B T HE ME R Y SA AUT HO .

Un iform with this Vol u m e.

S V D D H EN LA E AN OT ER POEMS. R " A R D T HE E N FOX. RI T R "A GH O L.

THE D FF DI I D A O L F EL S. P I H LI P THE "I N G AN D OTH ER POEMS.

T HE F I A ed in ee c s. A TH FUL . Trag y Thr A t

G D FRI A A V e P a . OO D ". l y in ers LO LLI N G DON DOW NS AN D OTH ER

POEMS. A POEM AN D T W O P LA"S.

ST . G RG D DR EO E AN TH E AGON .

A L SO G I P I . own 8vo . us ed. 25 . 6d. ALL OL Cr , ill trat

net.

F LI wn 8 . TH E OLD RONT N E . Cro vo , d n 6d . e . illu strate . 25 . t

LO N D O N W I LL I A M HEI N EMA N N . p A U B E R

A P O E M

B "

JO H N MA SEF I EL D

L OND ON " W I L LI AM HEI NEMAN N

T O

M" W I F E — N OTE I thank the editor and pro prietors of the E nglish Revi ew for permitting me to e n s oem w c ea e r pri t thi p , hi h first app r d

in e s e for c ob e 19 12. th ir is u O t r, T he persons and events described in oem are en e ma na and no this p tir ly i gi ry , reference is mad e or intended to any living e p rson . D A UB E R

F OUR bells were struck , the watch was called on deck ,

All work aboard was over for the hour ,

And some men sang and others played at check ,

Or mended clothes or watched the sunset glower .

The bursting west was like an opening flower,

And one man watched it till the light was dim ,

B ut no one went across to talk to him .

" He w rs the painter in that sw 1it ship s crew

— - b mlt Lampman and painter tall , a slight man ,

- Young for his years, and not yet twenty two ; i " Sickly , and not yet brown w th the sea s tan . B ullied and damned at since the voyage began , B ” eing neither man nor seaman by his tally ,

He bunked with the idlers j ust abaft the galley . DAUBER

His work began at five he worked all day,

Keeping no watch and having all night in . H is work was what the mate might care to say

He mixed red lead in many a bouilli tin ;

His dungarees were smeared with paraffin . ” Go drown himself his round -house mates advised

him ,

And all hands called him Dauber and despised him .

Si , the apprentice, stood beside the spar,

Stripped to the waist, a basin at his side,

Slushing his hands to get away the tar, A nd then he washed himself and rinsed and dried

T o w elhn -t ow zelled - g his face, hair , eager eyed ,

He crossed the spar to Dauber, and there stood

Watching the gold of heaven turn to blood .

They stood there by the rail while the swift ship

Tore on out of the tropics , straining her sheets,

W hitening her trackway to a milky strip,

- Dim with green bubbles and twisted water meets ,

Her clacking tackle tugged at pins and cleats ,

Her great sails bellied stiff, her great masts leaned They watched how the seas struck and burst and

greened . 2 DAUBER

Si talked with Dauber, standing by the side . ?” s a . Why did you come to e , painter he said ” I want to be a painter, he replied , A " And know the sea and ships from to , And paint great ships at sea before I ’ m dead Ships under skysails running down the Trade

’ Ships and the sea there s nothing finer made .

’ so But there s much to learn , with sails and ropes,

fu ll And how the sails look , or being furled ,

And how the lights change in the troughs and slopes ,

’ And the sea s colours up and down the world , And how a storm looks when the sprays are hurled

H igh as the yard (they say ) I want to see

’ There s none ashore can teach such things to me .

w a And then the men and rigging, and the y

Ships move , running or beating , and the poise

’ At the roll s end , the checking in the sway

1 i r want to pa nt them perfect, short of the no se

~ - fu ll And then the lif , the hal f decks of boys ,

’ ’

i . The fo c sles W th the men there , dripping wet

I know the subj ects that I want to get .

3 DAUBER

’ It s not been done, the sea, not yet been done,

From the inside , by one who really knows

’ all I d give up if I could be the one ,

But art comes dear the way the money goes .

So I have come to sea, and I suppose Three years will teach me all I want to learn ” And make enough to keep me till I earn .

E ven as he spoke his busy pencil moved,

Drawing the leap of water o ff the side

- Where the great clipper trampled iron hooved ,

Making the blue hills of the sea divide,

Shearing a glittering scatter in her stride,

all And leaping on full tilt with sails drawing,

- ffin P w ar sn u . roud as a horse , g battle , pawing

i — cannot get it yet not yet, he said

That leap and light, and sudden change to green ,

’ And all the glittering from the sunset s red ,

And the milky colours where the bursts have been, And then the clipper striding like a queen

r Ove it all , all beauty to the crown .

I see it all , I cannot put it down .

4. D AUBER

’ I t s hard not to be able . There , look there I cannot get the movement nor the light ; Sometimes it almost makes a man despair

To t ry and try and never get it right . — Oh , if I could oh , if I only might ,

’ ’ I wouldn t mind what hells I d have to pass,

Not if the whole world called me fool and ass .

Down sank the crimson sun into the sea,

The wind cut chill at once, the west grew dun . 3” “ Out sidelights called the mate . Hi , where is he B “ " The oatswain called , Out sidelights, damn you Run

’ He s always late or lazing, murmured one “ ” The Dauber, with his sketching . Soon the tints

- Of red and green passed on dark water glints .

Darker it grew , still darker, and the stars

B . urn ed golden , and the fiery fishes came

The wire -note loudened from the straining spars

The sheet -blocks clacked together always the same ;

T he rushing fishes streaked the seas with flame , Racing the one speed noble as their own

What unknown j oy was in those fish unknown 5 DAUBER

- Just by the round house door, as it grew dark, B The oatswain caught the Dauber with , Now , you

’ l "now Ti l now I ve spared you , damn you you hark I ’ ve j ust had hel l for what you didn ’ t do I ’ ll have you broke and sent among the crew

If you get me more trouble by a particle .

’ Don t you forget, you daubing, useless article

“ ” - I You thing, you twice laid thing from Port Mahon Then came the Cook ’ s Is that the Dauber there ? Why don ’ t you leave them stinking paints alone ?

They stink the house out , poisoning all the air . ” “ P” ’ Just take them out . Where to I don t care

where .

’ I won t have stinking paint here . From their plates

’ ” That s right ; wet paint breeds fever, growled his

mates .

He took his still wet drawings from the berth And climbed the ladder to the deck -house top ;

- Beneath , the noisy half deck rang with mirth , For two ship ’ s boys were putting on the strop "

One, clambering up to let the skylight drop, Saw him bend down beneath a boat and lay

His drawings there , till all were hid away, 6 DAUBER

i A nd stand there silent , lean ng on the boat,

Watching the constellations rise and burn ,

Until the beauty took him by the throat,

So stately is their glitterin g overturn ;

rm A ies of marching eyes , armies that yearn i With banners ris ng and falling , and passing

sk Over the empty silence of the y .

The Dauber sighed there looking at the sails,

- Wind steadied arches leaning on the night, The high trucks traced on heaven and left no trails

The moonlight made the topsails almost white ,

The passing sidelight seemed to drip green light .

And on the clipper rushed W i th fi re-bright bows ; ” ’ ’ t He sighed , I ll never do , and left the house .

“ u r Now, said the reefer, p Come , Sam ; co n Si,

’ Dauber s been hiding something . Up they sli Treading on naked tiptoe stealthily

- To grope for treasure at the long boat skid . 1" “ Drawings said Sam . Is this what Dauber hid

o I L rd expected pudding , not this rot . " " Still , come , we ll have some fun with what we ve got . 7 D AUBER They smeared the paint with turpentine until

They could remove with mess-clouts every trace

Of quick perception caught by patient skill ,

And lines that had brought blood into his face .

o ff They wiped the pigments , and did erase ,

With knives , all sticking clots . When they had done ,

Under the boat they laid them every one .

sea All he had drawn since first he came to ,

’ ’ ix s . H is weeks leisure s fruits, they laid them there They chuckled then to think how mad he ’ d be

Finding his paintings vanished into air . E ight bells were struck , and feet from everywhere Went shuttling aft to muster in the dark

’ The mate s pipe glowed above, a dim red spark .

Names in the darkness passed and voices cried

The red Spark glowed and died , the faces seemed

A s things remembered when a brain has died,

To all but high intenseness deeply dreamed .

’ Like hissing spears th e fishes fire streamed ,

And on the clipper rushed with tossing mast,

A bath of flame broke round her as she passed .

8 DAUBER

The watch was set , the night came, and the men

Hid from the moon in shadowed nooks to sleep ,

Bunched like the dead ; still, like the dead , as when

Plague in a city leaves none even to weep .

’ The ship s track brightened to a mile-broad sweep ; " The mate there felt her pulse , and eyed the spars

- sh e South west by south staggered under the stars .

Down in his bunk the Dauber lay awake

Thinking of his u nfi tness for the sea . E ach failure , each derision , each mistake , There in the life not made for such as he A morning grim with trouble sure to be , A noon of pain from failure, and a night B ’ itter with men s contemning and despite .

This in the first beginning, the green leaf, Still in the Trades before bad weather fell What harvest would he reap of hate and grief When the loud Horn made every life a hell P

h er When the sick ship lay over, clanging bell ,

a fo r d ra w m And no time c me painting or for g, B d ? ut all hands fought, and icy eath came clawing 9 DAUBER

— H ell , he expected , hell . His eyes grew blind

snu flled The snoring from his messmates droned and ,

calin d And then a gush of pity e his mind . ffl The cruel torment of his thought was mu ed , ff Without, on deck , an old , old seaman shu led,

H umming his song, and through the open door

A moonbeam moved and thrust along the floor .

The green bunk curtains moved , the brass rings

clicked ,

The Cook cursed in his sleep , turning and turning,

’ The moonbeam s moving finger touched and picked ,

And all the stars in all the sky were burning .

’ This is the art I ve come for, and am learning,

sea The and ships and men and travelling things . ” It is most proud, whatever pain it brings .

