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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..07630fa --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #55274 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55274) diff --git a/old/55274-0.txt b/old/55274-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 384980b..0000000 --- a/old/55274-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,7856 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wind-Jammers, by T. Jenkins Hains - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Wind-Jammers - -Author: T. Jenkins Hains - -Release Date: August 6, 2017 [EBook #55274] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WIND-JAMMERS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - - THE WIND-JAMMERS - - Works of - - T. Jenkins Hains - - [Illustration] - - The Windjammers $1.50 - The Black Barque 1.50 - The Voyage of the Arrow 1.50 - - [Illustration] - - - L. C. PAGE & COMPANY - New England Building - BOSTON, MASS. - - [Illustration: “CLAWING OFF THE CAPE.” - - Copyright by S. S. McClure Co.] - - - - - THE - WIND-JAMMERS - - By T. JENKINS HAINS - - Author of “The Voyage of the Arrow,” “The Black Barque,” - “The Strife of the Sea,” etc. - - [Illustration: colophon] - - BOSTON - L. C. PAGE & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - Copyright, 1894, 1898, 1899, by T. JENKINS HAINS - Copyright, 1897, by FRANK A. MUNSEY - - Sixth Impression, March, 1906. - - COLONIAL PRESS - PRINTED BY C. H. SIMONDS & CO. - BOSTON, U. S. A. - - - TO - GENERAL P. C. HAINS - UNITED STATES ARMY - A STERN CRITIC AND - MY OLDEST FRIEND - - - - -_CONTENTS_ - - - PAGE - -THE EXECUTIVE OF THE RANDOLPH 9 - -TIMBER NOGGINS 28 - -OFF THE HORN: A TALE OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN 38 - -THE BLACK CREW OF COOPER’S HOLE 52 - -JOHNNIE 71 - -THE TREASURE OF TINIAN REEF 84 - -THE LE MAIRE LIGHT 110 - -THE BACKSLIDERS 124 - -CAPTAIN CRAVEN’S COURAGE 146 - -THE DEATH OF HUATICARA 161 - -A BLUNDER 181 - -TO CLIPPERTON REEF 196 - -THE TRANSMIGRATION OF AMOS JONES 227 - -MURPHY OF THE CONEMAUGH 235 - -MY PIRATE 244 - -THE CURSE OF WOMAN 264 - - - - -_THE EXECUTIVE OF THE RANDOLPH_ - - -I was a few months over sixteen when my father set me to work in the -ship-yard. My task consisted in carrying water for the men to drink and -distributing among them armfuls of bolts and trunnels. - -In this way I became acquainted with the different men employed upon the -various parts of the vast hull for the ship of war that was being set -up, and I knew their peculiarities and some of their affairs. - -My father was working with several other men, one day, on the dead-wood -aft, when an unfinished butt flew out from its fastenings and struck a -man named Simms, injuring him so badly that he was laid off. As the -building dragged very slowly, other men were put on and my father had a -new assistant. - -This new man was about thirty years of age and rather good-looking. He -had no beard or mustache, and his sensitive mouth wore a grave -expression, as if he were much given to deep thought. - -It was his eyes, however, that appeared to me most remarkable. They -seldom met mine when he took his water from me, and when they did I -always had the impression that I had seen only the whites of them in -their corners. - -Only once did he look straight at me, and that was when I was a trifle -slow about bringing him a bolt. Then he gazed at me for fully a quarter -of a minute, and I was so frightened by his fierce look that I almost -dropped the bolt from my hand. - -At other times he smiled so pleasantly, and said so many flattering -things to everybody, that the other workmen took a strong liking to him. -He always had the latest war news, and solemnly bade the men thank -Providence for each success that attended General Washington’s army. - -My father finally invited him to our house one Sunday, and he appeared -there all dressed and powdered like any gentleman of wealth and -position, much to my father’s disgust and to my sister Peggy’s -astonishment. - -He saw our looks, and explained that he was more careful of his -appearance on the Lord’s day, inasmuch as he had held clerical orders, -and that the only reason he took up the work at the ship-yard was -because he felt that he could serve the Lord better by helping to build -defences for the suffering country than by talking. - -His manner to both Peggy and my mother was such, that had they been of -the blood royal, he could hardly have treated them with more deference -and respect. - -The way he took to Peggy was remarkable, and he spent much time, after -this first visit, in her company talking of church affairs, with which -he appeared to be quite familiar. My mother and father did not object to -this, for they were religious people, and their dislike for the young -man’s effeminacy soon gave place to admiration for his zeal in these -elevating matters. - -The only person frequenting our house who did not take greatly to Mr. -Robinson was George Rhett, our young Episcopal clergyman, who was very -attentive to Peggy. He thought Mr. Robinson’s conversation more -fascinating than instructive. - -One day, late in the winter, three rough-looking men appeared in the -yard and asked for work. They were put on the gang under my father. The -leader of these men was a perfect giant in size, and had a head as big -and bald as the butt of a twelve-pounder. He also had a face and manner -of peculiar fierceness. - -I happened to be near him one day when my father gave him an order, -which he roughly answered with a great oath. Instantly Mr. Robinson -turned about and, holding up his hands, raised his face to heaven and -bade him ask forgiveness for using such language. - -The deep tones of his voice startled me at first with their intenseness, -but the great ruffian laughed. Then he suddenly caught Mr. Robinson’s -eye, and a change came upon him. - -He quietly asked my father’s forgiveness and apologized for swearing; -then he resumed work with an agility that reminded me I must not stand -about gaping. - -Mr. Robinson, however, was not satisfied with what he had accomplished. -He went to the foreman and, after a little argument, persuaded him to -discharge the three new men, much to the big bald-headed ruffian’s -apparent disgust. - -This fellow and his comrades left the yard with some show of feeling -against Mr. Robinson, and went directly to our young pastor, Mr. Rhett, -with their grievance. They showed him letters telling of their good -character, signed by several prominent officers in the army at the -North, and explained that they wished to work, and could do so to some -advantage on a part of the hull where Mr. Robinson would not be annoyed -by their presence. - -When Mr. Rhett heard it was Mr. Robinson who had had the men discharged -his indignation ran high, and he went about telling such a tale of -persecution that even my mild-mannered sister Peggy was ready to take up -matters in their behalf. - -Mr. Rhett went to the foreman and had the men put back on the work, and -was loud in his praise of them. - -They really were the best men for heavy work in the yard, and when, a -few days later, they asked to have several of their friends employed, -Mr. Rhett was quite willing to recommend them. As he was very popular in -the community, his word was of so much value that they were immediately -turned to with their comrades. - -Mr. Robinson took no further notice of the matter, but about a week -before the launching Peggy came to me and, with many pretty blushes, -told me I was about to have a new brother. My father and mother had -consented to the marriage and every one was as happy as could be. That -is, every one except Mr. Rhett. - -The wedding took place the day of the launching of the ship, and Peggy -was a proud girl as she stood there on the forward deck and watched a -beautiful woman break a bottle of wine over the vessel’s bows. Then a -cannon-shot boomed out and the name “Randolph” was cheered again and -again. It was a memorable day in our family, and my father came home in -such a state my poor mother instantly sent me for the doctor. - -Of course, after this event of the launching, all talk was of the war -and of what part the frigate--named after the Hon. Peyton Randolph, of -Virginia--would take in it. - -It was not long before the ship had her guns aboard and the riggers were -through with her. Then Captain Biddle began looking for volunteers to -help man her. - -Seamen were not plentiful, but as a man-of-war must have men to man her -battery, landsmen are as good as any other class for this work after -they have had a little training. - -I begged hard to join, and as I had now been out of employment nearly -two months, while the frigate was fitting out, and as I also had a -hearty appetite, my poor father and mother at last consented. This, -provided that I could be regularly shipped, and so have some chance of -promotion. - -I was very happy and excited the morning my father took me on board and -asked Captain Biddle for his favor, and when I found I was really to go -to sea in that splendid ship I fairly danced with joy. - -I was a heavy, active boy, and soon learned to handle a musket, cutlass, -or boarding-pike in a satisfactory manner. - -The best men for this sort of thing, however, were those recommended by -Mr. Rhett. There were over twenty men aboard in this party, and they had -enlisted for the full term of the cruise. It was astonishing to see how -that bald ruffian would perk himself up when handling a musket or -cutlass. - -Finally the day came for sailing, and a great crowd collected to bid us -farewell. I saw my parents early in the day, and then Peggy and her -husband came to bid me an affectionate good-by, my poor sister weeping -upon my shoulder and hugging me again and again. - -Three hundred and five men stood upon the frigate’s deck and manned the -yards, to answer the shouts from the shore with three ringing cheers. A -gun boomed the parting salute, our yards were braced sharp on the -backstays to the southerly breeze, and we stood rapidly out to sea. - -When the bar was crossed and the long, easy roll of the ocean was felt, -I began to get a little homesick. I forgot the grand thoughts I had -indulged in but an hour before. - -I struggled against this peculiar feeling for some time, and then a -particularly heavy rolling sea taking the frigate squarely on the beam, -I leaned over the side, and cared not whether I was alive or dead. - -My paroxysms must have attracted some attention, for I heard several men -laugh. I turned quickly, and at that moment a hand was laid heavily upon -my shoulder, and Mr. Robinson stood before me. He flashed a look at the -grinning men and they turned away. - -Then he raised that thin, piping voice of his into a deep, sonorous -tone, and, lifting his face skyward, bade me have faith in the Lord. I -had actually begun to think I was dying, for the qualms were most -severe; so the grave face and solemn manner of my brother-in-law were -very welcome to me in spite of my utter astonishment at seeing him -aboard. - -I thanked him for his kindness, and gained much strength from his words, -and then, without further remark, I lay down beside a broadside gun and -tried to lose consciousness. - -All that night and the next day I suffered agony, but I found myself -able to attend to some duties, and asked Mr. Robinson why and how he -came to be on board. These questions he answered abruptly, but gave me -to understand that it was my sister’s wish that he should serve his -country as a sailor. - -In a few days I was entirely well, and I was put to work as a -powder-boy, to help pass ammunition from the magazine to the guns. - -The gun crews were drilled and the pieces fired to test their accuracy -and exercise the men. Then we were ready for any enemy of our size and -rating. Even greater, for that matter; for while we only rated as a -thirty-six-gun frigate, Captain Biddle was an officer of such high -spirit and courage that he would have willingly engaged a ship of the -line had one appeared. - -Robinson was made captain of an after broadside gun crew, for in spite -of his knowledge of religious matters he was every inch a sailor, and -knew more of nautical affairs--including the handling of naval -guns--than any man on the ship, except, perhaps, Captain Biddle himself. - -Four of the men recommended by Mr. Rhett were in his gun’s crew, and -they were the stoutest and most grim-looking ruffians when working -stripped to the waist that ever stood behind the breech of a -twenty-four-pounder. When they drilled, they would practise running in -their gun and whirling it around on the deck, and then send the tackles -about in a most confusing manner. - -Finally the officer of the deck had to interfere, and give Robinson to -understand that gymnastic exercises were out of place on the gun-deck. - -In spite of this he was highly esteemed by Captain Biddle, and when his -men yelled at each discharge he was not reprimanded. - -We were off Charleston one evening, cruising to the eastward under easy -canvas, and waiting for a prize to heave in sight. Several British -vessels were known to be bound for the colonies, loaded with arms and -supplies for the enemy’s troops, and it would be a godsend to catch up -with one, as there were not half enough muskets ashore to equip the -volunteers in the Carolinas. - -It was noticed by some on board that, while the majority of the men and -all the officers appeared anxious for a meeting with the foe, there was -a peculiar apathy shown among a part of the crew. These were the men -whom Mr. Rhett had helped to get work, and they appeared quiet and -listless, taking no interest in the sails we raised above the horizon -and maintaining a manner of sullen effrontery to all who did not share -their intimacy. - -It was first supposed that the new life and discipline did not appeal -favorably to them, but as they made no complaint little thought was -given to the matter. Robinson kept away from this crowd except at drill -times, and then he did much to exhort them not to be so profane. - -Several times I noticed groups of men, who were not on watch, having a -large sprinkling of these fellows among them standing about, talking in -a manner that could hardly be said to speak well of the discipline -aboard the ship. - -The sun had gone down but little over half an hour, dyeing the light -clouds in the west a fiery red, when the man on the lookout in the -foretop hailed the deck. - -“Sail dead ahead, sir!” he bawled. - -In half a second all eyes were turned in that direction. Instantly -royals were sheeted home, while the outer jibs, topmast, and -topgallant-staysails were run up, making the frigate heel to leeward -under the pressure. - -Men were sent to quarters, the magazines opened, the guns loaded and -run out, and everything was ready for action. - -We had little time to wait to find out what the vessel was ahead, for -her captain was evidently as anxious to meet us as we were to meet him, -and he stood for us with every stitch of canvas drawing alow and aloft. - -It grew quite dark, but we could still see the stranger, and by the -heavy topsails and well-trimmed yards it was easy to see that the vessel -was a man-of-war. - -In about half an hour we came abreast, and not more than fifty fathoms -distant, but somehow the Randolph was sent to leeward, giving the -stranger the weather-gage. Then we had no difficulty in recognizing the -frigate Yarmouth, sixty-four guns, commanded by Captain Vincent of his -majesty’s navy. - -As we were new and unknown, the British ensign had been run up to -deceive the enemy, Captain Biddle hoping to get in close and deliver a -crippling broadside before the Yarmouth was aware of our intentions, but -I am not certain whether it was seen or not in the darkness. - -Every man was at his post, standing silent and motionless in the dim -light of the battle-lanterns, and every gun on the starboard broadside -was kept trained on the British frigate. - -We drew directly abreast, and a hoarse voice hailed us through the -gloom. - -“Fire!” came the order clear and distinct from the quarter-deck, and -our answer to the hail was the deep rolling thunder of twenty heavy -guns, fired almost simultaneously. - -Then, as we ran clear of the cloud from our guns, the Yarmouth appeared -to burst into a spitting line of flame, and the shot from her answering -broadside crashed among us while she disappeared in a storm of smoke. - -The scene on our spar-deck was frightful. Men struck by the flying shot -or splinters were hurled and pitched about and fell in mangled groups -upon the sanded planks. - -Then the order came to wear ship, and we paid off rapidly to the -northward, to bring our port broadside to bear upon the enemy as she -crossed our wake, coming after us in full chase. - -We were new and light, and probably able to go two knots to her one, if -no accident happened to our sailing gear. Our rigging had not been -seriously cut and our spars were sound, so it is hard to tell just how -the action would have ended had the fight continued as it commenced. - -But there were other matters at hand far more dangerous to us than his -majesty’s sixty-four-gun frigate Yarmouth. - -As I passed a powder charge to the after starboard gun, I turned and -looked across the deck at Robinson and his crew. - -Instead of running his gun out and laying it towards the enemy, he and -his men quickly shifted the tackles and, slewing it around, trained it -down the port broadside through the line of gun crews. As he did so, -some thirty men--among whom I recognized the big bald ruffian and his -comrades of the ship-yard--rushed down the starboard side, and came aft, -yelling and swearing and with their cutlasses swinging in their hands. - -They took their places around and behind Robinson’s gun, while one man -stepped out and coolly rammed a bag of musket-balls down the muzzle. - -“What are you doing?” roared the officer of the deck from the break of -the poop. - -“Watch me,” said Robinson, quietly; and with that he let off the heavy -gun, double charged, along the deck. - -The discharge swept the gangway clear of living men, the poor, surprised -fellows going down in groups like grass before a scythe-blade. Then, -with a roaring yell, the ruffians left the spar-deck to the gun crews -and rushed aft in a body, with Robinson and the bald-headed giant at -their front. - -It was all so sudden no one realized what was taking place. The ship was -off before the wind, racing along to the northward through the gloom. - -The lanterns of the port battery were smashed or blown out, and the -shrieks and groans of the wounded men added to the confusion and terror -of the scene. Those men left alive and unhurt on the port side were -tailing on to the waring braces. - -The officers forward bawled and swore at the bewildered sailors, trying -to get them to realize their position, and while they did so the -villains were taking the quarter-deck. - -It was a short, desperate fight aft, but they had laid their plans so -well that every officer was taken off his guard and cut down before even -preparing to make a defence. Then the ruffians were masters of the -quarter-deck. - -I saw the Yarmouth on the port quarter. She loomed dimly through the -gloom nearly a mile away, and as I looked I saw the intermittent flashes -of her bow-chasers and heard the regular firing. - -A shot from one of her long twenty-fours tore past me, and killed a man -who was just starting aft to join in the affray on the poop. I thought -for an instant that they might know on the Yarmouth what was taking -place on board the Randolph, but afterwards I found they knew nothing. - -In a few moments the men forward began to see what had happened aft, and -they just recovered themselves as Robinson and his crew finished off the -last man and were running the ship away to the northward without a -thought of engaging the enemy. - -So far the villains had been successful, and with another turn of good -luck would be masters of a large frigate, fully equipped and provisioned -for a long cruise. - -Robinson could then have become a wealthy pirate in the West Indian and -South American waters, and retired from the sea in a year or two without -much danger of being caught, for his vessel was larger and faster than -any he would be likely to meet. From the capes of Virginia to the river -Plate no vessel of this size had cruised for years, and he would have -had a good chance to make a clean sweep before anything caught up with -him. - -But this turn of luck for him did not occur. When he had finished his -deadly work aft and started his men forward, our men rallied, and, led -on by the under officers left alive, began to make a stand. - -Robinson rushed his men on in a style worthy of a better cause. And the -way that great bald ruffian went into our poor fellows was astounding. - -They charged up the port gangway in a close body and engaged with pike -and cutlass, forcing those before them who were not cut down, until they -reached the mainmast. Robinson appeared like a fiend. He roared and -yelled to his men to press on, and slashed right and left with amazing -power. - -The great bald ruffian, who now appeared as his right-hand man, kept -close to him, and they went along that deck leaving a bloody path to -mark their course. - -They cut down and killed or wounded every man who had the hardihood to -dispute their way. I saw Robinson strike a gunner a blow that stretched -him dead with his skull cleft to the ears, and then, instantly -recovering his weapon, he drove it clear through the body of the man -next to him. - -One officer alone stood before the rush. I do not remember his name, but -he commanded the forward battery. - -He engaged Robinson for an instant and smote him sorely with his -weapon, for, although I could not see the stroke in the gloom, I heard -the villain cry out fiercely as if in pain. The next instant the bald -man struck the officer to the deck and pressed on harder than ever. - -This officer evidently understood the situation to be more desperate -than it really was, for, as the crowd of ruffians passed over him, he -arose with difficulty and staggered to the hatchway which led to the -magazine. I guessed his purpose the instant he disappeared, and I saw -him no more. - -The fight went on forward for some minute longer, and I was driven to -the forecastle by a fierce scoundrel who bore down on me with a reeking -cutlass. Then a sudden rally of our men turned my enemy and their rush -was brought to an end. - -As we were five to one in point of numbers, it now began to look as if -we would soon make way against the assault. Some of our men got around -in their rear, and we began to close in on them with something like a -chance of winning the fight, but it was never fought out. - -I saw the big bald man strike furiously at a man near me, and swing his -weapon around so fiercely that not one of our men dared get within its -reach, although they brought up stubbornly just beyond it. Then Robinson -dashed in to where I stood with my loaded musket. I fired blindly and -then saw his blade flash up, and I felt my end had come. - -At that instant the whole ship shivered and burst into a mass of flame. -I felt myself hurled into the air as the deck disappeared under me, and -the next moment I found myself in the water. - -I looked around me on all sides and saw nothing but the waves that -stretched away into the surrounding gloom. I was uninjured and swam -easily, thinking that my end must be near, and that I could only prolong -my existence by half an hour’s hard struggle. - -I was much dazed, but remembered the Yarmouth, and looked about for some -sign of her. - -Finally I made out a dark object over a mile away, and soon I recognized -her standing directly for me. This gave me hope for a short time, and I -struck out strongly, thinking it might be possible to gain her if she -remained in the vicinity of the blown-up frigate. - -I was a good swimmer, and made some headway until I butted hard into a -floating object I failed to see in the darkness and nearly stove in my -skull. I reached wildly upward, and my hands clutched the combings of a -hatchway. - -Then I recovered myself and drew my tired body clear of the sea. I had a -float that would keep me from sinking as long as I had strength to stay -upon it. - -The Yarmouth bore down on me, and I cried out. She altered her course a -point or two, but did not stop, and in a moment she was gliding away -into the darkness, leaving me alone on the hatchway. - -I could hear the rush of the water under her bluff bows, and the cries -of the men on deck calling out orders. Then she faded away into the -night. - -In a little while I heard a cry from the dark water near me, and soon I -made out a man’s head close to the hatch. I called to him, and reached -out and pulled him up on the float, for he was too weak to help himself. - -He raised his face as it came close to mine, and I recognized my -brother-in-law, Mr. Robinson. - -He was very feeble, and I soon saw that he was badly hurt, but he said -not a word and lay there on his back, quietly gazing up at the stars. - -I could see his features with that look of profound thought expressed -upon them as in the days we worked in the ship-yard together. - -My only feeling towards him was one of awe. No idea of killing him -entered my head, though I could easily have disposed of him in his -present weak state, so there I sat gazing at him, and he took no more -notice of me than if I was part of the floating hatchway. - -In a little while I made out another dark object in the water near us, -and presently a voice hailed me. I answered, and soon afterwards a piece -of spar supporting three men came alongside the hatch. - -They were all Robinson’s followers. Taking some of the rigging that -trailed from the spar, they lashed it to the hatch, and the two pieces -together made a serviceable raft. - -Then all drew themselves clear of the water and lay prone on the float -to rest. - -It was an awful night we spent on that bit of wood washed by the waves, -but when morning dawned the breeze fell away entirely, so the sea no -longer broke over us. - -The sun rose and shone hot on a glassy ocean, and not a sail was in -sight. - -There is little use in describing the four days of suffering spent on -that float. Robinson was horribly burned and badly cut by a blow from a -cutlass. His left arm was shattered from the shot I fired at him, and he -was otherwise used up from the minor blows he had received in his fierce -rush. But he lived long enough to prevent his ruffian crew from killing -me. I was bound by a solemn oath to say nothing of the affair as I had -seen it, so that if we were the sole survivors--which we were not -certain of being at that time--there could be no evidence to implicate -my shipmates. - -Robinson must have known that he was fatally hurt, and that is the -reason he made them spare my life. Whatever I told would not harm him; -and, besides, I really think he turned to the memory of my sister during -those last hours. - -He died very shortly after the Yarmouth picked us up, and the British -officers and men buried him with some ceremony; especially respectful -were they when they were told that he was our executive officer. - -There was some truth in this grim falsehood, although not of the kind -suspected. - -He was sewn carefully in canvas the day after we were rescued, and had a -twelve-pound shot lashed to his feet. The burial service was read by -the ship’s chaplain in much the same tone I had heard Robinson quote -from the Scriptures in my father’s house. - -All the officers uncovered as he was dropped over the side, and the -silence that followed the splash of his body into the sea was the most -impressive I have ever observed to fall on so large a body of men. - -Had they known the truth about this villain, it is doubtful if they -would have shown him so much honor and respect; but then the truth is -often hard to secure, and also often undesirable when attained. - -Peggy mourned her husband a year or more, but after her boy began to -occupy her attention she brightened up and married Mr. Rhett, who was -ever faithful to her. - -I kept my oath because I took it. The three surviving ruffians had -joined the British navy and no retribution could be meted out to them; -and as for my sister, she always held her husband’s memory sacred, and -only harm could come to her and her son through knowledge of the truth -about him. - -Captain Vincent of the Yarmouth may have thought it strange a frigate -like the Randolph should have met such a sudden end, but it was always -understood that she must have blown up from the effects of the shot from -his bow-chasers. Some of these did hull her, and it was the most -reasonable way to understand the matter. - -Now, when all are gone, there can be no harm in telling what I know of -that affair. - - - - -_TIMBER NOGGINS_ - - -Mr. Ropesend, the senior member of the firm of Snatchblock, Tackle & -Co., sat in his office and drew forth his pocket-knife. Upon the desk -before him lay a small wooden box which contained a patent taffrail log. -After some deliberation he opened his knife and began to pry off the lid -of the box, whistling softly as he did so. In doing this he awakened a -strange-looking animal which lay at his feet. But the animal, which Mr. -Ropesend called a “daschund,” after raising its long body upon four -twisted and double-jointed legs until its belly barely cleared the -floor, appeared overcome by the effort and flopped down again with its -head towards its master and its hind legs trailing out behind on the -floor. - -Mr. Ropesend carefully removed the lid of the box and with considerable -anxiety removed the instrument. Then he laid it carefully upon the -table, while Gaff, his pet, looked lazily up with one eye, and then, not -caring for logs, slowly closed it again. - -Presently Mr. Ropesend appeared to have developed an idea. He rang the -bell. A boy appeared almost instantly at the door leading into the main -office. - -“Tell Mr. Tackle to step here a moment, please,” said Mr. Ropesend in a -soothing tone. - -The boy vanished, and in a few minutes a man with red whiskers trimmed -“dishonestly”--with bare chin--made his appearance. - -“Good-morning, Mr. Tackle; here’s the patent log for Captain Green. What -do you think of it?” - -“H’m. Yes. H’m-m. I see. I don’t know as I’m any particular judge of -logs, although I’ve been in this shipping house for twenty years. But it -appears to me to be a very fine instrument. Very fine indeed, sir. Sort -of screw-propeller that end affair, ain’t it?” - -“That’s it, of course,” said Mr. Ropesend in a tone bordering on -contemptuous; “sort of a fin-screw with long pitch. It says in order to -regulate it you simply have to adjust the timber noggins. I should -suppose a man who has been in a shipping house as long as you have would -know all about a plain taffrail log and be able to regulate it so as to -use it, if necessary.” - -“Ah, yes, I see,” said Mr. Tackle instantly, without appearing to hear -the last part of the senior’s remarks. “Eggzackly. Regulated by timber -noggins, of course. I didn’t notice it, but any one might know it -couldn’t be regulated without timber noggins. Let me see it closer. That -new cord gave it a strange look.” - -“I’m glad you like it and understand all about it,” said Mr. Ropesend in -a tone of decision, “for I’m very busy, and you can just take it into -your office and explain it to Captain Green when he comes for it. He -will be here presently.” - -So saying the senior quickly replaced the instrument in the box and had -it in the astonished Tackle’s hands before he could get out an H’m-m. -Then he commenced writing rapidly upon some important-looking papers -before him, giving Mr. Tackle to understand that the incident had -closed. - -Mr. Tackle flushed, hesitated a moment, and then quickly retired into -the outer office, and Mr. Ropesend, having rid himself of the log, -smiled grimly to Gaff, turned half-way around in his chair, proceeded to -light a cigar and puff the smoke at the dog’s face. - -This provoked the animal to such an extent that he growled, snarled, and -grew quite savage, much to Mr. Ropesend’s delight. - -The dog finally grew frantic, and had just risen from the floor to find -more congenial quarters, when the door opened suddenly and Captain Green -stepped into the room with a hoarse roar of “Good-morning, Mr. Ropesend; -I’ve come for that patent log.” - -This sudden entrance of the loud-voiced skipper was too much for Gaff’s -nerves, and he no sooner found himself attacked in the rear than he made -a sudden turn, and grabbed the first thing that came within his reach. - -This happened to be the calf of Captain Green’s left leg, which he held -on to in a manner that showed he had a healthy appetite. - -“Let go, you son of a sea cook!” bawled the skipper. “Let go, or I’ll -stamp the burgoo out o’ you.” - -“Let go, Gaff; that’s a good doggie,” said Mr. Ropesend in his mildest -tone. “Let go, Gaff; you’ll hurt your teeth, doggie.” - -“Let go, you son of a pirate!” roared the skipper. “Let go, or I’ll -smash you!” - -“Good heavens, Captain Green, you forget yourself. What, strike a poor -dumb brute!” cried Mr. Ropesend. And he arose from his chair as if to -ward oft a threatened blow. - -Gaff at this juncture looked up, and apparently realized the energy -stored within the skipper’s raised boot. He let go and waddled under his -master’s desk, his long belly touching the ground amidships, as his legs -were too short to raise it clear. From this safe retreat he sent forth -peculiar sounds which were evidently intended by nature to terrify the -enemy. - -“Wouldn’t strike him, hey!” roared the skipper, rubbing his leg. “Well, -maybe I wouldn’t, I don’t think. By Gorry, Mr. Ropesend, that’s a -long-geared critter. I didn’t know but what he was a sort o’ walking -snake or sea-sarpint. I felt as if a shark had me. It’s a good thing I -had on these sea-boots.” - -“Calm yourself. Calm yourself, captain,” said the senior. “Did he hurt -you?” - -“No, confound him, not to speak of. It’s a fine watch-dog he is when he -bites his friends like this.