The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-08-15

knows what he is doing when he turns
out a catboat; and vertically believe
she is about the ablest thing ever hap
pened to sail on, of her inches. But
slow! With her bluff bows it was abso-
lutely impossible, even under full main
sail, before fresh breeze with the II
horsepower Lathrop engine going wide
open, to drive her beyond certain
speed. The best we ever got out of her
under the above conditions on smooth
water on Chesapeake Bay, with every
thing favorable, was trihe better than
6 knots per hour, and outside in a sea
way l felt happy when she was making
a IL to the good on her course. The
engine alone, when the sail was furled,
would keep her bow headed into heavy
sea during breeze of wind, but would
not drive her ahead into it perceptibly.
But; as l say, she was light as cork
and so beamy you couldn't lay her over
on her side, and she was always dry as a
bone. Solid water came over both bows
at the same time upon several occasions,
but never did we even get heavy spray
back in the cockpit, except when cross
ing bars, and this was fortunate, for she
had cockpit big enough to hold prayer
meeting in, Q0x1D, and the first
time | saw it l thought of DR.. Winslow
of the Pilgrim, and how he used to hate
large open cockpits. Theyhave their uses,
however, and we made ourselves very
comfortable in ours, living and even
sleeping in it most of the time in the
southern attitudes.
This arrangement was very convenient
when it was necessary "to call all hands"
to shorten the sail; the man who hap
pened to be at the wheel simply having
to reach out and dig the sleeper in the
ribs; and there wasn't much time re-
quired for his toilet, either, for we went
bare-headed and bare-footed until we
got North OF Hatteras; in fact, wearing
only khaki trousers and shirts.
We turned our II foot tender upside
down over one side of the cock pit, lash
ed the awning securely alongside to
keep out the tropical rains, and put
leather cushions on the floor to lie on.
This made fine place also for slowing 5
gallon cans of extra gasolene and fresh
provisions, and when we left Miami we
had 2 punches Of green bananas, $50 in a
bunch lat S1.00 per bunch) suspended
under it. These we ate as they ripened,
having laid in also a good supply of
cocoanuts, pineapples, lemons, sapa-
dillos, pawpaws, cumquots, new potatoes
both sweet and white, cabbages and
tomatoes; distributing, before they spoil
ed, what we couldn't eat to friends en-
route, or to fellow sea-rovers who lent
US willing hand in our difficulties.
Then, too, we had half dozen chickens
in coop, whose numbers were gradu-
ally depleted when we hadn't time to
fish, or were not near a weir or nets, as
we constantly were later in Pamlico and
/ A lho orlo Sounds opI IN Choe,roo1>o
and Delaware bays. The look of the
cock as he aWoke on the last morning of
his life alone was pathetic.
think the gentleman who built the
Myrtle must have been fond of ice
water. for he had an ice-chest that would
hold 400 lbs. of ice; in fact it was the
same size as the galley, occupying just
half the boat forward of the cabin. This
enabled US to keep fresh provisions and
Poland water cool from port to port, and
even with the thermometer at IS to 80
degrees we We're never out of ice or
fresh meat
People have asked me what we had to
eat, and | can only say, ''just about what
one could get at home, leaving out the
fancy dishes, deserts, ETC., and in ad-
dition the salt water and constant work
in the open air gave US fierce appetite,
and the things tasted really better than
at home.
The best things the Swede did were to
cook and scrub. He enjoyed it, so
didn't discourage him at all in his culna-
ry efforts. He had been on whaling trips
and similar long voyages, and when
other things failed and the weather ad-
mitted it he could throw together Won
derful dishes, such as lobscouse, plum-duf
and green pepper hash. Before going
further with my description Of the
Myrtle, her equipment, ETC., it may not
be out of place to give some idea of what
my sole companion was like.
captain CHARLIE THE SWEDE.
Strongly built, we'll set up, clear
blue eye, curly yellowish hair, and in
perfect health, my Swede companion
was a curious product of the sea- By
his own account kicked out of his home
when young boy for quarrelsomeness,
and with no desire ever to return, he
had fought his way in all kinds of ships
ever smce-never getting out of the
fore-castle in any. His English was
scarcely Ineligible to me even after
being with him for month. As to his
education. one can infer its limitations
from the fact that when it became neces-
4oi MN W olSll lis lldulS dl lEe
Custom House at Miami he asked me
sheepishly after foundering hopelessly
with the pen for some moments as if to
find the place, to sign it for him. He
was of about my own age and height,
though had the advantage of him in
weight by some pounds, ITO and 176,
respectively. During the trip lost 3lbs;
his weight did not change. Quick, and
active as cat, he was tireless worker
and good sailorman, when in good
humor, and sober. But he had secreted
about the boat large supply of Irish
whiskey, bought at Nassau for some
thing like 60 cents per quart bottle, and
when saturated with this he was neither
a useful member of the crew nor an
agreeable companion. In fact, he would
go into taciturn spells, during which for
days he would scarcely speak word.
His arms were long as an apes and
either of his wrists or hands was as big
as both of mine; and | constantly mar
veled at the strength of his fingers, and
what he could do with them, from put
ting herring-bone stitched patch with
very small sail needle into rent in an
awning, or turning an egg deity in the
spider, to splicing iron wire rope without
marlingspike or spinning the heavy fly
wheel of the engine. In the shoulders,
back and thigh muscles | probably had