He leaned upon his arm and watched the light Sliding and fading to the steady roll

This he would some day paint, the ship at night, And sleeping seamen tired to the soul

The space below the bunks as black as coal , G leams upon chests, upon the unlit lamp,

- The ranging door hook , and the locker clamp . 10

DAUBER

He turned out of his bunk the Cook still tossed ,

his One of the other two spoke in sleep,

A cockroach scuttled where the moonbeam crossed ;

Outside there was the ship, the night, the deep . ” It is worth while, the youth said I will keep I ’ ll To my resolve, learn to paint all this . " o 1 My L rd , my God, how beautiful it is

’ ’ Outside was the ship s rush to the Wind s hurry,

- A resonant wire hum from every rope,

in - fl The broaden g bow wash in a fiery urry,

The leaning masts in their maj estic slope , And all things strange with moonlight "filled with hope

all w By that beauty go g as man bade , E He turned and slept in peace. ight bells were

made .

12 I I

EXT w as N day Sunday, his free painting day,

While the fine weather held , from eight till eight .

H e rose when called at five , and did array

- - The round house gear , and set the kit bags straight

Then kneeling down , like housemaid at a grate , He scrubbed the deck with sand until his knees

w t Were blue with dye from his e dungarees .

Soon all was clean , his Sunday tasks were done

w a His day s clear for painting as he chose .

su n The wetted d ecks were drying in the ,

The men coiled up , or swabbed , or sought repose .

The d rifts of silver arrows fell and rose

o As flying fish t ok wing ; the breakfast passed ,

s . Wa ting good time , but he was free at last 1 2 DAUBER

Free for two hours and more to tingle deep,

Catching a likeness in a line or tint,

The canvas running up in a proud sweep,

- Wind wrinkled at the clews , and white like lint, The glittering of the bl ue waves into glint

’ aw in s Free to attempt it all , the proud ship s p g ,

sea sk — h e fet ch The , the y went to his drawings .

- Up to the deck house top he quickly climbed,

He stooped to find them underneath the boat .

He found them all obliterated , slimed, B lotted , erased , gone from him line and note . " They were all spoiled a lump came in his throat,

Being vain of his attempts , and tender skinned

Beneath the skylight watching reefers grinned .

He clambered down , holding the ruined things . B ” “ osun , h e called, look here, did you do these

o ff i Wipe my pa nts and cut them into strings, And smear them till you can ’ t tell chalk from cheese ? ’ ? Don t stare , but did you do it Answer, please . The Bosun turned "“ I ’ ll give you a thick ear " ’ " Do it ? I didn t . Get to hell from here 14 DAUBER

? ’ f I touch your stinking daubs The Dauber s da t . A crowd was gathering now to hear the fun

The reefers tumbled out, the men laid aft,

o in - The C ok bl ked , cleaning a mess kid in the sun . W ’ hat s up with Dauber now said everyone . “ Someone has spoiled my drawings— look at this l”

’ G o d Well , that s a dirty trick , by , it is

“ - It is, said Sam , a low down dirty trick , l ’ To spoi a fellow s work in such a way,

And if you catch him , Dauber, punch him sick ,

w ho For he deserves it, be he he may .

his A seaman shook old head wise and grey .

” ’ w ho u It seems to me , he said, ain t no j dge,

’ r Them d awings look much better now they re smudge .

? - ? Where were they, Dauber On the deck house Where

- Under the long boat , in a secret place .

The blackguard must have seen you put them there . H e is a swine "I tell him to his face

" " w e d I didn t think anyone so base .

’ . w as ix Nor I , said Dauber There s weeks time

" " J ust wasted in these d rawings "i t s a crime 1

I 5 DAUBER

" ” sa Well , don t you y we did it, growled his mates

And as for crime, be damned the things were smears

Best overboard , like you , with shot for weights

’ Thank God they re gone, and now go shake your ears .

The Dauber listened , very near to tears . ” Sam Dauber, if I were you , said again,

’

see . I d aft, and the Captain and complain

A sigh came from the assembled seamen there . Would he be such a fool for their delight As go to tell the Captain Would he dare ?

? And would the thunder roar, the lightning smite

There was the Captain come to take a sight,

- Handling his sextant by the chart house aft .

The Dauber turned , the seamen thought him daft .

— The Captain took his sights a mate below

Noted the times they shouted to each other, ” ta The Cap in quick with Stop , the answer slow ,

Repeating slowly one height then another .

The swooping clipper stumbled through the smother,

The ladder brasses in the sunlight burned,

D i the The auber wa ted till Captain turned . 16 DAUBER

There stood the Dauber, humbled to the bone , i Wait ng to speak . The Captain let him wait ,

Glanced at the course, and called in even tone ,

? What is the man there wanting, Mr . M ate

The logship clattered on the grating straight ,

The reel rolled to the scuppers with a clatter ,

“ ’ The Mate came grim Well , Dauber, what s matter

P i . lease , s r they spoiled my drawings ” d id They .

’ ? “ ’ Who s they I don t quite know , sir . ’ ? Don t quite know , sir

Then why are you aft to talk about it, hey ? ’ ” ? Whom d yon complain of ? No one . No one N o . , sir

’ G o . Well , then , go forward till you ve found them ,

sir .

’

I ll . l f you complain of someone , then see Now get to hell "and don ’ t come bothering

me . 17 DAUBER

B Si r o ff ut, , they washed them , and some they cut . L ” “ m ook here , sir, how they spoiled them . Never ind .

G o shove your head inside the scuttle butt,

And that will make you cooler . You will find N ’ othing like water when you re mad and blind .

Where were the drawings in your chest, or where

- sir Under the long boat, 3 I put them there .

- ? N Under the long boat , hey ow mind your tip. " I ll have the skids kept clear with nothing round them ;

’ - The long boat ain t a store in this here ship .

’ Lucky for you it wasn t I who found them .

’ If I had seen them , Dauber, I d have drowned them .

Now you be warned by this . I tell you plain

’ - Don t stow your brass rags under boats again .

Go forward to your berth . The Dauber turned .

The listeners down below them winked and smiled,

’ K nowing how red the Dauber s temples burned ,

Having lost the case about his only child .

w n d efiled His work as done to nothi g and , And there was no redress "the Captain ’ s voice

Spoke , and called Painter, making him rej oice . 1 8

DAUBER

- ear Your place is in the round house , and your g B ? elongs where you belong . Who spoiled your things

w ho Find out spoiled your things and fetch him here . B ut, sir , they cut the canvas into strings .

I want no argument nor questionings .

Go back where you belong and say no more ,

’

And please remember that you re not on shore .

The Dauber touched his brow and slunk away

They eyed his going with a bitter eye .

Dauber, said Sam , what did the Captain say

The Dauber drooped his head without reply .

”

G o . forward , Dauber, and enjoy your cry The Mate limped to the rail ; like little feet

n r fa oint s Over his head the drummi g ee p beat .

The Dauber reached the berth and entered in .

M uch mockery followed after as he went, And each face seemed to greet him with the grin

n Of hou ds hot following on a creature spent .

’ ? ” Aren t you a fool each mocking visage meant . ? ? Who did it, Dauber What did Captain say

’ ”

and . It is a crime , there ll be hell to pay

20 D A UBE R

H e bowed his head , the house was full of smoke

i w as The Sa ls pointing shackles on his chest .

o L rd , Dauber, be a man and take a j oke ff He pu ed his pipe and let the matter rest .

son Spit brown , my , and get a hairy breast

G et c ro i ck shoulders on you at the j braces ,

And let this painting business go to blazes .

What good can painting d o to anyone ?

’ I don t say never do it ; far from that

No harm in sometimes painting j ust for fun .

’ Keep it for fun , and stick to what you re at .

’ Your j ob s to fill your bones up and get fat ; B ’ Rib up like arney s bull , an d thick your neck .

Throw paints to hell , boy you belong on deck .

" ’ r That s ight , said Chips ; it s downright good

ad vice .

" Painting s no good w hat good can pai nting do

U f me p on a lower topsail stif with ,

With all your l ittle fi sh-hooks frozen blue P P " ainting won t help you at the weather clew ,

Nor pass your gaskets for you , nor make sail .

’ l J a l Paintin g s a my j ob not worth a nail .

9 1 DAUBER

The Dauber did not answer ; time was passing .

hi . H e pulled his easel out, his paints, s stool

w as The wind dropping, and the sea was glassing

New realms of beauty waited for his rule

ro ick The draught out of the c j kept him cool .

sat a He to p int , alone and melancholy.

“ ” “ feels C No turning , the hips said, from their ” folly .

He dipped his brush and tried to fix a line,

ce And then came pea , and gentle beauty came,

’ i Turning his Spirit s water into W ne , Lightening his darkness with a touch of flame 0 , j oy of trying for beauty, ever the same ,

You never fail , your comforts never end

’ O , balm of this world s way O , perfect friend I I I

T HE" lost the Trades soon after ; then came calm ,

Light little gusts and rain , which soon increased

To glorious northers shouting out a psalm

At s eeing the bright blue water silver fleeced

H ornw a rds . she rushed , trampling the seas to yeast

’ There fell a rain-squall in a blind day s end

When for an hour the Dauber found a friend .

th e d Out of rain the voices called and passe ,

a f a The st ysails logged , the t ckl e yanked and shook .

Inside the harness -room a lantern cast

i as its Light and w ld shadows it ranged hook .

w as The watch on deck gathered in the nook ,

They had taken shelter in that secret place ,

Wild light gave wild emotions to each face.

23 D AUBER

O ne - beat the beef cask , and the others sang A song that had brought anchors out of seas

In ports where bells of Christians never rang,

sea Nor any mark blazed among the trees . B y forlorn swamps , in ice , by windy keys, That song had sounded now it shook the air

From these eight wanderers bro ught together there

- Under the poop break , sheltering from the rain ,

The Dauber sketched some likeness of the room, A note to be a prompting to his brain , A Spark to make old memory reillume

Dauber, said someone near him in the gloom ,

How goes it , Dauber It was reefer Si .

’ a r There s not much use in trying to keep y .

sat - d They upon the sail room oorway coaming,

The lad held forth like youth , the Dauber listened

To how the boy had had a taste for roaming,

’ And what the sea is said to be and isn t .

l w et l Where the dim amplight fell the deck g istened ,

w as Si said the Horn still some weeks away ,

’ B e n ? Eh ut tell m , Dauber , where d yo hail from 24 D AUBER The rain blew past and let the stars appear

The seas grew larger as the moonlight grew a For h lf an hour the ring of heaven was clear ,

Dusty with moonlight , grey rather than blue

f w In that great moon the showing stars were e .

