Seven Legs Across the Seas

from the inner harbor of the Argentine metropolis to the

room. Charts and other navigating paraphernalia were kept in this room, and the wheel house was on top of the chart room roof. "Slee

r land to sea view," the captain remarked later, "take a good look yonder, for, with the exception of a small, uninhabited island 1,200 miles to the east, it is the last

ally found among sailors, and during the evening some of the crew would sing, others dance, or boxing bouts would take place; wrestling

s this ship carried no ice. A sheep was killed each week, and we had chicken twice

by four o'clock." At 4:15 the mate, opening the door, reported, "Land port abeam, sir!" The island proved

pitched, tossed and rolled so much, in fact, that the "A. B." had "callouses" on his h

then on, if the weather be at all favorable, little work is done save at noontime, when the sun is sighted, by which means alone the course is mainta

ort for days, or even weeks, waiting for orders to sail; but sometimes he has little idea to what part of the world he may be directed to go. The cable direct

om $100 to $130 a month, while captains of American ships receive double that sum. Perquisites, however, may come to a skipper in connection with his

nd courses being as clearly marked as are rivers, turnpikes and railways on land maps. With a good navigator there is little danger of getting off

iremen and officers have no day off. Chinese, Arabs and Indians, the latter called "lascars," form the crew of a large num

h salt from the waves of the sea dashing against it. Some of the officers gathered in the lit

te, and occasionally brown-colored ones are seen with the others. These birds are as large as a swan, some measuring twelve feet from wingtip to wingtip. But many a sailor has lost his life when falling from a vessel in parts of the sea inhabited by the albatross. The great bird will pounce on anything it sees in the water, and, being so strong, the beak will penetrate the skull of a person at the first attack. Navigators say that it will not live during transit across the equator. The mollemoke is another companion sailors have with them when traveling south of the equator. This bird, while not so large, resembles the larger specie both in poise and color, and also mingles with the albatross during a voyage. Feeding on garbag

fficer, "keep a sharp lookout, as we should see the Cape of Good Hope light by 10 o'clock, or thereabouts." "Aye, aye, sir," he replied, as he passed out, and then scaled the ladder to the bridge. The sea had calmed as we neared the African coast. Less than an hou

a white man dressed in a white suit. The captain shouted to the man in white, asking if we could get into the harbor before night. It was then nearly sunset. The answer from the rowboat was, "I'm coming." This was the skipper's first trip to a country where white clothes were worn, and he mistook the man in the rowboat to be the port doctor. One unfamiliar with customs in that part of South Africa-or, in fact, anywhere-would never dream of seeing a grizzled

d no charm for the "A. B." when land food was available, he hurriedly made steps for the ladder at the side. This settled matters concerning eating supper aboard sh

pped foot

ling of relief at the thought of not having longer to occupy that "cabin," in which the bedclothing had often been made damp through waves dashing against and ove

nearly a month. Meeting at the time designated, the formality of paying off was gone through with, in accordance with maritime law. The "A. B." was handed $2.40 for his

, left the following day for Cochin-China-6,00

f you will come with us," inducingly spoke the captain to his discharged "able seaman," while shaking hands wa

and pitched as she had done for twenty-three days during her former voyage. It was not long before only an outline of the hulk was in view. Then that disappeared altoget