Happy Jack, and Other Tales of the Sea — John Shaqi
Happy Jack, and Other Tales of the SeaKingston, William Henry Giles
General
Happy Jack, and Other Tales of the Sea
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Sea stories
After this the ship was put on her course, and we stood on, plunging
away into the heavy seas which rose around us, and threatened every
instant to break on board the brig. The passengers looked, and, I
daresay, felt very melancholy at the accident, for young Sam especially,
was liked by them, and on that account Mr Duncan had taken him on his
expedition. Old Tom could scarcely lift up his head, and even the rest
of the crew refrained from their usual gibes and jokes. The captain
said nothing, but I saw by the way he treated the first mate that he was
very savage with him for the part he had taken in attempting to save the
poor fellows.
After this old Tom was kinder than ever to me, and evidently felt
towards me as he had towards young Sam, whose duties as everybody's
servant I had now to take, being the youngest on board, and least able
to hold my own against the captain's tyranny, and the careless and often
rough treatment of the crew.
I had some time before told poor young Sam how I used to be called
"Happy Jack," and he went and let out what I had said among the men.
When one of them started me with a rope's end, he would sing out,
"That's for you, `Happy Jack.'" Another would exclaim, "Go and swab the
deck down, `Happy Jack;'" or, "`Happy Jack,' go and help Mango to clean
out the caboose, I hope you are happy now--pleasant work for a young
gentleman, isn't it?"
"Look you," I replied one day, when this remark was made to me, "I am
alive and well, and hope some day to see my home and friends, so,
compared to the lot of poor young Sam and Dick Noland, who are fathoms
deep down in the ocean, I think I have a right to say I am happy--your
kicks and cuffs only hurt for a time, and I manage soon to forget them.
If it's any pleasure to you to give them, all I can say is, that it's a
very rum sort of pleasure; and now you have got my opinion about the
matter."
"That's the spirit I like to see," exclaimed old Tom, slapping me on the
back soon afterwards, "You'll soon put a stop to that sort of thing." I
found he was right; and, though I had plenty of dirty work to do, still,
after that, not one of the men ever lifted his hand against me. The
captain, however, was not to be so easily conquered, and so I took good
care to stand clear of him whenever I could.
The rough weather continued till we had made Cape Horn, which rose dark
and frowning out of the wild heaving ocean. We were some time doubling
it, and were several days in sight of Terra del Fuego, but we did not
see anything like a burning mountain--indeed, no volcanoes exist at that
end of the Andes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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