’ -b o v s The sleepy time feet passed overhead . G ” I come from out past loucester, Dauber said 3

P Not far from auntley, if you know those parts ; H ill The place is Spital Farm , near Silver ,

- - Above a trap hatch where a mill stream starts . i ’ We had the m ll once , but we ve stopped the mill ,

My dad and sister keep the farm on still .

’ ’ We re only tenants , but we ve rented there ,

Father and son , for over eighty year.

Father has worked the farm since grand fer went

’ It means the world to him I can t think w hy

- They bleed him to the last hal f crown for rent ,

d r And thi s and that hav e almost milked him y .

" ’ The land s all starved ; if he d put money by ,

- a nd w as . And corn was up, rent d own two thirds

’ " B . ut then they aren t , so what s the use of words

25 DAUBER

Yet still he couldn ’ t bear to see it pass

To strangers , or to think a time would come

m en w When other than us ould mow the grass,

And other names than ours have the home .

Some sorrows come from evil thought, but some

Comes when two men are near, and both are blind

’ To what is generous in the other s mind .

I was the only boy, and father thought

’ I d farm the Spital after he was dead , And many a time he took me out and taught

- About manures and seed corn white and red ,

’ And soils and hops , but I d an empty head ;

Harvest or seed , I would not do a turn

’

r . I loathed the farm , I didn t want to lea n

He did not mind at first, he thought it youth

Feeling the collar, and that I should change .

Then time gave him some inklings of the truth ,

e And that I loathed the farm , and wished to rang

’ Truth to a man of fifty s always strange ;

It w as most strange and terrible to him i ’ That I , his heir, should be the dev l s limb . 26

D AUBER

Your mother used to walk here , boy , with me

It was her favourite walk down to the mill ;

w ’ d And there e talk how little death would be ,

Knowing our work was going on here still .

’ o u You ve got the brains, y only want the will

’ Don t disappoint your mother and your father .

’ ’ ’ I ll give you time to travel , if you d rather .

B ’ ut, no, I d wander up the brooks to read .

u Then sister Jane wo ld start with nagging tongue,

’ Saying my sin made father s heart to bleed ,

’ she see And how feared she d live to me hung .

’

t . And then she d read me bi s from Dr Young .

sit And when we three would to supper, Jane

fi lli i d ad Would p dad t ll began again .

’ all f I ve been here my li e , boy . I was born — Up in the room above looks on the mead .

’ I never thought you d cockle my clean corn ,

’ And leave the old home to a stranger s seed . Father and I have made here ’ thout a weed ’ E We ve give our lives to make that . ighty years .

no w And I go down to the grave in tears .

28 DAUBER

’ s o ff And then I d get a hamed and take coat ,

And work maybe a week , ploughing and sowing ’ m And then I d creep away and sail y boat,

w a Or watch the water when the mill s going . ’ — That s my delight to be near water flowing,

Dabbling or sailing boats or j umping stanks,

’ n i Or fi d ng moorhens nests along the banks.

’ And one day father found a ship I d built ;

- H e took the cart whip to me over that ,

And I , half mad with pain , and sick with guilt,

w e fl Went up and hid in what called the at,

A dusty hole given over to the cat .

She kittened there ; the kittens had worn paths

Among the cobwebs , dust, and broken laths .

And putting down my hand between the beams " I felt a l eathery thing, and pulled it clear A b ook with white cocoons stuck in the seams,

Where spiders had had nests for many a year .

’ w as - It my mother s sketch book hid , I fear, " Le d ad st should ever see it . Mother s life

’ W as not her own while she was father s wife .

9 0 DAUBER

There were her drawings, dated, pencilled faint .

r - Ma ch was the last one, eighteen eighty three ,

Unfinished that , for tears had smeared the paint .

w as The rest landscape, not yet brought to be . That was a holy afternoon to me

That book a sacred book the flat a plac e W here I could meet my mother face to face .

She had found peace of spirit, mother had, Drawing the landscape from the attic there

- Heart broken , often, after rows with dad ,

Hid like a wild thing in a secret lair .

That rotting sketch - book showed me how an d where

I , too, could get away ; and then I knew

wa s That drawing the work I longed to do .

Drawing became my life . I drew, I toiled , And every penny I could get I spent

’ On paints and artist s matters , which I spoiled

’ Up in the attic to my heart s content, Till one day father asked me what I meant

The time had come, he said, to make an end . Now it must finish "what did I intend ? 3 0 D AUBER

E ither I took to farming, like his son ,

s and In which ca e he would teach me, early late

i w as (Prov ded that my daubing mood done) ,

Or I must go it must be settled straight .

If I refused to farm, there was the gate .

w as to I choose, his patience was all gone,

e The present stat of things could not go on .

w as Sister there ; she eyed me while he spoke .

The kitchen clock ran down and struck the hour,

’ A nd i someth ng told me father s heart was broke,

o s t For all he stood s e and looked so sour .

o Jane to k a duster, and began to scour

A pewter on the dresser ; she was crying . t I s ood stock still a long time, not replying .

Dad waited , then he snorted and turned round .

’ Well , think of it , he said . H e left the room,

H is boots went C lop along the stony ground

- Out to the orchard and the apple bloom .

A cloud came past the su n and made a gloom ;

d r I swallowed with y lips , then sister turned .

w as She dead white but for her eyes that burned .

3 ] DAUBER

’ ’ You re breaking father s heart , Joe, she began

’ It s not as if she check ed , in too much pain .

’ O , Joe, don t help to kill so fine a man

’ You re giving him our mother over again .

’ It s wearing him to death , Joe, heart and brain ; You know what store he sets on leaving this

’ To (it s too cruel ) to a son of his .

0 Yet you go painting all the day . , Joe, Couldn ’ t you make an effort ? Can ’ t you see

’ What folly it is of yours ? It s not as tho ugh

You are a genius, or could ever be .

’ O , Joe, for father s sake, if not for me,

Give up this craze for painting, and be wise

’ And work with father, where your duty Iies .

’ ‘ It goes too deep, I said ; I loathe the farm ;

’ ’ I couldn t hel p, even if I d the mind . E if I l ’ ven he ped , I d only do him harm ;

see Father would it, if he were not blind .

I was not built to farm, as he would find .

’ 0 it s l , Jane , bitter hard to stand a one

’ ’ And spoil my father s life or spoil my ow n . 3 2 DAUBER

’ ’ o Spoil b th , she said , the way you re shaping now .

’ n You re only a boy not k owing your own good . ? Where will you go, suppose you leave here How

Do you propose to earn your daily food ?

’ Draw ? Daub the pa vements ? There s a feckless brood

Goes to the devil daily , Joe , in cities

Only from thinking how divine their wit is .

Clouds are they , without water, carried away .

’ ’ u And yo ll be one of them , the way you re going, i Daubing at S lly pictures all the day,

’ And praise d by silly fools who re always blowing .

o a - And you cho se this when you might go sowing,

Casting the good co rn into chosen mould

’ shall i That in time br ng forth a hundredfold .

So we went on , but in the end it ended . I ’d I I felt done a murder ; felt sick . " There s much in human minds cannot be mended ,

ha And t t, not I , play ed d ad a cruel trick .

r w as " The e one mercy that it end ed quick .

’ I went to join my mother s brother "he h t w as . Lived down e Severn . He kind to me 3 3 3 DAUBER

- And there I learned house painting for a living . " I I d have been happy there , but that knew I ’ d sinned before my father past forgiving,

And that they sat at home, that silent two,

Wearing the fire out and the evening through ,

Silent, defeated, broken, in despair,

My plate unset, my name gone, and my chair .

“ I saw all that ; and sister Jane came w hite

White as a ghost, with fiery, weeping eyes .

saw I her all day long and half the night ,

Bitter as gall , and passionate and wise .

‘ " Joe , you have killed your father there he lies . — ’ You have done your work you with our mother s

’ ways .

She said it plain , and then her eyes would blaze .

And then one day I had a j ob to do

Down below bridge, by where the docks begin,

A nd saw there I a clipper towing through ,

Up from the sea that morning, entering in .

sh e w as Raked to the nines , lofty and thin ,

rufllin H er ensign g red, her bunts in pile,

u Bea ty and strength together, wonder, style . 3 4

DAUBER

’ " u n And n ow I ve shipped as Da ber I ve begu .

’ It w as hard work to find a dauber s berth ; " I hadn t any friends to find me one,

ma Only my skill , for what it y be worth

’ B sea ut I m at now , going about the earth ,

’ ’ ofl And when the ship s paid , when we return ,

’ " I ll j oin some Paris studio and learn .

He stopped , the air came moist, Si did not speak ;

The Dauber turned his eyes to where he sat,

- Pressing the sail room hinges with his cheek,

H is face half covered with a drooping hat .

- H uge dewdrops from the stay sails dropped and spat.

Si did not stir, the Dauber touched his sleeve

A little birdlike noise came from a sheave.

w as calm Si asleep , sleeping a deep sleep, Still as a warden of the Egyptian dead

In some old haunted temple buri ed deep U nder the desert sand , sterile and red .

his arm The Dauber shook ; Si j umped and said ,

" sa Good yarn , I swear I y, you have a brain ” W as ? that eight bells that went He slept again . 3 6 DAUBER

“ ’ Then waking up, I ve had a nap , he cried .

W as that one bell What , Dauber, you still here

“ ’ “ ” Si there the Mate s voice called . Sir, he replied .

’ T h e order made the lad s thick vision clear

’ A something in the Mate s voice made him fea r .

“ ” “ ’ Si , said the Mate , I hear you ve made a friend

’

a b . D u er, in short . That friendship s got to end

’ u c boa You re a yo ng gentleman . Your pla e a rd

Is with the gentlemen abaft the m ast .

" ’ You re lea rnin g to command you can t afford

’ To yarn with any man. But there it s past .

’ You ve done it once let this time be the last .

’ is a e . The Daub r s place forward Do it ag in, I ’ i ll put you bunk ng forward with the m en .