--I came for that log you spoke of the other -day.” - -“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Ropesend; “I’ve just given it to Mr. Tackle to give -to you. He will explain it to you,--how it works and all that. Right in -the front office,--yes, that door. Good-morning.” And the skipper went -out cursing softly. - -In the front office he met the boy with the box containing the log and a -note from Mr. Tackle delivering the same to him, in which he excused -himself from explaining the management of the instrument by the fact -that he was called out suddenly. The note concluded, however, with the -remark that “the instrument was quite easy to regulate by means of the -timber noggins, and that he anticipated no difficulty with it.” - -The captain took the box and carried it on board his ship, and locked it -in the cabin. He was going to sea the next morning, and, as he had a -good deal to attend to, he couldn’t stop to investigate further. - -When the ship had crossed the bar, the next afternoon, and backed her -main-yards in order to put the pilot off, the mate brought out the box -containing the log, and proposed to put the instrument over the -taffrail. The third mate happened to be standing near and noticed him. - -The third mate’s name was Joseph, but being a very young man, and very -bright, having a fine grammar-school education, he was familiarly called -Joe by his superiors for fear that the handle of “Mister” to his name -might trim him too much by the head. Joe despised his superiors with all -the scornful feeling that a highly educated sailor has for the more -ignorant officers above him, and it required more than ordinary tact on -his part to keep from getting into trouble. - -“Why, the skipper don’t know enough to be mate of a liner,” said he to -the steward one day in a burst of confidence. “As for Gantline, he don’t -know nothing. You just wait and see if I don’t get a shove up before we -make another voyage around the Cape.” - -He had waited, but Joseph was still in his old berth this voyage. - -It was natural he should be a little more scornful than ever now, and as -he watched the mate clumsily handling the patent log a strong desire to -revenge himself for slighted genius came upon him. - -When the ship’s yards were squared again the skipper took up the log and -examined it. - -“I suppose you know how to regulate the machine, Mr. Gantline,” said he, -addressing the mate. - -“Can’t say as I do. I never seen one like this before.” - -“Why, blast you, all you’ve got to do is to twist them timber noggins -till it goes right, and that does the whole business. Then you let her -go.” - -“Where’s any timber noggins hereabouts?” asked the mate. - -“Why, on the tail of the log; see?” and the skipper took up the -trailing-screw. - -“Ah, yes, I see; but how about this clock machine that goes on the rail. -Don’t seem to open exactly.” - -The skipper took up this part and examined it carefully. - -“That’s all right. It don’t open; you just keep on letting her twist, -and add on to where you start from or subtract from where you are.” - -“I see,” said the mate, and without further ado he dropped the -trailing-screw overboard. - -The third mate saw all this, and he determined to investigate the -instrument during his watch that night. - -When he went forward he stopped at the carpenter’s room. - -“Chips,” said he, addressing his chum, “we’ve got a new log on board and -the skipper and mate don’t know how to use it. Now, I’ll bet you they -will have to get me to show them, and if I do, I’ll make them shove me -up the next voyage. Why, I tell you, putting a good instrument like that -in the hands of such men is like casting pearls before--before--Captain -Green and Gantline. You just wait and see.” - -That night there was very little wind, but the third mate wound the log -up for about fifty miles more than the ship travelled. - -“We don’t need any more sights for a while,” said the skipper the next -morning. “Mr. Snatchblock said that the log was dead accurate, so we’ll -let her run. Must have blown pretty stiff during the mid-watch, Mr. -Gantline, eh?” he continued, as he looked at what the log registered. - -“No, I can’t say as it did,” said the mate, scratching his head -thoughtfully as he looked at the night’s run. - -“’Pears to me as if we made an all-fired long run of it.” - -“Well, I guess you were a little off your first night out. You’ll be -sober in a day or so,” said the skipper, with a grin. - -The next day it was dead calm and foggy, but in spite of this the log -registered a good fifty-mile run, and, as the ship was to put into -Norfolk to complete her cargo, she was headed more to the southward. - -“I haven’t any faith in that log, captain,” said Mr. Gantline; “it don’t -seem as if we were off shore enough to head the way we do.” - -“Well, haul it in and let’s look at it,” said the skipper. - -The third mate was standing close by and helped haul in the line. -“Captain,” said he, as the screw came over the rail, “this log is not -set right; and if we’ve been running by it, we are too close in to the -beach.” - -“Eh! what’s that? Too close in are we? How do you know the log ain’t all -right?” - -“Why, it’s just a matter of calculation of angles,” replied the third -mate. “These fins that Mr. Tackle calls timber noggins are set at the -wrong angle. You see the sine of the angle, at which this blade meets -the water, must be in the same proportion to the cosine of the angle to -which it is bent as its tangent is to its secant, see?” - -“H’m-m, yes, I see,” growled the skipper; “but why didn’t you mention it -before, if you knew it all this time, instead of waiting until we got -way in here? Why didn’t you tell Mr. Gantline?” His voice rising with -his anger. “Why didn’t you tell Mr. Gantline this when you knew he’d -never seen a log like this before? What do you suppose you are here for, -anyhow?” he fairly roared. “Go forward, sir; I won’t have such a man for -a mate on my ship.” - -“Mr. Gantline,” he said, after Joe had gone, “get the lead-line and make -a few casts, sir, by yourself,--by yourself, sir,--and then come and -tell me how much water we’ve got under us.” - -The mate, without any unnecessary disturbance, got out the lead, and, as -it was calm and the vessel had no motion, he had no difficulty in making -a deep-sea sounding. He was also materially aided by the startling -effect of the lead, when he hove it over the side with fifty fathoms of -coiled line to follow it. To his great amazement the line suddenly -ceased running out after the five-fathom mark had passed over, and it -became necessary to heave the remaining forty-five fathoms of coiled -line after it, in order not to transmit this startling fact to any one -that might be looking on. Then, with a great deal of exertion, he -laboriously hauled the forty-five fathoms in again, and then called to -Joe to haul in and coil down the rest, and then put the lead away. After -this he went quickly aft to the skipper and whispered something in his -ear that sounded to the man at the wheel like “Shoal--Barnegat.” The man -at the wheel might have been mistaken, and it is only fair to presume -that he was, but in a very short time the ship was headed due east -again. - -As night came on, a slight breeze came through the fog and the ship -gathered headway. The captain, who had been walking fore and aft on the -quarter in his shirt-sleeves, mopping great beads of perspiration from -his forehead, now seemed to be aware of the chilliness of the air and -forthwith went below. - -The ship made a very quick voyage around Cape Horn, and a year later, -when she returned, Mr. Ropesend met Captain Green in his office the -morning he arrived. - -“How did you like the patent log, captain?” said Mr. Ropesend. - -“Mr. Ropesend,” said the captain, in a deep voice that made Gaff look up -and recognize his old friend,--“Mr. Ropesend, I don’t believe in these -new-fangled logs what’s regulated by timber noggins, no more’n I do in -these worthless third mates that’s only good for teaching school.” - - - - -_OFF THE HORN: A TALE OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN_ - - -The average man knows as little of the region where the backbone of the -American continent disappears beneath the ocean as he does of the heart -of Africa. The mighty chain of mountains that raise their peaks miles -above the surrounding country at the equator sink gradually until only a -single cone-shaped hump--the last vertebra--raises itself above the sea -in latitude 55° 50’ south. This is the desolate and uninhabited end of -the southern continent, commonly known as Cape Horn, and no man gets any -nearer to it than he can help. Past it flows the deep ocean stream known -as the Pacific Antarctic Drift, and over it whirl fierce hurricanes in -almost uninterrupted succession. - -To the southward and westward rise the jagged rocks of the Ramirez, but -these do not break in any manner the force of the high, rolling sea -which sweeps down from the Pacific. There is but little life on any of -these tussock-covered peaks, and they offer no shelter, save to the -white albatross and the wingless penguin. - -It is past this dreaded cape, in a region of almost continual storm and -with a rapidly shifting needle, the navigator of the sailing vessel has -to drive his way. The Straits of Magellan offer no passage to the -handler of square canvas, and the furious, whirling current of the Le -Maire is usually avoided, as when navigated it only saves a few miles of -westing. The floating ice is always a dreaded menace, for with the -spume-drift flying before a freezing gale and surrounded by the gloom of -the high latitude in winter, it is difficult to distinguish an object -fifty fathoms ahead of a ship’s cut-water. - -Rough, hard men were the “wind-jammers” as they were called, who earned -a right to live by driving overloaded ships around this cape, from 50° -south latitude on one side to 50° south latitude on the other. With the -yards “jammed” hard on the backstays, they would take advantage of every -slant in the wind, until at last it would swing fair, and then away they -would go, running off for the other side of the world with every rag the -vessel would stand tugging away at clew and earring, sending her along -ten or twelve knots an hour towards the latitude of the trade-wind. - -Men of iron nerve, used to suffering and hardship, they were, for they -had to stand by for a call to shorten sail at any hour of the day or -night. Their food consisted of salt-junk and hardtack, with roasted -wheat boiled for coffee, and a taste of sugar to sweeten it. Beans and -salt pork were the only other articles to vary the monotonous and -unhealthful diet. As for lime-juice, it existed only in the imagination -of the shipping commissioner who signed-on the men. - - * * * * * - -The Silver Sea was manned and officered by a set of men who had been -longer in the trade around the Cape than any others of the deep-water -fleet. She crossed the 50th parallel on the morning of June 20, and not -being certain of her exact longitude, Captain Enoch Moss headed her a -trifle to the eastwards to clear Staten Land. The second day afterwards -land was looked for, the first to be seen in eighty days out of New -York. - -Enoch Moss was said to be a hard man among hard men. His second mate was -a man named Garnett, a fellow who had been so smashed, shot, and stove -up, in the innumerable fracases in which he had taken part, that to an -unnautical eye he appeared an almost helpless old man. His twisted -bow-legs, set wide apart, gave him a peculiar lurching motion when he -walked, and suggested the idea that he was continually trying to right -himself into equilibrium upon the moving world beneath his feet. - -A large, red-headed Irishman, with a freckled, hairless face, named -O’Toole, was the first officer on board. It was his watch on deck, and -he stood, quadrant in hand, calling off time sights to the skipper, who -sat below checking up his reckoning. - -Garnett sat on the main-hatch and smoked, waiting and resting, for he -seldom turned in during his day watches below. A man sat in the maintop, -and, as O’Toole took his last sight, hailed the deck. - -“Land ho!” he bawled. “Little for’ard o’ the beam!” And he pointed to -the ragged peaks of Staten Land showing dimly through the haze to the -westward. It was very close reckoning after all, and O’Toole was well -pleased as he bawled the news down the companion-way to the skipper. -Then he turned to Garnett, who had come on the poop. - -“’Tis a pity, Garnett, yer eddication was so misplaced ye don’t know a -hog-yoke from a dead-eye, fer ye miss all the cream av navigation.” - -Garnett removed his cap and mopped the dent in the top of his bald -cranium. - -“You an’ your hog-yoke be hanged. If I used up as much canvas as you the -company would be in debt to the sail-makers. I mayn’t be able to take -sights like you, but blast me if I would lift a face like yourn to -heaven. No, stave me if I wouldn’t be afraid of giving offence. I mayn’t -have much of a show hereafter, but I wouldn’t like to lose the little I -have.” - -“Git out, ye owld pirit! And say, Garnett, ye know this is the first -land sighted, so ye better get your man ready to go ashore. The owld man -swore he’d put him ashore on the first rock sighted, for sez he, ‘I -don’t want no more cutting fracases aboard this ship.’” - -The man referred to was a tall, dark-haired Spaniard, who had already -indulged in four fights on board in which his sheath-knife had played a -prominent part. Having been put in double irons he had worked himself -loose, so the captain, not wishing to be short-handed with wounded men -off the Cape, had decided to hold court in the after cabin before -marooning the man, as he had sworn to do when the ruffian had broken -loose and again attacked a former opponent. The news of sighting the -land brought him on deck while the mates were talking, and he made known -his course in the matter a few moments after O’Toole had ceased -speaking. - -“You can bring the fellow aft, Mr. Garnett,” said he. “And twelve men of -your watch can have a say in the matter before I put him ashore.” - -Garnett left the poop and went forward and told his watch what was -wanted, and they in turn told the man, Gretto Gonzales, whom they held -tightly bound for further orders. - -“Eet iz no fair! Yo no hablo Engleeze!” cried the ruffian, who began to -understand his position. - -“Colorado maduro, florifino perfecto,” replied Garnett, gravely, -remembering what Spanish he had read on the covers of various -cigar-boxes. “If you don’t savey English, I’m all solid with your -bloomin’ Spanish. So bear a hand, bullies, and bring the convict aft.” - -His victim, a mortally wounded man lying in a bunk, and two others badly -cut in the onslaughts Gonzales had begun the first day at sea, smiled -hopefully. Davis, the principal object of his attacks, cursed him -quietly, although his lungs had been pierced twice by the Spaniard’s -knife. The two other men, Americans, who had taken his part in the -affrays and suffered in consequence, also swore heartily, and -sarcastically wished Gonzales a pleasant sojourn on the Tierra del -Fuego. - -Although the ship carried no passengers, Enoch Moss had thought fit to -provide a stewardess. This woman was well known to many deep-water -skippers, and at one time had possessed extreme beauty. Her early -history no one knew, but since she had taken to the sea she had -endeavored to make up for this deficiency by creating enough for several -women. - -Plump and rosy she was still, and much thought of by all with whom she -sailed. Many a poor sailor had reason to thank Moll, as she was called, -for the tidbits she brought forward from the cabin mess, for often a few -meals of good food did much to save a man from the horrible scurvy which -for years has been the curse of the deep-water fleet. - -Whatever faults the woman had, she also had good qualities in abundance. - -It was a strange scene there in the cabin when Gonzales was brought -before the captain. The twelve sailors shuffled about uneasily as they -stood against the cabin bulkhead, while Enoch Moss sat at the head of -the table with his charts and instruments before him. On one side stood -the condemned man, who was to be tried again, so that the skipper’s oath -to maroon him would be more than a sudden condemnation. It would have -the backing of twelve honest sailors in case of further developments. -That the twelve honest sailors would agree with the captain was evident -by the respectful attitude in which they stood, and the uneasy and -fearful glances they cast at him across the cabin table. O’Toole stood -in the cabin door, and behind him, looking over his shoulder, stood -Moll. - -Enoch Moss looked up at the man before him and spoke in his deep, hoarse -voice. - -“You have fought four times since you’ve been aboard,” said he; “the -last time you broke out your irons and nearly killed Davis, and I -promised to maroon you. I’ll do it before night.” Then he turned to the -men. “We have tried to keep this fellow in irons and he breaks out. He -has cut three of you. Do you agree with me that it is best to put him -ashore before further trouble, or not?” - -“Yes, sir, put him on the beach,” came a hoarse answer from the men that -made O’Toole smile. - -“Got anything to say before you go?” asked the skipper. - -The poor fellow looked across to the door in the bulkhead. His eyes met -those of Moll, and he gazed longingly at her a moment while a look of -peculiar tenderness spread over his coarse, fierce face. Then he looked -at a seam in the cabin floor for an instant and appeared to be thinking. - -“Well, speak up,” growled Enoch Moss. - -“Yo no hablo Americano. Yo no understand. No, I say nothin’; yes, I say -thank you.” And he looked the skipper squarely in the face. - -“You can take him forward,” said Enoch Moss. - -As they filed out again into the cold and wet, Moll watched them, and -after they had gone the skipper called her. - -“Do you know Gonzales or Davis?” said he. - -“Never saw either of them before they came aboard this ship,” she -answered in a steady voice. - -The captain looked long and searchingly at the woman before him. She met -his gaze fairly for the space of a minute; then her lip trembled -slightly. - -“That will do. You may go,” said he, and his voice had a peculiar -sadness that few people had ever heard. - -O’Toole’s step sounded on the deck overhead, and, as the stewardess went -forward into the main cabin, the mate’s voice sounded down the -companion-way. “It’s hauled to the north’ard, sir. Shall I let her come -as high as sou’-sou’west, sir?” - -Enoch Moss sat silent at the table. He was thinking of a Spanish crest -he had seen tattooed on the white arm of the stewardess. It belonged to -her “family,” she had told him, and was tattooed there when she was a -child of sixteen. - -“Yes, let her head up to the southwest, and call me when we get in close -enough to lower a boat,” he replied. - -Before dark they were as close in as they dared to go, much closer than -one skipper out of ten would take his ship, even in calm weather. Then a -boat was lowered and Gonzales was put into it with enough to eat to last -him a month. Garnett and two sailors jumped in, and all was ready. - -The skipper stood at the break of the poop, and beside him stood -O’Toole. - -“Ye better not cast th’ raskil adrift till ye get ashore,” said the -mate, “for by th’ faith av th’ howly saints, ’twill be himself that will -be for coming aboard an’ laving ye to hunt a route from th’ Cape.” - -“Trust me to see the pirit landed safely,” replied Garnett. “I’ve -handled _men_ before.” - -A female head appeared at the door of the forward cabin just beneath the -skipper’s feet. He looked down at it unnoticed for a moment. Then he -spoke in a low voice, moving away from O’Toole, so he could not hear,-- - -“Would you like to go with him?” - -Moll started as if shot. Then she looked up at the captain with a face -pale and drawn into a ghastly smile. She gave a hard laugh, and walked -out on the main-deck and looked at the boat as the oars fell across. The -condemned man looked up, and his eyes met hers, but she rested her arms -on the bulwarks and gazed steadily at him over the top-gallant-rail -until he went slowly out of sight. - -Two hours later Garnett and the men returned with the empty boat. - -The ship was headed away to the southwest, and the struggle to turn the -corner began with one man less in the port-watch. - -In the dog-watch Garnett met O’Toole on the main-deck. - -“We landed him right enough,” he said, “for we just put him ashore, and -then only cast off his hands, so we could get into the boat afore he -could walk. But what seemed almighty queer was his asking me to give the -skipper’s stewardess that ring. Do you suppose they was ever married or -knowed each other afore?” - -“I don’t suppose nothin’, Garnett; but you better give her the ring. -Davis is a good enough man, but one man don’t try to kill another, so -strong, for nothin.’ Better give her the ring--and you want to git that -chafing-gear on the fore-royal-backstay a little higher up; it’s cuttin’ -through against the yard.” - -The following night at two bells the wind began to come in puffs, and in -less than half an hour afterwards it was snorting away in true Cape Horn -style. - -It was Garnett’s watch on deck at midnight, and as he came on the poop -he saw there was to be some discomfort. Each rope of the standing and -running rigging, shroud and backstay, downhaul and clew-line, was piping -away with a lively note, and the deep, smothered, booming roar overhead -told how the ship stood to it and that the canvas was holding. The three -lower storm-topsails and the main spencer were all the sails set, and -for a while the ship stood up to it in good shape. At ten minutes past -three in the morning she shipped a sea that smothered her. With a rush -and thundering shock a hundred tons of water washed over her. The ship -was knocked off into the trough of the sea, and hove down on her beam -ends. The water poured down her hatch openings in immense volumes; the -main-hatch, being a “booby,” was smashed; and all hands were called to -save ship. - -O’Toole and his watch managed to get the mizzen-trysail on her while -Garnett got the clew of the foretop-sail on the yard without bursting -it. Then the vessel gradually headed up again to the enormous sea. - -The ship sagged off to leeward all the next day and was driven far below -the latitude of the Cape; then, as she gradually cleared the storm belt, -the wind slacked and top-gallant-sails were put on her to drive her back -again. - -Five times did she get to the westward of the Cape, only to be driven -back again by gales of peculiar violence. She lost three sets of -topsails, two staysails, a mizzen-trysail, besides a dozen or more -pieces of lighter canvas, before the first day of August. - -Part of this day she was in company with the large ship Shenandoah, but -as the wind was light she drew away, for in that high rolling sea it is -very dangerous for one ship to get close to another, as a sudden calm -might bring them in contact, which would prove fatal to one or both. - -The night was bitter cold. The canvas rolled on the yards was as hard as -iron, and that which was set was as stiff to handle as sheet tin. Old -Dan, the quartermaster, and Sadg Bilkidg, the African sailor, were at -the wheel; the quartermaster swathed in a scarf and muffled up to the -chin, with his long, hooked nose sticking forward, looked as watchful -as--and not unlike--the great albatross that soared silently in the -wake. - -A giant sea began rolling in from the southwest and the wind followed -suddenly. The foretop-sail went out of the bolt-ropes, and, as the ship -was to the westward of Tierra del Fuego and the wind blowing her almost -dead on it, she was hove-to with great difficulty. After a terrible -night the wind hauled a little. Not much, but enough to throw her head a -couple of points and let the sea come over her. - -A huge mass of water fell on deck and washed a man, named Johnson, -overboard. He was one of Davis’s friends, and had been cut by Gonzales. -He remained within ten fathoms of the plunging ship for fully five -minutes, but nothing could be done for him. - -Three days passed before the gale eased and swung to the southward, and -the high land of Tierra del Fuego was then in plain sight under the lee. - -The man Davis was dead, and he was dropped overboard as soon as the gale -slacked enough to permit walking on the main-deck. Sail was made, in -spite of the heavy sea, and the ship headed away to the northward, at -last, with a crew almost dead from exposure. Everything was put on -forward, starting at a reefed foresail, until finally on the second day -she was tearing along under a maintop-gallant-sail. - -The well was then sounded, and it was found she was making water so fast -that the pumps could just keep her afloat. Six days after this she came -logging into Valparaiso with her decks almost awash. A tug came -alongside and relieved a crew of men who looked more like a set of -swollen corpses than anything else. Men with arms blue and puffed to -bursting from the steady work at the pump-brakes, their jaws set and -faces seamed and lined with the strain, dropped where they stood beside -the welling pump-lead upon the deck. - -They had weathered the Cape and saved the ship with her cargo of -railroad iron, for they had stood to it, and steam took the place of -brawn just as the water began lapping around the hatch combings. O’Toole -approached Garnett as they started to turn in for a rest after the -fracas. - -“There’s a curse aboard us, Garnett. Come here!” said the mate. He led -the way into the cabin, and pointed to the open door of the stewardess’s -room. - -“It’s a good thing to be a woman,” growled Garnett. “Just think of a man -being able to turn in and sleep peaceful-like that way, hey? Stave me, -but I’d like to turn in for a week and sleep like that,” and he looked -at the quiet form in the bunk. - -“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t a good thing to be a woman,” said O’Toole, -quietly. “Faith, it may be a good thing to be woman, but as for me, I’ll -take me place as a man, an’ no begrudgin’. Moll is dead, man,--been dead -for two days gone. The owld man ain’t said nothin’, for he wanted to -bring her ashore, dacent an’ quiet like. She bruk into th’ -medicin’-chist off th’ Straits.” - -Garnett removed his cap, and wiped the dent in the top of his bald head. - -“Ye don’t say!” he said, slowly. Then he was silent a moment while they -both looked into the room. Garnett put up his handkerchief and rubbed -his head again. - -“It was so, then, hey?” he said. “An’ Davis was the man what broke ’em -up. Too bad, too bad!” - -“By th’ look av th’ matter, it must ha’ been. Yes, ’pon me whurd, for a -fact, it must ha’ been.” - -The captain’s step sounded in the after-cabin, and the mates went -forward to their bunks. - - - - -_THE BLACK CREW OF COOPER’S HOLE_ - - -To the southward of Cape Horn, a hundred leagues distant across the -Antarctic Ocean, lie the South Orkneys. Sailors seldom see these strange -islands more than once. Those who do see them are not always glad of it -afterwards, for they usually have done so with storm topsails straining -away at the clews and the deep roar of a hurricane making chaos of sound -on the ship’s deck. Then those on watch have seen the drift break away -to leeward for a few moments, and there, rising like some huge, dark -monster from the wild southern ocean, the iron-hard cliffs appear to -warn the Cape Horner that his time has come. If they are a lucky crew -and go clear, they may live to tell of those black rocks rising to meet -the leaden sky. If they are too close to wear ship and make a slant for -it, then there is certain to be an overdue vessel at some port, and they -go to join the crews of missing ships. The South Orkney ledges tell no -tales, for a ship striking upon them with the lift of the Cape Horn sea -will grind up like a grain of coffee in a mill. - -In the largest of these grim rocks is a gigantic cleft with walls rising -a sheer hundred fathoms on either side. The cleft is only a few fathoms -across, and lets into the rocky wall until suddenly it opens again into -a large, quiet, land-locked harbor. This is the Great Hole of the -Orkneys. On all sides of this extinct volcanic crater rise the walls, -showing marks of eruptions in past ages, and a lead-line dropped at any -point in the water of the hole will show no bottom at a hundred fathoms. - -Since the days of Drake and Frobisher the hole has been visited at long -intervals, but it is safe to say that not more than six white men have -visited it since Cook’s Antarctic voyage. To get in and out of the -passage safely requires a knowledge of the currents of the locality, and -the heavy sea that bursts into a churning caldron of roaring white -smother on each side of the entrance would make the most daring sailor -hesitate before sending even a whale-boat through those grinding ledges -into the dark passage beyond. - -To the eastward of the Horn, all along the coast of Tierra del Fuego, -the fur seals are plentiful. At the Falklands many men of the colony -hunt them for their pelts. The schooners formerly used in this trade -were small vessels, ranging from sixty to a hundred tons, and the crews -were usually a mixture of English and native. - -After working along the southern shore of Tierra del Fuego they often -went as far north as the forty-fifth parallel. They then used to -rendezvous at the coaling station in the Straits of Magellan, sell out -their catch, and afterwards, with enough supplies to carry them home, -they would clear for the Falklands or the West Coast. - -A rough, savage lot were these sealing crews, but they were well -equipped with rifles of the best make and unlimited numbers of -cartridges. Sometimes they carried a whale-gun forward and took chances -with it at the great fin-backs for a few tons of bone. These cannon -threw a heavy exploding harpoon which both killed and secured the whale -if struck in a vital part. - -The largest schooner of the Falkland fleet, the Lord Hawke, was lying -off the coaling station, one day, sending ashore her pelts for shipment -to Liverpool. Her skipper, John Nelson, was keeping tally of the load -upon a piece of board with the bullet end of a long rifle cartridge. Two -other vessels were anchored in the channel, already discharged, and -their crews were either getting ready to put to sea or lounging about -the station. John Nelson suddenly looked up from his tally and saw a -strange figure standing outlined against the sky upon a jagged spur of -rock about half a mile distant on the other side of the Strait. The -natives to the southward of the Strait are very fierce and dangerous, so -Nelson swore at a sailor passing a hide and bade him “avast.” Then he -took up his glass and examined the figure closely. - -It appeared to be that of a white man clothed in skins, carrying either -a staff or gun, upon which he leaned. - -“There are no men from the schooner ashore over there; hey, Watkins?” -said Nelson. - -“Naw,” said his mate, looking at the solitary figure. “It’s one of those -cannibals from the s’uth’ard.” - -“Pass me a rifle,” said the skipper. - -The mate did so, and Nelson slipped in the cartridge he had been using -for a pencil. - -“Now stand by and see the critter jump,” said he, and his crew of six -Fuegians stopped shifting hides and waited. - -John Nelson was an Englishman of steady nerves, but he rested his rifle -carefully against the topmost backstay and drew the sights fine upon the -man on the rock. - -It was a useless act of brutality, but John Nelson was a fierce butcher, -and the killing of countless seals had hardened him. A man who kills a -helpless seal when the poor creature raises its eyes with an imploring -half-human appeal for mercy will develop into a vicious butcher if he -does it often. - -The picture on the schooner’s deck was not very pleasant. Nelson, with -his hard, bronzed face pressed to the rifle-stock, and his gleaming eye -looking along the sights at the object four hundred fathoms distant. It -was a long shot, but the cold gray twilight of the Antarctic spring-time -made the mark loom strangely distinct against the lowering evening sky. - -There was a sharp report and all hands looked at the figure. Nelson -lowered his rifle and peered through the spurt of smoke. The man on the -rock gave a spring to one side, then he waved his hand at the schooner -and disappeared. - -“Bloody good shot, that,” said John Nelson, handing Watkins the rifle. -“That’s one for the crew of the Golden Arrow. I guess that fellow won’t -care so much about eating sailors as he did when those poor devils went -ashore to the s’uth’ard last year.” - -“Think you hit him, for sure?” asked the mate. - -“Didn’t you see him jump?” - -“Oh, yes,” said Watkins. “Here, Sam, go ahead with the skins. Take that -pelt--damn!” As he spoke the faint crack of a rifle sounded and Nelson -saw his mate clutch his leg. - -“Nipped you, by thunder! Now where in the name of Davy Jones did that -fellow get a gun? Blow me, but things are coming to a pretty pass when a -vessel can’t unload in this blooming Strait without somebody getting -shot. I’d lay ten to one it was that Dago the Silver Sea marooned last -year.” - -Watkins was not badly hurt, however, and after the cut in his leg was -tied up he sat about the deck and cursed at the way the British -government allowed its stations to be open to the attacks of savages. -The station was not well fortified, but the few men there had had little -trouble, and the block-house of wood and stone was found to be -sufficient shelter. There was little for the natives to steal save coal, -so they were left alone. When a few straggling Fuegians crossed the -Strait, as they sometimes did, they were peaceful enough, and only -traded in skins and rum. Fire-arms they never used and did not care for. - -After the last boat-load of hides was sent ashore from the Hawke, the -crew went below and began to trim the vessel’s stores for getting under -way. They would start for the Falklands at daylight. - -It was late when the lookout was set and all hands off watch had turned -in. - -Nelson and his mate, Watkins, were sleeping in the cabin to starboard -while the harpooner and a half-breed hunter occupied the port bunks. The -fire burned low in the small stove and the cabin was dark. - -About three in the morning several canoes shot out from the southern -shore of the Strait and