Blue Jackets; or, The Adventures of J. Thompson, A.B., Among "the Heathen Chinee": A Nautical NovelGreey, Edward
General
Blue Jackets; or, The Adventures of J. Thompson, A.B., Among "the Heathen Chinee": A Nautical Novel
Greey, Edward
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Fiction; Seafaring life -- Fiction
his son is in our ship, and is a very nice young man; he is our
captain's servant, and we now and then has a chat about his father.
I must now conclude, with love to father and mother, and a hundred
kisses for dear little Tom, and my undying love for you, dear
Polly.
"I am your affectionate husband,
"THOMAS CLARE."
"Address Hong-Kong or elsewhere, as usual."
Before the memorable day upon which he was carried off by the Tartars
Thompson had given a parcel, containing a crape shawl and several
articles of loot, into the boatswain's care, with instructions to
deliver the same to Mary Ann if any accident occurred to him; so when
Jerry's clothes and other effects were sold before the mast, the things
were kept back by the boatswain. Upon Thompson falling out with Mr.
Shever the latter sent him the parcel, the existence of which was
forgotten by the sailor; and as Jerry, like most of his class, never
kept anything long, he made up his mind to send it home to Mrs. Clare,
by the first man invalided.
"She'll find it a helligant thing for weddings or the circus," he
observed to his friend.
"She don't go to none, leastways, she never says anything about it;
besides, keep it yourself, or send it to Mary Ann."
"What for? I'm going to try if Mary Ann has forgotten me, like you all
did." (Jerry always felt a little tender upon that point). "You're my
chum. Missis C. is a lady I think a deal about. Young Tom is my nevvy,
although a unlawful one, and puttin' that altogether, I'm determined to
send her the shawl, or to chuck it overheard."
The next man invalided proved to be Private Silas Bowler, Royal Marine
Light Infantry, who, after receiving a liberal present, took charge of
the shawl; and having successfully evaded the lynx-eyed custom-house
officials, upon his arrival at Portsmouth proceeded to deliver it, not
according to his agreement, but to his own wife, who wore it at Utah
chapel, and quoted the gift to her brothers and sisters in faith, as a
proof of good Silas's generosity. The worthy marine ultimately emigrated
to Salt Lake, where he became a deacon, and, for aught we know to the
contrary, one of Brigham Young's most efficient assistants. It is
probable that by this time the crape shawl has changed owners several
times.
The Stinger proceeded towards Japan, and in due time came to anchor in
the harbour of Chickodadi, where the hospitable inhabitants received
them with open arms, the officers and men taking a cruise on shore,
finding entertainment in all the free exhibitions then running in the
place, including the public bath-rooms, where young and old, bachelors
and spinsters, men and women, maids, wives, children and widows,
together disported themselves in a most primitive manner, much to the
astonishment of the gaping blue-jackets, who swarmed round those
institutions and made the most amusing remarks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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