The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1915-07-15
BILL.
a Character Sketch by Capt. Ed. A. Rich
ardSon.

a Character Sketch by Capt. Ed. A. Rich.
ardson.
He was an awkwardly strong and over
grown youth, a good fellow, but not
over-briIliant, entirely useless for any
civil employment, and therefore he was
sent to sea. 1t was always so-cnly the
refuse of humanity were set afoat. He
had long. coarse hair. raking out behind
like scrub broom.
l Previous to the Civil War all men wore
ong manes-not so long as that of. the
handsome traitor, Absalom, but long
enough to cover and soil the coat collar.
On the best looking men or boys Insight
ly curled inward at the lower ends-part-
ly from training and partly from some
natural inclination towards grace. But
with the more awkward squad it always
flowed outward and backward.
One singing cold, nor-west, December
morning Capt. Frank Marshall, in the
brig Gamma, came into the harbor and
let go both anchors we'll up off Dow's
Beach. Like many coasting vessels of
that day, there was home crew, and
their custom was to get ashore as quickly
as possible and all hands dispense to their
various homes.
INV hNAi tllC Sails dlOll Dill pas
sed "the gasket on the starboard foreyard
arm and being in hasteto get down he at
tempted to pass in behind the man at the
quarter of the yard. His fingers were
perhaps numb in the mittens for he slip
ped his hold and dropped from the yard
overheard. After a plunge to the bot
tom he came up like porpoise, roaring
like sea-lion and drifted away to lee
ward as lightly as can buoy. Every
thing had been made snug on the vessel
and the boat was ready to be lowered, so
all hands pushed away towards the home
shore and picked up Bill on the way.
There was no thought of returning to
the vessel, to hoist him on deck, pump
him out and dry him off-that would take
too much time away from their homes.
When landing was made Bill struck
Decline for home-across the fields
and the line happened to lead through
our doOryard. | saw him coming and
went out to pass word and bid him
welcome home.
He was a sight! Hatless, his back
hair bunch of icicles. pointing backward
and rafting in the wind, covered with a
dead frost and frozen clothing. He stop
ped to explain what had happened, but
kept swinging his legs backward and for
ward as though in tread-mill. He said
that if his trousers froze in the middle
he'd never reach home.
Some boys would have laid down and
died, but Bill was not of that kind-he
was as able to endure hardship as he was
awkward.
Perhaps none of the Canima's crew of
that time are now living, though it is
possible that the present Capt. Ezekiel
Marshall was then the mate.
The next day Bill came to school with
bad cold. In his spelling lesson was the
name John. He spelled 1t phonetlcally,
without the h. The master spelled it for
him but he could not repeat it correctly.
He would commence and stutter ''J-h'
when the teacher would cut him off-over
and over again, for an hour-the master
in a rage and the school in tittering fits
and Bills cold oozing away in balls and
streams of perspiration. 1t was good for
the cold, but he never did spell John. |
had never before noticed how I'M English
the name is spelled. Of what use is the
h and what matters whether it be placed
in front or rear of the vowel?
A few years later Bill and | were to-
gether before the mast on avoyage where
there were no icicles. When mosquitoes
were bad he would roll over in his sleep
and swear in deep bass.
He was often in trouble, and ready to
fight, but too clumsy to know how. |
saw a cowardly young arm strike him
blow on the head with an iron Delaying pin
that might have felled an OK. then took
hand and for strenuous quarter hour
there was general mixup, but Bill had
gained in friends and champions who be-
lieved in fair play.
The vessel was new and in every way
latest edition. There were the finest
set of white oak spoon-battens that |
ever saw on the fore and main swifters,
reaching from the lower dead eyes TO the
sings of the lower yards. We were pre-
pairing to "set-up' the main rigging. |
was told to take off one of the battens
while Bill was below me working at the
lanyards took off the fine settings from
the bottom upward and in absent minded
height of carelessness, loosed the last
one and, of course, the batten plunged
downward and overheard. We We're in the
Straits of FLORIDA, becalmed, the vessel
barely surging ahead, very slowly. 1t
was room, eight bells just gone, and the
old man was on the house where he had
taken the sum- The bark was cotton-load-
ed and very high sided.
Before | could get down to the rail the
second mate had pushed a loose rope into
Bill's hand and driven him down over the
side to catch the floating batten. The
first time the vessel rolled to wlndward
he went into the water up to his belt and
with the next roll he went under to his