headed rapidly towards the Lord Hawke. It was -getting light in the east and the man on the lookout could make out the -grim monument of Admiral Drake’s, where that truculent commander had -once swung off a mutineer into eternity. The man on the lookout struck -off six bells and then went below to get a pipe of tobacco. - -When he came on deck, five minutes later, he was astonished to meet -twenty gigantic Patagonians clad in skins, who were being led towards -the hatchway by a dark-faced, heavy built Spaniard. - -“_Hace bien tiempo quel a manana_,” observed the leader, nodding and -smiling pleasantly. - -“What the----” - -But before he could finish, a savage struck him a blow on the head with -a club, and that ended his interest in things of this world. He was -quickly knifed and dropped overboard. Then the Spaniard led the way aft. -Nelson and his comrades awoke to find a couple of black giants bending -over each of them. Before they could offer any resistance the knives -and clubs of the black crew had put an end to any possible discussion. -There was an outcry, but even the skipper’s single fierce yell was not -heard by the men on the other vessels. The leader grasped Nelson by the -throat while four natives held his arms and legs. - -“You shot at me yesterday,” said the Spaniard. - -“I didn’t know you were a white man. Who are you?” gasped Nelson, in a -strangling whisper. - -“Gretto Gonzales.” - -“The man whose wife was stewardess on the Silver Sea--you were marooned -for killing the man who ran off with her?” - -“How you hear?” - -“Saw it in last year’s newspaper--let go of my throat---- Ah!” - -It was all over, and the crew of the sealing schooner were dropped -overboard. The men at the station were astonished to find the Lord Hawke -standing out to sea so early in the morning without settling for the -trade at the company’s store. A few weeks later the crews of the other -Falkland schooners were more astonished to find that the Lord Hawke had -not returned to the islands. At the end of two months John Nelson and -his crew were given up for lost, for the Hawke was seen no more in the -sealing fleet. Gretto Gonzales, the Spaniard, held her head straight for -the South Orkneys and ran her through the entrance of the Great Hole. -Once safe inside, he built huts of stone for his stores, and then stood -to sea again to meet the Cape Horn fleet. - -As he had by some means--previous to the taking of the Hawke--heard of -the death of Davis from the wounds he had given him in the fight on the -Silver Sea, he was afraid to set foot in one of the Strait stations. -Captain Enoch Moss had marooned him two years ago for his savage conduct -aboard his ship, and since then he had become a chief among the fierce -eastern natives. These savages were large and active, and unlike the -hopeless Fuegians of Smith’s Channel. His life, like theirs, was wild -and restless, but it was unbearable for its monotony, so he had picked -his crew and determined on this wild plan of piracy. His thoughts also -appear to have been often with his wife, whom he believed to be alive, -for many of his actions point that this was his chief motive in holding -up the vessels of the Cape Horn fleet. - -The first vessel he sighted was the Norwegian bark Erik, and he boarded -her in his whale-boat during a calm. She was reported as missing. - -The next vessel was the large ship James Burk, of San Francisco. He -fought her, and followed her for nearly ten days, and finally took her -abreast of the Ramirez after having shot half her crew from his own -deck. She was also added to the list of missing ships and no one in the -civilized world was the wiser. - -For over a year and a half Gonzales held up vessels of all kinds, and -not a soul escaped to tell a tale. How many ships, still overdue, were -taken by him no one will ever know, but it is safe to say they were -many. His storehouses at the Orkneys were filled with enough material to -supply a colony. - -After taking enough supplies to last him for years, Gonzales ceased to -attack vessels. This was proved in the case of the Sentinel, whose -skipper reported a fast, black sealing schooner, without a name, manned -by a crew of Patagonians, having spoken him in south latitude 50°, west -longitude 96° 35’. The skipper of the sealing vessel came aboard and -asked the captain of the Sentinel to sell him Remington 45-90 cartridges -for sealing. After this he asked to see all the passengers, and insisted -on talking for some time to the stewardess. Then he left in his boat, -calling out a farewell in Spanish. - -The English ship Porpoise, a few months later, reported the same strange -sealer off Juan Fernandez. He came aboard with a dozen of his giant -crew, and asked for rifle cartridges. He also held a long conversation -about the different vessels in the Cape Horn trade, and asked many -questions in regard to their skippers and after guards. - -“I haf a wife; she runs away on ship,--I look for her,” said he to the -captain of the Porpoise. - -“Hope you will find her,” said the Englishman, with a sneering grin and -a glance at the Spaniard’s strange dress. - -“You seem amused,” said Gonzales. - -“I am,” replied the skipper, laughing. - -“Then see I don’t kill you,” said Gonzales, and he left without another -word. - -The sealing schooner was within fifty fathoms of the ship, and after -Gonzales went back aboard the captain watched him. As he looked, he saw -the Spaniard raise a gun to his shoulder and the smoke spurt forth. At -the same instant a bullet tore its way through the taffrail, within an -inch of his waist. - -“Sink him, if his wife hasn’t driven him mad,” cried the captain, as he -dived below. - -Five other vessels reported meeting this strange sealer before the year -was out, and each told of a somewhat similar experience in regard to the -stranger’s inquiries. As sealers seldom speak deep-water ships, this was -thought strange, and when Enoch Moss, of the Yankee clipper Silver Sea, -read the latest account at Havre, he called his first mate, Mr. O’Toole, -into the after cabin. - -“Have you read the _Marine Journal_?” said he, looking up at the big -red-headed Irishman. - -“No, sir; how is it now?” - -“Read that, and tell me what you make of it.” - -O’Toole looked hard at the page for some moments, and then replied,-- - -“’Pon me whurd, for a fact, it’s him, Gonzales, th’ very man we marooned -off th’ Cape for knifin’ Davis. Now, what in th’ name av th’ saints is -he doin’ aboard a sealer with a native crew? He don’t know poor Moll is -dead, for sure, but he’s heard av th’ man he knifed.” - -“Maybe he will visit us to the s’uth’ard,” said Enoch Moss. - -“In that case, ’twill be as well to have a few rifles aboard, for a -fact. Shall I see to it?” - -“Yes; we clear to-morrow at noon.” - -And O’Toole went forward. - -At the main-hatch he met Garnett, the second mate, and he asked,-- - -“D’ye mind Gonzales? Th’ same as ye put off on th’ rocks av Hermite -Isle?” - -“The Dago who killed Davis for his wife’s sake?” - -“Th’ same.” - -“Well, I reckon I do, but what of him? He won’t turn up as long as -there’s danger of swinging.” - -“He’s sealin’ to th’ s’uth’ard av th’ Cape, an’ speakin’ vessels what -carry stewardesses. He shot at th’ skipper av th’ Porpoise for no more -than a joke.” - -“Stave me! You don’t mean it. He’s looking for Moll, then. Suppose he -meets us?” - -“’Pon me whurd, I feel sorry for ye if he does, Garnett. Ye are an owld -villain, an’ ye haven’t much chance if he sees ye. Now, for a fact, -ye’ll be in a bad way.” And O’Toole grinned hopefully. - -“Bah!” said Garnett, and he went on with his work. - -Ten weeks later the Silver Sea raised Cape St. John, and stood away for -the Horn under top-gallant-sails. It was mid-summer, and Christmas day -was daylight twenty hours out of the twenty-four. There was little -difficulty in seeing anything that might rise above the horizon. It came -on to blow very hard from the northwest during the day, and the ship, -being quite deep, was snugged down to her single lower maintop-sail. She -lay to on the starboard tack, and made heavy weather of the high, -rolling sea. - -“’Tis a bad spell for th’ ‘wind-jammers,’” said O’Toole, as he stood -under the lee of the mizzen, where he had just come to relieve Garnett. - -“Divil av a thing have we sighted but a blooming owld penguin this -blessed week.” - -“It’s a most ornery live sea rolling,” said Garnett, removing his -sou’wester, and mopping the dent in the top of his bald head. “I wonder -how that Dago would like to board us to-day?” - -“He was good enough sailor; but, say, Garnett, what d’ye make av that -white t’ the west’ard? ’Pon me whurd, for a fact, ’tis a small vessel -comin’ afore it.” - -Garnett looked to windward. There, coming out of the thick haze of the -flying drift, appeared a small black schooner running before the storm, -with nothing but a small trysail on the foremast. She rode the giant -seas like an albatross, and bore down on the Silver Sea at a tremendous -pace. Several figures appeared upon her dripping deck, and several more -appeared aft at her helm. The white foam dripped from her black sides at -each roll, and was flung far to either side of her shearing bows, -leaving a broad, white road on the following sea to mark her wake. - -From the time O’Toole first saw her outlined against the blue -steel-colored sky through the flying spray and spume drift to that when -she came abreast the Silver Sea was but a few minutes. But it was long -enough for Garnett to call the skipper, who came on deck and examined -her through his glass. - -“Gonzales and his black crew, by all that’s holy,” said Enoch Moss, -quietly. - -“’Pon me whurd it is, an’ he’s going to kape us company. Look!” said -O’Toole. - -As he spoke, the little vessel began to broach to on the weather-beam. -As she bore up in the trough, a tremendous comber struck her and laid -her flat on her beam ends, so that for several minutes she was quite out -of sight in the smother. Then her masts were seen to rise again out of -that storm-torn sea, and she was taking the weight of it forward of her -starboard beam. It was an interesting sight to see that little craft -rise like a live thing and throw her dripping forefoot high in the air -until her keel was visible clear back to her foremast. Great splashes of -snowy white foam, dripping from her black sides, were blown into long -streamers by the gale, and everything alow and aloft glistened with salt -water. Then she would descend with a wild plunge and bury herself almost -out of sight in the sea, only to rise again in a perfect storm of flying -spray. She was heading well and making good weather of it, half a mile -off the Silver Sea’s weather-quarter. - -Enoch Moss watched her through his glass. - -“It’s Gonzales, and he has a gun. I reckon he will signal us,” said he. -“No,” he continued; “he has raised it and put it down again. Sink him; I -believe he has fired at us.” - -There was no report heard above the deep booming roar of the gale, but -instantly after the skipper spoke a small hole appeared in the -maintop-sail. The hole grew in size every moment as the pressure of the -gale tore the parting canvas. Then, with a loud crack, the sail split -from head to foot and began to thrash to ribbons from the yard. - -“Stave me, but he has the range of us all right,” said Garnett, and the -next instant he was plunging forward bawling for the watch to lay aft -and secure the remains of the storm-topsail. - -“Shall we put the spencer on her?” bawled O’Toole to the skipper, who -had sprung to the wheel. - -“No use,” roared Enoch Moss. “Trim the yards sharp and let her hold on -the best she can. If she pays off put a tarpaulin in the mizzen.” - -The Silver Sea did hold her head up to the sea without any canvas, for -she was very deep, and she sagged off to leeward less than the Hawke. - -Enoch Moss went below and came on deck again with a Winchester rifle. -Then he seated himself comfortably near the wheel and fired cartridge -after cartridge at the trysail of the schooner. After half an hour’s -sport there was nothing to indicate that his shots had taken effect, so -he desisted. All Christmas day the vessels were within sight of each -other and towards evening the wind began to slack up. - -Gonzales was first to take advantage of the lull. He put a close-reefed -mainsail on his little vessel, and, with a bonneted jib hoisted high -above the sea-washed forecastle, he sent the Hawke reaching through it -like mad. - -He came close under the Silver Sea’s lee-quarter, and fired his -whale-gun slap into the ship’s cabin. The shell burst and scattered the -skipper’s charts all over the deck and set fire to the bulkhead. Then -began the most novel fight that ever occurred on deep water. - -Enoch Moss, O’Toole, and Garnett kept up a rapid fire with their rifles -upon the schooner’s deck, but, although the range was not great, the -motion of the plunging vessels made it almost impossible to hit even a -good-sized mark. Gonzales, in turn, fired his whale-gun as long as he -was close enough to use it, and he made the splinters fly from the -deck-house and cabin. Then he and his fellows took to their sealing -rifles and kept up a hot fire until the Hawke passed ahead out of range. -Three times did the Spaniard go to windward and run down on the heavily -loaded ship, while all hands worked to get canvas on her. Finally, when -the Silver Sea hoisted topsails, fore and aft, she began to drive ahead -at a reasonable rate, but with dangerous force, into the heavy sea. Even -then Gonzales could outpoint her, and had no difficulty in keeping -within easy rifle range. From there he kept up a slow but steady fire -upon everything that had the appearance of life on the Silver Sea’s -deck. - -Late in the evening it was still quite light, and he drew closer. A huge -Patagonian was seen upon the schooner’s forecastle, firing slowly and -carefully. Soon after this a sailor was struck and badly injured. The -faint crack of the sealing rifle continued to sound at regular -intervals, and Enoch Moss began to get desperate. He stood behind the -mizzen, watching the Hawke following him as a dog follows a boar. - -“This can’t keep up forever,” he said to O’Toole. “He’ll wear us out -before we make port. I reckon we might as well stand away for the -Falklands.” - -“’Tis no use; I can’t hit him,” said O’Toole, jamming his rifle into the -furled spanker. “Th’ men are all scared half mad, an’ if it falls calm -he’ll board us certain; ’pon me whurd he will.” - -“We must chance it, then,” said Enoch Moss. “Hoist away the fore-and -main-t’gallant-sails. We’ll run for it.” - -In ten minutes the Silver Sea was standing away to the eastward, with -half a gale on her quarter. She hoisted sail after sail, until she drove -along fully twelve knots an hour, leaving a wide, white wake into which -Gonzales squared away. But he could not overhaul her. He shook out his -reefs and hoisted a foresail, burying his little vessel’s head in a wild -smother of foam. - -Enoch Moss stood aft looking at him, and, as his ship flew along with -top-gallant-masts bending like whips, his spirits rose. - -“He’ll spring something yet, if he holds on,” he cried to O’Toole and -Garnett, who stood near. - -“’Pon me whurd he will,” said the mate. - -“Look!” bawled Garnett. - -As he spoke, a huge sea, following in the Spaniard’s wake, began its -combing rush. It struck the little schooner full upon her -weather-quarter, and rolled over her stern, swinging her broadside to. -As it did so the mainsail caught the weight of the flying crest, and the -mast went over the side. The next instant it carried the foremast with -it. Then the Hawke lay a complete and helpless wreck upon the high, -rolling seas of the Horn. - -“We’ve got him,” bawled Enoch Moss, springing upon the poop. “Fore-and -main-t’gallant-sails, quick!” And the mates dashed forward, bawling for -all hands to secure the canvas. Jennings and Bilkidg stood at the wheel, -and steadied the heavy ship as she came on the wind, and the way she -tore along gave them all they could do. - -Everything held, and they were soon several miles to windward of the -Lord Hawke. Then Enoch Moss wore ship, and stood for the schooner close -hauled. There was still a stiff gale blowing, and the heavy ship tore -her way through the high sea with a lurch and tremble that bade fair to -take her topmasts out of her. But Enoch Moss held on. - -“Point her head for him,” he bawled to the men at the wheel. “Hold her -tight and hit him fair; we’ll smash him under this time.” - -Garnett stood on the forecastle-head and watched the Spaniard giving -directions to the helmsmen by waving his hands. He saw a dozen or more -natives launch their whale-boat and try to clear the schooner just as -the Silver Sea came rushing down upon them, with a roaring waste of -snowy surge under her forefoot, fifty fathoms distant. - -Gonzales stood on the schooner’s deck, rifle in hand, and he fired at -Enoch Moss as the Silver Sea towered over his doomed vessel. The next -instant the heavy ship rose on the sea, and, with her great sloping -cut-water storming through it at ten knots an hour, swooped downwards. -There was a heavy jar that almost knocked Garnett overboard, but Enoch -Moss, gripping his arm where the rifle-shot had passed through, rushed -to the side and peered over in time to see the forward half of the Lord -Hawke sink from view. The native crew barely got clear, and, as the -Silver Sea passed on, they and their boat were the only objects left -floating in her wake. - -“Now for the rest,” roared the skipper, smarting from his wound. “Stand -by to wear ship.” - -“We’ll never touch them,” said O’Toole. “They’ve picked up Gonzales and -are heading dead to windward, rowing six oars double banked.” - -The Silver Sea bore up again to the northward, but the black crew of the -Hawke were then a good mile in the wind’s eye, pulling with giant -strokes. She wore again after jamming for an hour, but when she crossed -their wake the whale-boat was a tiny speck in the distance. - -“’Tis a long row home they’ll have,” said O’Toole, looking after them. - -“I hope the old man won’t ship any more pretty stewardesses,” growled -Garnett. - -“’Pon me whurd, I don’t belave he will.” - -“Let her head her course, west-nor’west,” said Enoch Moss, and he went -below holding his bandaged arm. - -The last they saw of Gonzales and his crew was the tiny speck appearing -and disappearing upon the high rolling seas of the Pacific Antarctic -Drift. - - - - -_JOHNNIE_ - - -At eight bells, after the dog-watch, I went aft to relieve Gantline, and -found him talking to the skipper. It isn’t good ship etiquette to -interrupt a superior officer, so I went to leeward along the poop and -gained the wheel. There I waited until the discussion ended. - -Gantline was somewhat excited at a remark made by the “old man,” and was -holding forth in explanation. - -“No, sir,” said he; “let the boys come aboard for’ard--through the -hawse-pipe, as the saying is--not in the cabin. It’s the little devils -who run away and ship that make the sailors. They take to a slush-pot or -tar-bucket as if there was honor in getting afoul of them. All the -stinks of the fo’castle, all the hard knocks, bad grub, and every mean -thing that happens in a sailor’s life--and Lord knows there are lots of -them--are all taken as part of that big thing--agoing to sea. I know you -want your boys to sign on, regular like. You say it protects them. Maybe -it does. But I say, give me the little rascals who are full of the song -of the thing. Yes, sir, you may laugh, but that’s it. They go into the -thing different, and hard knocks ain’t going to hurt them much. - -“You know a man has to be rough on deep water. No matter how easy he is, -sometimes he gets a hard crew, and he must know how to handle them when -the time comes.” - -“But how about that case we were speaking of?” said the skipper; “there -was the investigation, and some of the men gave Jensen a pretty rough -name, considering he’s a dead man. They didn’t lay any particular blame -on you.” - -Gantline was somewhat disturbed in mind, and he forthwith went to -leeward and spat a stream of tobacco juice into the sea. Then he came -back wiping his mouth on the back of his great, horny hand, his face -wearing a thoughtful look. - -“You see, this is the way the thing was,” said he, stopping and throwing -one leg upon the rail near where the skipper sat. - -“That little fellow came aboard while we were lying at the dock in the -East River. He was a dirty, ragged little rascal. I saw him sneak over -the rail and dodge behind the deck-house. When I collared him he began -crying, and asked me not to let the ‘cops’ get him. He begged so hard -and seemed so thin a little shaver I couldn’t see him run in, so I let -him down in the forepeak, and he hid behind some empty harness-casks. We -were going out the next day, and I intended to see him ashore all right -in the morning, and as it was past six bells then I went uptown to have -a last look about. - -“Two watchmen stopped me and asked if I had seen a boy come aboard, and -when I asked what they wanted him for they were short enough. - -“No, I ain’t much but a deep-water mate, but most men are civil enough -to me.” - -Captain Green smiled, but said nothing. - -“A mate ain’t supposed to know much,” continued Gantline, not liking the -smile, “but I didn’t have to stand on my head to take the sun the first -time I crossed the line,” and he looked meaningly at the skipper, who -smoked in silence. - -“So when those fellows talked short and big, I just told them to hurry -up to the place they were sure to fetch up in some day and went on -uptown. You know what a sailor is, so you know how he spends his last -night on the beach. - -“I got aboard in the morning and was feeling pretty blue. After sticking -my head in a pail of water I came on deck just as we got the word to -clear. In a few minutes we were towing out, and I never thought of that -little shaver until the next day. Then Mr. Jensen dragged him aft to the -‘old man’ by the scruff of his poor little neck. - -“Crojack was feeling blue then, and he didn’t want any boys aboard, so -he told the mate to flog him and turn him to with his watch. - -“The poor little fellow begged hard not to get the rope’s end, but the -mate wouldn’t listen. - -“I can’t say I was against lamming him, for I felt he had taken -advantage of me. - -“Jensen went too far, though, and we came near having a set-to over the -child before we were off soundings. Johnnie was cast loose and he fell -down on deck. Then old Williams, the bos’n, took him into the -fo’castle. After that Jensen took him in hand pretty regular. - -“‘In my day,’ said he, ‘boys were taught something, and there weren’t no -dudes. And the only way to get knowledge into a boy’s hide is to lam it -in with a rope’s end. It stays there then.’ So he would lecture Johnnie -on the wicked ways of the world, and after the poor little fellow would -listen to the rigmarole and gibble gabble he would take him under the -t’gallant fo’castle and lam him beyond all reason, just so he wouldn’t -forget a word he told him.” - -“That’s what the men said,” broke in Zack Green. “He was a ruffian to -the little fellow and a d----d coward, and meaner than the wrath of -Davy Jones. It’s all because he wasn’t signed on regular.” - -Gantline was silent for a time, and then continued: - -“He grew fat and strong and in a couple of months could go aloft with -the men. He feared nothing but Jensen, and the men used to call out for -fun, ‘Here comes the mate, Johnnie,’ just to hear him curse. - -“Curse? Lord love ye, he could beat anything I ever heard. Why, I’ve -seen the mate go for’ard to see what the men were laughing at, when it -was just Johnnie calling Jensen names to them.” - -“Shows how the coward was ruining him,” broke in the skipper. - -“Well, he did have a queer way of training him,” went on Gantline. “He -would ask him questions about navigation, too, and then lam him -afterwards. One I remember. - -“‘Johnnie,’ said he, ‘if this hooker should be driven clear to the Pole -and steered away nor’west, how would she steer to get back, considering -she had left something there she wanted to go back for, for instance.’ - -“‘Steer away nor’west, sir? Get back, sir? Why, just the opposite -direction, southeast’ - -“‘Now, how in the name of Davy Jones can a vessel get to the Pole -steering southeast, hey?’ he would yell. ‘What’s the matter with you? -I’ll give you till the watch is called to answer, and if you don’t, I’ll -peel you fore an’ aft.’” - -“A cowardly, ignorant fool, sure enough,” said the skipper. - -Gantline bit off a fresh chew of tobacco and stowed it carefully in his -cheek. - -“Still,” he went on, slowly, “when the weather got cold he saw the poor -boy shivering one day, and he went aft and bought him a new set of -slops, good and warm. He must have paid half a month’s wage for them, -for the old man never gave things away off the Horn. You may say it -wasn’t much, but he did it, anyway. - -“It was July when we got off the Cape. You know how it is in that month. -Cold, dark, stormy weather, with the giant nor’west sea rolling down -from the Pacific. We had been knocking about now, too, for three weeks -and were down below 61° south, so it was hard enough. The cold was -terrible. Nearly all of us were badly frozen. There wasn’t any floating -ice, but the log-line broke from the weight of ice frozen to it as it -dipped and rose with the ship. - -“It was dark nearly all the time and so gloomy, even when it wasn’t -blowing hard; all hands were used up. Jensen kept Johnnie warmed up just -the same, and I guess he thought it helped him. - -“One day it got still. The wind died away entirely, and the -maintop-sail--the only rag we had on her--began to jerk fore and aft, -slatting loud as the ship rolled her channels under in a great live sea -that came rolling down on us from the north’ard. - -“It was so dark at six bells in the afternoon the forms of the men -loomed strange like through the gloom as they walked fore and aft in the -gangways. It was my watch on deck; but there was nothing to do, so I sat -on the step to windward on the poop and smoked to keep warm. - -“The mate came on deck after a little while to take a look around, and -he called Johnnie to coil down some running rigging at the mizzen. - -“‘The bloody glass has fallen an inch since eight bells,” said he, -coming to where I sat. - -“‘It is sort of bad looking,’ said I, ‘and I don’t quite like the quick -run of this sea,--seems to go faster than ever, as if something was -behind it.’ And as I spoke the old hooker rammed her nose clear to her -knight-heads into a living hill. It rolled under us silently, and the -slatting of the topsail and rush of water in the channels were the only -sounds it made. The voices of the men jarred on my ears, strange like. - -“All of a sudden a long, hoarse cry broke from the gloom and silence to -windward. - -“‘What’s that?’ asked Johnnie, and he dropped the rope. - -“‘That’s the Cape Horn devil,’ said the bos’n, grinning; ‘every time he -winks his eye he gives er yell, an’ wice wersa; see?’ - -“‘Cape Horn thunder,’ growled Jensen; ‘you an’ me will disagree -somewhat, Williams, if you try an’ scare the boy like that. Jump, blast -you, and lay up on that foreyard an’ see if there ain’t some serving -wanted on that weather lift. Git!’ - -“‘Cape Horn h----,” he went on to Johnnie. ‘That ain’t nothing but a -bleeding old penguin, and may the devil take his infernal soul.’ - -“Johnnie didn’t know any more than he did before he spoke, so he kept -looking out of the clew of his eye to windward while he worked. The mate -was strange and queer when he heard that cry. I don’t know what it was, -but it sounded like some one calling out of that great blackness. Jensen -went below, and when he came on deck I smelled rum on his breath. - -“Soon the cry was repeated, and I must say it did have a depressing -effect. - -“‘Sure sign of westerly wind,’ said Jensen, as he lit his pipe and -walked fore and aft. ‘Better make all snug for’ard there, for, by -hookey, it looks as if we were goin’ to have a fracas.’ - -“I went for’ard and saw all snug and then came aft again. The old man -had come on deck, and I could see on his face the glow of his pipe as he -drew it. He was standing close to the rail and looking hard to the -north’ard. - -“‘I don’t believe a barometer is any good in these here latitudes,’ I -heard Jensen say to him. ‘I’ve seen the glass way below the centre of a -West India hurricane an’ no more wind than now for days on end.’ - -“It wasn’t five minutes afterwards that I felt a puff, and the topsail -came aback with a crack. The old man was on the break of the poop in a -second, bawling, ‘All hands wear ship; hard up the wheel!’ - -“The men jumped for the braces, but it was nearly ten minutes before we -got way on her. The wind came slowly. By the time she paid off it had -increased, and came harder and harder at every puff, so before we had -her braced around on the port-tack it was snorting away in true Cape -Horn style. Soon we were switching into it at a great rate, and the big -sea that took us fair on the port-bow made a nasty mess on the -main-deck, while the maintop-sail with the sheet slacked off, to spill -some of the wind out of it, bellied out like some huge monster in the -gloom overhead. - -“There was nothing more to do, so when the watch was changed I turned -in, and after wedging myself into my bunk I fell asleep. - -“It seemed as though I had hardly closed my eyes before there was a -sharp banging at my door. I turned out, and opening it found Johnnie -standing in the for’ard cabin with the water dripping from his shining -oil-skins and blowing his fingers to try and get them warm. - -“‘Eight bells, sir,’ said he, ‘an’ the mate wants you, sir.’ - -“‘All right; how is it now?’ I said. - -“‘Bad night, sir, and plenty of water on deck.’ - -“I buttoned on my sou’wester and followed Johnnie to the cabin door. It -was on the lee side, so there was no trouble getting out. - -“As I stepped on deck I saw that the gale had increased in force, and -the dull booming roar overhead told that the old ship was standing up to -it manfully. - -“She was plunging and switching into a giant sea, and every now and then -a huge mass of water fell on deck with a tremendous crash and roared off -to leeward through the water-ways. - -“We kept clear of the main-deck and joined the rest of the watch on the -poop, where some of them had stayed to keep clear of the water. - -“As my eyes were almost blinded at first from the flying drift, I -couldn’t make out anything, but soon they got accustomed to the darkness -and water, and I looked about me. - -“The maintop-sail was still holding with the foot rope stretching and -bending until it was almost on the yard, but the sheet, being slacked -off, eased it, while the way the wind roared out from under the foot of -the sail told plainly of the pressure. - -“To leeward, on the main-deck, the foam showed ghastly white, and it -was evident that the waist was full of ice-cold water. I soon made out -the forms of the rest of the watch huddled behind the for’ard house, -swinging their arms to keep their hands warm. The old man stood on the -break of the poop holding on to the pin-rail and beside him stood the -mate, both watching the maintop-sail as it surged and strained at the -clews. - -“I saw in a moment that if the sail went there would be nothing to do -but run for it, as it was all two men at the wheel could do to hold her -up to it as it was. - -“While I was looking at the sail I heard a loud crack like a gun and saw -the lee-clew part from the yard-arm. It was gone to ribbons in a second, -but the weather-clew still held. - -“‘Goose-wing it!’ roared the old man, and Jensen bawled for all hands to -lay out on that yard. - -“The men for’ard saw what had happened even if they didn’t hear the -mate. Just as they started aft to the main-rigging a tremendous sea -rolled right over the weather-rail. The for’ard house saved the men, but -they were up to their waists in cold water and held back. - -“‘Lay out on that yard!’ bawled Jensen, and we fought our way along the -weather-rail to the backstays. ‘Lay out there!’ and his voice rose to a -screech, for it was duff or dog’s belly, as the saying is, and it meant -life or death for all hands. - -“In the gloom I saw a slight form spring into the ratlines and go aloft -hand over hand. Then the men followed, while Jensen was bawling, ‘Come -down, you devil’s limb! come down, or I’ll skin you!’ - -“But Johnnie was leading the way over the futtock-shrouds, so I grabbed -the ratlines and went up with the rest.” - -Here Gantline stopped for a moment and expectorated violently down the -weather-side most unsailorly. - -“And didn’t that coward Jensen go along, or was he too scared?” asked -Captain Green. - -Gantline wiped his mouth and continued, slowly, “He may or may not have -been scared. He went aft. Johnnie gained the yard first with Williams -close behind him, and they started out to leeward with the watch -following. - -“The yard-arm was jumping and springing under the shock of flying -canvas, and it was all a good sailor could do to hold on. The men soon -passed a line under the sail and got it on the yard amidships, while -Johnnie, knife in hand, cut away the flying canvas from the bolt-rope to -leeward. - -“It was bitter work on that yard-arm in that freezing gale, and it took -a long time to get the sail ‘goose-winged,’--that is, with the bunt on -the yard and the weather-clew drawing,--and when we got through my hands -were so nearly frozen I could hardly hold on to a rope. - -“The mate was on the poop, and we had just finished lashing the sail, -when I felt the vessel take a tremendous heave to windward. - -“‘Hold hard!’ I yelled, for I knew what was coming. With a great heave -she rolled to leeward, and above the roar I heard the smothering rush of -water as the sea went over her. - -“From the darkness to leeward I heard a sharp cry, and, looking to where -I had last seen Johnnie, I saw he was gone. - -“I grasped the topsail clew-line and slid down to the deck. Making my -way aft somehow, I found the old man and one of the men at the wheel -holding on to a rope that trailed taut over the lee-quarter, while the -old man was bawling for some one to lay aft and help pull it in. - -“I grabbed hold and we hauled it in together. A dark lump came over the -side and I grabbed hold of it and pulled it aboard. It was all that was -left of Jensen. He had seen Johnnie go, and had gone after him with the -line around his waist. - -“The old man said nothing, but took his shoulders and I took his feet -and we carried him below. He was as dead as could be. A sea had hove him -under the ship’s counter as she squatted, and the top of his head was -stove flat. - -“The old man didn’t say much, but I could see by the light of the lamp -there was more water in his eyes than that of the flying drift. - -“The next day the carpenter sewed the mate up in canvas, along with some -sheet-lead. The old man read the service in spite of the gale, and then -he raised his hand. - -“The men of the mate’s watch tilted the plank he was laying on, and the -white bundle went to leeward with a heavy plunge. - -“Just at that minute the long, hoarse cry of a penguin broke on our ears -from the darkness to the s’uth’ard. That was all.” - -Zach Green sat smoking, but said nothing. Gantline turned and noticed -me. Then he spat his quid overboard, and, giving me the course for my -watch, went slowly forward. - - - - -_THE TREASURE OF TINIAN REEF_ - - -The tropical sun shone fiercely on the beach of coral sand. The -tall-trunked cocoanuts, with their bunchy, long-leaved tops, rustled -softly in the trade-wind on the shore, and stood like bold sentinels, or -a picket-line, for the serried ranks of thick jungle growth on the land -behind them. The long, heavy roll of the Pacific heaved itself up, as if -in defiance, as it rolled towards the land, mounting higher and higher -upon itself, until the blue wall wavered an instant, then fell with a -mighty roar into a waste of sparkling foam as it rolled over the -barrier-reef and rushed towards the beach beyond. - -Sometimes the seas would come in quick couples, and the deep thundering -jar of their falling bodies could be heard clear back to Sunharon, where -Sangaan lived in the pride of his manhood and a grass-thatched palace. - -Northward from the reef, well off shore, lay a small schooner, rolling -deep in the swell. Her mainsail was hauled flat aft, and she lay hove -to, while a small white speck in the sea between her and the shore, -growing rapidly larger every moment, told plainly to the curious native -sitting on the beach in the shadow of a palm that a boat was soon to -make a landing. - -But Warto was not uneasy. He had seen boats land there before, and had -once helped to carry some of the men ashore, where a large fire had been -built and knives sharpened; but that was long ago, long before Mr. -Easyman had come there and taught him how to take care of his soul as -well as his huge brown body. - -Still, memory made his eyes bright, and he involuntarily clutched a -short spear with his right hand as he sat and watched the small boat -near the surf. - -“Steady your bow oar!” roared a deep-voiced, bow-legged man who stood at -the steering oar. Then he removed his cap and wiped a dent in the top of -his bald head, while he gazed steadfastly at a floating mass in the -water. “By the Holy Smoke, Gantline! but that’s some o’ that whale -slush, or bust my eyes!” - -Gantline, pulling stroke oar, turned quickly in his seat at this and -gazed in the direction the boat was heading, where a small object -floated like a lump of tallow on the smooth water. His gray eyes grew -suddenly bright as he brought the object in range of his vision, but he -assumed a careless air as he answered Garnett. - -“Nothing but a piece of whale-blubber,” he muttered, as he drew his oar -inboard. “Some of those niggers been trying out on the beach; and, by -thunder! if that ain’t one squatting there under that big palm right -ahead.” - -“Get out your boat-hook,” roared Garnett to the man at the bow oar, -“and make a pass at it; for, by the Pope! it looks to me like a lump of -amber-grease.” - -They were very close to the line of lifting water, closer, in fact, than -Garnett supposed; but he was so intent on capturing the floating prize -that he did not realize his danger. - -The man forward reached for the floating mass with his boat-hook and -drew it alongside, but it took the united efforts of himself and the man -next him to lift the spongy, slippery lump into the boat. - -There it was, a good hundred pounds of ambergris, worth fifty dollars a -pound anywhere on the West Coast. - -Garnett removed his cap and mopped the top of his bald head, while his -eyes remained fixed upon the prize. “By the Holy Smoke, Gantline! you -see what comes o’ being in charge of a party. I came mighty near letting -you go ashore with the boat by yourself, and then I’d been out a few -thousand; but never mind, I’ll give you a pound o’ the stuff, anyways.” - -Gantline gave a loud grunt of disgust. “Seems to me half and half would -sound better among old messmates like us. By thunder! if I had picked it -up you would have had your share fast enough.” - -Garnett smiled broadly and replaced his cap on his head. - -“It’s a pity that the devilish desire to prosper should come atween two -old shipmates like us two; but I remember the time, onct, when the -terbacker gave out on the Moose, and you never so much as offered me a -quid off your plug, even when you knowed I was suffering. Besides, it -not only wouldn’t do to divy up from a physical stand-point, but it’s -’gainst all morals and religion. What d’ye suppose old Easyman, ashore -there, would say if I gave up my rights? The Bible says, ‘He that have -got, shall have; and he that haven’t got, shall have that which he ain’t -taken from him,’ which goes to show that by all rights and religion I -should take away that pound I promised you.” - -Gantline muttered something that Garnett couldn’t hear, and then resumed -his oar. - -During all this time the boat had been drifting towards the beach, but -the wind had caused her to swing nearly broadside on while all hands -were busy with the prize. Suddenly Gantline looked seaward, and gave a -quick exclamation that brought Garnett to his senses and the steering -oar with a jump. - -“Back port! Give way starboard, for God’s sake!” roared the mate, as he -swung all his weight on the steering oar to slew the boat head-on; but -it was too late. A great blue sea rose just outside of them, with its -inshore slope growing steeper and steeper, until it was almost -perpendicular. Then, curling clear and green, it fell over them, and in -an instant boat and men disappeared in the white smother. - -“’Ternal bliss! ’ternal bliss!” lisped Warto, sweetly, as he sat -scraping his great toe-nail with a piece of shell. Then he glanced -sharply up and down the beach to see if anybody was looking who might -tell the missionary, and, grasping his spear firmly, dropped his grass -cloth and made for the surf. - -The first thing that attracted his attention was a shining bald head -which glistened brightly in the sunshine, and he made his way swiftly -towards it. - -“Get onto the divil av a naygur makin’ for us,” said a sailor. “Faith, -an’ if me eyes ain’t entirely full of salt, I do believe the black -haythen has a harpoon along with him. Now, bless me----” - -This last remark was caused by the actions of Garnett, who was swimming -a little in advance of the rest, turning his head every now and then to -watch for the following breakers. The mate had an oar under each arm and -was using the boat-hook for a paddle, when he was aware of a black head, -with shining eyes and grinning teeth, close aboard him. - -There was something suspicious in the manner the savage swam, for, while -he often held one hand clear of the water, Garnett noticed that the -other was always below the surface. - -“Git out the way, ye murdering shark, or I’ll hook ye higher than -Haman!” roared Garnett, as he flourished his boat-hook and glared -fiercely at the islander. “None o’ your cannibal tricks on me;” and with -that he made a pass with his weapon so quick that Warto came near ending -his career as a beach-comber then and there. - -As it was, he ducked his head just in time, and then, completely cowed -by this show of resistance from what he supposed were helpless men, made -for the beach. - -Before Garnett made the land quite a crowd had collected, for the -fleeing savage had spread the news in a few moments, and then hastened -back to see if anything was to be gained from the new arrivals. - -These came ashore in due course of time on whatever flotsam that -happened within their reach, Gantline astride of a keg which bore the -missionary’s name in large black letters, painted on the ends, while the -two sailors clung tenaciously to the sides of the capsized boat. - -Soon the majestic form of Sangaan was seen approaching, accompanied by a -crowd of servants and the Reverend Father Easyman himself. - -At an order from their chief, several stout fellows plunged into the -surf and assisted in getting Gantline and the men safely ashore; but -Garnett flourished his boat-hook when they approached him, and glared at -them so savagely that they soon let him alone and turned their attention -to securing whatever stuff still floated in the broken water. - -When Garnett could stand, he turned and cast his eye along the white -line of rolling surge in search of his prize, but failing to see it, he -walked slowly ashore, looking intently from right to left. - -Gantline and the men were already surrounded by the crowd of natives, -and the missionary was alternately shaking their hands and offering up -thanks for their safe deliverance from the perils of the sea. At a wave -of the good man’s hand, two strapping fellows picked up his keg and made -off in the direction of the mission, but the rest of the supplies, that -still floated, were piled in a heap upon the sand as fast as the men -could rescue them from the water. - -“By the Holy Smoke! Mr. Easyman,” grunted Garnett, with a string of -oaths, “but you’re making a fine lot o’ these naygers when they swim out -and try to murder a man as soon as he gets into trouble. There was----” - -“Ah, me!” gasped the missionary, lifting his hands and raising his eyes; -“so it is the violent one I see again,--the man of fierce speech. A warm -welcome to you, friend; for it has been a long time since you and Father -Tellman’s pig left the Marquesas suddenly on the same day. A mere -coincidence, however! a mere coincidence!” and he shot a vengeful look -at the mate, who smiled and spat a stream of tobacco and salt water upon -the sand. - -“What is the invoice of goods that you have landed so disastrously. I -had thought you were a right good sailor, though I reckoned you a poor -Christian. Give me the bill and I’ll check off what I owe your captain -for. Ah, my friend, it gives me great unease to hear you use such -strange and unholy words, especially before my great friend, Chief -Sangaan, the greatest chief in the Archipelago, and also the greatest -ras----” - -“’Tis Garnett, sure enough,” he continued to himself, as that sailor, -having handed him the list of goods, hurried off down the beach, where -Gantline stood with his eyes fixed on an object in the surf. - -“Blast his eyes! if he don’t remember me when I was on the Pigeon,” said -Garnett, as he reached Gantline. “You remember that foolishness I told -you about concerning a pretty wench he had at the mission--ewe lamb, he -called her--and that infernal pig I pulled out of his friend’s pen the -day we sailed. Dernation! the beast was so tough I can taste it yet.” - -“There’s a saying in the Holy Book that stolen fruits is sweetest,” -answered Gantline, with a grin; “which goes to show the onreliability of -misplacing these quotations. Which, the same, you seem to be doing in -regard to that lump of whale stuff. It seems to me that I might enter -into a dispute with you in regard to the ownership of it; for, if I see -straight, there it is just inside the first line of breakers, and -belongs to the man who can abide the longest for its sake.” - -“Now, by the eyes of that sky-pilot, if you are bent on quarrelling and -intent on mutiny, it won’t take long for me to show you who is running -this affair,” said Garnett, as he glared at Gantline and began to make a -few preparations necessary for establishing his authority. - -“We’re on the beach; and, Lord love ye, Garnett, I’ll make a fair -showing if you start for me. Afloat I’ll obey orders, but ashore you’ve -got to prove what’s what before I believe it.” - -So saying, Gantline plunged into the surf and made his way rapidly -towards the floating mass, which represented, in value, his profits of a -dozen voyages. - -“This is too infernal bad,” muttered Garnett to himself, as several -natives started out to help Gantline. “Here I’ll have to fight Gantline -or lose half of that lump o’ grease; but he brings it on himself, for -it’s mutiny.” - -He grasped the boat-hook which he still carried, and waited patiently -until the lump was brought ashore. Then he approached the second mate, -who had had the prize carried above high-water mark, where he stood -astride of it. - -The natives saw that something was wrong between the white men, although -they knew nothing of the dispute or the value of the fetid prize, so -they began to crowd around them in the hope of viewing and enjoying the -hostilities in which they had no desire to take part. - -“’Tis no use, Garnett; you are too old a dog to make headway against me, -even with that hook, though there was a time when you might have held on -to some purpose.” - -“I have had a clip or two in my time,” answered Garnett; “but we’ll see. -No matter if you do get to windward of me, Easyman and the chief will -hold you for mutiny till the skipper gets you. So stand away to leeward -of that lump or I’ll be for boarding ye.” - -“Stand off!” bawled Gantline; “if I fire this chunk of coral into that -dent in your forepeak there’ll be trouble.” - -“Ah, brothers! ah, brothers! what is this strife about? and what is that -lump on the sand?” asked a voice on the outside of the group. The -natives instantly stood aside, and the Reverend Father Easyman stood -before the quarrelling mates. “Oh, ho! it is my friend of the godless -tongue; and pray, my friend, what is it he desires to take from you? for -I reckon him a covetous man,” said the missionary, looking at Garnett, -but addressing Gantline. - -“It’s just a find of grease,” answered Gantline, “and, as I went into -the surf after it, I want to divide it with Garnett here, who says it’s -his because he saw it first.” - -“Lump of grease! Now, bless me, my friend, it has a most unholy odor for -grease. ’Tis a poor beef that gives forth such tallow; but let me -examine it closer, for there is no need to guard it, as Sangaan there -will have no disputes about the ownership of property on his most -civilized island.” - -“Sangaan be hanged!” grunted Garnett; “the stuff’s mine, and I’ll have -it if I have to bring the schooner in and fire on the village with our -twelve-pounder. Who’s Sangaan, that he must meddle with the affairs of -an American citizen, hey? After a while I suppose I’ll have to be asking -permission from every chief in the Archipelago to carry the stuff we -just brought ashore for you. Have your niggers clear our boat and give -me the bill, for it’s time we were aboard again.” - -“Not so fast, friend Garnett,” said the missionary; “your boat is stove, -and it will take a man a half a day to repair it, and as you haven’t -enough spare hands aboard your vessel to man another, you will have to -stay ashore with me this evening. Perhaps I may find a nice tender shote -and entertain you according to your taste,” and he glanced sharply at -the sailor. “As for this find, as you call it, it seems to me that I -have heard of the stuff before, and that it has some value; so I will -have it carried up to the village and stored safely. In the mean time we -can discuss its ownership and also examine certain articles billed to me -at our leisure; for although your captain is an honest trader and a true -Christian man, yet one of his last year’s kegs did contain a most -unsavory mixture, and gave rise to the impression that his vessel’s hold -contained much liquid tar in a free state. As for Sangaan, it will be -well for you to show him some deference, for, although a good chief and -a devout man, he has little love for sailors, as you may remember if you -have not forgotten that affair of the Petrel. He is coming this way now -with his men, so have a care.” - -Garnett saw there was nothing to do but as the missionary said. The boat -was injured so as to be unsafe for a long pull through the heavy surf, -and it would have to be repaired before launching again. - -Gantline had the fetid mass which he was guarding so closely put into an -empty keg, and several natives carried it off to the mission as Sangaan -walked up. - -The chief evidently remembered the mate, for he advanced smiling and -held out his hand, saying, in good English, “How do you do? Had a bad -time in surf, so come up to the mission and we’ll have a good time.” - -Garnett shook his hand, and then, the missionary joining them, they -walked towards the mission house together. They proceeded in silence, -Garnett eyeing the chief suspiciously and trying to remember if he had -ever committed any deviltries which Sangaan might still feel sore about. -The missionary kept Gantline and the two sailors in view, but appeared -to be lost in deep thought. A close observer, however, might have -noticed an unholy twinkle in his eye when he glanced at the natives who -were carrying the keg of ambergris towards his home. - -As for Sangaan, he suddenly seemed to remember some of Garnett’s former -trips through the Archipelago, and asked very abruptly, “How’s Mr. -’Toole?” And at the memory of O’Toole’s affairs with the natives Garnett -snapped out, “He’s dead.” Whereupon the chief laughed so heartily that -Garnett’s suspicions were aroused again, and he remained silent. - -“And Captain Crojack, how is he? He used to do good trade with the -people to the southward.” - -“Oh, he’s still alive,” answered Garnett, somewhat reassured. “He’s in -the China trade now.” - -“And ’Toole, his mate,--I think you must lie----” - -“He is dead, I tell you,” answered the mate quickly, for it was evident -that the chief still wished to hear some news of him. “That’s a fine -big mission house, by the---- Beg your pardon, but it is just the same; -and, by thunder, it’s the best on the islands.” - -“Be not so violent, friend Garnett,” said the missionary. “It is a good -house, and, by the blessing of Providence, we have striven successfully -to keep it in good repair against the fierce typhoon and the hot sun.” - -“It’s good and large,” said Sangaan, with pride; “and you and your men -may sleep upstairs. The room is wide and cool.” - -Garnett grunted out thanks for the chief’s hospitality, but remarked -that if the boat could be fixed in time he would rather go aboard the -ship. All he wished for was the loan of a few tools and a piece of wood, -and he thought the boat could be fixed fast enough. These the missionary -lent him; so, after going over the list of goods and testing some of the -contents of the kegs and packages, he and Gantline, accompanied by the -two sailors, went back to the beach and began work on the boat. - -They were soon surrounded by a curious crowd of natives, who squatted -around them in a circle and looked on, regardless of the hot sunshine, -while the mates and men toiled bravely at their task. - -The boat was so badly stove, however, that it was dark before they were -half through repairing her; so, when Father Easyman came down on the -beach and told them that they would find something to eat at the -mission, all hands knocked off and started for it. - -Garnett and Gantline had been arguing about the possession of their find -of the morning, but had not come to blows; for the mate knew that it -would rest with the skipper as to who would have the largest share of -it, and that nothing could be settled until they got aboard ship. There -was little use, either, in getting the missionary mixed up in the -matter, for he would be likely to press the weight of his judgment -against him if called upon to help decide the case. - -The mission house was a large frame building, built of boards brought -ashore from a vessel, and had a sloping thatch roof. It was two stories -high, however, the upper one serving as a loft for storing supplies -belonging to the missionary. It was now nearly empty; a large, cool -room, with a slight opening all around it under the overhanging eaves of -the thatch. - -In this loft Garnett and his men were left to pass the night, after -having partaken of a good meal at the expense of their host, who lived -several hundred yards farther back in the village, in a modest little -cottage close to the larger abode of Sangaan. - -The good chief had offered them shelter under his roof, but as he had a -numerous company in his household, and the weather being warm, the mates -had expressed a keen desire to sleep alone with their men. The keg -containing their prize was also stored away with them for the night, and -soon silence settled upon the peaceful village of Sunharon. - -The gentle rustle of the trade-wind soothed the ears of the tired men -and they slept soundly on. - -“By the Holy Smoke! what’s up?” exclaimed Garnett, as he sprang up from -the tarpaulin on which he and the men were lying. - -There was a tremendous uproar in the room beneath, and the voice of -Sangaan could be heard singing lustily. It was a little past midnight, -but the chieftain’s voice was thick and husky, and it was evident that -he intended celebrating the arrival of the supplies. - -Garnett had carefully withdrawn the charges from the brace of huge -muzzle-loading pistols he had carried ashore with him, and had managed -to get a handful or two of dry powder from the missionary, so he was -prepared to defend any attack upon his treasure. - -He awaited developments, but as no one appeared on the ladder which led -to the loft, he crawled to the opening and looked below. - -About twoscore of natives, with Sangaan in their midst, were crowding -around a keg which Garnett recognized as one of his own wares, and a -smile broke upon his grizzled features. - -Gantline had come to his side, and they gazed down upon the mob. - -In a moment Sangaan saw their faces and waved his hands, “Come down! -come down!” he cried in a thick voice, and the whole assembly took up -the cry, laughing and shouting. - -“Come, drink health!” bawled Sangaan, as he staggered towards the -ladder. - -“No, sirree!” roared Garnett. “What! you expect me to come down and -drink with a lot o’ niggers like them. No, sirree, not by a darned -sight.” - -“Go t’ell, then!” bawled Sangaan, and he walked to the keg for another -drink, flourishing an empty cocoanut shell as he went. - -It was well that the natives could not understand Garnett’s remarks, or -there might have been trouble, but, instead of paying any attention -whatever to the white men, they shouted, laughed, and sang in the -highest good humor. - -“Gad, Lord love ye, but what heads you’ll have in the morning,” muttered -Gantline, with a grin. “’Tis nearly half Norway tar the devils are -pouring into their skins. However, I suppose it’s best, after all, for -if ’twas the real stuff, like what we gave the missionary, they would -set fire to half the village before morning and probably murder us.” - -“By thunder, I’m about tired of the racket as it is,” said Garnett; -“let’s see, if we can’t get a move on them anyhow,” and he poked one of -his pistols down the opening. “Yell together, Gantline.” - -“Hooray! Let ’er go slow!” they roared as Garnett fired. “Hooray!” and -he banged away with the other, filling the place with smoke and smashing -the lantern on the table beneath him. - -“Load her up, Gantline,” and he passed one of the pistols to the second -mate. There was wild scrambling for the door in the room beneath, but -before the frightened natives could get clear the mates had fired again, -yelling all the time like madmen, while the two sailors hove everything -they could get their hands on down upon the struggling crowd. In a few -moments Sangaan had retreated, but, as he carried the keg of rum along -with him, he doubtless thought it was not worth while to go back again. -The shouting gradually died away in the distance, and only a faint hum -from the direction of Sangaan’s abode told that the celebrating natives -were still in high good humor. - -“After all, Gantline,” said Garnett, “now that these barkers are dry and -in good condition, we might decide who’s to be owner of that keg, if we -only had a little more light,” and he began to reload one of the -pistols. - -“You’re the most bloody-minded devil I ever sailed with,” growled -Gantline; “but I’ll just go you this time, for there’s light enough for -me to see to bore a hole in that stove-in figure-head of yours. Here, -give me a bullet and powder and take your place over there by that -barrel of rice, and let Jim here give the word.” - -“If it’s murder ye’re up to, I’ll be for calling the missionary,” cried -the sailor. “Faith, an’ who iver heard ave fi’tin’ a jewel in sich a -dark hole. As fer me, I won’t witness it,” and he started for the -ladder, closely followed by his shipmate. - -“Go, and be hanged,” growled Garnett; “but mark ye, this is a fair fight -and don’t you go trying to make the missionary believe different, for I -never struck a sailor or mate under me that couldn’t have a chance to -strike back. I don’t belong to that kind o’ crowd.” - -“Take your place and stop your jaw tackle; if you don’t hurry they’ll be -back with a crowd before we begin,” said Gantline, as the sailors -disappeared down the ladder and started off. “We ought to have stopped -them.” - -“Darnation! but it’s dark. Where are you now?” asked Garnett from his -position. - -“Ready. Fire!” bawled Gantline, and his pistol lit up the darkness. - -Bang went Garnett’s, and then there was a dead silence. - -“Garnett,” growled Gantline. - -“Blast you! what is it?” - -“Did you get a clip?” - -“No, you infernal fool; but you came within an inch of my ear, and I -fired before I put the ball in my pistol. You owe me a shot.” - -“It’ll be a hard debt to collect, mate, for I’ll be stove endways before -we try that again. Here comes Easyman with the men now.” - -As he spoke there was a rush of feet, and the two sailors, followed by -the missionary and a crowd of half-sober natives, burst into the room -below. - -“Hello aloft, there!” sung out a sailor. - -“What’s the matter?” asked Garnett, quietly, from the opening above. - -“Have you done him any harm?” asked the missionary, in a voice that -showed him to be a man of action when necessary. - -“No,” answered Gantline; “there’s nothing happened.” - -A lantern flashed in the room, and in a moment Father Easyman was upon -the ladder. - -In another moment he was in the loft, and the sailors with a crowd of -natives followed. - -“Now,” said the missionary, “hand over those pistols, or I will have to -assert my authority, even as the good King David did of old. I know you, -Garnett, a fierce and unholy man, but you have enough sins on your soul -now, so don’t force me to set these men upon you.” - -“By thunder!” growled the mate, “it’s to protect ourselves we’ve been -forced to fire, to scare that drunken Sangaan out of the room below. -It’s a pretty mess he’s been making in a decent mission house, coming -here drinking that tar--I mean rum, and waking us out of peaceful -sleep.” - -“Fact, he woke us up with his yelling,” said Gantline, “and we fired -down below just to scare the crowd away.” - -“But what is this the men say about you two fighting?” asked the -missionary. - -“Oh, they were as badly frightened as the niggers. Hey, Jim, ain’t that -so?” said Garnett, and he gave the sailor so fierce a look that the -fellow stammered out, “Faith, an’ it must ’a’ been so; it was so dark we -couldn’t see nothing at all.” - -“Well, come with me, anyway,” said the missionary. “It won’t do for -Sangaan to take it into his head to come back here if he gets drunk. He -is easy enough to manage sober, but you remember the Petrel affair.” - -“Sangaan be blowed,” grunted Garnett. “I can take care of any crowd o’ -niggers that ever saw a mission, but if you insist on our cruising with -a sky-pilot, why, we’re agreeable. Come on, Gantline.” - -They followed the good man down the ladder and up the village street to -his house. When they were in the starlight the mates noticed that -several of the natives who had followed the men back carried short -spears, and one or two had long knives in the belts of their grass -cloths. When they saw this they began to realize that perhaps the -missionary was right after all, and it was just as well that they -changed their sleeping quarters for the remainder of the night. - -The next morning they patched the stove-in plank on the boat’s bottom, -and after getting all the gear into her, including the keg into which -they had put their treasure the day before, they ran her out into the -surf and started off. Several natives helped them until they were beyond -the first line of breakers, but Garnett was in a bad humor and accepted -this favor on their part in very bad grace. - -When the men and Gantline put good way on the craft with their oars, the -mate swore a great oath and rapped the nearest native, holding to the -gunwale, a sharp blow across the head with his boat-hook and bade them -get ashore. This fellow gave a yell which was taken up by the crowd on -the beach, and instantly several rushed into the surf carrying short -spears. - -“Give way, bullies,” grunted Garnett, “or the heathen will be aboard of -us.” And the men bent to their oars with a hearty good will. - -As it was, several managed to get within throwing distance, and a spear -passed between the mate’s bow-legs and landed in the bottom of the boat. -He instantly picked it up and threw it with such wonderful aim at a -native that it cut a scratch in the fellow’s shoulder. This had the -effect of stopping the most ambitious of the crowd, and they contented -themselves with yelling and brandishing their weapons. - -“Steady, bullies,” said Garnett, as they neared the outer line of -combing water; “if we miss it this time there’ll be trouble.” - -The old mate balanced himself carefully on his bow-legs and grasped the -steering oar firmly as they neared the place where the sea fell over the -outer barrier. - -They went ahead slowly until there came a comparatively smooth spell, -then they went for the open water as hard as they could. - -As they reached almost clear, a heavy sea rose before them with its -crest growing sharper and sharper every moment. Garnett, with set jaw -and straining muscles, held her true, and with a “Give way, bullies,” -hissed between his teeth, the boat’s head rose almost perpendicular for -an instant on the side of the moving wall. Then with a smothering roar -it broke under and over her and she fell with a crash into the smooth -sea beyond. - -“Drive her!” he roared, as the half-swamped craft lay almost motionless; -and Gantline, bracing his feet, gave three gigantic strokes and his oar -snapped short off at the rowlock. - -“Drive her through!” he roared again, as one of the men turned with a -scared look at the sea ahead. “Drive her or I’ll drive this boat-hook -through you!” and he made a motion towards the bottom of the boat. The -two remaining oars bent and strained under the pressure, and in another -instant they rose on a smooth crest and went clear, while the sea fell -but two fathoms astern. - -“Lord love ye, Garnett, but that was a close shave,” panted Gantline; -“give us the bailer and let me get some of this water out of her. It’s -astonishing how those seas deceive one, for from here it looks as smooth -on the reef as the top of Easyman’s head. It’s evident that you -calculate to go out of the island trade on the profits of this voyage. -They would have handled us rough enough had we been stove down on the -reef again.” - -Garnett muttered something, as he glared astern at the crowd on the -beach, and passed Gantline the bailer from the after-locker. - -He then headed the boat for the schooner, which had been working in all -the morning, and now lay hove-to about a mile distant. - -In a little while they were on board and Captain Foregaff was handed -the receipts of his trade, which he carried below and deposited in a -strong box; making a note afterwards, in a small book, of the percentage -due his mates. Then he came on deck, and as the boat was dropped astern -he drew away his head-sheets and stood to the eastward. - -On going forward he noticed the keg they had brought back with them and -instantly demanded to know its contents. - -“It’s a find o’ grease,” said Garnett, as he picked it up and carried it -aft, where he deposited it carefully in the cockpit. - -“Find o’ what?” asked Foregaff, as he and Gantline followed hard in his -wake. - -“Find o’ whale grease,” said the mate. “It’s the stuff that sells so -high in the States. I found it in the surf, and Gantline here has been -trying to prove half of it his because he was along with me.” - -“Well, where, in the name o’ Davy Jones, do I come in on this deal?” -bawled Foregaff. “Ain’t we running this business on shares, I want’er -know?” - -“So far as concerns trade, you’re right; but d’ye mean to say that what -I find ain’t my own?” said the mate in a menacing tone. - -“Trade be blowed! Gantline and I come in on this, share an’ share alike. -Knock in the head o’ the keg an’ let’s have a look at it.” And the -skipper’s eyes gleamed with anticipation. - -Gantline reached an iron belaying-pin and quickly knocked in the top of -the keg and tore off the pieces. - -“You see, it’s ill-smellin’ stuff,” grunted Garnett, “and its value is -according to its smell.” He bent over the keg and peered into it. “It’s -pretty hard,” he continued, “when a man’s been through all the danger -and trouble o’ getting a prize to have to divy up with them that ain’t -in the contract----” - -“Gord A’mighty! Hard down the wheel there! Spring your luff!” he roared, -as he sprang to his feet. “Pig grease! s’help me, the scoundrel’s robbed -us!” - -The men rushed to the sheets as the schooner came up on the wind and -headed for the island again, while Gantline and Foregaff bent over the -open keg. - -“’Tis as good lard as ever fried doughnut,” said the skipper, as he -stuck his finger into the mass and then drew it through his lips, while -Gantline glared