A SAILORS YARN.

Waipawa Mail, Volume VII, Issue 713, 5 December 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

A SAILORS YARN.

The Duke and the Boatswain. There was a story-teller attached to the Harbour, a champion “ yarn spinner,” named P. J. Miller. For more than half a century Miller had been spinnin’ yarns, and at last he really got to believe in his own inventions. In one respect he was really the greatest inventor of the age. One of his greatest lies, and j’et the only story he ever told which literally came true, was his yarn of meetin’ with H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh. According to Miller, the Duke and himself had met in Canadian waters, and the Duke had taken a fancy to him on the spot or as he tersely though ungrammatically expressed it, “ me and him was great friends. ’ At the grand Duke’s “special invite,” Miller used to call regularly on board H.R.H.’s ship to see H.K.H., and according to Millar H R. JL would not have any remarks made about this singular deviation from the ordinary routine of navy discipline. Miller used to tell the story in this way : “ Miller, don’t you pay, Miller, my hearty, any attention to the marines and quartermasters, and that kind of cattle, when you are coming on board for to see me. But jest you slide right over the side, and slide right down inter my cabin here, and help yourself to jest what you may happen to fancy.” Well, Miller got tellin’ this prejiosterous story till he absolutely believed every word of it, and was ready to swear to and to fight for it. The story got to goin’ the rounds, and hardly a ship in the navy but had heard of “old Miller” and his illustrious friend. Finally, and very unexpectedly to Miller, the ship on which he happened to be boatswain just then, being in English waters, met an English man-of-war having H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh on board, and of course the two vessels saluted each other. Now, the American Admiral was then on board the ship on which Miller was boatswain, and he hastened to pay his respects to the Duke. The next day the Duke returned the compliment, and called on the Admiral on board Miller’s ship.

This set everybody to laughin’, and the Duke noticed it, and asked the Admiral what they were all laughing at. The Admiral didn’t know, for he was probably the only one who hadn’t heard the boatswain-duke story, and so he sent for the captain of the vessel to inquire about the laughter, and the captain, laughin’, referred him to tho officer of the deck.

The latter individual on bein’ questioned owned up to the laughter, and then in a good natured way told about the dukeboatswain yarn. The old American Admiral w r as inclined to be mad at the boatswain’s presumption, but the young English Duke took the matter splendidly. He laughed heartily himself, and then, as a special favour, asked to see the old bos’n. Word was accordingly passed forward for P. J. Miller to come to the Admiral’s cabin to see the Duke. Considerin’ “me and him were such great friends,” the boa’n was strangely reluctant to go and meet his old chum, but he had to obey orders. So feelin’ like a man about to be sentenced to bo hung, Miller wobbled to the cabin,

where the greatest surprise and crownin’ honour of his life awaited him. For when he entered the Duke advanced to receive him with a genial smile, and extendin’ his hand to the old fellow, said : “ P.J., old man, put it there, and whenever you come on board to see me don’t pay any attention, my beauty, to marines or quar-ter-master or that kind of cattle, but slide right up into my cabin, and help yourself to just what you may happen to fancy.” It almost took P. J. Miller’s breath away to hear the Duke givin’ him back his own language, but he got back to the crew somehow, and recovering his balance as he got back, he cried out in triumph : “ Didn’t I tell yer that the Grand Duke and I were real cronies ?”