Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22
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~ mg master and his crimp were
bringing on the crew; helping the
drunken sailors over the bulwarks
and showing or dragging them into the fore
castle.
ALI Jukes came over the bulwarks last. He
came without assistance. He was drunk, Is
were all his fellows but his drunkenness took
q turn different from theirs. AS he jumped
to the deck he saw the ships mate by the
mainmast.
His attitude revengeful and defiant ALI Jukes
strobe up to the mate. He stood face to face
with him and cursed him.
The mate paid no attention at all to All
Jukes. He had heard the same thing, had
seen the same thing, too many times from such
men as Jukes. He looked at Jukes as uncon-
cernedly as II he looked at coil Of rope or
q barrel Of tallow.
As the mate turned disinterestedly away,
Jukes addressed himself to the ship. Scorn-
fully scanning her from boom to taffrail, from
deck to mastheadS, from yardarm to yardarm,
he cursed her. AS If exasperated by her silence,
as if maddened by her dignity, he raised his
voice higher and higher. Like the mate, the
ship paid no heed to him. The wind in her
eigging whispered Of clean things.
IUKES ceased his cursing and walked to the
forecaStle, in which his comrades were now
gathered. Having put the last senseless sea-
man aboard, having collected from the skipper
the price prearranged for them, having pocket
ed months advance pay, for each one of them.
the boarding master with his crimp was al
ready well on the way ashore The tug was
alongside the ship. The ships mate leaned
on the bulwark and talked with the tugboat
men.
Presently the skipper appeared and spoke to
the mate, who walked forward and called the
sailors from the forecastle.
ALI Jukes came from the fo-ecastle. Like all
his comrades, he reeked of cheap and abom-
Unable liquor but unlike them, he walked
erect and steadily, a fierce remonstrance in his
step and bearing. They staggered, cursed. or
grumbled hStlesSly. Some were tall, some short:
some wide some narrow some bearded, others
not. They were Of many nations. Some wore
dungarees, others shoddy cloth; one, pair Of
trousers made Of ships canvas, his upper
body covered by Q threadbare oilskin Jacket.
Some wore old cloth caps; one. q battered sun
dOwner, another denied derby
Jukes lowered above his comrades. His curly
brown head and bony feet were bare. His
worn dungaree shirt was unbuttoned. his
neatly patched dungaree trousers were gathered
by broad brass-buckled belt. His forearms,
hands and throat were rugged. His breast
showed white through his unbuttoned shirt.
lt looked cold. like marble.
Alone Of all the crew JukeS did not look
beSOtted. The stamp Of the sea was on him O.
On them. But the shore had stamped him
less He scowled toward the shore as he fol-
bowed his comrades from the forecastle
Impelled almost as much by instinct as hy
the brief command Of the mate, the crew
Ascended to the forecastle head. took the wind
lass bars from their rack and set them in
their places. As they leaned their weight upon
them some grlnted like pigs. Some laughed
stupidity. Jukes alone was silent.
The crew stamped slowly round and round
The windlass, heaving the anchor in. The cable
thanked ct the hawse pipe. Tide and cable
spoke Of clean and windy things.
The reek OF liquor grew fainter. The wind
came fresher. The mate said:
Some one Sing!"
One Of the sailors began to sing forecaStle
song, chantey, a ballad with a wailing chorus.
His voice, at first spiteful, sneering and con-
temptuous, the voices Of the others, also at
FIRST spiteful, sneering and contemptuous, be-
Came presently attuned to the sounds of wind
and tide and cable. They no longer cursed or
grunted like pigs. The stamp of the shore was
falling from them.
The ship passed swiftly from the harbor
heads. The tugboat let go her towline Some
of the men went aloft, to loose sail Talking
in low voices, others waited by sheet and hal
yard, ready to hoist when the mates order
came. Jukes stood apart, detached solitary,
brooding. He looked like bear lately re-
leased from an unclean cage and still mcer-
tain of its freedom.
The mate called:
Hoist away, main psl!"
The men grasped the halyards and lay back,
setting &
raise the heavy sail, they failed again
"You there! Lend hand here!" called the
mate to Jukes
THE men waited while Jukes slowly an
preached. As he laid hold on the rope
he seemed to shake himself He drew a long