Date:         Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:38:02 -0700
Reply-To:     vw.bus@MAC.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Warren Lail <vw.bus@MAC.COM>
Subject:      Re: 5 fingered salute
Comments: To: inua@CHARTER.NET
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Great story, John.  It's all about communication.

Warren L.
88 Westy "Billy Bones"

"I am not going to relate that voyage in detail. It was fairly
prosperous. The ship proved to be a good ship, the crew were capable
seamen, and the captain thoroughly understood his business. But
before we came the length of Treasure Island, two or three things had
happened which require to be known.  Mr Arrow, first of all, turned
out even worse than the captain had feared. He had no command among
the men, and people did what they pleased with him. But that was by
no means the worst of it; for after a day or two at sea he began to
appear on deck with hazy eye, red cheeks, stuttering tongue, and
other marks of drunkenness. Time after time he was ordered below in
disgrace. Sometimes he fell and cut himself; sometimes he lay all day
long in his little bunk at one side of the companion; sometimes for a
day or two he would be almost sober and attend to his work at least
passably.  In the meantime, we could never make out where he got the
drink. That was the ship's mystery. Watch him as we pleased, we could
do nothing to solve it; and when we asked him to his face, he would
only laugh, if he were drunk, and if he were sober, deny solemnly
that he ever tasted anything but water.  He was not only useless as
an officer, and a bad influence amongst the men, but it was plain
that at this rate he must soon kill himself outright; so nobody was
much surprised, nor very sorry, when one dark night, with a head sea,
he disappeared entirely and was seen no more.

`Overboard!' said the captain. `Well, gentlemen, that saves the
trouble of putting him in irons.'"