” i Dism ss . Si went, but Sam , beside the Mate , i T mekeeper there , walked with him to the rail

And whispe red him the menace of You wait Word s which have turned full many a reefer pale

The watch w as changed ; the watch on deck trimmed

sa il .

e a Sam , going b low , c lled al l the reefers down ,

Sat in his bunk and eyed them with a frown . 3 7 DAUBER

“ ’ - Si here, he said , has soiled the half deck s name

’ a — h T lking to Dauber Dauber, the s ip s clout . f A reefer takes the Dauber for a lame,

- a - The half deck t ke the round house walking out .

’ ’ - H e s soiled the half deck s honour now, no doubt,

The Bosun and his mates will come here sneaking ,

Asking for smokes , or blocking gangways speaking .

’ n I m not a vai man , given to blow or boast

’ I m not a proud man, but I truly feel That while I ’ve bossed this mess and ruled this roast

’ ’ half~ d eck I ve kept this hooker s damned genteel .

ask Si must pardon, or be made to squeal .

n Down on your knees, dog ; them we love we chaste . ” son— ln E Jao, pasea , my nglish , Hasten .

Si begged for pardon , meekly kneeling down

’ Before the reefer s mess assembled grim .

The lamp above them smoked the glass all brown ;

B eyond the door the dripping sails were dim .

The Dauber passed the door ; none Spoke to him .

his H e sought berth and slept, or, waking, heard

- — R . ain on the deck house rain, no other word 3 8 I V

O UT of the air a time of quiet came ,

Ca lm fell upon the heaven like a drow th f The brass sky watched the brassy water lame.

Drowsed as a snail the clipper loitered south

m o nt h Slowly , with no white bone across her ,

r No ushing glory, like a queen made bold ,

she The Dauber strove to draw her as rolled .

There the four leaning spires of canvas rose, i Royals and skysails lift ng, gently lifting,

White like the brightness that a great fi sh blows When billows are at peace and ships are drifting k i With mighty j er s that set the shadows shift ng, Th e courses tugged their tethers a bl ue haze

r f D i ted like ghosts of flocks come down to graze . 3 9 DAUBER

sk lin e There the great v made her perfect round , Notched now and then by the sea ’ s deeper blue

- A smoke smutch marked a steamer homeward bound, The haze wrought all things to intenser hue In tingling impotence the Dauber drew

r As all men draw , keen to the shaken sou

To give a hint that might suggest the whol e .

A naked seaman washing a red shirt

Sat at a tub whistling between his teeth ;

Co n i mplai ng blocks quavered like something hurt .

a A s ilor cut an old boot for a sheath ,

- The ship bowed to her shadow ship beneath , And little slaps of spray came at the roll

- - On to the deck planks from the scupper hole .

ti n as a H e watched it, pain g patiently, p ints i ’ With eyes that pierce beh nd the blue sky s veil ,

The Benedictine in a Book of Saints

Watching the passing of the Holy Grai l ;

r The g een dish dripping blood , the trump, the hail ,

r an d The spears that pass , the memo y the passion, w ’ The beauty moving under this orld s fashion . 4 0 DAUBER

as But he painted, slowly , man by man ,

The se amen gathered near the Bosun stood

n Be hind him, j eeri g ; then the Sails began

w o d Snigge ring with comment that it as not g o .

fl his o d Chips icked sketch with little scraps of wo ,

“ - Saying , That hit the top knot, every time .

’

e . Cook mock d , My lovely drawings it s a crime

Slowly the men came nearer, till a crowd

o o St d at his elbow , muttering as he drew ; B The osun , turning to them, spoke aloud,

This is the ship that never got there . You

’ o Lo k at her here, what Dauber s trying to do .

" - Look at her lummy, like a Christmas tree .

’ ? That thing s a ship ; he calls this painting . See

a Seeing the crowd , the Mate c me forward ; then ” a Bo " Sir , s id the sun , come and see the sight

’ Here s Dauber makes a circus for the men . — ’ H e calls this thing a shi p this hell s delight "

" ’ a r Man , s id the Mate, you ll never get her ight ” o Daubing like that , L ok here l H e took a brush . b ’ Now , Dau er , watch ; I ll put you to the blush .

4 1 D A UBER

o h N o w L ok ere . Look there . watch this ship o f

n mi e .

He drew her swiftly from a memory stored .

God, sir, the Bosun said , you do h er fine ” A a " y, s id the Mate, I do so, by the Lord I ’ ll paint a ship with any man aboard .

They hung about his sketch like beasts at bait . ” There now, I taught him painting, said the Mate .

When he had gone , the gathered men dispersed Yet two or three still lingered to dispute

’ r What e rors made the Dauber s work the worst .

They probed his want of knowledge to the root . ’ t Bei Gott they swore , der Dauber cannot do ;

k noli ch H e haf no how to put der pense .

’ Der Mate s is goot . Der Dauber haf no sense .

You hear the Bosun cried, you cannot do it A ” gospel truth , the Cook said, true as hell

And wisdom, Dauber , if you only knew it ; ” A five year boy would do a ship as well .

’ h O e If that s the kind of thing you p to sell ,

G . od help you, echoed Chips I tell you true,

’ The job s beyond you , Dauber drop it , do .

4 2

D A UB ER

a — You c nnot understand that you, and you ,

And you , you Bosun . You can stand and j eer,

is That the task your spirit fits you to,

can That you understand and hold most dear .

Grin , then , like collars , ear to donkey ear,

But let me daub . Try , you , to understand

’ ta e Which sk will b ar the light best on God s hand .

4 4 V

T H E wester came as steady as the Trades ;

B i i r ghtly it blew, and still the ship d d shoulder

’ The b rilliance of the water s white cockades

Into the milky green of smoky smoulder .

The sky grew bluer and the air grew colder . i Southward she thundered wh le the westers held , b i Proud , with taut r dles , pawing, but compelled .

And still the Dauber strove , though all men mocked ,

To draw the splendour of the passing thing,

ed And dee p inside his heart a something lock .

- Lo e to i ng pricking in him, now b gan st ng

A fear of the d i sas te rs sto rm might b ring ;

His rank as painter would be ended then

He would keep watch and watch like other men .

4-5 DAUBER

A nd go aloft with them to man the yard

When the great ship was rolling scuppers under,

Burying her snout all round the compass card , While the green water struck at her and stunned her

- When the lee rigging slacked , when one long thunder B oomed from the black to windward, when the sail Booted and spurred the devil in the gale

For him to ride on men "that w as the time

The Dauber dreaded ; then the test would come,

- When seas, half frozen , slushed the decks with slime , And all the air was blind with flying scum W hen the drenched sails were furled , when the fierce hum In weather riggings died into the roar

’ Of God s eternal never tamed by shore .

h a d. Once in the passage he worked aloft,

Shifting her suits one summer afternoon ,

In the bright Trade wind, when the wind was soft,

Shaking the points , making the tackle croon .

’ B ut that w as child s play to the future "soon He would be ordered up w hen sails and spars fl Were ying and going mad among the stars .

4 6 DAUBER

H e had been scared that first time, daunted, thrilled,

N o t by the height so much as by the size, And then the danger to the man unskilled

In standing on a rope that runs through eyes . ” B in w ut a storm, he thought, the yards ill rise ” And l " rol together down , and snap their gear

The sweat came cold upon his palms for fear .

Sometimes in Gloucester he had felt a pang

- Swingi ng below the house eaves on a stage .

B ut sta ges carry rails ; here he would hang

’ r Upon a j erking rope in a sto m s rage , Ducked that the sheltering oilskin might assuage

The beating of the storm , clutching the j ack , B eating the sail , and being beaten back .

d Drenched , frozen , gasping, blinde , beaten dumb, i High in the night , reeling great blind ng arcs

c li a As the ship rolled , his ppy fingers numb ,

w The deck below a narro bl ur of marks ,

w eltc r The sea a of whiteness shot with sparks, d Now snapping up in bursts , now ying away , i Salting the hor zontal snow with spray . 4 7 DAUBER

A f hundred and fi ty feet above the deck,

o sit And there , while the ship rolls , b ldly to

o - Upon a fo t rope moving, j erk and check, While half a dozen seamen work on it ; w it H eld by one hand , straining, by strength and

’ To toss a gasket s coil around the yard,

How co uld he compass that when blowing hard ?

And if he failed in any least degree,

r n Or falte ed for an i stant , or showed slack ,

He might go drown himself within the sea,

A ’ i nd add a bubble to the clipper s track .

his w as He had signed name , there no turning

fo r — No pardon default this must be done .

o sea One ir n rule at binds everyone .

Till now he had been treated with contempt

u As neither man nor thing , a creat re borne

’ On the ship s articles, but left exempt

’ a m n s r From all the se e life except thei scorn .

B o ff ut he would rank as seaman the Horn,

as Work a seaman , and be kept or cast

By standards se t for men before the mast . 4 8 DAUBER

Even now they shifted suits of sails ; they bent

The storm -su i t ready for the expected time The mighty wester that the Plate had lent

Had th brought them far into e wintry clime .

At dawn, out of the shadow , there was rime,

The dim Magellan Clouds were frosty clear,

- The Wind had edge , the testing time was near .

And then he wondered if the tales were lies

Told by old hands to terrify the new, E For, since the ship left ngland , only twice

Had there been need to start a sheet or clew ,

Then only royals , for an hour or two,

And no seas broke aboard , nor was it cold . What were these gales of which the stories told

B The thought went by . H e had heard the osun tell

T oo often , and too fiercely , not to know

That being o iT the H o m in J une is hell

Hell of continual toil in ice and snow , Frostbitten hell in which the westers blow

f r Sh rieking o days on end , in which the seas

G ulf the starved seam en till their marrows freeze . 4 9 a D AUBER

w as Such the weather he might look to find , Such was the work expected "there remained

set Firmly to his teeth, resolve his mind ,

And be the first , however much it pained ,

And bring his honour round the Horn unstained ,

’ w in And his mates respect and thence, untainted ,

B m an e ranked as however much he painted .

He drew deep breath a gantline swayed aloft

A lower topsail , hard with rope and leather, Such as men ’ s frozen fingers fight with oft B elow the Ramirez in Cape Horn weather .

