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It was the oft-repeated story of a runaway boy, hailing from a good family, drifting into hobo-companionship with all the rum, filth and crime that such association implies, and ended by telling that on this day, after having so wantonly wasted the best years of his life, he had made up his mind to end it all by placing his head upon the rails.
Now, as for the rum, that's bad by itself, I know; but, mixed with water, it will help to digest our dry biscuit and cheese, and any other food we may obtain, which, if we do get any, we shall have to eat raw." The mate was a temperate man, and had never been drunk in his life. But what are called temperance principles were not known in those days.
"Excuse me but you have such an odd way of borrowing that I cannot help it. This bottle, it seems, was brought over for your own convenience, not for mine. I am sorry to disappoint you, but I have no whiskey." "I guess spirits will do as well; I know there is some in that keg, for I smells it." "It contains rum for the workmen." "Better still.
I gave the moustache a thoughtful twirl. It seemed to hurt Jeeves a good deal, so I chucked it. "I see by the paper, sir, that Mr. Bickersteth's uncle is arriving on the Carmantic." "Yes?" "His Grace the Duke of Chiswick, sir." This was news to me, that Bicky's uncle was a duke. Rum, how little one knows about one's pals!
"Who were the others?" After Considerable hesitation Louis Glotte named them over. Then James Morris questioned him concerning the Wanderers and learned that they had been headed by their chief, Flat Nose. The other red men he knew little about, but he said they were a dirty, irresponsible tribe, willing to do almost anything for the sake of getting provisions or rum.
In the province of New York, common labourers earned in 1773, before the commencement of the late disturbances, three shillings and sixpence currency, equal to two shillings sterling, a-day; ship-carpenters, ten shillings and sixpence currency, with a pint of rum, worth sixpence sterling, equal in all to six shillings and sixpence sterling; house-carpenters and bricklayers, eight shillings currency, equal to four shillings and sixpence sterling; journeymen tailors, five shillings currency, equal to about two shillings and tenpence sterling.
The boy had never in his fifteen years of life heard but one prayer, that was his mother's, it was for him: "O Lord, don't let Tode ever drink a drop of rum."
"When we've irrigated, if you please," Palmer Billy retorted; adding, to the host, "Rum straight."
"Janice, here, an' me hev been havin' an argyment right along about that rum sellin' business " "About the drinking, at any rate, Walky," interposed Janice, gently. "Wal ahem! ya-as. About the drinkin' of it, I s'pose. Yeou said, Janice, that my takin' a snifter now and then was an injury to other critters as well as to m'self." "And I repeat it," said the girl confidently.
But that which was worst of all, was, that they were almost starved for want of provisions, besides the fatigues they had undergone; their bread and flesh was quite gone, they had not an ounce left in the ship, and had had none for eleven days; the only relief they had, was, their water was not all spent, and they had about half a barrel of flour left; they had sugar enough; some succades or sweetmeats they had at first, but they were devoured; and they had seven casks of rum.
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