8 2 o POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Badly as I wanted to get to sea, I had not bargained for this, and 

 would have run some risks to get ashore again; but they took no 

 chances, so we were all soon aboard. Before going forward, I took a 

 comprehensive glance around, and saw that I was on board of a vessel 

 belonging to a type which has almost disappeared off the face of the 

 waters. A more perfect contrast to the trim-built English clipper 

 ships that I had been accustomed to I could hardly imagine. She was 

 one of a class characterized by sailors as " built by the mile, and cut 

 off in lengths as you want 'em," bow and stern almost alike, masts 

 standing straight as broomsticks, and bowsprit soaring upward at an 

 angle of about forty-five degrees. She was as old-fashioned in her 

 rig as in her hull. Right in the center of the deck, occupying a space 

 of about ten feet by eight, was a square erection of brickwork, upon 

 which my wondering gaze rested longest, for I had not the slightest 

 idea what it could be. But I was rudely roused from my meditations 

 by the harsh voice of one of the officers, who shouted, " !Naow then, 

 git below an' stow yer dunnage, 'n look lively up agin! " Tumbling 

 down the steep ladder, I entered the gloomy den which was to be 

 for so long my home, finding it fairly packed with my shipmates. 

 The whole space was undivided by partition, but I saw at once that 

 black men and white had separated themselves, the blacks taking the 

 port side and the whites the starboard. Finding a vacant bunk by the 

 dim glimmer of the ancient teapot lamp that hung amidships, giving 

 out as much smoke as light, I hurriedly shifted my coat for a 

 " jumper " or blouse, put on an old cap, and climbed into the fresh 

 air again. Even my seasoned head was feeling bad with the villain- 

 ous reek of the place. I had hardly reached the deck when I was 

 confronted by a negro, the biggest I ever saw in my life. lie looked 

 me up and down for a moment, then opening his ebony features in 

 a wide smile, he said: " Great snakes! why, here's a sailor man for 

 sure! Guess thet's so, ain't it, Johnny? " I said " yes " very curtly, 

 for I hardly liked his patronizing air; but he snapped me up short with 

 " yes, sir, when yew speak to me, yew blank limejuicer. I'se de 

 fourf mate of dis yar ship, en my name's Mistah Jones, 'n yew jest 

 freeze on to dat ar, ef yew want ter lib long 'n die happy. See, 

 sonny ? " I saw, and answered promptly, " I beg your pardon, sir, I 

 didn't know." " Ob cawse yew didn't know, dat's all right, little 

 Britisher; naow jest skip aloft 'n loose dat fore-taupsle." " Ay, ay, 

 sir," I answered cheerily, springing at once into the fore-rigging and 

 up the ratlines like a monkey, but not too fast to hear him chuckle, 

 " Dat's a smart kiddy, I bet." On deck I could see a crowd at the 

 windlass heaving up anchor. I said to myself, " They don't waste 

 any time getting this packet away." Evidently they were not anxious 

 to test any of the crew's swimming powers. They were wise, for had 



