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| Boxing courtesy photobucket.com |
Due to the abuse heaped upon
him Morgan had challenged a bully to a fight.
As the two combatants circled
each other, the crew closed in around them and started to yell all kinds of
obscenities and cursing.
Morgan never took his eyes
off of the bruiser in front of him. He
knew he had to get in the first punch for that guy was strong as an ox and mean
to go along with it.
Morgan feinted with his left
hand and his opponent flinched just enough for Morgan to hit him in the throat.
While the guy was gasping for breath Morgan let loose with a barrage of punches
which put him down. As he started to get up Morgan hit him again and put him
down again.
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| courtesy free clip art |
This time as the brute
started to get up he had his knife in his hand.
It was the one that he had cut up several men in previous knife fights.
Morgan stepped back away from
him, but the crew shoved him back toward the guy as he slashed at Morgan. The captain hit the bully in the head with a belaying
pin and split his scalp open which knocked him unconscious.
His buddies picked him up and
took him to his bunk. The ship's doctor
sewed his scalp back together before he woke up for he wouldn't have dared to
do it while he was awake.
The thug thought that Morgan
had knocked him out and upon captain’s orders no one ever told him any
different.
After that fight the crew
respected Morgan and he wasn't picked on anymore. Even the guy he fought said he was a good
fighter, and became friends with him.
Coming back to port after a
successful voyage all the sailors got their pay and headed for the houses of
pleasure, and railed on Morgan for not joining with them.
While their stories of their
exploits intrigued him he had seen too many come down with the pox after a few
days at sea, and he did not want to take a chance on that. He saved most of his money except to buy
necessities such as clothes and things for his folks.
Morgan was back at his home
for a few weeks due to major repairs being made to his ship when a clipper ship
came into harbor to pick up its load.
 |
| clipper ship courtesy free clip art |
Some of his shipmates told
they were going to sign on to sail to San
Francisco San Francisco
He had only heard stories
about sailing around Cape Horn , and the danger
of doing so. It was called the graveyard
of ships. Time after time the news came telling of the sinking of another
vessel. These new clipper ships were twice as fast as the ones Morgan had
sailed on and he was fascinated by them.
They were not only faster, but
they were also safer with better crew accommodations. The crew selection was
more discriminating and many of the drunks and hell raisers were quickly passed
over.
The ship that was loading was
named Westward Ho. It was a new one and
was preparing to set sail on its maiden voyage for San Francisco
Morgan was beside himself as
he proudly sauntered up to the hiring office.
Disappointment began to set
in as he waited at his place in line for their standards were set very high. Good sailors who he had sailed with were being
rejected, and he began to doubt his chances of signing on.
To be Continued
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