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Article THE SAILOR FREEMASON. Page 1 of 5 →
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The Sailor Freemason.
THE SAILOR FREEMASON .
A TALE OE REAL LIFE .
IT was in the winter of 18— , when the " Cherokee " sloop of war dropped anchor in Leith Roads , after a very stormy cruise . Haying for some time laboured under a pulmonary disease , from cold , I was sent ashore to recruit my health ; and from the long-boat I made my way to a Leith stagecoach , —one of the most lubberly conveyances I ever travelled
by , for the horses had scarcely anything like legs to stand on , and fairly came to anchor once or twice in ascending the steep called Leith Walk , the connecting link between the port and city of Edinburgh , whither I was bound . On my arrival in the city , a Highland porter assisted me to alightand preceded me to my dear homewhere I was
, , cordially received by my mother , brothers , and sister ; and here my shattered hulk was laid up for repair ; and , thanks to my kind family , I soon found myself in ship-shape order to move about , and revisit the scenes so dear to my boyish days . It was one night during my stay at home that I accompanied my brother and sister to the ball of the Celtic Lodge
of Freemasons , in the Calton Convening Rooms . The company consisted chiefly of Masons , their wives , and relatives , —many of them dressed in the Highland garb , or sporting ribbons and sashes of the clan tartan . On entering the hall , my brother and party were received , with every welcome demonstration , by one of the strangest-looking characters I ever
beheld . My brother , perceiving I was preparing for a good laugh , frowningly informed me that this was Mr . Richard Simpson , the W . M . of the Celtic Lodge ; and I therefore struggled hard to contain myself in the presence of the worshipful figure now before me . He was a man about five feet six inches high , very lame ,
and short on one leg , which required the sustentation of a handcrutch . His outward man was clad in a rich Highland costume , bedizened with Masonic emblems , which strangely contrasted with his ungraceful gait . But his head—and such a head !—was inexpressibly ludicrous . He had lost the sight of one eye , the sightless orb protruding far bej'ond the socket , which VOL . III . 2 u
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Sailor Freemason.
THE SAILOR FREEMASON .
A TALE OE REAL LIFE .
IT was in the winter of 18— , when the " Cherokee " sloop of war dropped anchor in Leith Roads , after a very stormy cruise . Haying for some time laboured under a pulmonary disease , from cold , I was sent ashore to recruit my health ; and from the long-boat I made my way to a Leith stagecoach , —one of the most lubberly conveyances I ever travelled
by , for the horses had scarcely anything like legs to stand on , and fairly came to anchor once or twice in ascending the steep called Leith Walk , the connecting link between the port and city of Edinburgh , whither I was bound . On my arrival in the city , a Highland porter assisted me to alightand preceded me to my dear homewhere I was
, , cordially received by my mother , brothers , and sister ; and here my shattered hulk was laid up for repair ; and , thanks to my kind family , I soon found myself in ship-shape order to move about , and revisit the scenes so dear to my boyish days . It was one night during my stay at home that I accompanied my brother and sister to the ball of the Celtic Lodge
of Freemasons , in the Calton Convening Rooms . The company consisted chiefly of Masons , their wives , and relatives , —many of them dressed in the Highland garb , or sporting ribbons and sashes of the clan tartan . On entering the hall , my brother and party were received , with every welcome demonstration , by one of the strangest-looking characters I ever
beheld . My brother , perceiving I was preparing for a good laugh , frowningly informed me that this was Mr . Richard Simpson , the W . M . of the Celtic Lodge ; and I therefore struggled hard to contain myself in the presence of the worshipful figure now before me . He was a man about five feet six inches high , very lame ,
and short on one leg , which required the sustentation of a handcrutch . His outward man was clad in a rich Highland costume , bedizened with Masonic emblems , which strangely contrasted with his ungraceful gait . But his head—and such a head !—was inexpressibly ludicrous . He had lost the sight of one eye , the sightless orb protruding far bej'ond the socket , which VOL . III . 2 u