at it as though it was the ghost of Father Tellman’s -pig. - -“Clear away the gun for’ard, and get----” - -“Hello, what’s the matter?” asked the skipper, as Garnett was getting -ready for action. - -“Why, we can’t get ashore there again. They well-nigh murdered us as it -was,” said the mate. - -“Well, what good can we do with that gun, then? It won’t throw a ball -across the surf, let alone to the village. You must have been up to some -deviltry ashore.” And the skipper eyed the mates suspiciously. - -“Devil be hanged! We were as soft as you please, but they were for -mischief from the time we rolled over in the surf. I guess, perhaps, -you’d better go ashore, though, for old Easyman don’t like me.” - -“Not by the holy Pope,” said the skipper, with a grin. “You don’t catch -me on that beach for all the whale grease afloat, or ashore either, for -that matter. If that’s the game, we might as well stand off again.” - -“Let’s at least have a try at that sky-pilot’s house,” growled Garnett. -“Give me a couple of charges and I’ll see what I can do, anyhow.” - -“As for that, go ahead; but no good’ll come of it,” muttered the -skipper. - -Garnett was on the forecastle in a few minutes with several cartridges -for the old twelve-pounder. - -The schooner was rapidly nearing the surf, and Foregaff could see the -natives with great distinctness through his glass. - -When she was as near as was safe to navigate, she yawed and Garnett -fired. - -The shot struck the crest of a comber, in spite of all he could do to -elevate the gun, and ricochetted on to the sand, where a native picked -it up and danced a peculiarly aggressive dance while he held it aloft in -his hand. - -The flag on the mission dipped gracefully three times while Garnett -loaded for a second shot. - -“If I only had a shell I’d make those niggers see something,” he -muttered, as he rammed home the charge. - -“Fire!” And the gun banged again. - -The flag dipped again in the breeze, and several natives, joining hands, -danced wildly to and fro. - -“Keep her off!” bawled the skipper, with a broad smile on his face. -“Done by a nigger chief,” he muttered to himself. “I want’er know, I -want’er know.” - - - - -_THE LE MAIRE LIGHT_ - - -It had been calm all day, and the dull light of the overcast sky made -the sea have that peculiar black tint seen in this latitude. It rolled -silently with the swell, like a heaving world of oily ink, and, although -we were almost midway between the Falklands and the Straits of Magellan, -Captain Green determined to try a deep-sea sounding. This proved barren -of result with a hundred-fathom line on end. - -The silent calm continued, and the weird, lonesome cry of a penguin -greeted our ears for the first time on the voyage. - -Late in the afternoon a light breeze sprang up from the westward. As the -ship gathered headway, a school of Antarctic porpoises came plunging and -jumping after her. The toggle-iron was brought out, and the carpenter -tried his luck at harpooning one on the jump. After lacerating the backs -of several he gave it up and turned the iron over to Gantline, with the -hope that he might do better. - -The old mate took the iron in his right hand and balanced it carefully. -Then he took several short coils of line in his left hand, and, bracing -himself firmly on the backstays just forward of the cathead, waited for -a “throw.” Almost instantly a big fellow came jumping and plunging -towards the vessel, swerving from side to side with lightning-like -rapidity. He passed under the bowsprit end so quickly that Gantline’s -half-raised arm was hardly rigid before it was too late to throw. -Suddenly back he came like a flash across the ship’s cut-water. There -was a sharp “swish,” and the line was trailing taut through the -snatch-block with three men heaving on it as hard as they could. It was -done so quickly that it seemed less than a second from the time the -animal flashed past to when he hung transfixed a few feet above the sea -beneath the bowsprit end. - -Chips, who had harpooned many a porpoise in the low latitudes, was -filled with admiration, and instantly lent a hand to get the striped -fellow on deck. - -I went aft, for it was my watch on deck, and we expected to sight land -before darkness compelled us to stand off to the eastward. At five -o’clock a man stationed in the mizzen-top sung out that he could see -something on the weather-beam to the westward, and soon by the aid of -the glass we made out the high, grim cliffs of Staten Land looming -indistinctly through the haze on the horizon. The first land sighted for -seventy days. - -The ship’s head was again pointed well up to the wind to try and turn -the “last corner” of the world,--Cape Horn. - -Captain Zack Green stood looking at the land a long time, and then -remarked,-- - -“I would have gone through the Straits ten years ago, but I don’t want -to get in there any more.” - -“What!” I asked, “would you take a vessel as heavy as we are through the -Straits of Magellan?” - -“Straits of thunder!” he replied. “Who said anything about going through -the Straits of Magellan with a deep loaded clipper ship? Man alive! -That’s the way of it. Whenever anybody talks of going through the -Straits, every eternal idiot thinks it the Magellan, when he ought to -know no sailing ship ever goes through Smith’s Channel. Strait of Le -Maire, man, between Staten Land and Tierra del Fuego. It would have -saved us thirty miles westing, and thirty miles may be worth thirty days -when you are to the s’uth’ard.” - -I admitted that what he said was true, but as people knew very little of -this part of the world, they usually associated the word “Straits” down -here with the Magellan. - -“Well,” said he, “they ought to know better, for nothing but small -sailing craft and steamers could go through there without standing a -good chance of running foul of the rocks. It’s the Le Maire Strait I was -thinking of; but even that is dangerous, for there is no light there any -more, and the current swirls and cuts through like a tide-race. I’ve -been going to the eastward since they had trouble with the light and -can’t get any one to stay and tend it.” - -“What’s the matter?” I asked; “is it too lonely?” - -“No,” he answered, slowly, “it isn’t that altogether, though I reckon -it’s lonely enough with nothing but the swirling tide on one side and -barren rocks and tussac on the other. I was ashore there once and saw -the fellows who ran the light, before they died, and the head man told -me some queer things. It’s a bad place for the falling sickness, too, -and that’s against it, but the mystery of the light-keepers was enough -to scare a man. - -“I knew old Tom Jackson, the skipper of the relief boat, and he asked me -to go over to the light with him. It’s only a day’s run from the -Falklands, and, as I was laid up with a topmast gone, I went. - -“We had a whaling steamer to go over in. A vessel about one hundred -tons, with an infernal sort of cannon mounted for’ard which threw a -bomb-harpoon big enough to stave the side of a frigate. - -“On the way over Jackson told me how hard it was to get any one to stay -at the light, and how he came across the two men who were now keepers. - -“Two men had drifted ashore near the settlement lashed to the thwarts of -a half-sunken whale-boat. They were all but dead and unable to speak. -Finally, after careful nursing, one began to show some life, and he -raved about a lost ship and the Cooper’s Hole. - -“You see, over there in the South Orkneys there is a hole through the -cliffs about a hundred feet wide, with the rocks rising straight up -hundreds of feet on both sides. Inside this narrow passage, which is -like an open door, is the great hole, miles around inside, with water -enough for all the vessels afloat to lie in without fouling. - -“This fellow raved about driving a ship through the hole during a storm. -He talked of revenge, and would laugh when he raved about the captain of -the ship. - -“When these men were well again they told a straight story about the -loss of the ship Indian. As near as they could make out, they had been -fifteen days in that open boat, which they clung to when the vessel -foundered off the Horn. They had nothing saved but the rags they came -ashore in, so they were glad enough to take Jackson’s offer of two -hundred pounds a year to tend the Le Maire light. - -“We arrived off the light the next afternoon. There was no place to land -except on the rocks, where the heave of the swell made it dangerous. It -was dead calm this evening, so we got ashore all right. As we climbed -the rocks towards the light the fellows there came out of the small -house to meet us. - -“The head keeper walked in front, and he was the queerest-looking -critter that ever wore breeches. His hair was half a fathom long and the -color of rope yarn, and his eye was as green and watery as a -cuttlefish’s. The other fellow was somewhat younger, but he seemed taken -up with the idea that his feet were the only things in nature worth -looking at, so I paid little attention to him. - -“The older fellow with long hair grunted something to Jackson and held -out his hand, which the skipper shook heartily. - -“‘Well,’ he roared, ‘how’s things on the rocks? Damme if I don’t wish I -was a light-keeper myself, so’s I could sit around and admire the sun -rise and set.’ - -“‘I wish to blazes you was,’ grunted the long-haired heathen; ‘as for -me, I’m about tired of this here job, and you might as well tell the -governor that if he gives me the whole East Falkland I wouldn’t stay -here through another winter.’ - -“‘That’s just the way with a man soon as he gets a soft job. Never -satisfied. Now, here’s my friend Green just waiting to step into your -shoes the minute you think two hundred pounds a year is too infernal -much for a gent like you to live on.’ - -“The old fellow looked hard at me with his fishy eyes, but said nothing. - -“‘No,’ went on Jackson, ‘you wouldn’t be satisfied with ten thousand. -What’s the matter, anyhow? Have you seen the bird lately?’ - -“At this the fellow glanced around quickly and took in every point of -the compass, but he didn’t answer. - -“Finally he mumbled, ‘To-night’s the night.’ Then he turned to me and -asked, ‘Be you going to stay ashore to-night?’ - -“‘No,’ I answered, ‘not if we can get back on board.’ - -“Then the fellow turned and led the way to the light and Jackson and I -followed after him. - -“The light-house was built of heavy timber, brought ashore from a -vessel, and the lantern was one of those small lenses like what you see -in the rivers of the States. It had a small platform around it, guarded -by an iron hand-rail, which, I should judge, was about fifty feet above -the rocks. Outside the lens was the ordinary glass covering, making a -small room about the lantern, and outside of all was a heavy wire -netting to keep birds from driving through the light during a storm. - -“There were some repairs needed, and the lampist had to go back on board -the steamer for some tools. He had hardly started before the dull haze -settled over the dark water, and in half an hour you couldn’t see ten -fathoms in any direction. - -“‘By thunder! Green, we are in for a night of it, sure,’ said Jackson to -me. ‘There’ll be no chance of that boat coming back while this lasts.’ - -“‘Let her go,’ I replied; ‘I’d just as soon spend a night in the lantern -as in that infernal hooker soaked in sour oil and jammed full of -bedbugs. I don’t know but what I’d rather like the change.’ - -“‘Like it or not, here we are, so we might as well take a look around -before dark.’ - -“We hadn’t gone more than half a mile through the gigantic tussac-grass -when I felt a peculiar sensation at my heart. The next moment I was -lying flat on my back and Jackson was doing all he could to bring me to. -I had the falling sickness, and I realized what the governor meant by -the order that no person should be allowed to travel alone on the -Falklands. - -“In a little while I grew better, and with Jackson’s help managed to get -back to the light, faint and weak. - -“That old long-haired fellow was there waiting for us, and he expressed -about as much surprise and feeling at my mishap as if I had been an old -penguin come ashore to die. However, after I had a glass of spirits and -eaten some of the truck he had cooked for supper, I felt better. Then -the old fellow went into the lantern and lit up for the night. He then -came back and joined us in the house, where we sat talking. - -“‘It’s the first quarter o’ the moon an’ third day,’ said he, coming in -and sitting down at the table and lighting his pipe from the sperm-oil -lamp. - -“‘I never made any remarks to the contrary,’ said Jackson. - -“‘It’s this night, sure, and the Strait will be crowded before morning; -then he’ll be here.’ - -“‘Who?’ I asked. - -“Old man Jackson laughed. ‘That’s his friend the bird,’ he said, looking -towards me. ‘He has a visitor every now and then, you see, so it isn’t -so blooming lonesome here after all.’ - -“The keeper looked hard at me with his fishy eyes, and then continued. - -“‘He has been here twice before,’ he said. - -“‘Well, suppose he has,’ snapped Jackson. - -“‘If you can get another man, get him. I don’t want to be here when he -comes again.’ - -“I looked at Jackson and saw his face contracted into a frown. ‘It’s -some sailor’s joke,’ said he. ‘Nobody but a fool would send a message -tied to the leg of an albatross.’ - -“‘It’s a joke I don’t like, an’ I’d like you to take us away.’ - -“‘Well, joke or no joke, you’ll have to stay until I get some one to -take your place,’ and Jackson filled his pipe and smoked vigorously. - -“I must have been dozing in my chair, for it was quite late and the fire -in the stove almost out, when I was aroused by a peculiar sound. - -“I noticed Jackson start up from the table and then stand rigid in the -centre of the room. - -“There was a deep moaning coming from the water that sounded like wind -rushing through the rigging of a ship. Then I heard cries of men and the -tumbling rush of water, as if a vessel were tearing through it like mad. -Jackson sprang to the door and was outside in an instant. I followed, -but the old keeper sat quietly smoking. - -“Outside, the light from the tower shone like a huge eye through the -gloom, and as the fog was thick, it lit up the calm sea only a few -fathoms beyond the ledge. This made the blackness beyond all the more -intense. - -“‘That vessel will be on the rocks if they don’t look sharp,’ said -Jackson. ‘Ship ahoy!’ he bawled in his deep base voice, but the sound -died away in the vast stillness about us. - -“‘There’s no wind,’ said I; ‘but I distinctly heard the rattle of blocks -and snaps of slatting canvas as she came about.’ - -“We stood there staring into the night, and were aware of the presence -of the old keeper, who had joined us. Suddenly we heard the rushing -sound again, and it seemed as if a mighty wind was blowing through the -Strait. There were faint cries as if at a great distance. Then the noise -of waring braces coupled with the sharp snapping of slatting canvas. - -“Jackson looked at me, and there was a strange look in his eyes. - -“‘They’ll pass through all night,’ said the old keeper, ‘and in the -morning there won’t be a sail in sight, calm or storm.’ - -“We stood in the fog for half an hour listening to the noises in the -Strait, while the glare from the light made the mist-drifts form into -gigantic shapes which came and melted again into the darkness. Once -again Jackson went to the water’s edge and bawled into the blackness. -The long-haired keeper smiled at his attempts, and his eyes had a -strange glow in them like the phosphor flares in water of the tropics. - -“‘The devil take this infernal place!’ said Jackson. ‘I never heard of -so many vessels passing through here in a whole season. The whole Cape -Horn fleet are standing to the s’uth’ard to-night.’ - -“I felt a little creepy up the back as we went into the house. Jackson -made up the fire, while I lay in a bunk. - -“‘It’s been so since the light went out last winter; but it was the -fault of the oil, not me,’ said the old keeper. - -“‘Why didn’t you stay awake and look to it?’ asked Jackson. - -“‘It was a terrible night, and I got wet. I sat by the stove and fell -asleep, and when I woke up it was daylight, and the light was out. That -bird was there on the platform.’ - -“Jackson talked to the old fellow sharply, but I finally fell asleep. He -aroused me at daylight, and I went outside. - -“The sun was shining brightly, and the light air had drifted the fog -back across the Strait to the ragged shore of Tierra del Fuego, where it -hung like a huge gray pall, darkening underneath. To the northward lay -the steamer, but besides her there was not a floating thing visible. - -“The younger keeper, with the hang-dog look, started up the tower to put -out the light, and I followed, taking the telescope to have a look -around. We had just reached the platform when there waddled out from -behind the lantern the most gigantic albatross I ever saw. The creature -gave a hoarse squawk and stretched its wings slowly outward as if about -to rise. But instead of going it stood motionless, while the keeper gave -a gasp and nearly fell over the rail, his face showing the wildest -terror. - -“‘That’s him,’ he whispered. - -“And I must say I felt startled at seeing a bird four fathoms across the -wings. I stood looking at the creature a moment, and was aware of -something dangling from its leg. Then I went slowly towards it. It stood -still while I bent down and unfastened the piece of canvas hanging to -its leg, but it kept its great black eye fixed on me; then it snapped -its heavy hooked beak savagely, and I started backward. - -“The creature dropped gracefully over the edge of the platform, and, -falling in a great circular sweep, rose again and held its way down the -Strait. I watched it with the telescope until it disappeared in the -distance, and then swept the horizon for signs of a sail. There was -nothing in sight, and the sea was like oil as far as the eye could -reach. I put down the glass and examined the piece of rag. It was -nothing but a bit of tarred canvas, with nothing on it to tell where it -came from. The keeper asked to see it, and he could make no more of it -than I could. Then we went down, and as we approached the house the old -keeper came out of the door and looked around in the air above him. I -held out the piece of canvas and he gave a start. - -“‘He was there, then?’ he asked. - -“‘If you mean that all-fired big albatross, yes,’ I answered. ‘But why -the devil are you so scared of him?’ - -“The old fellow didn’t answer, but stood looking at the piece of canvas, -saying, ‘Only one left. This is the third time.’ - -“‘Only one fool!’ I cried. ‘How, by Davy, can you read anything on that -bit of canvas when it’s as blank as a fog-bank?’ - -“‘And you are that fool,’ he replied, in a low tone, so smoothly that I -damned him fore and aft for every kind of idiot I could think of. - -“‘Let him alone,’ said Jackson, hearing the rumpus. ‘All these outlying -keepers are as crazy as mollyhawks. It’s some joke, or some fellow’s -trying to get the place.’ - -“In a little while we went aboard the steamer and started for the -Falklands. - -“I was still there three weeks later, when two small sealing schooners -came in and unloaded their pelts. The men aboard them told a strange -tale of a wreck in the great hole of the Orkneys. They had gone into the -crater after seals and had found a large ship driven into a cleft in the -rocky wall. Her bow was clear of the water, but her stern was fathoms -deep in it, so they couldn’t tell her name. On their way up they had -gone to the westward and come through the Le Maire. They had hunted for -two days off the rocks and reported the light out both nights. - -“Jackson started off in a day or so to see what was the matter, and he -took a goose-gun for that albatross. When he reached the light there -wasn’t a sign of those keepers. Everything was in its place and the -house was open, but there was nothing to tell how the fellows left. - -“In a little while he noticed the head of an albatross peering over the -platform of the light, and he tried to get a sight at it. But the -critter seemed to know better than to show itself. - -“He finally started up the ladder and gained the platform. There were -the two keepers, stark and stiff, one of them holding an oil-can in his -dead grip. The sight gave him such a turn that when the giant bird gave -a squawk and started off he missed it clean, although it wasn’t three -fathoms from the muzzle of his gun. He yelled to the men below to come -up, but by the time they got there the whole top was afire from the -spilled oil catching at the flash, or burning wad, from his gun. - -“There was no way to put the fire out, so they had the satisfaction of -climbing down and watching the tower burn before their eyes. - -“It’s hard to say just how those keepers died. It may have been the -falling sickness, or it may have been natives that killed them. As for -me, I’ve believed there was something unnatural about the whole affair, -for I’ve never heard of an albatross landing on a light before. There -was some talk about fear of mutiny aboard the Indian by her owners, but -there was no ground for it. Those fellows probably told a straight -story. There was a boat picked up to the northward of the Strait some -time afterwards, but there was no name on it, and the only man in it was -dead. He had several ugly knife wounds, but it proved nothing. - -“There’s room to the eastward of the island for me. You had better watch -those fore-and mizzen-t’gallant-sails,--it looks as if we may get a -touch of the Cape before morning.” - -I went forward and started some men aft to the mizzen. We were about to -begin the struggle “around the corner.” The deepening gloom of the -winter evening increased, and the distant flares and flashes from the -Land of Fire gave ominous thoughts of the future in store for us. - - - - -_THE BACKSLIDERS_ - - -“Wal, I swow!” exclaimed Captain Breeze, as he came to the break of the -poop the morning after the Northern Light had dropped down the bay to -await the tide before putting to sea. The object that had called forth -this remark was the figure of a very pretty and strongly built woman, -dressed in a close-fitting brown dress with a white apron, standing at -the galley door waiting to receive the breakfast things from the -“doctor,” who was busy with the morning meal inside. - -It was quite early and the mates were forward getting the men to the -windlass. The tug was alongside waiting to take the tow as soon as the -anchor came to the cat-head. The passengers were still below in their -bunks and the skipper had only just turned out. He was bound out on a -long voyage to the West Coast, and both he and his mates had enjoyed a -more than usually convivial time the evening before. This accounted for -the skipper not having seen his stewardess until the next morning, for -she had come aboard quietly and had gone unperceived to her state-room -in the forward cabin. He had asked for a good stewardess this voyage, -for he had several female passengers. The company had evidently tried to -accommodate him, for this girl certainly looked everything that was good -and nothing bad. He stood gazing at her in amazement. Stewardesses on -deep-water ships were not of this breed. Forward, the men manned the -brakes, and a lusty young fellow looking aft from the clew of his eye -caught a glimpse of the vision at the galley door and broke forth, all -hands joining in the chorus,-- - - “A Bully sailed from Bristol town, - Singing yo, ho, ho, oh, blow a man down; - A Bully sailed, and made a tack, - Hooray for the Yankee Jack, - Waiting with his yard aback, - Soo-aye! Hooray! Oh, knock a man down.” - -The rising sun shone upon the white topsails hanging in the buntlines -and glittered upon the brass binnacle and companion-rail. In the bright -light the hair of the young woman at the galley door looked like -burnished copper or a deep red gold. The curve of her rosy cheek was -perfect, and every now and then the skipper caught a glimpse of red lips -and a gleam of white teeth. - -“Wal, I swow!” he exclaimed again. - -“Anchor’s short, sir!” came the hoarse cry of Mr. Enlis from the head of -the top-gallant-forecastle. - -“Sink me if that ain’t the all-aroundest, fore an’ aft, alow an’ aloft, -three skysail-yard, close-sailin’ little clipper I----” - -“Anchor’s short, sir!” came Garnett’s bawl from the capstan. - -“----I ever see,” continued the skipper, completely deaf and lost to -everything else. - -“Stand by to take the line!” roared Mr. Enlis to the tow-boat. - -He was a cool, collected, and extremely profane mate, and he saw in an -instant that if the tug did not get the ship’s head she would swing -around with the sea-breeze and be standing up the harbor with the tide. - -As it was, she kept paying off so long that the natural sailorly -instinct, alive in every true deep-water navigator as to a sudden change -of bearings, asserted itself in the skipper and brought him out of his -dream with a start. His vision faded, and in its place he saw his vessel -swinging towards Staten Island, her topsails filling partly as they -hung. - -“What’s the matter for’ard?” he roared. “Wake up, you----,” and he let -drive a volley of oaths which for descriptive power stood far and away -above any of that extensive collection of words found in the English -dictionary. Had Mr. Garnett been of a literary turn of mind he might -have noted them down for future reference, but he apparently did not -appreciate their depth and power, for he caught them up carelessly as -they came and flung them into the faces of the crew with no concern -whatever. - -No one was affected much by this outburst, but after the skipper had -taken pains to explain that his mates and crew were all sons of female -dogs, and that they had inherited a hundred other bad things besides low -descent from their ancestors, he subsided a little and another voice was -heard from the main-deck. - -“That’s right, old man; don’t mind me. Cuss them out, I shan’t pay any -attention. I’ll get used to your tune, even if I don’t to your words,” -cried the pretty girl from the galley door, smiling up at him. - -Jimmy Breeze looked down upon the main-deck from the break of the poop. -Then he scratched his head, first on one side and then on the other. -Never before in the twenty years he had followed deep water had he ever -heard of a stewardess addressing a captain like this. Had she been old -and ugly a belaying-pin would have found itself flying through the air -in the direction of her head. But this beautiful, gentle young girl! - -It was too much for the skipper, so he turned slowly upon his heel and -walked aft with the air of a much disturbed man, muttering incoherently -to himself. - -At three bells in the morning the female passengers had their breakfast -served in the saloon. The skipper happened to be in his room adjoining -and could hear the praise bestowed upon his stewardess by Mrs. O’Hara, -the Misses O’Hara, and Mrs. McCloud. - -“A perfect jewel,” affirmed the latter, while “Carrie” was forward -getting her tea. “I really don’t think we could make a voyage without -her.” - -“And so beautiful and good,” said the Misses O’Hara. - -“Faith, tu be sure, she’s a rale saint av a gurl,” added Mrs. O’Hara, -just as she appeared with the tea things. “An’, Carrie, me gurl, d’ye -like th’ sea that ye follow it alone, so to spake?” she continued, -addressing the stewardess. - -“Yes, indeed, ma’am. But it’s not alone I am entirely, for surely the -captain is the finest I ever saw, and they told me he was a father to -his crew. He’s a man after my own heart.” - -“Humph!” growled Jimmy Breeze in the solitude of his state-room. He -thought his stewardess was not only very pretty, but an extremely -discerning young woman. It was, however, this very perfection in -appearance and deportment that caused trouble this morning, for when -“Bill,” the cabin boy, passed the stewardess in the alley-way he was -quite overcome by the vision of loveliness. He had some of the dinner -things for the officers’ mess, and when he turned suddenly at the door, -a heavy lurch of the vessel sent him against the coamings. This had the -effect of throwing the things scattering to leeward about the feet of -Mr. Enlis. - -“You holy son of Belial!” roared the mate. And he continued to curse him -loudly until Mr. Garnett came up. - -“Whang him!” grunted the second officer, shortly. “Whang the lights out -of him, the burgoo-eating, lazy,” etc. - -Mr. Enlis had seized the unfortunate “Bill” by the slack of his coat and -had yanked him to the mast to “whang” him, when the form of the -stewardess appeared at the door of the forward cabin. - -The mate laid on one good whang, when he was interrupted by the remark, -“Soak it to him; don’t mind me, I’ll get used to hearing him pipe.” And -the pretty girl smiled pleasantly. - -“Ye had better go below, missie, for there’s a-going to be a little -hee-hawing for’ards. Come back again soon,” said Garnett, with a leer. - -“Not exactly, while the fun lasts,” answered Miss Carrie. - -But, somehow, the mate could not curse loud enough to keep his temper up -before the young girl, and he ended matters by giving Bill a kick that -sent him to leeward, where he landed in the mess-kit. Then the mate -touched his forelock to Miss Carrie and went forward muttering something -about there being no discipline aboard a boat with wimmen folks around. -Garnett balanced himself upon his short bow-legs to the heave of the -ship, which was now well off shore, and took his cap in his hand while -he mopped a deep, greasy dent in the top of his bald head. Then he took -out a vial of peppermint salts and sniffed loudly at it, looking out of -the clew of his eye at the stewardess. “Holy smoke an’ blazes, but she’s -a craft to sail with! To think of a tender-hearted young gurl like that -wanting to see a man whanged.” And he went forward like a man in a -dream. - -Each time during the following days when the oaths flew thick and fast -from poop or forecastle, Miss Carrie appeared upon the scene and cheered -on the contestants. It was simply uncanny to see the fresh young girl -telling the skipper or mates to “go ahead and cuss them out,” or “don’t -mind me, boys, I’ll get used to it.” They could not go on while the -young girl stood by. Once Enlis continued to use foul language before -her, but two or three groans and hisses made his face flush for the very -shame of it. He threatened to kill every man who uttered a sound, and -seized a belaying-pin to carry out his design, but a laugh from the -galley door drove him into a frenzy, and he sent the pin flying at the -girl’s head. He was instantly reported to the skipper for his brutal -conduct and had the satisfaction of being knocked down by that truculent -commander, barely escaping forward with his life. - -“He’s a real captain,” said Miss Carrie to the O’Haras, whenever she -thought the skipper was in his state-room and could hear. She was a very -pretty girl, and what she said was seldom lost entirely. - -Day after day life grew quieter on board the Northern Light. There was -no help for it. And while life grew quieter, so likewise did Jimmy -Breeze, the skipper. He was just “losing his tone,” as Mr. McCloud -expressed it. He sometimes burst forth at odd moments, but the presence -of his stewardess usually ended the flare into deep mutterings. - -One morning he came on the poop and joined his passengers. - -“There’s no use denyin’ it,” he said, “cussin’s wrong, and that young -gurl shan’t be exposed to it no more. She’s a-tryin’ not to mind the -rough words; but, sink me, any one can tell how they effects her, young -and innercent as she is. Things is goin’ much better this v’yage, and -blast me if I allows any d--d swab to shoot off his bazoo in my hearing. -No, sir; if there’s any cussin’ to be done, I’ll do it. Yes, sir, I’ll -do it; and I’ll whang the lights out of any d--d junk-eating son of a -sea-cook aboard here I catches,--an’ I don’t make no exceptions for -passengers.” - -Here he glared at Mr. O’Hara, but that gentleman appeared absorbed in -the weather-leach of the main-top-sail. - -“An’ I don’t make no exceptions for passengers,” repeated the skipper, -still glaring at the small and inoffensive O’Hara, who stared vacantly -aloft. Then the skipper went aft to the wheel and noted the ship’s -course. - -Within another week after this speech of Captain Breeze’s a change had -come over the ship’s company almost equal to that which had physically -come over Mr. Garnett, whose long, flowing jet-black mustaches had now -given place to a natural growth of stubbly, grizzly beard and whiskers. -But of course the change of ships’ morals did not cause as much comment -after the skipper had repeated his remarks in regard to swearing to the -mates. Mr. Garnett’s private affairs were always of a nature that caused -inquisitive and evil-disposed persons much interest, whereas the ship’s -company interested no one, unless it was the stewardess. - -As there was war on the West Coast of South America between Chile and -Peru, the Northern Light carried her specie in the captain’s safe, as -drafts and exchanges were difficult to negotiate. Captain Breeze was a -careful and determined skipper and he had the confidence of the owners. -He was a bachelor, but he debauched in moderation,--that is, in -moderation for a deep-water sailor. Therefore it was something over ten -thousand dollars in negotiable form that he carried in the small steel -safe lashed to the deck beside his capacious bunk. - -On the days he opened his “slop-chest” to sell nigger-head tobacco which -cost him seven cents a pound for ninety, and shoes which cost him thirty -cents a pair for two dollars and a half, he took pride in opening the -steel doors and displaying his wealth to the stupid gaze of the men. The -men were not forced to pay the prices he asked for his stores, but it -was a case of monopoly. They could go without tobacco or shoes for all -he cared. When they had done so for a short time they usually accepted -matters as they were and signed on for both at any price he had the -hardihood to demand. Oil-skins and sou’westers usually took a whole -month’s pay, but that was no affair of his. If the men wished to go wet -they could do so. He had no fear that they would attempt to crack