Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-28

After that there had been that
schooner, three-masted and ancient,
running into the Baltic and sometimes
Is far as the White Sea. That was his
first berth g. q seaman. He thought he
was 50 big and strong then, so wise.
Just i4i 30 he had left the schooner
and taken that tramp steamer to Lon
don and had run away there. Fourteen
years old and Ia strange country.
He had not even known a word Of the
language. And 50 he had gone back TO
the tramp again, and the captain had
beaten him, but had given him som3-
thing TO eat. II was because of the
beating, though, that ne ran away
again In Hamburg.
He had found an English boat there,
one Of the Elder-Dempster's packets.
That voyage he would never forget
More than q year 1t was, and they went
everywhere. Marseilles. Naples, Malta
Port Said. Then the shining hot SueZ,
and then Zanzibar. Mauritius, Bombay,
Colombo. Singapore. More ports than
he could remember now He could speak
English when they returned to London,
and he had gone as full seaman on that
are-rigger-another rocket. Golden
red fire and stars. Was the sea empty
that no answer came?
name? Themistoclesl Three -masted
full-riggeT bound for Sydney and the
coast. Brave days! He would never
forget the shouting nights when they
raced up the rat-lines through the rain
and wind and darkness to take in sail:
nor the lazy tropic afternoons when
they might be SPRAYING along the yards
at some work. smoking contentedly and
yarning-always EARNING. Earning the
dog-watches; under the break OF the
poop before the inusters broke up: in
the cool dawns, relieving the wheel and
pausing while to talk and watch the
sun blaze all crimson and gold. Brave
days for sailor! All, the good old
times, the coed old times .
He could never quite fathom what II
was made him Jump the Themistocles
desert her in Valparaiso. He had grown
tired Of her he supposed, though look
ing back It was hard to see how that
could have been. Life had been sc
pleasant aboard her. But then ne was
so young and he had wanted TO see the
| world. She was bound home, and he
wanted TO stay in the Pacific. He re-
nembered how ne had hidden in the
small. stuffy room behind that wine
/ shop until the ship had gone. The pro-
| priet0r took his watch as payment foi
! in q Danish barkentine 10 San Fran.
| cisco. and then the Star Of Bengal, an
other full-rigger, English, bound fol
I China.
That was a voyage! Wrecked of thu
mouth Of the Yang Tzse and eight mer
| lest. They had pulled ashore in tbs
/ boats and lived in that quaint Chimes
! village on the sand spit for weeks, un.
| I'll the yellow men let them go and the.
cruised down the coast and had al
sorts Of adventures before a French
boat from Saigon picked them up anc
took them TO Vlsdivcstok. He hac
thought 1t all very glorious and thrilling
then. even his sickness, which kept hin
In hospital the best part of that Winter
Well, there had been many ships afte
that He never could remember then
ALL their names, their captains ther
J ways. Forty years was a long tinle
Some voyages stood out as memorable
like that one on the Elder Dempsic
boat and that one on the Themistoclet
while others just faded from the mem
CRY. That was queer, too--rccketS stu
going up LanceS Of curying FIRE. stream
Of sparks Stars under the sky. Wa
there no ship Of all the ships he ha'
known TO stand By him tonight?
WELL, he had found himself in Lon
" don again, and he had gone int
steam for good. South America flrst 4
the Pride OF Hull: Buenos Aires. Monte
, video Santos. A fever hole then wa
. Santos. The wind-iamners and eve
/ the steamers lay thick in the harbo
2 deserted. their crews dead and eon'
/ Like a thick. miasmical mist yellow JAG
: swept the decks. The Pride of Hull ha
! sailed Ave men short. All that Goa:
, was a death trap then-theyd dratne
( the Swamps since--yellow Jack, blac
, water, malaria Bad as Africa. Ho
: many men had died In Lagos that tim
J. en- the old Marrayene2
a The Marravene2 She was after III
). Pride Of Hull and 1t was when he pas
: of from her he had gone up for n
q second mates examination. u We