Year: 1868




as fair coffee as yoh re likely to find in
the galley Of trader As for our Off
GERS, when say the less said OF them
the better, it amt so much that mean
to be disrespectful as that l mean to
put it tenderly. Officers in tie mer-
chant service, especially if it happens
to be the African service, are brutal
men quite as often as they amt AT
least, that's my experience; and when
some Of our great ship-owners argue
the case with me ,-as Pm free to say
they have done before now,--I say,
"That's my experience, sir" which is
all I've got to say brutal men, and
q about as fit for their positions as if
they'd been imported for the purpose
a little indirect from Davy Jones
Locker. Though they do say that the
1ogging is pretty much done away with
in these days, which makes a difference


Sometimes on sunshiny afternoon.
when the muddy water showed little
mudder than usual, on account of the
clouds being the color of silver, aud all
the air the color of gold, when the oily
barrels were knocking about on the
! wharSes, and the smells. were strong
. from the fsh-houses, and the men
shouted and the mates swore, and our
baby ran about deck a-play with every
body,-he was a cunning little chap
with red stockings and bare knees, and
the ladst took quite shine to him.
"Jake," his mother would say, with a
little sigh, Low, so that the captain
never heard ,-"think if it was linn gone
away for year in company the like of
| that - .I -r-l"i1L


Then she would drop her shining
needles, and call the little fellow back
sharp, and catch him up in her arms.


Gointo the keeping-room there, Tom,
and ask her all about it, Bless you.
she remembers those days at dock bet
ter than | do. She could tell you to
this hour the color OF my shirt, and how
long my hair was, and what l ate, and
how ]. looked, and what ] said /
did Mt generally swear so thick when.
she was about "..' .a l.i' ~'


Wells we weighed, along the last of
the month, in pretty good spirits The
Madonna was as staunch and seaworthy
as any eight-hundred. tonner in the har-
Dor, if she was clumsy; we turned in,
some sixteen of us or thereabouts, into
the fo'castle,-a jolly set, mostly old
messmates, and well content with one
another; and the breeze was stiff from
the west, with fair sky


The night before we were off, Molly
and l took walk upon the whares
after supper l carried the baby A
boy, sitting on some boxes, pulled my
sleeve as we went by, and asked me,
pointing to the Madonna, if would
tell him the name of the ship.


"Find ont for yourself" said l, not
over pleased to be interrupted.


"Don't be cross to him." says Molly
The baby threw a kiss at the boy, and
Molly smiled at him through the dark
l don't suppose should ever have re-
membered the lubber from that day to
this, except that ] liked the looks of
Molly smiling at him through the dark


My wife and | said good by the next
morning in a little sheltered place
among the lumber on the wharf; she
was one of your women who never like
to do their crying before folks.


She clmed on the pile of lumber and
sat down, little flushed and quivery,
to watch us off, remember seeing her
there with the baby till we were. well
down the channel / remember notic-
ing the bay as it grew cleaner, and
thinking that would break off swear
ing; and | remember cursing Bob
Smart like pirate within an hour


The breeze held steadier than we'd
looked for, and we'd made good off
ing and discharged the pilot by night
fall. Mr.. Whitemarsh-he was the
mate-was aft with the captain. The
boys we're singing little; the smell of
the coffee was coming up, hot and
homelike from the galley. l was up in
the maintop, | forget what for, when all
at once there came cry and shout;
and, when | touched deck, l saw a
crowd around the fore hatch.


"What's all this noise for? ?" says Mr..
Whitemarsh, coming up and scowling.


"a stow-away, sir A boy slowed
away" said Bob, catching the officers
tone quick enough. Bob always tested
the wind well, when storm was brew
ing He jerked the poor fellow out of
the hold, and pushed him along to the
mates feet. H.o.


say 'poOr fellow" and you'd never
wonder why if you'd seen as much of
slowing away as | have. .hf


I'd as lief see son of mine in Car
olina slave gang as to see him lead the
life of stow. away. What with the
officers from feeling that they We been
taken in, and the men, who catch their
cue from their superiors, and the spite
of the lawful boy who hired in the
proper way, he don't have what you
may call tender time.


This chap was little fellow, slight
for his years, which might have been
fifteen, l take it, He was palish, with
jerk of thin hair on his forehead He
was hungry, and bomesick, and fright
ened. lie looked about on all our faces,
and then he covered little, and lay
lust as Bob had thrown him. .. am