Page 21 - George Maxwell Family Stories - Ten Years Before the Mast

ISSUE : Issue 28

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1981/6/1

ter kill him."--"He is a good cook. Better make a contract with him to stay with us forever, then the three of us can get out to hunt." So they told him if he would stay with them forever, they wouldn't kill him. Big fellow said, "Now I am giving you a pack of keys and there is a door there if you open it, you're a dead man."--"Now," he says, "I want you to cook two baskets of grub for us tomorrow morning and the three of us is going to hunt." The little cook went to work, and cooked two big bas? kets. He said to himself, "If they are go? ing away, I'll have a chance to open the door and see what is in that room." They left, he went to door, he was frightened and turned back. In the evening everything was cleaned up. He gave them a nice supper, they began to like him. Next day the boss told him, "Fill us up baskets, not home till evening."--"I'11 have a chance to o- pen the door." They had a parrot, the par? rot said, "I'll tell, I'll tell." There was the prettiest girl he ever laid eyes on tied up with ropes there. He said to the girl, "Is there any way to get out from here?"--"Let me loose, I'll tell you," said the girl. There was a whaler out there and three little boats on shore. They put a hole in two boats and took the other boat. The whaler began to start with the little cook and the girl. They were not far from shore when the wild men no? ticed them. They took to their boats, they began to sink, then began to swim. Little Cook was standing in the whaler to give them a knock on the head. Then they got clear. They were sailing for days. They saw a big steamboat coming. The captain of steamer was wondering what girl was with the little cook. The steamboat was looking for the king's daughter the wild men had stolen. The steamboat came alongside, told them to come aboard. All right, they went aboard. The captain took the girl down to the cabin, left Little Cook on deck. Cook told the captain he had a little business in the whaler. All right, he went down. The captain cut his painter and piled steam on his steamer, and throwed two or three bottles of brandy in with him. Little Cook saw the bottles of brandy, he took the cork out, drank--dead drunk. He got sober, turned around again, didn't get drunk. No headway, the weather was fearful calm. Saw a man coming in a small little boat moving to beat the band, and came a- longside, told him, "I know all your troub? les, I remember when you done me a favor, and I am going to do you a favor today. That night at the dock when I was floating on the water, you went to work and buried me in the sand. Now you are going to be four days ahead of that bark in England and that captain won't get her. As soon as you go over, commence to put up a little shop • I am going to give you a gold hammer and every blow you make with that hammer you will make a gold shoe. And you call ,. yourself, the little gold shoemaker." After he disappeared, the whaler commenced to go. After he got to England, he got lum? ber, he put up a shop, in a couple of days he had the shelves filled up with gold shoes. Then the bark entered harbor with the king's daughter. Flags flying. Whoever get her was to marry her. The king was so glad. When the bark struck.the dock, he in? vited everybody in the city. The king sent for a pair of shoes, for his daughter to get married in, gold shoes. The captain had to go on the stand to tell what a hard time he had to get the king's daughter. Everybody got to be there. The captain was telling of the danger in getting the king's daughter. "Was anybody there with anything to say," the king asked. The lit- CO-OP DO-IT- YOURSELF Home Improvement Centre ComplaK

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