Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 89: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

KICKING TOM “Yes, Gawd’s truth, ye can spit to win- nard now, ye’ve all bin round the Horn.” Til. Tom McGee was a wise one. As soon as he clapped his eyes on that prize crew he said to himself: “ I'll take em.” _A healthy, husky, weather-beaten bunch of sea dogs, young and fresh, here was a gang to make a skipper’s mouth water. ‘Where did ye get ’em, Burke?” Burke winked, and shook his head. “ All right, ye needn’t tell. I know darn well where you got ’em, though. Ye stole ’em off a training ship, just in from a long voyage, too, I'll wager.” Captain McGee marched up and down, snapping his, fingers with satisfaction, and for once his scowling face was tinctured with a smile. Twice he walked around the gang, then exclaimed peremptorily: ‘All right, bring ’em aboard, and we'll sign ’em on.” On the following morning Battling Burke pulled off his incomparable masquerade. The prize pippins came off in a tender, looking like bully boys all. Interspersed with this flock of sheep in wolves’ clothing, were enough real wolves to get the ship to sea, Barney Upgate, Mike Mulligan, Hefty McGuirk, and a few other roustabouts. The Orion had finished loading, and had been warped out into the stream, where she awaited the arrival of her crew. that any might take cold feet at the last moment, Burke had administered a stiff rum ration, hence they were taken aboard in various degrees of exalted inebriation. Several in a comatose state were hauled over the side in buntlines. A receipt was given for each man by the mate to the chief boarding house runner. Finally the mate yelled: ‘““ Crew’s all aboard, sir.” ‘All right, mister, stand by for heaving short.” ‘* Aye, aye, sir.” The captain and Jack Flemming the pilot were in consultation on the quarter deck. It was nearly high water; the tide would soon be running ebb. The mate took charge on forecastle head. « For fear. 715 The second mate took the main deck, to stand by, and look out for the chain as it came in over the windlass. “ All hands man the capstan.” “Heave away there.” Was ever such an eager and resistless crew? Hark to the tramp, tramp, tramp of feet across the forecastle head. Dickey Dawson and Cecil Catty, cheek by jowl with Barney Upgate and Bill McQuirk. “Now, then,” called out the mate, “strike a light on the forrard hatch there, Barbecue; she’s dead as a graveyard.” At this, Dickey Dawson took off his boots, jumped onto the capstan, and led off: McGEE, “ We're outward bound, we’re outward bound, Heave, bullies, heave and pawl. Oh, bring that cable up and down, Hurrah! We’re outward bound, Hurrah! We're outward bound!” Captain McGee paused in his pacing of the quarter. He had an ear for a chantey- man, and the lusty voice that led off from the capstan sounded sweeter to him than that of any prima donna. “ Listen, will ye?” he exclaimed. ‘ Ye can always tell real sailors by the way they whoop her up. My word, he’s got a locker full at that. There’s a tune I ain’t heard since I left the Tallahassee.”’ Dickey Dawson had sailed into another chantey: “Round Cape Horn in the month o’ May, To me hoodah To me hoodah! Round Cape Horn in the month o’ May, To me hoodah, hoodah hay! So blow, boys, blow, For Cali-forn-ee-o! There’s plenty o’ gold, So I’m told, On the banks o° the Sacramento!” “ Anchor’s apeak, sir,” bellowed the mate. < “Very good, mister; shake out your top- s'ls.” : Aloft, there, some o’ ye, and loose Sails.” “* Aye, aye, sir, tops’ls?” “Yes, tops’ls; leave the stays’ls fast.” “Lay out, some o’ ye, and loose the -heads’ls.” “Put a hand to the wheel.’ Gomichooks:co