The Skipper and his Boys.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 4894, 31 December 1888, Page 3

The Skipper and his Boys.

BABE WOBBE THAN BITE. On Saturday we published an item from the Napier Neios which showed the master of the Dumbartonshire, which has recently left that port for Homo, in a very unfavourable light. A. Herald since to hand places the captain’s character in a more favourable light. This item is worth reproducing. It is headed “ Bark worse than bite.”—There having been some talk at the Spit about alleged atrocities on board the Dumbartonshire, wo may say that practically all tho assertions made turn out to be without foundation, but that they were based upon the stupid rodomontade of the captain. Moat men delight to represent themselves as better than their real character warrants, but in this case Captain Ncwgreen appears to have told untruths in order to make it appear that he was a tyrant of the deepest and most gory dye. He went about boasting that he had “ triced up one of his (adjective) men by the thumbs,” and making other statements which wont to prove that the utterer was a kind of crimson Captain Kidd, only ever so much more so, and that he was “as bad as they make ’em.” Liquor may have caused this Thrasonical bragging about bad deeds never committed, or may not, but in any case it may be said that when boasting of his sanguinary deeds he was but a modern Bottom in his roaring, and, broadly, “the truth was not in him.” He committed one offence, which we will presently narrate, but he did not commit any of those he charged himself with. Constable Harvey went on board thd* vessel on Christmas Eve, to see a seaman then said to be kept in irons, and to bring him ashore if he wished to come. The seaman, a rough character with a weakness for “ red words,” was found in the deepest dungeon that could be made out of a furnished second cabin. Ho said he was quite comfortable ; did not wish to leave tbe ship ; did not wish to see a doctor j had no desire to interview a magistrate; was supplied with plenty of food; had not been insulted or ba lly treated; had not been “ triced up ” (this with a grin and some adjectives) ; but that he bad made up his mind not to ,do a stroke of work till he got into blue water, but would work when the voyage started*" Members of the crew were spoken to, and there were no complaints, the general chorus being that “ the skipper was a * hummer ’■ to talk, but that all the men got on well with him.” The man in the dungeon had no irons on, but he was subjected to the ibdignity of having a nice couch to lie down upon when he chose, and it appeared that he frequently did choose. Now for the offence we referred to, which may have been committed in ignorance of the law, but at all events rendered the skipper liable to punishment. When the prisoner in the dungeon and another man named Taini were released from gaol after serving seven days’ hard labor, under circumstances reported in this paper a few days ago, they were taken off in a boat to the ship by the captains orders. Shortly after the boat started from the breastwork each of the two men Tuyere handcuffed, and by this the captain rendered himself liable to punishment. When the men readied the ship Taini consented to go to werk, and his handcuffs were taken off at cace. The man found in the dungeon (David Shield) would not go to work, and the handcuffs were loft on him an hour or two. This also was illegal, and rendered tho captain liable to punishment, and as he proved himself when on shore desirous of getting tbe character of a sort of marine Caligula, wo must confess our regret that ho did not have to appear before the Resident Magistrate to answer for illegal acts for which ho was really responsible.