The arms upon the yard hove all together , Lighting the head along a thought occurred Within the painter’ s brain like a bright bird

’ so That this, and much like it, of man s toil ,

o C mpassed by naked manhood in strange places,

all Was heroic, but outside the coil

Within which modern art gleams or grimaces ; That if he drew that line of sailors ’ faces

Sweating the sail , their passionate play and change,

It would be new, and wonderful , and strange . 50

DAUBER

That night the snow fell between six and seven .

A little feathery fal l so light , so dry

A n aimless dust out of a confused heaven, Upon an air no steadier than a sigh

The po wder dusted down and wandered by

So purposeless, so many, and so cold ,

Then died , and the wind ceased and the ship rolled .

l — Rolled ti l she clanged rolled till the brain was tired,

Marking the acme of the heaves, the pause

- reS ired While the sea beauty rested and p ,

Drinking great draughts of roller at her hawse .

Flutters of snow came aimless upon flaws . ” o L ck up your paints , the Mate said, speaking light

’ This is the Horn ; you ll join my watch to -night

52 VI

s A u . through the windles night the clipper rolled

In a great swell with oily grad u al heaves

- Which rolled her down until her time bells tolled ,

Clang, and the weltering water moaned like beeves .

The thundering rattle of slatting shook the sheaves,

a r s St tle of water made the swing ports gush ,

The sea w as moaning and sighing and sayi ng H u s h "

l w as a P e i t all black and st rless . e r ng down

t i o In o the water , trying to p erce the glo m ,

sa w i One a dim , smooth , oily gl tter of brown Heaving and dying away and leaving room

For yet another . Like the march of doom

Came those great powers of marching silences ;

d - hid Then fog came down , ead cold , and the seas .

53 DAUBER

They set the Dauber to the foghorn . There

o He sto d upon the poop, making to sound

’ Out of the pump the sailors nasal blare, i Listen ng lest ice should make the note resound . She bayed there like a solitary hound

all Lost in a covert ; the watch she bayed.

o clo selier The fog, c me down , no answer made .

Denser it grew, until the ship was lost .

The elemental hid her ; she was merged

’ m u fllin s In g of dark death , like a man s ghost ,

New to the change of death , yet thither urged . Then from the hidden waters something surged

Mournful , despairing, great, greater than speech ,

A noise like one slow wave on a still beach .

Mournful , and then again mournful , and still O ut of the night that mighty voice arose

The Dauber at his foghorn felt the thrill . Who rode that desolate sea ? What forms were those ? i Mournful , from th ngs defeated , in the throes

- Of memory of some conquered hunting ground , h O u t of t e night of death arose the sound .

5 4 DAUBER

Whales said the mate . They stayed there all night long

. O u t Answering the horn of the night they spoke ,

w h o ff Defeated creatures had su ered wrong, B ut were still noble underneath the stroke .

They filled the darkness w hen the Dauber woke ;

The men came peering to the rail to hear,

And the sea sighed, and the fog rose up sheer.

i ’ A wall of noth ng at the world s last edge , “ h ere no life came except defeated life .

The Dauber fel t shut in within a hedge , B ehind which form was hidden and thought was rife, i And that a bl nding flash , a thrust, a knife W ould sweep the hedge away and make all plain , B rilliant beyond all words, blinding the brain .

So the night past, but then no morning broke t Only a some hing showed that night was dead .

- A sea bird , cackling like a devil , spoke ,

fo i And the g drew away and hung l ke lead . L f ike mighty cli fs it shaped , sullen and red ; Li ke glowering gods at watch it did appear,

r And sometimes drew away , and then drew nea . 55 DAUBER

Like islands, and like chasms , and like hell ,

But always mighty and red , gloomy and ruddy , Shutting the visible sea in like a well

Slow heaving in vast ripples , blank and muddy,

W su n here the should have risen it streaked bloody .

The dav was still -born all the sea -fowl scattering

Splashed the still water, mewing, hovering, clattering .

P Then olar snow came down little and light ,

w as Till all the sky hidden by the small , Most m ultitudinous drift of dirty white Tumbling and wavering down and covering all

sk sea a Covering the y , the , the clipper t ll ,

s Furring the ropes with white, casing the ma t,

n Co mi g on no known air, but blowing past .

And all the air seemed full of gradual moan ,

As though in those cloud - chasms the horns were blowing

r The mort for gods cast out and ove thrown,

Or for the eyeless su n plucked out and going . Slow the low grad ual moan came in the snow ing ;

The Dauber felt the prelude had begun .

The snowsto rm fluttered by ; he saw the sun 56 D A UBER

Show and pass by, gleam from one towering prison l nto another, vaster and more grim , Which in dull crags of darkness had arisen

f - To muf le to a final door on him .

The gods upon the dull crags lowered dim ,

The pigeons chattered , quarrelling in the track .

I n - the south west the dimness dulled to black .

Then came the cry of Call all hands on deck

The Dauber knew its meaning i t w as come

Cape H orn, that tramples beauty into wreck ,

And crumples steel and smites th e strong man dumb . Down clattered flying kites and staysails "some

Sang out in quick , high calls ; the fairleads skirled ,

- a And from the south west c me the end of the world .

a -d B C ught in her ball ress , said the osun , hauling ;

" Le e-a -a y , lee y quick , high , came the men s call

w It as all wallop of sails and startled calling .

“ “ " “ ” “ ” Let fly " Le t go " Clew up "and Let go all "

s u s Now up and mak e them fa t Here , give a haul

’ Now up and stow them " "uick " By G o d we re done

The blackness crunched all memory of the sun . 57 DAUBER

Up said the Mate . Mizen topgallants . H urry

The Dauber ran, the others ran , the sails Slatted and shook out of the black a flurry W hirled in fine lines, tattering the edge to trails . Painting and art and England were old tales

Told in some other life to that pale man,

r l Who st uggled with white fear and gu ped and ran .

He struck a ringbolt in his haste and fell

- Rose, sick with pain , half lamed in his left knee H e reached the shrouds where clambering men pell mell

H ustled each other up and cursed him ; he H urried aloft with them "then from the sea

Came a cold , sudden breath that made the hair f Sti f on the neck , as though Death whispered there .

A man below him punched him in the side . ” Get up, you Dauber, or let me get past .

aw H e s the belly of the skysail skied ,

Gulped , and clutched tight, and tried to go more fast .

Sometimes he missed his ratline and was grassed,

Scraped his shin raw against the rigid line .

’ - The clamberers reached the futtock shrouds incline . 58

DAUBER

The yard was shaking , for a brace was loose .

He felt that he would fall ; he cl utched, he bent , Clammy with natural terror to the shoes

While idiotic promptings came and went .

Snow fluttered o n a wind- flaw and was spent

He saw the water darken . Someone yelled,

’ Frap it ; don t stay to furl Hold on He held

- — in Darkness came down half darkness a whirl ,

The sky went out, the waters disappeared . He felt a shocking pressure of blowing hurl

The ship upon her side . The darkness speared

a she At her with wind she st ggered , careered ,

Then down she lay . The Dauber felt her go ; hi H e saw s yard tilt downwards . Then the snow

all —d Whirled about ense, multitudinous, cold

’ M ixed with the Wind s one devilish thrust and shriek ,

’ W w hiflled hich out men s tears , deafened, took hold ,

n a Flattening the flyi g drift gainst the cheek .

The yards buckled and bent, man could not speak.

’ The ship lay on her broadside ; the Wind s sound

Had devilish malice at having got her downed .

i X- it x- -x

60 DAUBE R

How l ong the gale had blown he could not tell,

Only the world had changed , his life had died .

A moment now was everlasting hell .

Nature an onslaught from the weather side,

A withering rush of death , a frost that cried ,

Shrieked , till he withered at the heart ; a hail

P s s la tered his oilskin with an icy mail .

" — " . Cut yelled his mate H e looked the sail was gone,

Blown into rags in the first furious squall

’ The tatters drummed the devil s tattoo . On

The buckling yard a block thumped like a mall . — ’ The ship lay the sea smote her, the wind s bawl

“ Came , loo , loo, loo The devil cried his hounds

his On to the poor spent stag strayed in bounds .

“ ” u t " " C Ease her yelled his mate ; the Dauber heard .

r His mate wo med up the tilted yard and slashed , i i A rag of ca nvas sk mmed l ke a darting bird .

The h snow whirled , the s ip bowed to it, the gear

lashed ,

T he sea-t0 ps were cut off and flung down smas hed ;

F he at rs of shouts were flung , the rags of yells

a tw o . And clang, cl ng , clang, below beat the bells

6 1 DAUBER

O God the Dauber moaned . A roaring rang , Blasting the royals like a cannonade

The backstays parted with a cracking clang , The upper Spars w ere snapped like twigs decayed

Snapped at their heels , their j agged splinters splayed,

Like white and ghastly hair erect with fear .

The Mate yelled, Gone , by God, and pitched them clear

Up yelled the bosun ; up and clear the wreck " The Dauber followed where he led below H e caught one giddy glimpsing of the deck

u . Filled with white water, as tho gh heaped with snow H e saw the streamers of the rigging blow

Straight out like pennons from the splintered mast,

Then , all sense dimmed, all was an icy blast

Roaring from nether hell and filled with ice , i Roar ng and crashing on the j erking stage,

An utter bridle given to utter vice, Limitless power mad with endless rage

Withering the soul ; a minute seemed an age .

He clutched and hacked at ropes , at rags of sail , Thinking that comfort was a fairy -tale 62 DAUBE R

— — Told long ago long, long ago long since

i n — Heard of other lives imagined, dreamed There where the basest beggar was a prince

To him in torment where the tempest screamed ,

Co mfort and warmth and c ase no longer seemed

Things that a man could know soul , body, brain ,

Knew nothing but the wind, the cold , the pain .

” Leave that I the Bosun shouted Croj ick save

cro ick The splitting j , not yet gone to rags,

Thundered below , beating till something gave ,

Bellying between its buntlines into bags . " Some birds were blown past, shrieking dark , like shags,

Their backs seemed , looking down . Leu , leu

they cried . h s e . The ship lay, the seas thumped her ; had died

c r0 i ck They reached the j yard , which buckled , buckled

’

Like a thin whalebone to the topsail s strain .