his -safe or steal his stores, for behind the safe and within easy reach of -his strong hand stood his Winchester rifle loaded full of cartridges. - -Mr. McCloud and Mr. O’Hara often had the pleasure of viewing the ship’s -wealth, for there were occasions when the skipper’s temper was -sufficiently mellow to allow them in his room that they might marvel at -his power. He seldom failed to impress them. When the Northern Light had -crossed the line he had impressed them into such a state of high respect -for himself, and had subdued their own spirits so far, that he actually -began to make their acquaintance. He would now hold conversation with -them, but always in a tone of immeasurable and hopeless superiority. -During this period the moral tone of the crew had likewise risen -accordingly. - -Garnett marvelled greatly during his watch below, and at night when on -deck he could be seen walking to and fro in the light of the tropic -moon, mopping the dent in his bald head and sniffing hard at his little -vial. The change was dreadful to the old sailor’s nerves. - -Mr. Enlis went about his duties silently, muttering strange sounds when -things went wrong. The skipper’s promise to “whang the lights out” of -any one caught swearing had had its effect. - -One warm morning, after breakfast, the skipper invited McCloud and -O’Hara below to try some beer. This feeling of good fellowship, starting -as it did under impressive surroundings, developed into one of real -confidence within a very short time. Mr. O’Hara had pronounced the hot, -flat beer the best he had ever tasted, and McCloud had affirmed without -an oath that he told nothing but the truth. - -“Th’ only wan av all th’ saints that cud come within a mile av it,” said -O’Hara, “is that paragin av goodness and all the virtues, me own old -woman, Molly. She kin make beer.” - -“Ah, the blessings of a good lassie!” said McCloud, holding his mug at -arm’s length. “Captain, ye have me pity, fra I weel ken ye need it, -being as ye are a puir lonely sailor-man. I drink to ye, sir, with much -feeling----” - -“An’ hope as ye will not be always be sich,” interrupted O’Hara. - -Jimmy Breeze sat silent and sullen upon his safe, glaring at his -passengers over the rim of his mug each time he raised it to his lips. -At the end of the sixth measure he dashed the mug upon the deck and -swore loudly for nearly a minute, and his guests were wondering what had -happened. - -“I’ll not be any d--d sich any longer!” he roared. “I’ve stood it long -enough, s’help me.” - -O’Hara put down his mug and edged towards the cabin door, and McCloud -was in the act of following his example when Breeze sprang forward and -locked it, putting the key in his pocket. - -“Sit down, you swabs, and give me your advice. You can’t leave here till -you do; so take your time and lay me a straight course.” - -“What’s--what’s the matter?” gasped O’Hara. - -The skipper seated himself on top of his safe. - -“It’s like this,” he said. “Here I’m bound for the West Coast in cargo -and passengers, likely to be at sea four months or more, and here I am -bound to get married even if I have to run the bleeding hooker clear -back to Rio to have it done.” - -“Whew!” said McCloud. - -“Whew!” said O’Hara. - -“What I wants is advice. Shall I lay a course back to the Brazils and -cross the hawse of some shaved-headed priest, or put into the river -Plate and have her own kind of sky-pilot do the job? She lays she won’t -have no shave-head splice her, and it’s a good three weeks’ run to the -river, to say nothing of the danger of the Pompero this time o’ year. -Ain’t there any way to make her ’bout ship an’ head her on the right -tack, or have I got to be slanting about this d--d ocean until I get to -be an old man?” - -“What wud ye loike us to do?” asked O’Hara. - -“Do!” roared Breeze. “If I knew, do you suppose I’d ask you? I’d make -you do it so infernal quick you----” - -“Or whang yer lights out, ye insolent man,” said McCloud, turning upon -him. - -“Well, well, I’m no priest,” said the repentant O’Hara. - -“No more ye ken, Mickey, me boy; na is it the likes o’ you as will be o’ -service in this case. Now, ye know, Mickey, I knows law, and I always -have told ye the skipper of a vessel is a law to himself. Ain’t that be -the truth, sir?” he asked, turning to the captain. - -Captain Breeze nodded. - -“That being the case, I know a skipper can marry people, perform -religious worship, and do all manner o’ things aboard ships off -soundings, as the saying is.” - -The skipper nodded encouragingly from the safe. - -“That being the case,” says I, “there’s no reason or being or state as -can keep him fra marrying this minute if--if he wants to.” - -“I know that all right,” said Breeze; “but who’s to marry me?” - -“I don’t happen to be able to guess the leddie’s name,” said McCloud. - -“D--n the lady! Who’s to marry me? That’s what I want to know,” roared -the skipper. - -“Why, the leddie will marry you, and you will marry the leddie to -yourself, I presume. We are both married, O’Hara and me.” - -The skipper sat glaring at his passengers, while he repeatedly damned -the lady, the priests, the passengers, and all else connected with the -affair. - -“You infernal cross-checkered sea-lawyer, how can I marry myself? How -can I marry myself and the girl too? Answer me that, sir,” and he glared -at McCloud. - -“Sure, ’tis aisy enough, a little bit av a thing loike that, sur,” said -O’Hara. “Mac is right, an’ he has the lure strong an’ fast in his books -foreninst th’ state-room.” - -“I’ll get the law and read it to ye so ye may ken it, ye hard-headed -sailor-man,” said McCloud, somewhat ruffled, and he started for the -door. The skipper unlocked it and let him out, holding O’Hara as hostage -against his return. - -In a few minutes McCloud came back with several leather-covered books, -and, seating himself, opened one of them and began his search for -authority. - -“Here it is,” he said, at length, while the skipper sat and looked -curiously at him. “Here’s law for ye, an’ good law at that. Just as -binding as any law ever writ.” - -O’Hara nodded at the skipper and smiled an “I told you so.” - -Jimmy Breeze came over to his passenger and looked over his shoulder -sheepishly. McCloud read, “And therefore be it enacted, that all such -masters of vessels when upon the high seas on voyages lasting one month -or more shall have authority to perform such services upon such members -of the ship’s company as they may see fit; provided that notice of the -consent of the contracting parties has been previously given, etc.” - -“Wal, I swow!” said Breeze, after a short pause. - -“Get married first,” suggested O’Hara, draining one of the mugs. - -“Sink me if I don’t pull off the affair before eight bells, and if I -find your infernal book is wrong, blast me if I don’t ram the insides of -its law down your throat and whang your hide off with the leather -cover,” said the skipper, hopefully. - -“’Tis good, rale good lure,” muttered O’Hara, looking for more beer. -“Who’s th’ leddy?” - -Although no one had mentioned the name of the fair stewardess for fear -of precipitating an outburst on the part of the skipper, no doubt was -felt by the passengers that she was the object of the skipper’s -affections. His contempt for the O’Haras in general precluded the -possibility of a match with either of the young ladies of that -prosperous family. Besides, they both had pug-noses and were exceedingly -well freckled. The beauty of Miss Carrie had long been observed to have -had its effect upon Captain Breeze; so his answer to O’Hara’s apparently -hopeful question caused the latter little real disappointment, although -he may have had secret ambitions. - -“Seems to me ye might give the lassie some notion of your hurry, -especially if it’s going to happen so soon. The puir child na kens your -purpose, no doubt,” said McCloud. - -“Faith, I think ye right, Mac. I gave th’ owld gal nigh six months tu -git ready in----” - -“Six thunder!” growled Breeze. “I mean to get married afore eight bells, -at high noon, according to good English law, and if you fellows want to -help you can get your wives and darters to bear a hand.” They went into -the saloon, where they found Carrie fixing the table for dinner. - -The skipper hitched up his trousers impressively while his passengers -stood at either hand. - -“Carrie,” said he, solemnly, “we’ll stand by to tack ship at seven -bells,--an’--an’--and after that we’ll make the rest of the voyage in -company. Hey? How does that strike you, my girl?” - -“Mercy! What a man you are, Captain Breeze!” said Carrie, blushing -crimson. “Sure it’s sort of sudden like.” - -“You’ll have half an hour to get ready in,” said the skipper. - -“Plenty of time,” chimed in McCloud. - -“An’ an aisy toime iver afterwards as th’ capt’in’s leddy,” said O’Hara, -with dignity. - -“But who’s to marry us?” asked the maiden, shyly, glancing at the -skipper. - -“I’m to marry you,” said Jimmy Breeze. “It’s law and it’s all right. I’m -master of this here hooker, and what I says goes aboard, or ashore -either, for that matter. It’s put down in that yaller book, an’ it’s -law.” - -“Land sakes! I never could, Captain Breeze,--really, now, not before -these people,--I never could in the world.” And Carrie blushed -furiously. - -“You passed your word last night, so I holds you in honor bound,” said -Breeze, with great fervor. “You have half an hour, so I leaves you.” And -he drew himself up and strode to the companion, and so up on the -main-deck out of sight. - -McCloud and O’Hara, seeing danger ahead, strove with all the power of -their persuasive tongues to get the fair girl to listen to reason, or -rather law. She was stubborn on the point, however, and the female -portion of the O’Hara faction, together with Mrs. McCloud, was brought -to bear. These ladies, after expressing their modest astonishment at the -skipper’s unseemly haste, immediately, however, vied with each other to -argue in his behalf. They were so persuasive in their appeals, and so -adroit in painting the picture of Miss Carrie’s future happiness, that -in less than a quarter of an hour that refractory young lady gave way -in a flood of tears. After this she hastily prepared herself for the -ordeal by reading over the marriage service with Miss O’Hara, and things -looked propitious for the skipper. - -At seven bells that truculent commander promptly put in an appearance, -dressed in a tight-fitting coat and cap with gold braid. He was followed -below by Mr. Enlis, who looked uncertain and sour. After a short -preliminary speech the skipper called the blushing bride to his side as -he stood at the head of the cabin table. The book lay open before him, -and without further ado he plunged boldly into the marriage service, -answering for himself in the most matter-of-fact manner possible. He -placed a small gold ring upon the middle finger of his bride’s right -hand, which she dexterously removed and transferred to her left, and -after the ceremony was over he glared around at the assembled company as -if inviting criticism. - -No one had the hardihood to venture upon any. Then the paper which was -to do duty as certificate was drawn up by the clerky McCloud and was -duly signed by all present. It was afterwards transferred to the -skipper’s safe. Whiskey and water was produced for the men and ale for -the ladies, and before long even the sour mate was heard holding forth -in full career by the envious Mr. Garnett, who was forced to stand watch -while his superiors enjoyed themselves. It was a memorable affair for -some and immemorable for others, for the next day O’Hara could remember -nothing, and Mr. Enlis remembered that he had gotten exceedingly drunk. -Much he related to Garnett during the dog-watch, and that worthy rubbed -the top of his bald head and sniffed furiously at his vial, swearing -softly that the “old man” had made a fool of himself, and that he was -accordingly glad of it. - -The cruise continued as a cruise should when a bride is aboard ship, and -at the end of a fortnight the Northern Light was in the latitude of the -river Plate. There had been never an oath uttered since the skipper’s -marriage, and the mates had begun to chafe under the restraint. The -bride was on deck nearly all the time, and was certain to make remarks -and cheer on any attempt at a fracas. - -One afternoon the carpenter sounded the well and was astonished to find -a foot of water in the hold. The weather had been fine and the vessel -steady, so he was at a loss to account for this phenomenon. He sounded -again an hour later and found the water had gained six inches. Then he -lost no time in reporting the condition of the ship to the captain. - -With water gaining six inches an hour, the crew manned the pumps with -set faces, appalled at the sudden danger in mid-ocean. Suddenly, -however, the pumps “sucked.” An investigation showed the ship was -rapidly becoming dry. - -The water-tanks were examined and found to be empty, but no leaks in -them could be discovered. - -To be at sea without water to drink is most dreaded by deep-water -sailors, so Jimmy Breeze started his condenser and headed his ship for -Buenos Ayres, cursing the fates for the foul luck that would ruin his -anticipated quick passage. - -His wife consoled him as best she could and lamented her husband’s luck -to the passengers. Whereat she received the sympathy of the O’Haras and -Mrs. McCloud, and was looked upon as a very unfortunate woman. - -“Ah, pore thing! to think av it happening on her honeymoon at that,” -cried Mrs. O’Hara. - -“The sweet child, trying all she can to help her husband to forget his -lost chances for extra freight money. To think of it, and just married -at that,” said Mrs. McCloud. - -“Pore young sowl,” said Kate O’Hara. - -“’Tis a good wife that sticks to her husband in disthress,” said O’Hara. - -“Ye ken it’s a jewel he has to be na thinking of money losses,” said -McCloud. - -Finally the ship made port and anchored off the city to take in water -and continue her voyage at the earliest opportunity. - -Mrs. O’Hara and Mrs. McCloud insisted on being allowed ashore to see the -sights. Captain Breeze would hear of no such thing, but finally, when -his bride added her voice to the occasion, he relented, and the ladies -went ashore together. - -Mrs. Breeze pointed out many places of interest, as she admitted having -been there before, and at one of the principal hotels she left the -party. She told them not to wait for her, as she would stop and see a -friend, but to go down to the landing, where the boat might wait for her -after she was through her call. - -The day passed gayly, but when the party assembled at the landing, Mrs. -Breeze was not there. They never saw her again. - -The next day Captain Breeze called Mr. Enlis aft and took him below. -When he had him in the privacy of his state-room he pointed to his -little safe, and asked him to look through it. - -This operation took but a moment, for it was almost entirely empty, and -when he was through he looked at the skipper. - -“What would you do?” asked Jimmy Breeze, huskily. - -“Me?” asked the mate, apparently amazed at the question. - -“Yes, you.” - -“About what?” asked Enlis, trying to look utterly lost. - -“About that gal and the money, blast you!” - -“Oh!” exclaimed Mr. Enlis, as if a sudden light had flooded the dark -recesses of his brain. He remained silent. - -“Well, what?” asked the skipper, in real anger. - -“I dunno,” said Mr. Enlis, after a long pause. “’Pears to me I wouldn’t -let on nothing about it. Mum’s the word, says I.” - -“But the money, you swab?” growled the skipper. - -“To be sure,” said Enlis. “The money.” - -“Well?” - -“Well, you might ask the police about the money on the quiet like,” -ventured the mate. - -“Suppose you and Garnett go ashore and see about it without making any -fuss. Garnett is a good one for such matters. It would hardly do for me, -seeing as how I stand in the matter of husband.” - -“Egg-zactly; we’ll do it right away;” and the mate hastened forward to -take advantage of the opportunity. - -Garnett and Enlis went ashore with what money they could get, and they -entered a description of the missing stewardess with the police. “An old -hag with side whiskers, having a wart under her left eye and all her -teeth gone,” said Garnett, as he finished. “An’ I hopes you’ll soon find -her,” he added, with a leer at the official. “Ye’ll know her by the way -she swears.” - -Several hours afterwards two exceedingly happy and drunken sailor-men -staggered down the street towards the landing. A beggar accosted them, -but after a search for coin, they protested they were cleaned out. - -“Don’t make no difference. Give me clothes,” whined the mendicant. - -“I’d give ye anything, me boy, for a weight is off my mind. Was ye ever -married?” cried Garnett. - -“Give the pore fellow clothes, Garnett, you swine!” roared Enlis. - -Garnett staggered against a house and undid his belt. Then with much -trouble he drew off his trousers and stood with his white legs -glistening in the moonlight. - -“Here, pore fellow. You are a long-shore swab, but I knows by your look -ye are married. Take them, blast ye!” And he flung his trousers from -him. “This bean-swillin’ mate is too mean to give ye anything.” - -“Not I!” bawled Enlis, casting off his belt. “Here, you swivel-eyed -land-crab;” and he drew off his trousers likewise and handed them to the -beggar. - -“Thanky,” hissed the creature, and ran away. - -The men in the boat looked up the street towards where they heard -singing, and they beheld two very drunken men in flowing jumpers -staggering trouserless along, while their voices roared upon the quiet -night,-- - - “A Bully sailed from Bristol town, - Singing yo, ho, ho, oh, blow a man down; - A Bully sailed, and made a tack, - Hooray for the Yankee Jack, - Waiting with his yard aback, - Soo-aye! Hooray! Oh, knock a man down.” - - - - -_CAPTAIN CRAVEN’S COURAGE_ - - -Every man develops during the period of his growth a certain amount of -nerve-power. This energy or life in his system will usually last him, -with ordinary care, twoscore or more years before it fails. Sometimes it -is used prodigally, and the man suffers the consequence by becoming a -debtor to nature. It is this that makes the ending of many overbold men -out of keeping with their lives. Some religious enthusiasts would have -it that they are repentant towards the end of their careers,--that is, -if they have not led conventional lives,--and that accounts for their -general break-down from the high courage shown during their prime. Among -sailors, soldiers, hunters, and others who live hard lives of exposure, -the strain is sometimes peculiarly apparent. - -It is often the case that the man of hard life dies before his -life-flame burns low, and then he is sometimes classed as a hero. For -instance, the captain of the Penguin, who ran his ship ashore on the -North Head of San Francisco Bay, was the most notorious desperado in the -whole Cape Horn fleet. Many men who sailed with him never saw the land -again. Their names appeared upon his log as “missing,” “lost overboard -in heavy weather,” etc. Investigation of such matters resulted in -nothing but expense to the courts and the development of the ruffian’s -sinister character and reputation. Yet when he ran the Penguin ashore -with the terrible southeast sea rolling behind her, he maintained his -rigid discipline to the last and saved his passengers and part of his -crew. He died as a brave man should, never flinching from his post until -his life was crushed out. - -There were some who said he dared not come ashore, as he had overrun his -distance through carelessness, and that without the backing of his -ship’s owners he would have been stranded in a bad way upon the beach. -But the majority were willing to forget his record in his gallant end, -and he will be known in the future by the men who follow deep-water as a -hero. - -Craven, the pirate, was a much bolder and desperate man, yet his end was -different. He hailed from the same port as the skipper of the Penguin, -and sailed with the Cape Horn fleet in its early days. - -He retired from the sea at the age of thirty-five and settled on the -southern coast of California, taking to farming with that peculiar zeal -shown by all deep-water sailors. He fell desperately in love, married, -and the following year shot and killed a man who was less pious than -polite in his behavior towards Craven’s wife. - -After this affair he fled. Nothing was heard of him again for several -years, but as he was an expert navigator it was supposed he took to the -sea for safety. - -One day an American trader was standing in the Hoogla River, China, when -a junk appeared heading for her under all sail. Behind the junk, about a -mile to windward, came a trading schooner. The Chinese on the junk made -desperate efforts to overtake the American ship. When they came within -hailing distance they begged to be allowed alongside. - -The skipper of the Yankee warned them off with his guns, and ten minutes -later the schooner had laid the junk aboard. There was some sharp firing -for a few minutes, and then the Americans saw the men from the schooner -swarm over the junk’s deck. After that Chinamen were dropped overboard -in twos and threes, and before they had drawn out of sight ahead the -schooner was standing away again, leaving the junk a burning wreck. When -the ship made harbor they learned that Craven had appeared on the coast. -He had been there the preceding year and had been recognized. Altogether -it was said he had taken over five hundred junks and put their crews -overboard. The captain of the American ship reported the incident he had -just witnessed to the English gunboat Sovereign, but no action was taken -in the matter. There was no treaty between the United States and China, -and, as Craven was an American, it was a case for the Chinese to settle. - -Craven had been on the coast several times. He had a rendezvous to the -eastward somewhere among the numerous coral reefs, and from this den he -would sally forth in his schooner, armed with six twelve-pounders, and -swoop down upon some unsuspecting Chinese town. His boldness was -remarkable. - -Once he held a whole village in check single-handed while his men -carried a boat-load of young maidens aboard the schooner, and then -returned for the rest of their booty left upon the sand. It was said -that had the emperor himself been within a day’s journey of the coast, -Craven would have had him aboard his vessel to gratify his sinister -humor. - -His cruelty was phenomenal. A favorite amusement of his being to tie two -Chinamen together by their pigtails and sling them across a spring-stay. -Then he would offer freedom to the one who would demolish the other the -quicker. It was seldom that he failed to produce a horrible spectacle. - -On one occasion when he captured a prominent mandarin he asked an -enormous ransom. Not getting it within the time specified, he had the -unfortunate man skinned and stuffed. Then he was carried ashore and left -standing for his friends to greet. - -Craven’s crew numbered less than twenty-five men, and they were all -white, except two or three who acted as servants to the rest, taking a -hand in the fracases only when ordered to. - -It might be supposed that the pirate wasted much time and energy for -little gain taking junks. He dared not touch a white trader, and the -junks were the easiest to handle. There was little left for him to prey -upon, so he went along the Chinese coast like a ravenous shark, leaving -a smoking wake behind, strewn with the blackened timbers of burned -junks and dotted with the corpses of murdered men. Everything Chinese -was game for his crew, and what he lost in quality of plunder he made up -in quantity. - -While the American ship lay in the Hoogla an accident occurred aboard -which delayed her departure. During the time spent in making some of the -necessary repairs Craven appeared at the mouth of the river, and was so -bold that the English gunboat was at last prevailed upon to drive him -away. The Sovereign met him some twenty miles off shore in the act of -scuttling a captured junk. This was too much for the Englishman, and he -fired a shot to drive him off. To his surprise Craven returned the fire. -That settled the matter. The heavy Blakely rifle on the gunboat’s -forecastle was trained upon the schooner, and it sent a shell that cut -both masts out of her and left her helpless. Craven returned the fire -with vigor, landing several telling shots. A heavy shell from the rifle -was then fired at half a mile range, and struck the schooner in the -stern above the water-line. It ranged forward, raking her whole length, -and left her a burning wreck. She began settling rapidly by the head, -and the gunboat, firing a parting broadside, which destroyed the -schooner’s two boats, drew slowly away. The Englishman waited within -sight until the schooner disappeared beneath the sea, and then, thinking -it would be more merciful to let the crew remain in the water than to -bring them ashore, steamed away for the river. - -A few weeks after this a Spanish brig came in. She was a trader bound -south, and the mate of the American ship made arrangements to take -passage on her as far as Singapore to get some necessary supplies for -his vessel. - -The first person he met on rowing over to the brig to secure a passage -was a small, peculiarly yellow man with a Spanish cast of features, who -met him at the gangway and asked him his business before allowing him to -come aboard. On telling his desire to secure a passage to the southward, -he was peremptorily refused; but when he explained his business was -urgent and that he had many necessary supplies to secure, the man at the -gangway reconsidered the matter, and bade him wait alongside until he -could consult his skipper, who was below suffering from an attack of -gout in his leg. - -In a little while he reappeared at the brig’s side and announced gruffly -that he might bring his things aboard the following morning, as that was -the time set for the brig’s sailing. - -The next day the mate, Mr. Camp, came aboard the brig, and soon -afterwards she was standing out to sea. There were two passengers -besides himself aboard, Manila traders, who had come over from the -Philippines and who wished to get to the southward. - -When the brig had made an offing, Camp was surprised at the appearance -of a most peculiar looking colored man, who limped up the companion-way -to the poop. His skin was an orange-yellow, and appeared dry and dark in -spots. His right leg was swathed in bloody rags, and he limped as if in -some pain. He had an eye that glinted strangely as the mate came within -its range of vision, and his face wore the determined look of a fighter -who is making a desperate stand against heavy odds. In a quiet voice he -addressed the man who had made the arrangement with the mate, Mr. Camp. - -“Collins,” said he, “get me the glass. I believe I see a couple of birds -making in along the beach for the harbor.” This he said in good English, -with a slight Yankee accent, and Camp turned in astonishment to look at -him more closely. - -The man Collins, who was the mate of the brig, handed him the glass, and -after a moment Craven laid it down with an oath. - -“The two fellows we missed last week. They’ll loose off at having seen -us, and that gunboat will be hard in our wake before night. You might -send a few men aft to get to work on our passengers. They are poor -whelps.” - -Camp went towards him. - -“I don’t understand what you mean by that last remark,” said he. “I am -an American and wish a certain amount of civility aboard here.” - -The skipper smiled grimly at him and sat upon the poop-rail. - -“You’ll get the best the coast affords, my boy,” said he. “You’ll be a -gentleman of leisure after you quit this hooker. This is the brig -Cristobal, Captain Craven; and now you can make up your mind whether you -will be a member of the ship’s company or try and float a twelve-pound -shot. It’s piracy, says you? Well, it’s swim, then, says we, and good -luck to you,” and he chuckled hoarsely, while several men came aft and -stood by the mate for further orders. - -Camp saw that it was death in a hideous form to disobey. Both he and the -two Manila men were led below, where they swore allegiance to Craven and -joined his crew. In a crisis of this nature a man even of strong mould -is apt to think twice before accepting the inevitable. Time is valuable -when one has but a few moments to live, and to gain it these three -innocent men were glad to accept any terms. They were sent forward with -the men and joined the crew, which now numbered fourteen hands. Here -they learned how Craven and four men had clung to some of the wreck of -his schooner for two days. Then the brig Cristobal picked them up in an -exhausted state. Two days later Craven and his fellows quietly dropped -the skipper overboard and announced to the crew their intention of -taking charge of the brig. All who wished to could join. There were six -unarmed men against five desperadoes armed to the teeth, and in a short -time matters were settled satisfactorily. Craven was in command of a -vessel and crew bound for China from the Philippines, and it was his -humor to keep her on her course and have a look at things in the harbor. -This he did to his satisfaction, and no opportunity offering for him to -revenge himself upon the gunboat there, he took on some supplies and put -to sea. When he met Camp at the break of the poop after the latter had -joined, he became more communicative than usual. - -“This color we have will soon wear off, my boy,” said he. “Collins there -thought he knew something about medicine, and he broke open the medicine -chest to get this iodine to paint us with. He’s a clown. The infernal -stuff burned half the skin off, and that accounts for his looks. Where’s -the skipper of this hooker, says you? Well, that depends somewhat on his -morals. I don’t call to mind any island trader as will go to the heaven -some old women pray for. A trader’s life is always a hard one, so I -don’t think we did any harm in helping the fellow to something -different, although he did struggle mighty hard to stay. Some religious -people would call it bad to put yellow-skinned heathen overboard, but we -don’t look at it that way. Most of these junk-men are no better than -animals, and we do them a clean favor by ending their sufferings. Yes, -sir, that’s the way to look at the matter, my son. There isn’t a man -alive who can look back and see anything in his life worth living for -and suffering for. It’s all in his mind’s eye that something will be -better in the future. We know that’s all blamed nonsense, for that -something better never comes, so in helping him to what’s coming to all -of us we just do him a favor. Now, you are a likely chap, Camp, and I -hope you’ll see the reason of things. Go below and tell one of the girls -we got yesterday to give you your grog. Collins has the key. Then you -want to bear a hand and get our little battery in working order. We’ll -raise half a dozen junks before night and we’ve got a little business -with the first one.” - -In a short time all hands were hard at work getting the brig’s -twelve-pounders in working order. In the late afternoon a lateen-sail -showed above the horizon, and everything was ready for action. By night -the junk ahead was still out of range, and the watch was set, and half -the men went below to get some rest. - -At two in the morning Camp was turned out, and the smudge on the lee bow -showed that the brig would soon have the wind of the unsuspecting -Chinaman. In half an hour Craven had him under his lee, and he paid off -gradually until he brought him fair on his lee broadside, not two -hundred feet distant. Then he swung up his ports and let go his battery, -serving it with remarkable accuracy and rapidity. - -The astonished Chinaman let go everything in the way of running gear, -and the junk, which was running free, broached to and lay helpless, -wallowing in the swell, with her deck crowded with screaming men. Craven -then brought the Cristobal to, and taking the boat with four men, -carried a line to the junk, and soon had her alongside. - -The Chinamen were bound hand and foot after several who showed fight -were killed. Then Craven had them transferred to the Cristobal, and with -untiring energy went to work to transfer his ammunition and guns to the -junk. It was noon before this was accomplished, and then he told the -Chinaman who was the junk’s captain that he really owed him much for -swapping such a fine Spanish brig for his worthless old hulk. In -consideration of this debt he requested him to keep the brig on her -course to the Peninsula, and crowd on all sail if he saw an English -gunboat in his wake. If he failed, and showed such ingratitude as to -disobey this request during the next twenty-four hours, he hinted in a -mild way that he would overhaul him, and then fry him in whale-oil and -serve him to his shipmates. As Craven was never known to make an idle -threat, the conversation had its desired effect. The Cristobal stood -away on her course with a Chinese crew, and Craven, bracing his -lateen-sail sharp on the wind, headed slowly back again over the course -he had just run. - -About eight bells in the afternoon the Sovereign was sighted dead ahead. -She was driving along full speed with a bone in her teeth. That is, with -the bow wave roaring off on either side in a snowy-white smother, -looking like a great white streak against her dark cut-water. - -She passed within hailing distance, and Craven kept below the rail and -rubbed his wounded leg while he smiled grimly. - -“I’ve a notion to let go at her,” said he to Camp. “We could slap a -couple of twelves into her before she knew what was up. I’d like to see -her skipper with a couple of shot through his teakettle before he knew -where he was at. Jim, suppose you lay the port guns on her.” - -But Collins had sense enough not to get the guns trained in time. In ten -minutes the gunboat was a speck on the horizon. - -Craven knew she would overhaul the brig in a few hours, but hoped his -merciful attack on the junk’s crew would lessen the heat of the chase. -He might have sunk her and escaped, but his fancy took a different turn, -and he played his game out. - -Before sundown he was rapidly nearing the China coast and several junks -were made out