The apostles of the Southeast
Frank Thomas Bullen
Paperback
(RareBooksClub.com, May 20, 2012)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1901 Excerpt: ... made by Saul always met with a most cordial welcome from him. When the ship reached the steady fine weather region, Saul, having previously obtained the consent of the mate, held a class three nights a week in the second dog-watch, to which he invited all the apprentices and those members of the crew whose seamanship was of poor quality. At these times he taught his pupils, with a thoroughness and assiduity beyond all praise, all the mystery of knots, splices, seizings, and fancy-work, in either hemp or wire rope. And this teaching business caught on so that soon you might see all hands in their watch on deck at night, or below in the dog-watches, busily engaged in demonstrating some knotty point of sailorizing, or arguing some detail of seamanship, such as the sending up or down of mast and yards, the fitting of rigging, etc. Side by side with this educational process--which, it may be remarked in passing, was not merely of the highest value to the crew practically, but kept their minds off the endless filthy gabble that is so characteristic of ships' forecastles--another form of instruction was steadily going forward. None the less real because it was unobtrusive, it was not confined to one period of the day; its beneficent influence was felt all day long. In Saul's presence at first none of his men dared to use bad language because of their fear of the consequences; but as they grew to know him better they felt that it would be a much greater offence to swear before him than it would be elsewhere. As an instance of what I mean, the little Scotchman of whom I spoke before was doing a job one day under the bo'sun's eye when the marline-spike he was using slipped, and the point pierced his hand. As ninety out of a hundred sailors would have done, he uttere...