On Board the "Rocket"

by Robert C. Adams

A week later witnessed my arrival on board the "Dublin." The captain seemed glad to see me, but Mr. Howard was not so cordial, and appeared very much under the weather.

"I tell you what it is," said he, as we walked forward together to have a chat, "I've been second mate of a ship a long time, but I never had a man treat me so like a dog as Capt. Streeter's done since we've been in port. He wanted the ship scrubbed around outside as soon as the copper got out of water; and a man offered to do it, and paint her beside, for ten dollars, when the regular price that other ships pay is twenty dollars. But the old man kicked up 'Bob's a dying,' and swore he wouldn't pay no such price; and then he gave me so many hints, and told me so many stories about what that cursed Mr. Jones of his used to do in port, that at last I offered to do it myself. So he hired a raft, and a boy to help me, and then I scrubbed the ship and painted her bends all round. I thought that would satisfy him, but as long as I had got my hand into dirty work, he thought he wouldn't let me take it out, and he had the face to tell me to go over the bow and coal-tar the bob-stays, and all the rest of the iron-work. I was just fool enough to do it, and he's kept me going ever since at jobs that any decent captain would hire a man to do; but it's about played out now. He's so mean he'd skin a louse for its hide and tallow; and his soul is so small you could punch the pith out of a horse-hair and put his soul inside, and then it would rattle if you shook it."

I did not try to soothe him very much, and rather hoped he wouldn't be soothed; for the prospect of his leaving the ship, which was suggested by the tenor of his remarks, was not at all unpleasant to me.

The next morning Mr. Howard had a talk with the captain in the cabin after breakfast, and then came out on deck to where I was standing and said: "Mr. A——, I'm going to leave the ship."

"Are you?" said I, greatly astonished but equally pleased. "What is that for?"

"Well, I'll tell you why. One thing is, I've got sick of the old man, and another is that I know I'm not competent to go mate of a ship, for I don't know no more about navigation than that windlass does, and the first time the old man got mad with me at sea, he'd heave it up in my face, for all he talks so fair now about it's not making any difference. But another thing I'll tell you, and I don't want you to get mad with me for saying it, for I never met a man on board of a ship that I liked any better than I do you; I don't think we can get along together. I'm bound to make the old shell-backs toe the mark, and if they don't do it I can't talk polite to 'em. I wasn't brought up to that business. But whenever I've had a row at sea you've hardly spoken to me for a week after. Now if I go in this ship again, I know we shall be at loggerheads all the time, and it's a bad job for officers of a ship if they can't sail alongside of each other. I've got a chance to go second mate of the ship "Robert Stanwood," and the mate's a man just like myself, and we can hitch horses. The fact is, I've too much respect for you to sail with you. You're too good a man to go to sea. It's a life only fit for a rascal, but if you're bound to go, I hope you'll get along well, and have a mate to your liking, though I think they are scarce fish in these waters."

I was certainly pleased at Mr. Howard's decision, but was much touched by his way of announcing it.

"I don't wonder that you want to leave, Mr. Howard," I replied; "but it would be more for your interest to stay, and if you make up your mind not to be quite so hard on sailors, I think we can get along pleasantly. You must remember it isn't the most important thing in a man's life to make sailors run the mile in less than three minutes, when a four-minute pace would be just as good for the ship and the owners. I believe in making sailors work and keep in their place, but I don't believe in giving up all one's good principles to do it, nor do I think it is necessary."

"Perhaps not; you and me has been brought up very different, and we must go our own way. I've got an ugly temper, I know; but it's there, and it's got to come out. When you've seen as much of sailors as I have, maybe you'll think the best way to deal with 'em is to knock 'em down."

Mr. Howard left the ship, much to the captain's sorrow; for he was a man after his own heart, and he hoped he had at last found officers that were willing to sail with him on a second voyage.