They laid upon the yard and heaved and knuckled , P ounding the sail , which j angled and leapt again .

w as in I t q uite hard with ice, its rope like cha , i Its strength l ke seven devils ; it shook the mast . They cursed and toiled and froze "a long time passed 68 DAUBER

dim Two hours passed , then a lightening came . Those frozen ones upon the yard could see

The mainsail and the foresail still the same ,

Still battling with the han ds and blowing free,

Rags tattered where the staysails used to be . The lower topsails stood the ship ’ s lee deck

Seethed with four feet of water filled with wreck.

An hour more went by ; the Dauber lost

all All sense of hands an d feet, all sense of B ut of a wind that cut him to the ghost,

And of a frozen fold he had to haul ,

Of heavens that fell and never ceased to fall,

in sea And ran smoky snatches along the ,

- Leaping from crest to wave crest, yelling . H e

e Lost sens of time ; no bells went , but he felt

Ages go over him . At last, at last

’ They frapped the c ringled crojick s icy pelt

In frozen bulge and bunt they made it fast .

Then , scarcely live , they laid in to the mast .

’ i - The Captain s speak ng trumpet gave a blare ,

’ Make fast the topsail , Mister, while you re there . 64 DAUBER

Some seamen cursed , but up they had to go Up to the topsail yard to spend an hour a Stowing a tops il in a blinding snow ,

Which made the strongest man among them cower .

More men came up, the fresh hands gave them power, They stowed the sail then with a rattle of chain

cro ick One half the j burst its bonds again .

-l( 36

They stowed the sail , frapping it round with rope,

Leaving no surface for the wind, no fold,

h - T en down the weather shrouds, half dead , they grope ;

That struggle with the sail had made them old .

Th ey wondered if the c roj ick furl would hold

” ’ “ n Lucky , said one, it didn t spri g the spar . B “ " Lucky , the osun said , lucky We are

She ca me within two shakes of turning top

- r fi ff. Or st ipping all her shroud screws , that rst qui

- Now fish those wash deck buckets out of the slop .

’ ’ H ere s Dauber says he doesn t like Cape Sti ff.

’

s is . Thi isn t wind , man , this only a whiff

sea Hold on , all hands , hold on a , hal f seen ,

a s b u rst and fi - n P u ed , mounted , , lled the main deck gree 65 5 DAUBER

The Dauber felt a mountain of water fall .

It covered him deep, deep, he felt it fill ,

his fi fe- Over head , the deck, the rails, all ,

sh e "uieting the ship, trembled and lay still . Then with a rush and shatter and clanging shrill

Over sh e went ; he saw the water cream

- Over the bitts he saw the half deck stream .

Then in the rush he swirled , over she went

- Her lee rail dipped, he struck , and something gave ;

His legs went throu gh a port as the roll spent

She paused , then rolled , and back the water drave .

He drifted with it as a part of the wave ,

- Drowning, half stunned , exhausted , partly frozen , He struck the booby hatchway then the Bosun

Leaped , seeing his chance , before the next sea burst,

And caught him as he drifted, seized him , held ,

- Up ended him against the bitts, and cursed . “ ’ ’ B This ain t the George s Swimming aths, he yelled ;

Keep on your feet Another grey -back felled

B - The two together, and the ose, half blind ,

“ ’ ” ’ ” O . Spat ne s a j oke, he cursed, but two s unkind 66

DAUBER

B eside the lamp-room door the steward stood

n Ladling it out, and each man came in tur ,

’ so u - Tipped his wester, drank it, grunted Good

And shambled forward , letting it slowly burn .

When all were gone the Dauber lagged astern ,

’ b v Torn his frozen body s lust for heat ,

’ so The liquor s pl easant smell , warm , so sweet,

And by a promise long since made at home w Never to taste strong liquor . Now he kne

The worth of liquor ; now he wanted some .

His frozen body urged him to the brew ; l Yet it seemed wrong, an evi thing to do ” To break that promise . Dauber, said the Mate,

’ ” w h l ? Drink , and turn in, man ; y the hel d ye wait

P ’ lease, sir, I m temperance . Temperance are ? you , hey That ’ s all the more for me So you ’ re for slops ?

’ l s d I thought you d had enough p for to ay .

sh Go to your bunk and ease her when e drops . — " " And damme, steward you brew with two much hops l— Stir up the sugar, man and tell your girl

w as How kind the Mate teaching you to furl . 68 DAUBER

’ Then the Mate drank the remnants , six men s share ,

hi s And ramped into cabin, where he stripped

And danced unclad , and was uproarious there .

n In waltzes with the cabi cat he tripped , Singing in tenor clear that he was pipped

“ w ho That he strove the tempest to disarm, ” -arm Must never first embrail the lee yard ,

w a And that his name s Ginger . Dauber crept

B - ack to the round house, gripping by the rail .

The wind howled by the passionate water leapt ;

The night was all one roaring with the gal e .

Then at the door h e stopped , uttering a wail

His hands were perished numb and bl ue as veins,

He could not turn the knob for both the Spains .

ffl A hand came shu ing aft, dodging the seas, Singing her nut—brown hair between his teeth Taking the ocean ’ s tumult at his ease E ven when th e wash about his thighs did seethe .

His soul w as happy in its happy sheath W " ? ? hat, Dauber, won t it open Fingers cold " "

You ll talk of this time , Dauber , when you re old . (if) D AUBER

H e flung the door half open , and a sea

Washed them both in , over the splashboard , down

You silly, sal t miscarriage sputtered he . " Dauber, pull out the plug before we drown

’ That s spoiled my laces and my velvet gown . ” ? itch Where is the plug Groping in p dark water,

“ ’ " He sang between his teeth The Farmer s Daughter .

It w as pitch dark within there at each roll

The chests slid to the slant ; the water rushed , Making full many a clanging tin pan bowl

- Into the black below bunks as it gushed .

- The dog tired men slept through it ; they were hushed .

The water drained , and then with matches damp

o ff b The man struck heads till e lit the lamp .

Thank you , the Dauber said ; the seaman grinned . ” This isyo ur first foul weather P Yes I thought

’ Up on the yard you hadn t seen much wind .

’ - Them s rotten sea boots , Dauber , that you brought .

’ ” N ow I must cut on deck before I m caught . He went the lamp-flam e smoked he slammed the door ;

A film of water loitered across the floor . 7 0 DAUBER

The Dauber watched it come and watched it go ; H e had had revelation of the lies Cloaking the truth men never choose to know

He could bear witness now and cleanse their eyes . H e had beheld in su ffering he was wise

This was the sea, this searcher of the soul

- This never dying shriek fresh from the Pole .

He shook with cold his hands could not undo

His oilskin buttons , so he shook and sat,

n Watchi g his dirty fingers, dirty blue , Hearing without the hammering tackle slat

Within , the drops from dripping clothes went pat,

n Ru ning in little patters , gentle , sweet,

And Ai , ai went the wind , and the seas beat .

H is bunk was sopping wet ; he clambered in .

his None of his clothes were dry ; fear recurred .

n Cramps bunched the muscles under eath his skin .

w a The great ship rolled unti l the lamp s blurred . H e took his Bible and tried to read a word

Trembled at going aloft again , and then

fi m n Resolved to ght it out and show it to e . 7 1 DAUBER

Faces recurred, fierce memories of the yard ,

The frozen sail , the savage eyes, the j ests,

The oaths of one great seaman syphilis -scarred

The tug of leeches j ammed beneath their chests ,

The buntlines bellying bunts out into breasts .

- so The deck so desolate grey, the sky wild ,

H e fell asleep, and slept like a young child .

B ut not for long ; the cold awoke him soon,

- - The hot ache and the skin cracks and th e cramp,

’ The seas thundering without, the gale s wild tune,

The sopping misery of the blankets damp.

’ A speaking-trumpet roared a sea-boot s stamp

Clogged at the door . A man entered to shout ” A ll hands on deck Arouse here Tumbl e out 1

The caller raised the lamp his oilskins clicked

u As the thin ice pon them cracked and fell .

Rouse out he said . This lamp is frozen wicked .

Rouse out H is accent deepened to a yell . W ’ ’ e re among ice it s blowing up like hell .

’

a . We re going to h nd both topsails Time, I guess,

’ ’ We re sheeted up . Rouse out Don t stay to dress 72 DAUBER

“ I ? Is it cold on deck said Dauber . s it cold

’ n We re sheeted up, I tell you , i ches thick

’ ’ ’ ’ - Th e . fo c sle s like a wedding cake, I m told

Now tumble out , my sons on deck here , quick

Rouse out, away, and come and climb the stick .

’ n - " " I m goi g to call the half deck . Bosun Hey

n " Both topsails comi g in . H eave out Away

r H e went the Dauber tumbled f om his bunk ,

Clutching the side . He heard the wind go past, i Mak ng the great ship wallow as if drunk .

w as There a shocking tumult up the mast . ” " This is the end , he muttered, come at last

’ I ve got to go aloft, facing this cold . " ’ ’ m I can t . I can t . I ll never keep y hold .

I ca nnot face the topsail yard again .

I never guessed what misery it would be .

- The cramps and hot ache made him sick with pain .

sea The ship stopped suddenly from a devilish , h T en , with a triumph of wash , a rush of glee,

The door burst in , and in the water rolled ,

Filling the lower bunks , black , creaming, cold . 7 3 DAUBER

"” The lamp sucked out . Wash went the water back,

w Then in again, flooding ; the Bosun s ore . You useless thing "You Dauber " You lee slack "

G et h eek a oota out, you p Shut the door

- il ai ra You coo y , what are you waiting for — O ut of my way, you thing you useless thing

He slammed the door indignant, clanging the ring .

And then he lit the lamp, drowned to the waist ;

’ H ere s a fine house "Get at the scupper-holes H e bent against it as the water raced

And pull them out to leeward when she rolls .

’ sa They y some kinds of landsmen don t have souls . P I well believe . A ort Mahon baboon

Would make more soul than you got with a spoon.

Down in the icy water Dauber groped

T o find the pl ug the racing water sluiced

Over his head and shoulders as she sloped .

