Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-03-09

OfflCERS h1hb'
yarns, but there's one yarn I've never
spun to any one. The reason is that
when was a younker not over eight
cen I got into trouble, and the yarns
about that I was sailin' with mates
that was my friends, just as you be
now. They helped me out o the
scrape and if any o. 'em had ever
met me again I could rely on their not
givin' me away. If / spin you the
yarn any one o. you could make 1t
hot for me-"
go on, Tom. If any man peaches on
you We'll keelhaul him.
'I know every one o you, and there
isn't in the lot a man mean enough
to give me away, just as there wasn't
a man o. my mates l was speakin'
about that would do so, neither. But
didn't never meet any o EN- aS1n.
So it didn't make any difference.
amt agoin' to say what ship this yere
happenin' was on, nor what port she
was bound for, nor the name o the
master, nor any Of the officers. They
was all fine men except the third Off
GER I amt a-goin' to tell You his name,
neither, and it won't be long before
you'll learn the reason why"
Tom stopped, looked very solemn
and said he reckoned after all he'd
better not go any further. This was
met with storm of protests, and
after much persuasion he continued:
.'rhe third officer was a tyrant, and
every man jack o. US hated him. 1t
seemed as if the devil had got into
him and he couldn't get him out. He'd
ca -, xr-sr1
BLOWN a hurricane to make taut a
loose rope that wasn't doin' any harm,
and there was nine chances in ten that
the man would be blowed overheard
He'd order man out on to the end o.
the bowsprit when the ship was dip
pin her nose in the waves, and the
man was sure to be washed off.
"One' cold day when the fo'castle
was q glare o. ice and we was takin' a
sea every time we dipped. capstan
bar some one had left layin' on the
deck was hoatin' about in the water
that come aboard. The third officer
ordered me to go out and git it. You
might as well expect man to jump
overheard at once as to try to walk on
an ice plain heavin' and rollin' like that.
II it hadn't been for showin' a want o
pluck l would "a disobeyed and stood
q charge o. mutiny. AS it was, i went
out over the long, sharp fo'castle to
the capstan, picked up the bar and
started back, She rolled just then.
and I went down. slidin' agin the bull
warks and along 'em till 1 got where ]
could ketch on to a hatch. There l
chung. the blood from crack I'd got
in the forehead runnin' down on my
eyes.
Unfortunate for me, / had kept my
hold on the bar. i was so mad that !
didn't know what l was dom. The
third officer yelled at me to git up and
not lie there doin' nothin'. did git
up, and I brought the bar down on the
third officers head. He dropped. and
that was the last time he ever gave an
order"
Tom paused in his narrative, and the
audience. awed by an act of mutiny
sure to be punished by death. re-
NAMED silent. Tom resumed:
'-rhe night after the KILN I was In
the brig Durin' the midwatcn TN,
sailmaker comes TO me and says. says
he: Tom. you'll have to swing for this.
sure Your mates have talked over in
the fo'castle ways TO save you, but
they don't see how they kin do it with
out another mutiny. implicatin' the
hull lot o EN-. Says i. They mustn't
do that on any account Says he:
There's just one chance for you. I'm
ordered to sew up the body o. the third
officer in canvas. Reckon / kin sew
you up Instead and heave the mate
overheard.
The funeral Is to come OFF at four
bells in the nornin'. and they'll slide
you instead o the dead man. l kin |
git you a tin can o. grub. bottle o
water. life preserver. knife to cpt