ahead. All hands, tired as they were, turned out and stood -by for a fracas. It was not long in coming. - -The nearest junk was laid close under Craven’s lee and the Chinamen -could be seen crowding about her decks. He was so close a conversation -could be carried on with the men on the junk, and the rush of the foam -under her forefoot sounded loud upon Camp’s ears. - -Craven let go his port broadside into her without warning. In five -minutes he had her alongside. Several of her crew were dead, but he lost -no time in transferring the living to his junk and making them lend a -hand to shift his guns again. Then he sailed away with his battery -transferred for the second time. - -Craven fought his way up the coast, shifting his guns and ammunition -from vessel to vessel at every available opportunity. Towns that had -been warned of his approach in a junk, would see a peaceful trading -schooner come quietly into the harbor at dusk. Nothing would be thought -of this until in the early hours of the morning a heavy cannonade would -arouse his victims, and those who survived would see the finest vessel -there standing out to sea in tow of a schooner that fairly disappeared -in the smoke of her own guns. The pirate had ammunition in plenty within -three days’ sail of Hong-Kong, and he dodged everything sent after him -for nearly a year. He kept the sea with remarkable cunning, and his -absolute fearlessness won him many recruits. - -Once he was heard from far down the Straits of Malacca, where he engaged -a Malay pirate for several hours whose crew outnumbered his ten to one. -He finally sank her with all hands. - -A few months after this he again fell in with the gunboat Sovereign. He -was sailing a huge junk at this time, and under this disguise came near -escaping again. He was recognized, however, and captured with his entire -crew. They were taken to Hong-Kong. Here he was confined for nearly a -year, an object of curiosity, until they were ready to cut off his head. - -He and his men were led out every day or two and held in line while the -swordsman walked along them with upraised blade. When this grim -executioner had chosen a man, which he did at random, he would bring the -weapon down suddenly upon the back of his neck. This was trying on the -nerves of those of the crew who had to look on. No one knew just when -his turn would come. - -Craven, however, stood it well for a month or two and was apparently -indifferent to the sight of death, but the long strain of hunting his -fellow-men and of being hunted in turn by them had done its work. His -nervous energy had been pretty well used up. One day a trader came into -the harbor and brought a woman to the English consul’s. She claimed to -be Craven’s wife. It took some time before she could get to see her -husband, but through the consul’s influence she finally did. Then came -the break in the man’s nerve. - -From that time on he trembled when the sword struck. At the end of a -week he was hysterical, and they had to hold him when they brought him -out. His sole idea now was to live to see the woman who had caused his -ruin. This he struggled and cried for, and the idea of separating from -her again caused him more agony than one can well conceive. - -The Chinese are always particular that great criminals of theirs shall -get great punishments. Craven’s sufferings were prolonged as much as -possible. There were forty men of his crew taken with him, and he had -seen the heads of nearly all cut off. When his turn came, and it was -next the last, he screamed shrilly as the swordsman swung up the blade -two or three times over the victim’s head before giving the final -stroke. Craven was trembling all over. He cried and begged for a little -delay. His horror of death was terrible, and he pleaded to see his wife -once more. The idea of separating from her now forever was more than he -could stand, and it caused the greatest possible amusement to the -on-lookers. They laughed and drew their long pigtails upward, meaningly, -in derision. When the sword fell, Craven had gone entirely to pieces and -died the death of a most pitiable coward. - -Camp, who was the only man left, finally managed to get the English -consul to intercede in his behalf. He was afterwards released, but his -sufferings had been so great during his imprisonment that he died soon -afterwards. - - - - -_THE DEATH OF HUATICARA_ - - -We were lying in the stream with the topsails hanging in the buntlines. -Everything was stowed ready for getting under way. The night was very -dark, as the sky was obscured by the lumpy clouds which had been banking -in from the westward all day before the light sea-breeze. Now it was -dead calm, and the water was smooth and streaky as it rippled past the -anchor-chain and cut-water, making a low lapping sound in the gloom -beneath us, which was intensified by the stillness of the quiet bay. - -Gantline and I sat on the forecastle-rail, watching the lights of the -city and small craft anchored closer in shore. On the port bow the black -hull of the Blanco Encalada loomed like a monster in the gloom, her -anchor-lights shining like eyes of fire. Her black funnel gave forth a -light vapor which shone for an instant against the dark sky and -vanished. Long tapering shadows cast in the dim light of her turret -ports told plainly that she had her guns ready for emergencies. She lay -there silent and grim in the darkness, and our clipper bark of a -thousand tons appeared like a pilot-fish nestling under the protecting -jaws of some monster shark, as we compared the two vessels in respect to -size and strength. - -It was quite late and our last boat had come aboard some time since, -bringing our skipper, Zachary Green, his pretty daughter, and two -passengers. At daylight we would clear with the ebb-tide and land-breeze -of the early morning, and then, with good luck, we would make an offing -and stand away for the States. We were sick of the war-ridden country, -and even the town of Valparaiso itself offered no attraction for us. Our -cargo hardly paid enough freight money to buy the vessel a suit of -sails, and it was with a feeling of great relief that we steved in the -last bale and closed the hatches. - -While we sat on the rail we heard a slight rippling in the water ahead -of the vessel. It sounded as if a large fish was making its way slowly -across the bows. We listened in silence for some moments while the -sounds came nearer. I looked aft and saw two figures in the light from -the after companion-way, and I recognized Miss Green and the smaller of -the two passengers standing close to the hatch. The sounds in the water -interested me no longer, and I gazed rather hard at the figures aft. The -two passengers, who were missionaries on their way home, had been aboard -ship several times during the last week, but they had always been so -pious and reserved in manner that I never once thought to see one of -them talking to a young woman alone at such a late hour. But there are -many things a sailor must learn not to see. Memory is not always a -congenial friend of his. - -Suddenly I heard a sound of some one breathing, followed by a smothered -oath, coming from the direction of the rippling water which drew more -and more beneath us. - -“Ha! Voila, me gay sons, que voules vous--si padrone.--Hace bien tiempo, -manana--hell-fire but the bloody lingo gets crossways of me gullet,” -came a deep voice from the black water. - -“Och! stow ye grandsons, ye blathering ijiot, an’ kape yer sinses. If -them’s Dagoes on watch ’twill be all up with us. Whist, then! Ye men on -the fo’c’stle!” - -“What’s the matter?” asked Gantline and I in the same breath. - -“Faith, an’ if yez have a drap av th’ milk av human pity in yer hearts, -ye’ll give two poor divils a lift out av this haythen country. Say not -er whurd, but let us come on deck quiet like. Ef ye don’t, th’ blood av -two innocent men will be upon yer sowls fer ever an’ ever, amen. Spake -aisy.” - -“Now, Lord love ye, what kind of a man is this?” asked Gantline, as a -naked man climbed slowly up the martingale-stays and crouched close to -the starboard bow out of sight of the man-of-war. - -“By th’ luck av Lyndon! Is this old Tom Gantline who talks? Gorry, man, -we’ve just escaped from th’ prison on th’ beach. Don’t you remember me? -I’m Mike McManus, own cousin to Reddy O’Toole who used to be mate with -ye an’ owld man Crojack.” - -“No, I don’t remember you,” answered Gantline; “but if you had said you -were any one else you would have gone overboard again fast enough. No -one but a chip of that devil’s limb, O’Toole, would have come out here -in this tideway, right under the guns of that man-o’-war. Who’s with -you?” and he peered over at the man who still clung to the bobstays as -if uncertain whether to trust himself on board or again swim for it. - -“That’s a man called Collins, a ’Frisco man, who got taken along with -me, when we was smugglin’ in th’ rifles, up to th’ north’ard. Whist! -below there; come up and make yerself known amongst friends. We’re -safe.” - -“I ain’t so almighty certain about that,” growled Gantline; “what am I -to do with you but put you ashore? I can’t run the risk of having the -vessel overhauled for such fellows as you. You may be some bloody -cutthroats for all I know. What do you mean by smuggling rifles? Ain’t -there enough on shore without bringing any more into this infernal -country? I reckon a rifle won’t look as if it was worth so much when -they stand you up against a wall and let you peep into the muzzle of a -dozen or two.” - -“Ah, shipmate, ye haven’t the heart to turn us over fer that, when all -we’ve done was to try an’ land a few fer thim poor fellows, an’ this -Dago with his ironclad overhauled us. Oh, me boy, ye haven’t seen th’ -inside av one av thim black iron holes on th’ beach, to talk av puttin’ -us ashore again. Gord! men, to sit ther fer six whole months behind them -steel walls and never see th’ sun rise or set, an’ do nothing but kill -lice and chintz-bugs all day long, an’ all night. No, ye may be in -sympathy with Chilly, but ye have th’ look av a sailor-man for all that” - -As he spoke he climbed to the catheads and drew himself gently onto the -top of the top-gallant-forecastle. He was followed by the man Collins. - -They crouched shivering behind the capstan, and I saw they were in a bad -condition. They were wasted and gaunt, and their flesh had a soft, -sickly look, as if they had spent a long time in close confinement. The -hair of their heads was long and matted. How they swam so far in that -tideway was strange, and told plainly of their desperate courage in -attempting to escape from the terrors of the beach. - -Gantline stood irresolute a moment, looking at their shivering forms. -Then he glanced sharply at the man on watch, who walked in the port -gangway. It was too dark to see him distinctly, so trusting that he in -turn had seen nothing of what had occurred forward, he started aft. The -two figures I had noticed a few minutes before had now disappeared. - -“Keep quiet,” I said to the naked men, whose teeth chattered in the cool -night air. “Lie flat on deck until he comes back and perhaps we can do -something. Haste! Not a word!” - -The man Mike was about to make some reply, but at that moment the fellow -on watch came close to the edge of the forecastle. I stepped quickly in -front of the man, and in doing so trod on a projecting foot which -cracked horribly, and, twisting, brought me down in a heap upon them. A -deep groan told of the damage done, but I instantly regained myself and -began to hum a song in a low bass voice. - -The man on the main-deck stopped a moment and looked hard at me, but it -was so dark he could see but little and my singing reassured him, so he -turned again and went off. - -In a short time Gantline returned with a bundle. - -“Now, bear a hand there, you men, and put these clothes on in a quarter -less no time,” he whispered. “Come, hurry up,” and he passed a shirt and -a pair of dungaree trousers to each. - -“Och! he has broken me toe clane off,” groaned Mike, slipping on the -garments. His companion dressed rapidly in silence. - -“Now then, up you go, both of you, into the foretop, and lie out of -sight till we get to sea, and if I see a hair of your heads inside the -next twenty-four hours I’ll turn you both over on the beach. Here, take -a nip apiece before you go,” and he passed a small bottle to the man -Collins. - -The poor fellow’s eyes sparkled as he thrust the neck of it into his -thick beard and tilted his head back in order to let the liquor have -free way down his throat. Gantline suddenly jerked it out of his hand -and passed it to the Irishman, who put it to his lips, gave a grunt of -disgust, and threw the empty bottle over the side. - -“Now wait till you see me go aft with the watch, and then aloft with -you,” said Gantline, as he left us. - -When he reached the man he started off with him to the quarter-deck, and -as they disappeared together over the break of the poop the men crawled -for the rigging. They were so weak from their exertions that it seemed -as if they would never get over the futtock-shrouds, but finally the man -Collins gained the top, and dragged his companion after him. Then I went -into the forward cabin and took what salt-junk was left and carried it -aloft before Gantline returned. By the time I reached the deck he had -started forward again and joined me on the forecastle. His seamed and -lined face wore an anxious look as he took his place beside me and acted -as if nothing had happened to seriously interrupt our former -conversation. We sat a few moments discussing our stowaways and then -went aft to get a little sleep before clearing. - -I turned in and lay awake thinking of the men in the foretop, hoping -nothing would occur to make it necessary for more than one man to go -aloft there. The sails were all loosed except the foreroyal, and this I -would go aloft for myself. - -It was past midnight before I lost consciousness, and it seemed almost -instantly afterwards Gantline poked his head in my doorway and -announced, “Eight bells, sir.” I turned out and found it was still dark, -but a faint light in the east told of the approaching day. The men were -getting their coffee from the galley, and the steward was on his way to -the cabin with three large steaming cups for the skipper and passengers. -A light air was ruffling the water and the tide was setting seaward, so -if nothing unusual happened we would soon be standing out. The dark -outlines of the Blanco Encalada began to take more definite shape, but -all was quiet on board of her. - -By the time the men finished their coffee Zachary Green came on deck, -and then he gave the order to “heave short.” - -In a few moments all was noise and bustle on the forecastle-head. The -clanking of the windlass mingling with the hoarse cries of “Ho! the -roarin’ river!” and “Heave down, Bullies,” broke the stillness of the -quiet harbor. - -“Anchor’s short, sir!” roared Gantline’s stentorian voice from the -starboard cathead. This was followed by an order to sheet home the -topsails. In a few minutes we broke clear and swung off to starboard -with the fore-and main-yards aback. Then we came around and stood out -with the ebb-tide, the light breeze sending us along with good steering -way. - -In a short time we hauled our wind around the point, and, with -everything drawing fore and aft to the puffs that came over the -highlands, we started to make our offing, leaving the Blanco Encalada -with her brass-work shining in the first rays of the rising sun. We had -gone clear without mishap, but although we were making six knots an hour -off the land, we knew the breeze would not hold after the sun rose. As -we expected, it fell before the men had finished breakfast, and we lay -becalmed a few miles off shore on a sea of oily smoothness. - -The passengers came on deck to take a last look at the harbor astern, -and their voices sounded pleasant to the ear as they held forth on the -beauties of a morning in the South Pacific. - -These passengers were both clerical-looking men, and were fair types of -the missionaries who live on the islands of the South Sea. They had -engaged passage to the States more than a week before we sailed, and -since then were almost inseparable. Their clothes were of some dark -material, much alike in cut, but their faces and head-gear were in -marked contrast. - -The younger one had a smooth, sallow face, without a sign of beard, and -wore a low black hat with a broad rim. The other looked to be ten years -older, apparently a little over fifty. His face was as brown as a -sailor’s and an enormous beard covered it almost to the eyes, which -sparkled merrily from under an old slouch hat. His hair was also long, -and his figure was of gigantic build. - -“I was speaking to those poor fellows in the prison there only -yesterday,” the younger one was saying, as I came aft, “and I did my -best to cheer them, but they were both much set against spiritual -consolation; and the one, McManus, stole my pocket-knife with its saw -blade, which I used to carry to cut cocoanuts.” - -“How do you know it was he who took it? Might not you have lost it?” -asked the big man, with a smile. - -“Do you suppose I would bear false witness against any man?” replied -the younger, in a tone of reproach. “I noticed he came close to me while -I was praying for him, and felt his hand touch me, but did not know my -loss until after I left the prison. It will do him little good, however, -as he and his companion in crime are to be shot this morning. It is -probably just as well, for I know that those sailor men are a wicked lot -and much given to wine, women, and desperate deeds.” - -“Ah!” said the big man in a deep voice, “it is probably true; but you -are rather severe on sailor-men, for all that. These sailors are an -intelligent lot for the most part. And think you, dear friend, that -there is probably not one who would not rather marry a sweet, good woman -and live a pleasant and pious life, even as we ourselves do. We do this -because we have money to maintain our positions; but the sailor has our -feelings and longings without the means to gratify them, and, as he is -intelligent enough to see that his life is hopeless, he gets as much -pleasure out of it as possible and hesitates not at a desperate deed for -gain.” - -“Charity is very good and noble, but it gives me great pain to hear you -express such unsound views as that. If it were not for the many noble -deeds you have done for the islanders, I should be tempted to shun you -as a recreant I trust you only jest, but it is even ill to jest on such -subjects,” answered the younger, with a flushed face and a voice -vibrating with suppressed feeling. - -The big man made no answer to this, but suddenly called his companion’s -attention to several large “alberco” which had followed the ship until -she lay becalmed, and then plunged and jumped like so many porpoises in -the wake. We drifted slowly all the morning, and about noon the -sea-breeze set in from the southward and sent us along at a comfortable -rate. Nothing occurred to make it necessary for a man to go aloft in the -foretop, and those who had gone up the main and mizzen in the early -morning had noticed nothing unusual. The platform in the top was as -large as that in a full-rigged ship, so the men who were hiding were not -visible from the deck as long as they lay flat on their backs or faces. - -Gantline had decided to tell the skipper the whole affair of the night -before, but the old man was in such a bad humor that the mate delayed -telling him until the prospect of a serious burst of anger was less -apparent. - -The day wore on and the bark held steadily on to the westward, making -from eight to ten knots an hour. After supper the skipper came on deck -with his passengers and they were soon joined by Miss Green. They sat -aft around the taffrail and chatted, the men smoking and very much at -their ease. - -Miss Green was of an extremely religious disposition, but it was easy to -see that it was not entirely the devoutness of the younger passenger -that attracted her to him. There was a mysterious power about the man -that was apparent to any one after being an hour in his company. -Something in his deep, vibrating voice, when he was talking, appeared -to hold the attention, and I, more than once, looked at him as he sat -next to the skipper’s daughter, holding forth on matters of the church. - -Zachary Green was still in a bad humor because of his low freight money, -and it was evident that he would ease his pent-up feelings on some one. -He had listened to the talk of the missionaries with ill-concealed -contempt, whenever they fell to discussing their ecclesiastical affairs, -and now he asked the younger abruptly when he was to return. - -“Ah,” replied he, “I shall return as soon as possible, for my flock will -get along poorly without me. I have converted many chiefs, who wrangle -among themselves, as has also my friend here.” - -The skipper turned with a look of disdain at the big-bearded man who -appeared to understand the implied interrogation and hastened to answer. -“It is true, I have converted many to the Christian faith,” he said, in -a low voice, “but I shall not return to the islands of the Pacific, for -I think there is a better field nearer home. Not that I believe my -labors wasted, for the converted natives never stole anything but -ammunition and utensils, while the others stole everything from me they -could lay hand to. Not that the effort was entirely vain, I say, but -that better work can be done among our own people, such as sailors, for -instance.” - -“Eh! What’s that?” growled Zachary Green, as he listened to the last -part of this sentence. “What do you mean by sailors?” and his eyes -flashed ominously. - -“Why, go among them, and see that they get the proper books in the -libraries sent out on vessels for them to read, for instance.” - -“Now, by Gorry! you are talking some sense. Instead of whining around -among a lot of good-for-nothing niggers, like your friend here, you’ll -really do something if you follow that up. Yes, sir, if you’ll only put -something in these libraries besides ‘Two Years before the Mast,’ Bible -dictionaries, and the like, and get some police reports nicely bound, -along with some yarns like ‘Davy Crockett,’ you’ll be a blessing to -sailors, and skippers, too, for that matter. No, sir, don’t play fool -with those islanders any further. They were all right before they ever -saw a Christian, and they’ve been all wrong ever since. Hang it, you -talk like a man of sense, after all, and I hope what I’ve said won’t be -lost on you.” And as he finished his peroration he stood up and looked -astern. - -“Hello!” - -Before the astonished missionaries could say a word the skipper started -for his glasses, and, seizing them, he looked steadily at a faint trail -of smoke which rose above the horizon directly in the vessel’s wake. - -“Now, by Gorry! That’s strange,” he muttered. “There’s no steamer bound -out to-day, and yet that fellow seems to be standing right after us.” - -“Mr. Gantline!” he called, as he turned towards where the mate stood. -“Go aloft with the glass and see if you can make out that fellow astern -of us.” - -“Aye, aye, sir!” answered Gantline. And he took the skipper’s glass and -made his way leisurely up the main-ratlines. - -From the lower top he could see nothing but a black funnel and masts -without yards, so he went higher. On reaching the cross-trees he looked -forward, and there, lying prone on their stomachs, were the two hiding -men. Their eyes were straining at the vessel astern, and even if -Gantline had not already made out who she was, one look at those faces -would have told him. He came on deck and returned the skipper’s glasses -without a word, and then started forward, but Zachary Green stopped him. - -“Could you make her out?” he asked. - -“Well, there isn’t much of her rising yet, but I suppose she’s the -Blanco Encalada,” he answered. - -“Seems to me it is hardly time for her to put to sea,” growled the -skipper, “and she’s heading almost the same course as we are. It is -generally the way with you, though, after you get ashore on the beach, -and it will take a week to soak the liquor out of you so you can see -enough to know a downhaul from a clew-line.” And the old man turned back -to his passengers. - -Before two bells in the first watch that evening it was blowing half a -gale to the southward out of a clear sky, and the old bark flew along on -her course with everything drawing below and aloft. - -There was no sea running, so she heaved over and drove along at a rate -that bade fair to keep the Blanco below the horizon for several hours. -As it grew late the air became quite chilly, and the skipper went below -with his passengers. - -The moon rose and shone with great brilliancy, so that our towering -main-skysail must have been visible a long distance, while the foam -flaked and surged from the vessel’s black hull as white as a mass of -liquid silver. All night we drove along with nothing visible astern, and -at daylight the hull of the steamer was still below the horizon. At -seven bells Zachary Green came on deck. - -“Name o’ thunder! What’s he after?” he growled, as he gazed astern. “By -Gorry! It is the Blanco, after all, Gantline; but what makes him hold on -like this? We are going to the westward of Juan Fernandez, and that is -more than a hundred miles out of his course.” - -The mate made no answer, but went on with his work overseeing the -washing down of the quarter-deck. “It’s just like those Dagoes to go -running all over the Southern Ocean for no other purpose than to wear -out their gear and burn coal,” continued the skipper. “If this wind -keeps slacking up, he ought to be abreast of us before noon, though I -never knew this old hooker to send the suds behind her at the rate she’s -been doing all night. Breakfast! did you say? Well, steward, just give -those sky-pilots a chance to shake off the odor of sanctity they’ve -slept in and put on their natural one of hypocrisy and gin-and-bitters. -Pshaw! there’s lots lazier men than missionaries in the world, though I -can’t call to mind exactly where I’ve seen them. Mr. Gantline, you may -let her head a point more to the north’ard.” Saying this, the skipper -took a last look at the approaching steamer and then disappeared down -the companion-way. - -Although the vessel still raced along at a rate that sent the foam -flying from her sharp clipper bows, she was no longer doing her utmost, -and the Blanco rose rapidly in her wake with the black smoke pouring -from her funnel. - -Suddenly, while Gantline was watching her, she appeared to be enveloped -in a white cloud of steam. Then there was a sharp, shrieking rush as -something tore its way through the air close to the -main-top-gallant-yard, and struck the smooth sea almost half a mile -ahead, followed by the sullen boom of a heavy rifled gun. - -The rush of the shot brought Captain Green on deck, closely followed by -his passengers. - -“Gorry! what’s the matter?” he bawled, as he rushed to the taffrail, -while the younger passenger, who had followed close at his heels, smiled -grimly. - -The Blanco came driving heavily along a couple of miles astern. She was -rapidly drawing up. - -“Wants us to heave to, I suppose,” growled Gantline, and he eyed the -skipper suspiciously. - -“Man alive!” roared Green, “why in the name of thunder don’t you do it, -then, before he cuts the spars out of us? Fore-and main-royals, there, -quick! Let go by the run. Main-clew-garnets--all hands!” And the skipper -bounded onto the poop and cast off everything he could lay hands on. - -The bark was soon luffed and her main-yards backed. Then the Blanco came -abreast, and all hands had a chance to look into the muzzles of her -ten-inch rifles, which were trained towards us. A swarm of men crowded -the deck of the ironclad while a boat shot out from her side and -approached us rapidly, with a short, thick-set man in uniform sitting in -the stern-sheets. - -Zachary Green stood at the break of the poop, scowling at him as he -swung himself lightly into the mizzen-channels and leaped onto the -quarter-deck, followed by six men. Hardly had he done so when the -younger of our two passengers drew a heavy revolver from somewhere about -his back and fired point-blank at this officer. - -The Chilian was in the act of drawing his sword and the hilt was across -his breast at that instant. The bullet intended for him struck the hilt -and flattened on the brass. The next instant there was a rapid -fusillade, the six Chilians firing together, and the passenger with a -six-shooting revolver in each hand, backing away behind a cloud of -smoke. - -It was all over in half a minute. Three of the blue-jackets were dead -and their officer badly hurt when the firing ceased. The passenger -tossed his empty pistols over the side and staggered aft, and not one of -the survivors dared follow him. He gained the after companion-way, and -as he did so the figure of the captain’s daughter appeared on deck. I -could see her face pale as she caught the look in the passenger’s eyes, -but she said no word. He went to her, kissed her lightly, and passed on -to the starboard taffrail. The Chilians now recovered themselves and -rushed for him. He climbed over with difficulty, but did not hesitate. -Then he plunged headlong into the sea before any one could seize him; -and as we rushed to the side we could see his body sink slowly down into -the green depths until it finally vanished. - -The skipper, Gantline, and the big missionary stood looking on in -amazement, and then the wounded officer turned towards them. - -“That was Señor José Huaticara; of course you did not know.” And he -nodded to the skipper. Then the dead were placed in the boat, while a -tourniquet was passed around the officer’s leg to stop the flow of blood -until he could reach his ship. In a few moments he and his men were on -their way back to the Blanco. - -Zachary Green stood staring after them without a word. The name of the -dead desperado was too well known to him to protest against the manner -he was treated while on an American ship, but he desired some -explanation. - -The Blanco dipped her colors, and he came to his senses. “Hard up the -wheel, there!” he bawled. “Stand by the lee-brace!” and the bark paid -off again on her course. - -The ironclad headed away to the northward and in a few minutes was a -couple of miles away on the starboard quarter. - -“I met him only a week ago,” explained the big missionary, in answer to -the skipper’s look, “and I thought, of course, he was what he claimed to -be.” - -Zachary Green give a grunt of disgust and went aft. - -“Mr. Gantline,” said he, as he met the mate, “are there any more -missionaries aboard this ship, for if there are we will put them ashore -on Mas-á-Fuera.” - -“There are two more,” answered Gantline, looking the skipper in the -eyes. - -“Show them to me,” said the skipper. - -Gantline went forward and looked aloft. - -“Come down from there!” he bawled, and two lean figures stood in the -foretop and then painfully descended the ratlines before the astonished -gaze of the crew. - -When they gained the deck they followed the mate aft to Zachary Green, -who stared at them in amazement. - -“We are off soundings and that fellow has no right to board me,” he -said, “but if you belong to that José gang, I’ll signal for him to come -back for you.” - -“Faith, an’ if we did, Captain Green, it isn’t such a crowd av -cutthroats as ye seem to belave,” said McManus. “The fact is we’re just -broke away from bein’ shot fer no more than th’ carryin’ av a few -Remingtons. I see ye remember me, so for th’ sake av auld times ye -better give us a passage to th’ States an’ not make Crusoes av us on -the Fernandez.” - -Zachary Green looked at Gantline. - -“It’s the truth,” said the mate. - -“Truth be hanged! Who says it’s the truth? I’ll----” - -At that moment a slight figure appeared at the companion-way, and the -next instant Miss Green seized her father’s arm. He turned roughly, but -there was something in the poor girl’s face that made him look to her. -She led him below, and the escaped men stood staring after her. - -“You fellows can turn to with the men forward,” said Gantline. And they -went. - -A little later Zachary Green came on deck again and stood looking -silently over the bright Pacific. He stood there by the taffrail looking -long at the eastern horizon. No one approached or spoke to him, for all -knew Captain Green when his mind was full of unpleasant memories. - - - - -_A BLUNDER_ - - -About three o’clock in the morning Garnett slid back the hatch-slide and -bawled, “Cape Horn, sir!” - -Captain Green was asleep, but the news brought him to his feet in an -instant, and stopping just long enough to complete his toilet, which -consisted of gulping down four fingers of stiff grog, he sprang up the -companion-way and was on deck. - -It was broad daylight, although the wind had shifted to the northward -and brought with it a thick haze which partly obscured the light of the -rising sun. Some miles away on the weather-beam rose a rocky hump, -showing dimly through the mist; but its peculiar shape, not unlike that -of a camel lying down with its head to the westward, told plainly that -it was the dreaded Cape. Beyond it lay Tierra del Fuego, now almost -invisible, and past it swept the high-rolling seas of the Antarctic -Drift. - -Captain Green stood blinking and winking in the crisp air of the early -morning as Garnett walked up. It was January and daylight twenty hours -out of twenty-four, but it was cold and the morning watch was a -cheerless one. The old mate came up and pointed to the northward. - -“It’s the Cape, I make it, though it don’t show up mighty high. We’ve -been holding on like this most of my watch, but it’s been getting a -dirty look to the west’ard,” and as he spoke he leaned over the -weather-rail and spat into the foam, which drifted past at the rate of -six knots an hour. - -“It’s the Cape, right enough,” said Zack Green; “and if we can hold on a -few hours longer we ought to weather the Ramirez and get clear. How’s -she heading now?” - -“Sou’west b’ sought,” answered the man at the wheel. - -“Well,” said Green, “there’s almost four points easterly variation here, -so that brings her head a little to the s’uth’ard of west b’ south. Let -her go up all she