Year: 1878

OVERHEARD IN LAKE MICHIGAN


1 think the captain of the old fore-and'
aft Kate Fox was one of the meanest men
who ever trod the deck of lake craft. he
was in the grain trade between Chicago and
Buffalo. His craft was good sailer, and the
owners fine fellows, and many an officer in bis
place would have won respect where he re-
ceived nothing but hate 1 had heard him
spoken of, with bitter curses, by men who had
sailed with him, and finally heard 80 much
about him that determined to make one trip
with him, and find out whether he was man OF
devil His name was John West, and we
never had nor'wester that some man was not
ready to sing out:


Cali hands on deck for mourning badges
Capt. West is killing another sailor!'


| laid of in Chicago on purpose to catch
him. When his vessel was about loaded he
began hunting around for crew, and got
in his way. He was as pleasant as May
morning, and as he sent me aboard, he said {:


"Please tell the cook to have rice pudding,
roast chickens and custard pies for diuner,
and tell him to hand you out some Of my
Havana cigars"


I told the cook what the captain had said,
but the long nosed young man looked at me
with a sorrowful expression in his potato col.
ored eyes and put me off with some very bad
corned beef and some halt. cooked slices OF
turnip.


We were ready to sail about o'clock in
the afternoon. The crew dropped aboard one
by one, and most wretched set they we're.
Some were landsmen, some were greenhorns,
and only one who knew enough to pass over
the tack of the maingafftopsail was Swede
called Nick. -,


mot a very trim gang, I'll admit" said
Captain West to me, as he saw me scanning
the crowd, "but I'm worker, the mate is a
worker, and you and Nick shall be third and
fourth mates. Did the cook hand you those
cigars?"


l replied that the cook didn't, and the con.
versation ended there. The captain walked
about with kind smile on his face, and the
mate was liberal with his plug tobacco, and
made up nay mind before we were out OF the
river that the boys had lied outrsgeously
about Captain West.


We were towed out to fair breeze, and the
Jug had scarcely let 60 of us before old Satan
made his presence known. Under orders
from the mate, we were getting the jbs on
her, when the captain rushed at me in tu-
rious manner, and cried out:


You Internal mutineer, didn't order you
to loose the maingaEtopsai p


He hadn't given any such order, but did
not stop to argue the point was halfway
to the crosstrees before be could shut his mouth
but he stopped me there by shouting


"Ha! more mutiny! Down with you
down here and man the throat halyards of
the foresail p


came down. | thought of the lesson in
the spelling book reading: "Now we 60 up
now we 60 down." and felt that | could 60
up and come down as long as he could give
orders.


We had just got the foresail up when the
mate yelled at me:


"Why in Davy Jones' memory haven't you
shaken out the maingaEtopsail p


There was good reason why, but didn't
wait to tell him. The captain yelled at me
as | sprang into the shrouds. threw belay.
ing pin at me as | went up, and threatened to
shoot me for mutiny as | came down, but my
work was performed, and lent a hand at the
peak halyards of the mainsail. We were all
of half an hour getting sail on her, and eve
ry minute the captain was cursing and threat
ening. He cufed the men right and left, in
cluding the Swede, and my head would have
come in for a rap if he could have reached it.
1t was plain enough now that Captain West
was the worst kind of bully, and that he
had fully earned the meal reputation that he
carried among sailors. We were in for the
trip, however, and must get along the best
way we could. That was my argument, but
the Swede couldn't get over the cuff on the
ear. The more he thought of it the more
sullen he became, and as we stood away on
our course he said to me:


"If that old demon puts his hands on me
again, I'll give him the point of my knife"


At sundown everything was ship shape, and
the Fox going ahead finely. Three of the
crew became seasick, and were kicked into
the forecastle by the wrathful captain, who
knew when he shipped them, that they had
never crossed the lake. There were signs in
the heavens plain enough for Nick and me
that we were in for boisterous night, and we
could not help feeling anxious, as we knew
the worthlessness of the crew.


The old man seemed to feel better natured
after supper. He came aft to the wheel,
smoking cigar, and after watching the COM
pass for a few minutes, perhaps hoping to
catch me point off, he growled out:


"Well, how do you like being third mate ?"


"First rate" l answered, 81 think I was
lucky to secure berth. wish had found
the Fox earlier in the season.


He didn't exactly know how to take it, but
finally said:


"Well, 1 always try to do the fair thing
by the boys. How does the weather look to
your


"We will have lots of wind before mid
night, sir"


1T does look that way" he mused, as he
glanced around, and he went forward and
posted man on the lookout, sent the Swede
aft, and turned the rest of the crew in, saying
to them:


"Tumble down there into that fo' castle,
you pack of swine, and when you are called
on to turn out you want to come up like bolts
of creased lightning"


As we were then holding, everything was
drawing finely. The Fox was loaded just
deep enough to ride steady, and there was no
need to lift a hand till the wind blew fresher.
The captain sauntered up and down for
a while, and then went below and sat down to
book. He was taking the first half of the
night for his watch, and the three of US on
deck were all he could depend on.


Nick relieved me at ten o'clock, and
crept forward and found the lookout asleep.
had no sooner reused him than he became
terrihlv seasick and while he curled down be.