only been hane-