W . ithout , j udged by the sound , all hell was loosed

He felt cold Death about him tightly noosed . That Death was better than the misery there

I ced on the quaking foothold high in air . 7 4

DAUBER " Why, holy sailor, Dauber, you re a man

I took you for a soldier . Up now, come Up on the yards already they began That battle with a gale which strikes men dumb

o The leaping t psail thundered like a drum .

The froze n snow beat in the face like shots .

- The wind spun whipping wave crests into clots .

i So up upon the topsa l yard again ,

’ a e In the gre t tempest s fiercest hour, b gan

’ Probation to the Dauber s soul , of pain

’ Which crowds a century s torment in a span .

For the next month the ocean taught this man,

’ And he , in that month s torment, while she weste d,

W as never warm nor dry , nor full nor rested .

B ut still it blew, or, if it lulled , it rose Within the hour and blew again and still

The water as it burst aboard her froze .

o ff -fi eld ll The wind blew an ice , raw and chi ,

’ n his Daunti g man s body, tampering with will ;

But after thirty days a ghostly sun Gave sickly promise that the storms were done 76 VI I

G REAT u sk A grey sea was r nning up the y,

Desolate birds flew past ; their m ew ings came

’ As that lone water s spiritual cry,

’

I ts . forlorn voice, its essence, its soul s name

as The ship limped in the water if lame . Then in the forenoon watch to a great shout

M il w as . ore sa made , the reefs were shaken out

A slant ca me from the south the singers stood

to Clapped the halliards , hauling to a tune,

as filli d Old the sea, a pto the bloo .

s The upper top ail rose like a balloon . “ V So f . long, Cape Sti f In alparaiso soon ,

as Said one to other , the ship lay over,

n — i Maki g her course again aga n a rover . 7 7 DAUBER

Slowly the sea went down as the wind fell . " 1” Clear rang the songs, H urrah Cape Horn is bet The combless seas were lumping into swell i ’ ’ The leak ng fo c sles were no longer wet .

More sail was made ; the watch on deck was set To cleaning up the ruin broken bare

Below, aloft, about her, everywhere .

- The Dauber, scrubbing out the round house, found

Old pantiles pulped among the mouldy gear, Washed underneath the bunks and long since drowned

During the agony of the Cape Horn year .

He sang in scrubbing, for he had done with fear

Fronted the worst and looked it in the face

- He had got manhood at the testing place .

w Singing he scrubbed, passing his watch belo ,

- Making the round house fair ; the Bosun watched , B i ring ng his knitting slowly to the toe . Sails stretched a mizen skysail which he patched

u They tho ght the Dauber was a bad egg hatched . ” “ ? Daubs, said the Bosun cheerly , can you knit

’ ” B ’ hit I ve made a arney s bull of this last . 7 8 DAUBER

T hen , while the Dauber counted , Bosun took i Some marl ne from his pocket . Here, he said,

n ? You want to know square sen it So fash . Look E ight foxes take, and stop the ends with thread .

’ I ve known an engineer would give hi s head B To know square sennit . As the ose began ,

The Dauber felt promoted into man .

It was h i s warrant that he had not failed

That the most hard part in his d iflicu lt climb

Had not been past attainment it w as sealed i Safe footing showed above the slippery sl me .

He had emerged out of the iron time,

’ And knew that he coul d compass his life s scheme ;

had ffi his H e the power su cient to d ream .

Then dinner came , and now the sky was blue .

w as t t he w as The ship s anding north , I l oru rounded

as She made a thundering she weltered through .

- T he mighty grey backs glittered as she bounded .

More sail w as piled upon her ; sh e was bounded

i i sh e North , wh l e the wind came ; l ke a stag ran

i w a n Over grey h lls and hollows of seas . 79 DAUBER She had a white bone in her mouth she sped

Those in the round -house watched her as they ate

- Their meal of pork fat fried with broken bread .

“ ’ ’ off h Good old they cried . She s ; s e s gathering gait "” L Her track was whitening like a ammas spate . "” " " Good old they cried. Oh , give her cloth H urray For three weeks more to Valparaiso Bay "7

” Valli o She smells old p , the Bosun cried .

’ We ll be inside the tier in three weeks more,

Lying at double -moorings where they ride

Off of the market,half a mile from shore,

And bumboat pan, my sons, and figs galore, And girls in black mantillas fit to make a

Poor seaman frantic when they dance the cueca .

E ight bells were made, the watch was changed, and now

The Mate spoke to the Dauber This is better .

’ We ll soon be getting mudhooks over the bow .

’ ’ She ll make her passage still if this ll l et her.

’ ’ Oh , run , you drogher dip your fo c sle wetter.

Well , Dauber , this is better than Cape Horn .

’ Them topsails made you wish you d not been born . 8 0 DAUBER

” Yes, sir, the Dauber said . Now , said the Mate ,

’ We ve got to smart her up . Them Cape Horn seas

- Have made her paint work like a rusty grate .

’ fi sh - ? Oh, didn t them topsails make your hooks freeze

’ ’ A topsail don t pay heed to Won t you , please

’

son . Well , you have seen Cape Horn , my ; you ve learned

’ You ve dipped your hand and had your fingers burned .

’ And now you ll stow that folly , trying to paint .

’ ’ You ve had your lesson you re a sailor now .

You come on board a female ripe to faint .

’ All sorts of slush you d learned , the Lord knows how .

Cape Horn has sent you wisdom over the bow

’ ’ If you ve got sense to take it . You re a sailor .

’ My God before you were a woman s tailor .

So throw your paints to blazes and have done . W ords can ’ t describe the silly things you did i Sitt ng before your easel in the sun ,

- With all your colours on the paint box lid . l d blushed for you and then the aubs you hid .

" " G o d " ? My you ll have more sense now , eh You ve ” q uit P ’ i G . ai r. o d No , sir You ve not No , give you

wit . 8 1 8 DAUBER

’ I thought you d come to wisdom . Thus they talked , While the great clipper took her hit and rushed

- Like a skin glistening stallion not yet baulked,

Till fi re-bright water at her swing -ports gushed ;

Poising and bowing down her fore- foot crushed

Bubbl e on glittering bubble on she went.

The Dauber watched her, wondering what it meant

To come, after long months, at rosy dawn ,

Into the placid blue of some great bay . Treading the quiet water like a fawn

Ere w as yet the morning haze blown away.

-fl u shed A rose figure putting by the grey , And anchoring there before the city smoke

- Rose , or the church bells rang, or men awoke .

see And then , in the first light, to grow clear

That long-expected haven filled with strangers

Alive with men and women ; see and hear Its clattering market and its money-changers

And hear the surf beat, and be free from dangers, And watch the crinkl ed ocean bl ue with calm

Drowsing beneath the Trade , beneath the palm. 8 2

DAUBER

saw All . They ran at once without the word

L - eeay L eeay Loud rang the clew line cries ;

Sam — in his bunk within the half deck heard,

u his Stirred in his sleep, and r bbed drowsy eyes .

’ ” o alla There go the lower t g nts. Against the skies

Rose the thin bellying strips of leaping sail .

Th e w as Dauber the first man over the rail .

Three to a mast they ran ; it was a race . I” “ God said the Mate that Dauber, he can go .

H e watched the runners with an upturned face

Over the futtocks, struggling heel to toe ,

Up to the topmast cross -trees into the blow W here the three sails were leaping . Dauber wins

he yards were reached, and now the race begins .

W hich three will furl their sail first and come down ?

- O ut to the yard arm for the leech goes one ,

fl a wise li atless H is hair blown g from a crown,

His hands at work like fever to be done .

fi r r O ut of the gale a e ce fury spun .

The three sails leaped together, yanking high , k Like talons darting u pto clutch the s y . 8 4 DAUBER

The Dauber on the fore-topgallant yard

Out at the weather yard -arm was the first

To lay his hand upon the buntline -barred Topgallant yanking to the wester ’ s burst He craned to catch the leech his comrades cursed

One at the buntlines , one with oaths observed ,

’ ” - The eye of the outer j ib stay isn t served .

”

. i No , said the Dauber No , the man repl ed . h T ey heaved, stowing the sail , not looking round ,

P - anting, but full of life and eager eyed ;

its The gale roared at them with iron sound .

’ ” That s you , the Dauber said . H is gasket wound f Swi t round the yard , binding the sail in bands

There came a gust, the sail leaped from his hands ,

So that he saw it high above him , grey,

And there his mate w as fal ling ; quick he cl utched

a rm An in oilskins swiftly snatched away .

“ ” A voice said Christ "a q uick shape stooped and

touched ,

Chain struck his hands , ropes shot, the sky was smutched

t With vast black fires that ran , hat fell , that furled ,

the s And then he saw ma t , the small snow hurled , 8 5 DAUBER

- The fore topgallant yard far , far aloft,

And blankness settling on him and great pain ; And snow beneath his fingers wet and soft

- - And topsail sheet blocks shaking at the chain .

He knew it was he w ho had fallen ; then his brai n

S sk wirled in a circle while he watched the y .

Infinite multitudes of snow blew by .

” ’ w as w ho I thought it Tom fell , his brain s voice said . d 1” Down on th e bloody eck the Captain screamed .

-flakes The multitudinous little snow sped .

H is bu t pain was real enough, all else seemed .

Si with a bucket ran, the water gleamed

Tilting upon him others came, the Mate They knelt with eager eyes like things that wait

For other things to come . H e saw them there . ” It will go on, he murmured , watching Si .

Colours and sounds seemed mixing in the air,

The pain was stunning him , and the wind went by .

B . More water, said the Mate . Here , osun, try

’ ’ Ask if he s got a message . Hell , he s gone

“ H ere , Dauber, paints . H e said , It will go on . 8 6 DAUBER

Not knowing his meaning rightly , but he spoke With the intenseness of a fading soul

’ Whose share of Nature s fire turns to smoke ,

’ Whose hand on Nature s wheel loses control .

The eager faces glowered red like coal .

They glowed , the great storm glowed , the sails , the

a m st . i It W ll go on , he cried aloud , and passed .

Those from the yard came down to tell the tal e . ” - ff l o . . I e almost had me , said Tom H e slipped

T - here come one hell of a j ump like from the sail .

H e clutched at me and almost had me pipped .

’ ’ i b a nd r s . He caught my , but the oilskin ripped

w o ff. as I t tore clean Look here . I near gone .

so I made a grab to catch him did John .

