There I stood like a stork on one stilt and
presented arms with the other, as I continued scoffing at him. Cursing
and threatening he marched away, the poor captain. But he took care
not to make good his threats, because in his good moments he did not
like to be reminded of the bad ones.
We had several playgrounds. The one we liked best perhaps was along
the "Bulwark," at the point where the side street branched off from
our house. The whole surroundings were very picturesque, especially in
the winter time, when the ships, stripped of their topmasts, lay at
their moorings, often in three rows, the last pretty far out in the
river. We were allowed to play along the "Bulwark" and practice our
rope-walking art on the stretched hawsers as far as they hung close to
the ground. Only one thing was prohibited. We were not allowed to go
on board the ships, much less to climb the rope ladders to the
mastheads. A very sensible prohibition. But the more sensible it was,
the greater was our desire to disregard it, and in the game of "robber
and wayfarer," of which we were all very fond, disregarding of this
prohibition was almost a matter of course. Furthermore, discovery lay
beyond the range of probability; our parents were either at their
"party" or invited to dine out. "So let's go ahead. If anybody tells
on us, he will be worse off than we."
So we thought one Sunday in April, 1831. It must have been about that
time of year, for I can still recall the clear, cold tone of the
atmosphere.
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