The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-07-31
SAILORS HARD FATE
Coal Oil and Hot Pie Proved a
Bad Mixture.
Captain 5uIIing of the Bark moonshins
Spins a Yarn Having to Do With
the MisadVenture of Ship
wrecked Yankee Seaman.

Squirting thOughtfully through sun
Redeemed eyes, Captain Bulling of the
three-masted bark MOonshine, at an
Choir OF Staten Island after a voyage
of three months around the Horn from
Valparaiso. watched the tug carrying
his crew dwindle in the shadows to-
ward the Battery.
I'VE rescued a whale-eatin' Maine
sailor who was cast ashore on an is
land of TERRA del Fuego," the captain
remarked thoughtfully. But we lost
him again, cause he couldn't get used
to our food. Whale oil is worse'n
liquor on a Yankee" And then, be
tween savage attacks on a terrible
cigar, he spun this narrowing yarn:
I'VE were beatin' it in a fair wind
on the Horn late one night when the
lookout sights a fire on an island to
our wizard and sings out. l cIapped
the glasses to my eye and saw lot
Of niggers wavin' and in front of EN-
is big fellow who looks like a bear.
After a while a boat come back
with this sailor, Joshton, who is sit
ting in the stern. with his mouth open
In and shuttin' like he is a clam.
cit seemed he was aboard the Mary
Banter, with a load Of lumber from
Frisco to Norfolk, IA years ago. Com
in around the Horn they met up with
a blow and when Joshton woke up
next he found himself on this coral
island we took him OF Of
HE must have tainted from hunger,
when he was woke up by niggers
pokin' him, and when he yelled they
yelled, too, and fell down on their
faces and kicked their toes up.
He signed he wanted food and the
niggers brought him whale blubber,
which he hit one over the head with.
signin' for water They brought him
a bowl of whale oil and he nearly went
crazy But that was all he could get.
so he chewed the whale blubber and
drank the oil slow and it put life INTO
him.
when 1 heard that yarn I yelled for
the cook to fix him a meal that would
make him forget his whale diet. He
looked at it with glistenin' eyes when
it come, and filed his mouth, but he
can't eat it-and he can't drink any
water.
'Twa'nt any use He drank some
water one night and went staviDg
wild, pulling the lamp from the brack-
ct and drinking a quart of coal oil
l watched him. expectin' any minute
to see him die, but it done him good.
Yessir, he smiled and said: That's
fine. 1 believe, captain, could stand
another So had EN- breach a key
O. oil we had on deck, and gave him
q schooner of it
That oil agreed with him. But two
weeks ago-Tm of Hatteras-I heard
a terrible roar from the galley and
hurried out l saw Joshton lit up in
side so 1 could see his fnnards,' like
his outside with a lamp chimney.
Flames was issuing from his mouth,
and he leaped into the sea, right over
the rail. AS he hit the water there
was an explosion, and he was gone.
'Joshton was just drinkin' his hour
ly scooper o coal oil, and he wan
dered into the galley, just as the cook
was pulling a hot pie out Of the oven.
Poor Joshton smelt that pie and it
brought back memories so strong he
couldn't resist. He reached over and
picked that pie up and took big bite.
washing it down with a sWailer of coal
oil The heat was too much, there
was combustion or something. and he
lit up all over, being filled up for
years with whale oil, you know, and
in agony he jumped overheard"
Captain Bulling sighed moroseIy.