I caught his arm . My God I was near done . H e almost had me over ; it was near .

H e hit the ropes and grabbed at every one .

5‘ he re Well , said the Mate , we cannot leave him ,

SI - Run , , and get the hal f deck table clear .

’ . We ll lay him there Catch hold there , you , and you .

" " " He s d ead , poor son ; there s nothing more to do . 8 7 DAUBER

f n t he Night ell , and all ight long Dauber lay Covered upon the table all night long

The pitiless storm exulted at her prey ,

i c Huddling the waters with her v thong .

But to the covered shape she did no wrong .

H e lay beneath the sailcloth . Bell by bell

The night wore through ; the stars rose , the stars fell .

Blowing most pitiless cold out of clear sky

The wind roared all night long and all night through

The green seas on the deck went washing by,

- Flooding the half deck bitter hard it blew . But little of it all the Dauber knew

The sopping bunks , the floating chests, the wet ,

The darkness, and the misery, and the sweat .

SO He was off duty . it blew all night, And when the watches changed the men would come Dripping within the door to strike a light

And stare upon the Dauber lying dumb ,

sa And y , H e come a cruel thump , poor chum .

’ “ a- Or, He d been a fine big man or , He A ” smart young seaman he was getting to be . 8 8 DAUBER

’ ’ " Or, Damn it all , it s what we ve all to face I knew another fellow one time then

Came a strange tale of death in a strange place

sea . O ut on the , in ships , with wandering men

In many ways Death puts us into pen .

The reefers came down tired and looked and slept . Below the skylight little dribbles crept

Along the painted woodwork , glistening, slow ,

Following the roll and dripping, never fast, B ut dripping on the quiet form below ,

Like passing time talking to time long past .

” ’ ai 3 And all night long Ai , went the Wind s blast,

And creaming water swished below the pale , U nheeding body stretched beneath the sail .

At dawn they sewed him up, and at eight bells

o They b re him to the gangway, wading deep,

- i - Through the green clutching, wh te toothed water hells

That flung his ca rriers over in their sweep .

They laid an old red ensign on the heap ,

- And all hands stood bare headed , stooping, swaying ,

Washed by the sea while th e old man w a s praying 3 9 DAUBER

w - A t Out of a borro ed prayer book . a sign They twitched the ensign back and tipped the grating

A creamier bubbling broke the bubbling brine .

The m u fli ed figure tilted to the weighting

It dwindled slowly down , slowly gyrating .

Some craned to see ; it dimmed , it disappeared

The last green milky bubble blinked and cleared .

M ister, shake out your reefs, the Captain called . ” O ut topsail reefs "the Mate cried then all hands .

H urried, the great sails shook , and all hands hauled ,

Singing that desolate song of lonely lands ,

Of how a lover came in dripping bands, G reen with the wet and cold , to tell his lover

w as w as That Death in the sea, and all over .

Fair came the falling wind ; a seaman said The Dauber was a Jonah once again

The clipper held her course, showing red lead ,

- Shattering the sea tops into golden rain . The waves bowed down before her like blown grain ;

sh e Onwards thundered , on her voyage was short, B ’ i efore the tier s bells rang her nto port . 9 0

DAUBER

Silent the finger of the summit stood ,

Icy in pure , thin air, glittering with snows .

’ Then the sun s coming turned the peak to blood ,

- And in the rest house the muleteers arose .

And all day long , where only the eagl e goes,

Stones, loosened by the sun , fall the stones falling l Fill empty gorge on gorge with echoes ca ling .

9 2 EX PL ANAT I ON S OF S OME OF T HE SEA T E RM S USED I N T HE P OE M

B W e ack stay s. ir ropes which support the masts against

lateral and after strains . ’ s b . A e in A i n Barney ull figur marine proverb. jewel

marine repartee . B w ar . T e e one e ell s b lls ( forward , one aft) , which struck every half-hour in a certain manner to mark the

passage of the watch es . S Bitt s. trong wooden structures (built round each mast)

upon which running rigging is secured .

A . Block . sheaved pulley A e e a B . oatswain supernumerary or idl r, g nerally att ched ’ the e to mat s watch, and holding considerable authority w over the cre .

B i ll tin . a ou i Any tin that contains, or has cont ined , pre e serv d meat. w Bows . The for ard extremity of a ship . - P h . Brace b lock s. ull eys through which t e braces travel b c t h Braces . Ropes y whi h e yards are inclined fo rward

or aft .

B a an. S so ld b m m an umbo t p oft bread y the bu boat , a kind f r i o sea coste monger who trades with ships n port .

e to Bunt . Those cloths of a square sail which are n arest f the mast when the sail is set . The central portion o

a furled square sail . The human abdomen (figura

tiv c ly) . 9 3 DAUBER

Buntlines. Rop es which help to confine square sails to i n the yards the op eration of furling. W k . e h b Choc s ood n stands on which t e oats rest. r Cleat s. Iron o wooden contrivances to which repes may b e secured .

- CleW li nes. Ropes by which the lower corners of square

sails are lifted .

. we e Clews The lo r corn rs of square sails . C er A e h lipp . titl of honour given to s ips of more than

usual speed and beauty .

Coaming. The raised rim of a hatchway ; a barrier at a w door ay to keep water from entering. e Courses. The larg square sails set upon the lower yards T he of sailing ships . mizen course is called the i k ” croj c . F f l ed . e o Cring itted with iron rings or cringl s, many which are let into sails or sail -roping for various

purposes . - Croj i ck (or cross jack) . A square sail set upon the lower

yard of the mizen mast . - Dungarees. Thin blue or khaki coloured overalls made

from cocoanut fibre. b h F airl eads. Rings of wood or iron y means of w ich i running rigg ng is led in any direction . - S n e e F ife rail s. tro g wood n shelv s fitted with iron pins , to

which ropes may be secured .

- k s. I . e. . Fish hoo , fingers - on m n F oot ropes. Ropes which e stand when working

aloft . ’ ’ T h th e men F o c sle . e cabin or cabins in which are i - se berthed . It s usually an iron deck hou divided 9 4

DAUBER

Jack (or jackstay) . An iron bar (fitted along all yards in sailing ships) to which the head of a squar e sail is e secur d when bent .

Kites . Light upper sails .

L e . u e e ches The outer edges of square sails . In f rling som s quare sails th e l eech is dragged inwards till it lies u level with the head pon the surface of the yard . is done b the This y the first man who gets upon yard ,

beginning at the weather side . ’

b w m . Logship. A contrivance y hich a ship s speed is easured th e on Low er topsail . The second sail from deck square

I t e . rigged masts . is a v ry strong, important sail e - Marline. Tarry line or coarse string mad of repe yarns e twist d together .

Mat e. The First or Chief Mate is generally called the

Mate . ‘ - m - a T he u mm th e the Mi zen t op aso h e d . s it of second of three or four spars which m ake th e complete mizen

mast .

Mudhook s. Anchors . e P ins. Iron or wood n bars to which running rigging is e secur d . a Pointing. A kind of ne t plait with which ropes are some

times ended off or decorated . - w of e e P oopbreak . The for ard end the aft r sup rstructure .

R atlin es. The rope steps placed across the shrouds to

enabl e the seamen to go aloft .

e . R eefers. Apprentic s - e e b m R eef point s. R p s y which the area of so e sails may b e in O f fi n Re e - reduced the peration o ree g. f points e t o e em and are secur ly fixed the sails fitt d with th , 9 6 DAUBER

when not in use their ends patter continually upon w the canvas ith a gentle drumming noise .

w . Reel . A part of the machinery us ed ith a logship Round -house A cabin (of all shapes except round) in which the idl ers are berthed

als. L e i the r Roy ight upp r square sa ls ; fou th , fifth, or ’ sixth sails from the deck according to the mast s

rig . - Sail room. A large room or compartment in which the ’ ship s sails are stored . ” i Sails . T he sailmaker s meant . S - A e b . esh cuttl utt cask containing fr water .

- S . R hac kles ope handles for a sea chest . - She t b k s. I b e loc ron blocks, y means of which sails are

sh eeted home . In any violent wind they beat upon th w and e mast ith great rapidity force .

Sheets. Ropes or chains which extend the lower corners h f of square sails in t e Operation o sheeting home . i O e Shi ft ng suits (of sails) . The p ration of removing a "

and e . ship s sails , replacing th m with others

Shr ds. a e ou Wire ropes of gre t str ngth , which support

lateral strains o n masts . - b Shroud screws . Iron contrivances y whi c h sh rouds a re h r e e ta ut . shi arri t w o f h w Sideligh ts. A sailing pc es o t ese bet een sunset "o a nd ne o ne to . sunrise green , to starboard ; red , port ’ O s to in o f s Sights. b ervations help the finding a ship

position . "

c on . Skid . A wooden ontrivance which ship s heats rest

. T h e s s the o r Sk ysails uppermost quare sail fifth , sixth , ’ h i to m seventh a ls from the dec k according the ast s rig . 9 7 DAUBER

T h b i . W Sl atting e noise made y sails flogging n the ind .

. G e . Slush reas , melted fat - r A . the South weste . kind of oilskin hat A gale from

- south west .

Spit brown. To ch ew tobacco . e Sq uare sennit . A cunning plait which mak s a four bar square . s t u the e w Stay sail s. Fore and aft sails e pon stays b t een

the masts .

Stow . To furl .

n on . stre e Strop (the, putti g ) A p is a grumm t or rope T he two ring . players kneel down facing each other , th e stre e e the p is placed ov r their h ads , and men then try to pull each other over by the strength of - their neck muscl es . th ’ Swing ports. Iron doors in e ship s side which Open

ou twards to free the decks from water . l r n d B e T ack e (p onou ce locks , ropes , pull ys

etc.

the . T ak e a caulk . To sleep upon deck T h e on T opsail s. e s cond and third sails from the deck the , masts Of a modern square -rigged ship are known as

the lower and upper topsails .

T h . T ruck s. e summits of the masts e on Upper tops ail . The third square sail from the d ck - the m asts of square rigged ships . ts Yard s . The steel or wooden spars (placed across mas )

from which square sails are set .

B I L L I NG AND SONS L TD PRI NT E G I L D F ORD NG LA ND , " RS , U , E .