Grandfather’s Yarns.

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 36, 1 December 1894, Page 3

Grandfather’s Yarns.

(All Rights Rbslbyed). No. 3(p. /

WHALING EPISODES. A NARROW ESCAPE. THE FIRST OP JUNE. GETTING RID OF PROPERTY. SEQUEL TO A MORTGAGE.

“ Grandfather, tell ns a yarn tonight, please. Go on telling ns about when you were whaling as a boy,” said Fred. “ Well boys, the second season I pulled the after-oar in Sharp's boat. We were whaling for a Mr Meredith at Oyster Bay, we had a very bad season, though—our boat never took a single whale. Sharp, the headsman, was a very old man, though a good hand, but the boatsteerer was a very poor chap in a boat. “We were right on a fine big.whale one day but the boat steerer let her off some-how. For every whale that was caught Mr Meredith gave the hands three extra gallons of rum. It was vile stuff I thought, and I used to sell all mine to our headsman, who gave me anything he had for a drop of grog. “ Next year, in ’28,1 think it would be, I pulled the after-oar in Griffiths’ boat. We were then whaling for Young and Walford at Bull Bay. I remember that year well. Young was with us down at the fishery—-a fine young fellow 'he was then, too, just twenty-eight born with the century, he always used to say. He was the best fellow out to command a fishery. None of the whalers ever tried their little games twice on him. “ We had a splendid season that year ; one day . we caught three whales, and in the afternoon I was given charge of our boat to pull in and get a new line. There were four men with me, and when we got in to the station we found that Mr Walford, our other owner, had arrived. Two watermen had brought him in their boat from town. “ He was a fast young man, rather given to gambling, and not nearly so well liked by all of us as Mr Young was. Well, this day he brought down with him ten gallons of very strong rum to treat all hands. He told me to fetch him a quart pot, which he filled and told me to take out in the boat. “ In twenty m uutes two of the men were dead drunk —could neither sit, stand, nor go. I was in a hurry to get out again, as it was getting late, and they wanted the line to tow the whales in. The other two men didn’t drink, so they were all right. We dragged the two fellows who were speechless drunk into a safe place, and took the two watermen (Tom Myers and Major Lee) in their place. “ When we got out Mr Young thought that the other two men had run away. G never said anything about it, and he was too busy to ask me. But when we got in he wa§ awfully angry, and pitched into Walford at a great rate for making such beasts of the men. “We were* all wet and cold and hungry, and went in to our supper ; but lo and behold ! there was no supper, and the cook was on the floor drunk. Mr Young was furious, and gave old Bobby Manders a terrible shake —he had been in the Young family for years. He looked round with his senseless, drunken eyes — “ Never mind, Bill, my boy,” said he, “ It’s the glorious First of June. Lord Howe’s defeated the Dutch. It’s a day for England to be proud of.” “ ‘ Yes, and you are a pig for England to be proud of, get up and get us some supper,’ said Young. ‘ Oh never mind supper, Bill, my boy, it’s the glorious first of June,’ repeated Bobby, and that’s all we could get out of him. We had to get supper

the best way we could and light our own fire. It happened that it really was the first of June, and I think I remember that history lesson better than any Mr Fitzgerald taught n»e. “ Next year we whaled in Trumpeter Bay for the safne owners. 1 was just eighteen then and was made a boat steerer- I was reckoned a smart chap for my age, and I thought so myself too. As I was so young they thought it would cause dissatisfaction if I had the ordinary lay, so they gave me the 30th lay, but Mr Young was always giving me presents, which more than made up for it. Trumpeter Bay was a splendid place, and we had a grand season. Though we only had two boats we got a tremendous lot of oil. “ That was the year that Governor Arthur allowed liquor to go into the fisheries duty free. In some of the fisheries a terrible lot of drinking went on, but they didn t drink much in our fishery—no man ever got drunk twice there. Trumpeter Bay was a very bad place for a vessel to lie. Whenever it blew a south-easter she had to run up to town, but she always came down again for us to cut in our whales at. Next year I was b'oat-steerer again for the same owners, but this time in Adventure Bay. We did very well there too. One afternoon we were cutting in a whale. . I was standing on the whale and they were just hoisting up a piece of blubber about four feet wide, twenty five or thirty feet long, and weighing between two and three tons. It was going up all right when all of a sudden it carried away the fall, and down it came, blocks and all. A lot of the men swore that they saw it strike me, but it didn’t. It must have struck the whale and turned it over so quickly that I was in the water before I was struck. We were lyingr in four or five fathoms of water, and 1 know I went right to the bojfctom. I came up again all right, and hung on to thebobstay. They were looking all round for me, and when one man saw me there he jumped overboard to save me ; but I was better off than he was, because I was more used to being in the water.

“ They wouldn’t believe that I was unhurt, and insisted on my going up to the fishery and going to bed. I didn’t object of course, and got the cook to give me a rare feed, which in those days was a panacea for all my woes. I went to sleep for a bit, and when the others came in I heard Griffiths, our headsman, tell the others not to disturb me. I was wideawake and as right as could be but I thought I’d play the invalid. Next morning Griffiths said to me, ‘ Are you better, boy ? ’ ‘ Yes, thanks,’ I ■ aid, ‘ I’m as well as I always am. It didn’t do me a bit of harm.’ He could hardly believe it. He thought I’d be half-dead. “ ‘ I’m very sorry for you, my boy,’ said Griffiths, ‘ I’ve got bad news for you. A man came down about ten last night and said that your father is dead. We didn’t like to tell you till this morning. Young has been worrying all night, thinking that perhaps you would have to be buried with your father.’ “ There was no fear of that, but I was awfully cut up about my father. I went up to town at once. Mr Young insisted on coming with me, and he gave me a suit of mourning clothes. Both my sisters were well off and married, so I got most of my father’s property. But I didn’t want it. I gave most of it to them, they didn’t want to take it, but 1 made them ; I made ducks and drakes of the rest pretty soon, for I never cared or thought about saving money. One section I mortgaged for £2O. I never paid anything on it and afterwards the man I mortgaged it to sold it for as many thousands.