Mr. Trunnell | Page 6

and see to our leaving, some one will be sorry for
it," he said, in his menacing voice, and Mr. Trunnell was quite content
to leave him alone.
At five in the morning the boarding master brought down the men, and

a sorry lot of sailors they were. They counted nineteen all told, and half
of them could not speak English. I went among them and searched their
dunnage for liquor and weapons, and after finding plenty of both, I
bundled the entire outfit into the forecastle and let them sort it the best
they could, with the result that they all struck a fair average in the way
of clothes. Those who were too drunk to be of any use I let alone, and
they made a dirty mess of the clean forecastle. The rest I turned to with
some energy and soon had our towing gear overhauled.
There was now a considerable crowd collecting on the dock to watch
the ship clear, and as it was still too dark to see objects distinctly, I
couldn't tell what was taking place in the waist, for I had to attend
sharply to the work on the topgallant forecastle. Mr. Trunnell bawled
for the tug to pull away, and the ship started to leave the dock.
At that instant a man rushed through the crowd and sprang upon the rail
amidships, where, seizing some of the running rigging, he let himself
down to the main deck. He looked aft at Mr. Trunnell, and then seeing
that the mate had command of the ship, he looked into the forward
cabin and came to where I stood bawling out orders to the men who
were passing the tow-line outside the rigging. I called to him and asked
who he was and what he wanted, and he told me quickly that he was
the twentieth man of the crew and had almost got left.
"What?" I asked; "after getting your advance money?" And I smiled as
I thought of his chance of getting away without being caught.
"I never welsh, sir," he replied, "and as I signed on, so will I work. I
never skinned a ship yet out of sixpence."
"Most remarkable," I sneered; but the fellow had such a frank, open
face that I felt sorry afterward. He was a young man and had probably
not learned enough about ships to have such delicate scruples. He had a
smooth face and looked intelligent, although it was evident that he was
not much of a sailor.
"Well, don't stand gaping. Get to work and show what you are made of.
Stow those slops of yours and get into a jumper quick. Where's your
bag?" I continued.
"I haven't any."
"Well, lay up there and help loose the maintopsail. Don't stand here."
He looked bewildered for a moment and then started up the fore
rigging.

"Here, you blazing idiot," I bawled. "What are you about? Don't you
know one end of a ship from another?"
The fellow came to me and spoke in a low voice.
"I have never shipped before the mast--only as cook, or steward," he
said.
"Well, you infernal beggar, do you mean to say that you've passed
yourself off as a seaman or sailor here?" I cried.
He nodded.
"Then, blast you, if I don't make a sailor of you before you get clear of
the ship," I said with some emphasis; for the idea of all hands being
incapable made me angry, as the ship would be dependent entirely
upon the sailors aboard, until we had taught the landsmen something.
The whole outfit was such a scurvy lot it made me sick to think of what
would happen if it should come on to blow suddenly and we had to
shorten down to reefed topsails. The Pirate had double topsail yards
fore and aft and all the modern improvements for handling canvas; but
her yards were tremendous, and to lift either of her courses on the yards
would take not less than half a dozen men even in good weather.
The fellow hung about while I dressed him down and told him about
what a worthless specimen of humanity he was. Finally I sent him aft to
help where he could, and he lent a hand at the braces in the waist under
the direction of Mr. Trunnell, who stood on the break of the poop, with
the young third mate beside him, and gave his orders utterly oblivious
to the boy's presence.
In a short time we made an offing, and as the pilot was on the tug, we
had only to let go the line and stand away on our course. The t'gallant
yards were sent up, then the royals sheeted home, and by dint of great
effort and