Jack in the Forecastle; or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser MartingaleSleeper, John Sherburne
General
Jack in the Forecastle; or, Incidents in the Early Life of Hawser Martingale
Sleeper, John Sherburne
Seafaring life
The captain, mate, and crew of the sloop, finding their vessel in such
a helpless condition, and entertaining wholesome fears for their own
safety, ABANDONED THE SLOOP TO HER FATE, and embarked, with all their
baggage, in the last boat that had brought off ballast. But with the
last boat there came from the shore a young man, who, as supercargo,
had charge of the vessel and cargo. Aware to some extent of the perilous
condition of the sloop, he had been actively engaged during the morning
in efforts to prepare his vessel to encounter the disasters incident
to a hurricane. As he stepped on the deck of the sloop, and before the
ballast had all been discharged from the boat, the officers and crew
were eager for their departure. The captain urged the supercargo to
accompany him on shore, and, when he refused, pointed out the desperate
condition of the sloop, assuring him that in a few minutes that vessel,
held by a single anchor, would break adrift and be wrecked on the rocks,
when probably no individual could be saved.
The name of the supercargo was Bohun, a native of the "Emerald Isle." He
peremptorily refused to quit the vessel, saying, as he stamped his foot
on the deck, "Here I stand, determined to sink or swim with the sloop."
"Shove off!" exclaimed the captain; "it is useless to parley with a
fool!"
At this moment the crew of the Gustavus were summoned aft to disengage
the brig from the sloop, and the captain was issuing orders in his
most effective style. "Bear off! Why don't you bear off! Cut away the
laniards of those shrouds, and clear the main chainwales! Bring an axe
here, and cut away that fore-stay which is foul of the main yard!"
Calling now to Bohun, who stood in the forward part of the sloop with a
most rueful visage, the captain said, "Why don't you pay out cable, you
lubber, and drop astern, clear of the brig?"
Bohun stood near the windlass, and his appearance struck me as being
singularly interesting. He was dressed like a gentleman; wore a green
frock coat and a white fur hat; but his garments were saturated with
rain and the spray. He seemed resolute, nevertheless, and anxious to
do something, but he knew not what to do. When roughly accosted by the
captain of the brig, he replied, "If you'll send two or three men to
help me, I will soon get the sloop clear of your vessel. My men have all
deserted, and I can do nothing without assistance."
The captain of the Gustavus shook his head and his fist at the young
Irishman, and discharged a double-headed oath at him, within point-blank
shot. Nevertheless, Bohun continued, "If you will let me have one man,
only ONE man, I may be able to save the sloop."
"One man!" replied the Swedish captain, screaming with passion, "how
do you expect me to spare even one man, when my own vessel may strike
adrift at any moment? Pay out cable, and be hanged to you! Pay out
cable, and drop astern!" And he aimed another ferocious oath at the
unfortunate supercargo.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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