will, Mr. Garnett, and call me when we make the -Ramirez. I don’t believe much in that drift; it’s all in that big -easterly variation. Watch the maint’gallant-sail if it begins to come -down sharp from the north’ard,” and as he finished speaking the skipper -disappeared down the companion-way. - -Garnett sniffed the air hungrily as the odor of stiff grog disappeared -also. - -“’Tis a pius drink, s’help me, ’tis a pius drink,” he muttered. “Yes, a -truly moral beverage, as they would say in the islands; but there’s no -use thinking a dog of a mate will get any pleasure in these days of -thieving ship-masters.” He walked fore and aft in no pleasant frame of -mind, glancing at each turn at the distant loom of the land on the -weather-beam. - -“How d’ye head?” he bawled to the man at the wheel, in total disregard -for the skipper and sleeping passengers. - -“Sought b’ west a quarter west, sir,” answered the helmsman. - -“Well, what in the name of the great eternal Davy Jones are you running -the ship off like that for?” - -“She’s touchin’ now, sir, an’ goin’ off all the time.” - -“Going to----” but before he could finish the maintop-gallant-sail came -aback against the mast. - -“For’ard there! clew down the maint’gallant-sail!” he roared, ad he -looked sharply to windward, where the giant Cape Horn sea came rolling -down through the deepening haze. - -“Maint’gallant-sail!” echoed the cry forward, as the men sang out and -jumped for the halyards, while some of the watch sprang into the -ratlines and made their way aloft. - -“Come, bear a hand there! Get that sail rolled up and lay aft to the -mizzen-top-sail.” - -The vessel was driving along at a comfortable rate in spite of the heavy -sea, and it looked as though she might give the grim Cape the slip and -go scudding away on the other side of the world. A few hours running to -the westward with the wind holding and she would go clear. But the giant -sea began rolling down from the northwest, growing heavier, so by the -time the maintop-gallant-sail was rolled up and eight bells struck it -had the true Cape Horn heave to it. - -Mr. Gantline came on deck to relieve the mate, and he soon had the ship -dressed down to her lower topsails. It was not blowing more than an -ordinary gale, but the tremendous sea made it dangerous to force the -vessel ahead, so she drifted and sagged off to leeward. The “sea-calmer” -was rigged forward, and soon the water to windward had an oily look, -while the wind, catching up the tops of the combers, hurled a spray down -upon the ship that made shroud and backstay, downhaul, and clew-line -smell strong of fish-oil, as they cut the wind like bow-strings and -hummed in unison until the volume of sound swelled into a deep booming -roar. - -“Let her come up all she will!” bawled Garnett into Gantline’s ear, as -he started to go below. “If she sags off any more you better call the -old man, for it looks bad. By the way, Gantline, where’s that bottle of -alcohol the old man gave you for varnishing the wheel? I’ve got one of -his porous plasters on my chest, and the blooming thing has glued itself -to every hair on my body, and I can’t get it adrift.” - -“It’s in the right-hand corner of the boson’s locker,” said the mate, -with a grin. “But go easy, Garnett. The old man put a spoonful of -tartar-emetic into the stuff, ‘for,’ says he, ‘tartar-emetic makes the -varnish have a more enduring effect against the weather.’” - -“Sink him for a scoundrel!” growled Garnett, his little eyes flashing -and beard bristling with rage. “It’s always something he’s doing to make -bad feeling aboard ship. Why should he suspect a man of drinking raw -spirit, hey?” - -“Why, indeed,” said Gantline. - -And Garnett went below muttering a string of fierce oaths. - -At six o’clock the gale had increased, and the noise of the bawling men -struggling with the fore-and mizzentop-sails awakened the skipper, who, -fearing all was not well, hastily made his toilet again and appeared at -the head of the companion-way. - -“How is it now?” he asked of Gantline, who stood near the wheel. - -“Gone off two points, and there’s an almighty sea running. I’m -shortening her down fast. Whew!” - -As he spoke a great hill of water full forty feet high rolled down on -the weather-beam. The ship headed it a couple of points and sank slowly -into the slanting trough. Then she began to rise to it. The combing -crest struck her forward of the main-rigging, and with a roar like -Niagara crashed over the top-gallant-rail. It hove her down on her -bearings and filled the main-deck waist-deep, while the shock made the -skipper and Gantline clutch for support. The next instant Green sprang -on to the poop. - -“All hands there!” he bawled. “Get that fore-top-sail on the yard!” - -Garnett came struggling on deck, muttering something about being afloat -in a diving-bell, and was almost washed off his feet by the roaring -flood in the waist. In a few moments he was on the foreyard bellowing -out orders to the men stowing the topsail. - -The uproar and cries of the men startled the two passengers, Dr. Davis -and his wife, who had undertaken the passage at a physician’s advice. -The physician, knowing nothing at all about the sea, had unhesitatingly -recommended a sea-voyage for the Reverend Dr. Davis as a certain cure -for the nervous ailment from which that gentleman suffered. The strain -at being face to face with death so often was doing wonders for the -minister, and he in turn was doing what he could for the crew. All -except Mr. Garnett had profited much by his presence on board, but the -mate stubbornly held out against any form of religion. - -“Keep the main on her as long as it will hold!” bawled Green. “It looks -as if we will catch it sure.” Then, catching a glimpse of Dr. Davis’s -face at the companion-way, he added, “I’ll be hanged if I ever overload -a ship again and run such risk.” - -The minister stepped out on deck. - -“Good-morning, doctor; we are having a touch of the Cape this morning,” -cried the skipper. - -“So it seems; is the Cape in sight?” - -“No; but I guess you’ll see it again before we get clear.” - -“Mr. Garnett said he thought we would make some northing to-day. He does -not believe in so much easterly variation, but says it is the drift that -makes it appear so. It seems to me an easy thing to decide.” - -“Garnett be hanged!” snorted Green in disgust “He will get into trouble -some day with his fool’s ideas. Hello! there goes the steward with the -hash,” and the skipper dived below, where he was followed by his -passenger. - -Garnett appeared at the table, but Mrs. Davis kept her bunk, as the -plunging ship made it difficult to eat with comfort. No one spoke during -the meal, as the crashing noise from the straining bulkheads drowned all -sounds save the roar of the elements on deck. - -Garnett stopped in the alley-way to light his pipe and get a few whiffs -before relieving Gantline. Then he made his way to the poop and stood -close to the mizzen, trying to get shelter from the wind and spray, -while Gantline went below. - -Dr. Davis came on deck and found the second officer trying to smoke, so -he joined him. - -“It’s harder to be mate with a man like Green than anything I’ve -tackled,” said he. “I’ve been to a few places and seen a few men in my -day, but most of them would reason things out. There’s no reason in -him.” - -“What’s the matter?” asked Dr. Davis. - -“It’s all about variation now. He’s always trying to work off -new-fangled notions on me. When I first began coming around this way the -drift was good enough to figure by.” - -“But hasn’t it been proved?” - -“Proved nothing. How’s a man going to prove he’s steering north when -he’s heading nor’west in a three-knot drift with nothing to get a -bearing on? I’ll allow there’s some variation in a compass, but nothing -like that. Besides, he does other unreasonable things. There’s no reason -in him.” - -“Well, I suppose it is hard to get along with unreasonable people,” said -the minister; “but there are some things we know are true without being -able to reason about them. For instance----” - -“No, sir,” interrupted Garnett. “There ain’t anything we know about -anything unless we can reason it out. You have your ideas and I have -mine; that’s all there is to it.” - -“Fore-staysail!” bawled the skipper from the wheel, and that piece of -canvas was run up, quickly followed by the trysail on the spanker-boom. -Dr. Davis, left alone, started aft. He went safely along until he -reached the middle of the poop, when a heavy sea struck the vessel and -made her heel quickly to leeward. The minister tried to seize the rail, -but missed it, and the next instant fell headlong into the seething -water alongside. - -Garnett was not ten feet distant working at the trysail, and without a -moment’s hesitation he seized a downhaul and plunged overboard with the -line about him. - -The passenger arose with a look of peaceful resignation on his face -which contrasted strongly with the old mate’s fierce expression of -determination. As the vessel was making no headway against the sea it -was less difficult than it appeared to seize the drowning man and give -the signal to haul away. - -In another minute Garnett was on deck again with Dr. Davis, neither of -them much the worse for their bath. The cold, however, made it -necessary for them to change their clothes. - -The gale held on all day, but nothing unusual occurred. At eight bells -that evening Dr. Davis had recovered sufficiently to again venture on -deck. It was Gantline’s dog-watch, but as there was as much light as -there had been during the day, Dr. Davis kept him company. - -“Mr. Garnett is a very hard man to convince when he has once set his -mind against a thing,” said the minister. “There’s no way of showing him -he is wrong when he has made a mistake.” - -“That’s true enough, especially if you try to rough him. He’s mad to-day -because the skipper found fault with his swearing at the men.” - -“He does swear most horribly,” said Dr. Davis. - -“It’s nothing to what he used to. He don’t realize he does it at all -now.” - -“How do you mean?” - -“Why, he used to be a most blasphemous old cuss. One day he went ashore -at Tinian, and the missionary there asked him to dinner. When he asked -Garnett what he would have he sung out, ‘Gimme a bowl of blood, ye tough -old ram of the Lord,’ just to shock the good man. The missionary rose -and ordered him out of the house, but Garnett wouldn’t go, so he struck -him over the head with a dish of fried plantains, he was that mad. -Garnett was two days getting over the stroke, for he had been stove down -before by a handspike in the hands of a drunken sailor. He always -thought the good man had called a curse down upon him, and since then -he’s been slow at figures.” - -“I see,” said Dr. Davis. - -“Yes, it’s a fact, you’ve got to show a thing pretty plain to Garnett -before he believes it. As to that missionary, he wasn’t overbright at -converting savages.” - -“What do you mean? That he wasn’t strong enough physically?” - -“No, no, love ye, no; that missionary could take care of himself and not -half try. What I mean is downright religious and Christian argument. -There was one chief he never could convert. The fellow had an idol, the -most uncanny thing I ever saw; sort of half bird, half beast, part fish, -and having a strain of dragon. He used to pray to the thing, although he -could speak English well enough and had seen plenty of white men. The -missionary told him it was wrong to worship anything in an image of -things in the heavens above, the earth beneath, or waters under the -earth, and the chief took it all kindly. The good man finally gave him -up, but the chief never could tell why. Once he offered to bet the -missionary two wives against a bottle of rum that there wasn’t anything -in the heavens above or earth beneath that resembled the strange thing -in any way; and as the good man couldn’t prove it, the matter ended.” - -The gale increased as the night wore on, and the vessel lay to on the -port tack and drifted off with her head pointing northwest by north, but -she was to the westward of the Ramirez. It was Garnett’s watch and the -skipper was below. The ship was driving off to leeward, and the skipper -determined to wear ship and stand to the southward again if she was -headed off any farther. Garnett had orders to report any change which -might take place. - -The old mate had a chart in his room with the variation marked on it -above the fiftieth parallel, some ten degrees less than where he now -was. But even this variation appeared excessive to him, and, as the -skipper told him to report if the vessel’s head fell off to the eastward -of north, he held on. Figuring on a two-knot drift, he would not be in -the vicinity of the rocks during his watch even if she headed as far as -north by west, for at noon she had made a good westing. - -The ship’s head was to the eastward at four bells, but, as there was -really over twenty degrees’ variation, Garnett held on and made sail -whenever he could. Long before his watch was out the vessel had been -making little leeway and reaching heavily along under lower topsails. At -seven bells the wind hauled again to the southward and came harder than -ever, carrying the foretop-sail out of the bolt-ropes. - -The noise of bawling men brought the skipper on deck, and he had the -mizzentop-sail rolled up and the fore-staysail ready for waring ship. -While he stood on the poop he looked to leeward. The mist seemed to -break into rifts in the dull light of the early morning, and through one -he saw an object that made him catch his breath. In an instant the -flying spume closed in again and all was blank. - -Garnett came aft, and, although it was cold, he took off his sou’wester -and mopped the top of his bald head as he glanced at the skipper. The -old man stood petrified gazing into the blank to leeward. Then he turned -on the mate with a savage glare in his eye. “Get all hands on that -fore-staysail, quick!” he roared, and Garnett went plunging forward, the -skipper’s voice following him and rising almost to a shriek,--“Loose the -jib and foresail!” Then turning, he dashed for the wheel and rolled it -hard up. Back again on the poop he roared to Gantline, who came plunging -out on the main-deck to loose the foretop-sail. - -The men started to obey orders and sprang to the halyards and braces, -looking over their shoulders to leeward at each roll of the ship to find -out the cause of the excitement. - -Suddenly the flying spume broke again, and there, dead under the lee, -lay the outer rocks of the Ramirez not a mile distant. Then some of the -crew became panic-stricken, and it was all the mates could do to keep -them in hand. - -“There’s no land there!” roared Garnett “H’ist away the fore-staysail.” - -Then the ship’s head paid off, while the staysail tore to ribbons under -the pressure. The topsail was loosened, and it thundered away to bits, -almost taking the topmast with it. The jib followed suit, but together -they lasted long enough to get her head off before the wind. Then -Garnett, casting off the weather-clew of the reefed foresail, hauled it -down far enough to keep the wind under it, and away they went. In a few -moments her head swung to on the starboard tack, and as they hauled the -wind a deep thunderous sound rose above the gale. The trusty -maintop-sail was trimmed hard on the backstays, and all hands waited -with eyes straining to leeward. - -“Will she go clear?” asked Dr. Davis, calmly, as he stood by the -skipper’s side on the poop. But Green’s teeth were shut tight, and the -muscles of his straining face were as taut as the clews of the -storm-topsail. Nearer and nearer sounded that dull, booming thunder, and -now, right under her lee, they could see the great white rush of those -high-rolling seas that tore over the ledges and crashed into a world of -smother that hid everything beyond in a thick haze. - -“She’ll go clear,” said Garnett, and he took out his handkerchief and -mopped the dent in his bald head. - -“But it’s a d--d close shave,” answered Gantline. - -As he spoke a great rolling sea rose on the weather-quarter, lifting -full forty feet from trough to crest as it began its shoreward rush. On -and on it rolled in majestic grandeur, a gigantic, white-topped mass, -until it vanished into the thick haze of flying spray, but still bearing -more and more to the northward. They went clear. - -Dr. Davis was not present at a little conversation held between Mr. -Garnett and the skipper some minutes later, but during the mate’s next -watch on deck he found a chance to speak to him. He saw him standing -under the mizzen watching the main-top-sail, and he crowded close into -the mast, wiping his spectacles. - -“Well, what do you think of it now?” he asked. - -“Nothing,” growled Garnett, “except I made a mistake; and if I’d held on -ten minutes there’d have been thirty more men gone to a lower latitude, -that’s all.” - -“But think of the responsibility. How would you have felt with the lives -of thirty men on your conscience? Don’t you see, we have to accept some -truths without stopping to reason them out. There may be no reason for -that variation, but you see it exists, after all. It is the same way in -regard to the duty we owe our Maker, and I am afraid you will -acknowledge it only after you have ‘held on too long,’ as you admit in -this case. As for a man going to a lower latitude, as you call it, there -is no such place. A man’s hell is his own conscience.” - -Garnett remained silent for some minutes watching the clews of the -maintop-sail, and appeared to be absorbed in deep thought. - -“Maybe you’re right about there not being any hell below, and maybe -you’re not,” he finally said. “I hope you are right; but I’ve had some -experience in my day, and had all kinds of luck, both good and bad. It -don’t seem probable I’d strike it as rich as that. No, sir, it ain’t -probable; though, of course, it’s possible.” - -And Dr. Davis left him standing there with a strange, hopeful gleam in -his eyes. - - - - -_TO CLIPPERTON REEF_ - - -This rather singular expedition left San Francisco under the direct -charge of Professor Frisbow, of the West Coast Museum. While an entirely -private affair, its object was to secure specimens of several of the -almost extinct species of pelagic fish. - -The vessel used for the purpose was a small sealing schooner of about -seventy-five tons, and the crew, including the captain and mate, -consisted of five able-bodied men. The rest of the party were the -professor and myself. - -As we were both good sailors, the size of our vessel did not -inconvenience us, so that, after fitting up two state-rooms in the -cabin, we found, although a little crowded, we were as snug “as weevils -in a biscuit” - -The wind was blowing almost a gale when we towed out between the heads -of the bay, and as it came from the northwest, a stout pea-coat was far -from uncomfortable while walking the narrow limits of the quarter-deck. - -The setting sun shone red on the rolling hill-side of North Head, where -herds of cattle cropped the short grass of the highlands. In the clear -atmosphere small objects were visible with strange distinctness. To the -southward the jets of spray shooting skyward told plainly of the heavy -sea that fell upon the Seal Rocks. Our skipper shook out the double -reef he had in the mainsail and determined to drive his vessel off shore -as far as possible while the fair wind held. - -It was nearly dark before the tug gave a short whistle for the men -forward to cast off the tow-line, and as the last light on the western -horizon faded into shadow the head-sheets were flattened and we stood -away to the southwest. - -Clipperton Isle or Reef lies 10° 17´ north latitude and 109° 10´ west -longitude. The distance on a straight course being but little over -fifteen hundred miles from our starting-point, but as the northeast -trade is very light and unsteady along the coast of the continent, we -deemed it wiser to take the regular sailing route to the southward and -make our easting afterwards. - -The first twenty-four hours out were uncomfortable enough, as the heavy -sea caught us fair on the starboard beam and made the stanch little -vessel roll horribly. Gradually, however, the wind hauled more to the -northward and we made better weather of it. Our Bliss log registered two -hundred and fifty-four miles for the first day’s run, and on the fourth -day out we picked up the trade in 26° north latitude and headed away due -south. - -Our reason for selecting this almost unknown spot for our field of -operations was owing, principally, to the reports of the captains of two -whaling ships who had been consulted in regard to our object, and also, -I fear, to the keen desire of my companion, the professor, to explore -this curious island. - -Fish of several varieties which we desired to procure abounded along the -southern coast of California, and the California Gulf swarmed with -almost every species of shark except the one we wished for. We had -finally decided, however, to stick to deep water, and had procured the -schooner for a small amount and the services of Captain Brown, an old -whaleman, who had been in the vicinity of the island on several voyages. - -During the first week out we had an opportunity to get acquainted with -our skipper, who with his mate occupied the starboard side of the -after-cabin. - -Old Captain Brown was a typical whaling skipper and as crusty an old -sailor as one could wish to sail with. He had acquired the true sailor -habit of finding fault with everything, and divided his time between -making sarcastic personal remarks to the mate and cursing the men. - -As for Garnett, the mate, I had sailed before in his company and knew -him thoroughly. He had been nearly everything that was bad, and had been -in every part of the world. He was fifty-five and over, but he was one -of the roughest and toughest specimens of humanity, both morally and -physically, I had ever seen. His hairy chest bore a mark where a bullet -had passed through, the calf of his right leg was twisted where a -bayonet had penetrated, for he had been a soldier, and the index-finger -of his left hand was missing. Besides these trifles he had a large -dent, nearly half an inch deep, on the top of his bald head, where a -sailor had “stove him down” with a handspike. This was the only injury -he had received that had ever given him much trouble, and sometimes the -pain in his head affected his eyesight. - -In spite of his ugly record and many drawbacks I knew him to be the best -sailor that ever handled canvas and worth a whole ship’s company in an -emergency. Therefore we let the skipper rate him, and while he confined -himself to sarcasm and insolence I believed Garnett would not turn -rusty. - -It was not long before Captain Brown found out the mate’s defect in -vision, and at about the same time he was convinced that he was also the -greatest liar afloat. After this he used to amuse us by calling out -“Ship ahoy!” and gazing steadfastly at a part of the blank horizon. -Then, if Garnett was near, he would discuss the ship in detail, and the -mate would swear positively, with great emphasis, “My God! but that’s -the old Moose,” or some other vessel he had sailed in; and then the -skipper would suddenly break off and begin to walk fore and aft with -rapid and excited strides. When he would reach the vicinity of Garnett -he would look up at the main-top-sail and wish to know, in a loud voice, -why in the name of Ananias all the liars were not struck dead. Then he -would storm and swear at all people who ever told the truth, and thank -heaven he never told the truth when he could possibly help it; all of -which noise had about as much effect on Garnett as if he had been -pouring water gently into the dent in his oily bald head. - -“Aren’t you afraid to curse and call on the Lord so often?” I asked, -during one of his fits. - -“’Fraid o’ nothin’. Do you suppose the Lord minds my cursing at such a -fellow as Garnett? What difference does it make, anyhow? The Lord never -yet answered either prayer or curse of mine.” - -“Yes,” I replied, “but Garnett might, and then----” - -“He might, might he? Now, by all thunder, I guess not. He might as well -git it through his head that if there’s any swearing to be done I’ll do -it. Yes, sir, I’ll do it, s’help me----” And here he broke off into a -string of such expressive profanity, relating to gods, devils, and men, -that Frisbow came up from below to listen. - -On the morning of the tenth day out we crossed the twelfth parallel, and -at noon we hauled our wind and headed straight for the island as located -by Sir Edward Belcher. - -On the fifteenth day the wind left us in 10° 43´ north latitude and -about 113° west longitude, or nearly two hundred and fifty miles -westward of the reef. Here we encountered the most trying part of the -whole voyage out. For two days the log registered less than a ten-mile -run, and the four following less than twenty. - -Finally, after ten days of drifting, we sighted the island, one bright -morning, almost directly over our knight-heads. As the wind was light, -our skipper feared to approach within less than a mile of the shore, as -there was danger of drifting into the breakers. There were hundreds of -fathoms of water close in near the beach, and it was useless to think of -anchoring, so we hove the vessel to about a mile to leeward. - -After setting the shark line the boat was put overboard, and the mate -and one man proceeded to pull us to the shore. - -On arriving close to the island the surf was found to be too heavy to -make a safe landing, and we were compelled to pull around to the -entrance of the lagoon on the south side. We landed with little -difficulty inside the entrance, and, securing the boat, proceeded to -explore the reef. - -Lying low in the water, it presented a peculiar and, at the same time, -beautiful appearance. No part of it was over ten feet above the sea, and -it lay shaped into a most perfect oval. On the outside of the circle the -beach was of snow-white coral, which, as it sloped away seaward on the -north side, reflected various shades of green and blue through the clear -water. - -On the south side the sea had just the faintest milky color, showing -that there was a slight set to the southward. - -We devoted the whole day to exploring the reef, and only returned on -board when darkness made the schooner almost invisible. - -As we passed through the entrance we made soundings, and found a depth -of five or six fathoms nearly all the way across, or enough water for -quite a large vessel to pass through. On getting aboard we found that -the skipper had caught several desirable specimens for our collection -and had sighted a small sperm-whale about a half a mile to windward just -before dark. This had stirred his blood, and he had been cursing his -luck heartily at our staying ashore in the boat when we might be after -big game, for we had several irons and a few tubs of line on board and -also a bomb-gun. - -After supper we were so worked up by listening to Captain Brown’s -whaling yarns that we decided to have a try at the first whale sighted. -At daylight the next morning Garnett sung out to the skipper that there -was something off the weather-beam. We turned out and found the sea just -ruffled by a light air and the sun shining fiercely out of a cloudless -sky. On searching the horizon we found nothing visible except the reef, -which lay some three miles to the northward. - -All of a sudden we noticed a blur of white to the westward, and Frisbow -immediately went below for the glasses. Garnett sung out again from -forward and pointed at the blur, then, thinking we could not see -anything, he came aft to where we stood. - -By this time both the skipper and Frisbow had their glasses, and were -just in the act of focussing them upon the object when it suddenly -vanished. - -Captain Brown began to mutter something about people who saw so many -strange things, and Garnett removed his cap to wipe the perspiration -from the dent in his head. - -“What kind of vessel can it be?” asked Frisbow. - -“I’ll be hanged if I know,” I answered. - -“Might be the Flying Dutchman,” suggested Garnett, with his usual -gravity. - -This was too much for the skipper, and he warned Garnett that such jokes -were out of place among intelligent men and liable to be followed by -disastrous consequences, and then added that “Most people knew a whale -when they saw it.” Suddenly the blur appeared again. This time it lasted -for over a minute. It was not a “blow,” and I was just about to ask the -skipper what he made it out to be when he quickly shoved his glass into -my hand and told me to “look quick.” - -I did so, and saw that the blur was a great cloud of spray and foam -thrown up from the sea. Instantly a large gray object rose from the -churned water, then fell again in the thick of it, and I recognized the -form of a huge thresher-shark. He appeared to land heavily upon the -whale, for that animal, after lashing the sea furiously, sounded, and -presently the disturbance subsided. - -After breakfast we saw a blow half a mile to windward, and the skipper -said it was the same whale we had noticed in the early morning. - -We didn’t stop to argue the question, but hauled the whale-boat, that -was towing astern, alongside and made haste to get the gear into her. - -Leaving the schooner in charge of the three men, all of whom were -picked sailors, the rest of us manned the boat and started out. Captain -Brown took his place in the bow as harpooner and boat-steerer, while -Garnett and the professor pulled bow and stroke oars respectively, -leaving me to handle the steering oar. - -The sea was almost like glass, and under the skipper’s direction we -rapidly approached our game. My heart beat so with excitement that it -seemed to choke me as we silently drew head on to the monster, the -skipper motioning with his hand which way he wanted me to steer. Then we -shipped the oars carefully and took out the paddles for a close throw. -All of a sudden he raised the iron and hurled it at the black mass -ahead. Garnett and Frisbow backed water as hard as they could, and in an -instant there was a tremendous splash as the animal fluked and sounded. -The skipper stood by the line, while the professor took up the bomb-gun, -determined to have the honor of shooting the beast. - -The whale didn’t go down far or stay long below the surface, but when he -did come up he came with a rush that took him clear of the water and -almost aboard of us. The surging splash he made as he fell alongside -nearly swamped us with the sea and sent Frisbow over the thwart into the -bottom of the boat, while the lance came near lodging in Garnett’s neck -as the gun exploded in the air. - -Old Captain Brown stormed and swore, and, calling Garnett to tend the -line, he picked up the gun and began loading it himself as I passed him -a charge, while Frisbow scrambled to his feet and asked if he had -“killed him.” - -A hoarse chuckle from Garnett warned him of his mistake, but before any -one could answer the skipper passed him the gun again and sprang forward -to the line. I looked over the side, and suddenly noticed a dark spot in -the clear depths directly beneath us growing rapidly larger. Putting -forth all my strength, I swung on the steering oar to slue the boat to -one side, and it was just by good luck I managed to do so in time. I -heard an exclamation from the skipper, and saw Frisbow standing with the -gun ready, when, without an instant’s warning, the great bulk of the -whale rose alongside close enough to touch. The professor fired with the -muzzle not two feet from the animal’s body, which, as it fell alongside, -half filled the boat with water. - -Instead of sounding again the whale swam slowly away, towing us after -it. Captain Brown started to load the gun, and had just put in the -powder charge when the whale slowed up and began blowing rapid jets of -crimson spray. - -“We’ve got him now,” he said, and laid down the gun to wait for the end. - -In about ten minutes the animal was motionless upon the water, and after -waiting a little longer we hauled alongside. He was a small sperm-whale, -not over thirty feet in length, with about enough blubber to make a -“twenty-barrel,” as he was termed by the skipper. We made a line fast to -him and then sat and waited for the schooner, that was creeping slowly -up from leeward with the light breeze. The heat was terrific as we sat -there in the open boat, and it was long past noon before the schooner -picked us up. - -After dinner Frisbow, myself, and two men manned the boat to tow the -whale ashore. We worked the schooner in as close as possible to the -entrance of the lagoon, and then we had to work into the lagoon in the -small boat with a white-ash breeze. We finally landed our prize inside -the entrance, and Frisbow turned to work at once to get off the skin. -This appeared to be a useless object, but as he was bent upon it there -was nothing else to do. - -During the whole of the following week he was ashore nearly all the time -with one or two men, and sometimes, when the wind was light and we -drifted well off, it was nearly midnight before he would get aboard. It -was while this work was progressing that the incident occurred which -caused all our troubles. - -Frisbow and Garnett had both tried to persuade Captain Brown that it was -the best and safest place for the schooner inside the lagoon, as there -was plenty of water and quite smooth anchorage. The skipper, like a true -deep-water sailor, dreaded the proximity of the beach even worse than he -did fresh water on his skin, and he was several times made furious at -the idea of putting his vessel inside the lagoon. - -One day after Garnett and Frisbow had gone ashore, where they had been -hard at work at the whale, I told the skipper that I would look out for -the vessel, and he went below and turned in. - -The two men left on board were idling about the galley. One of them, the -one who acted as cook, sat in the doorway and worked a pan of “duff” -which he held between his knees. - -The schooner had her mainsail set and hauled flat aft, while her jib was -drawn to windward, thus heaving her to in the light air that barely -ruffled the surface of the ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky, and -only a dull haze tempered the fierce heat of the sun. - -I had the wheel lashed hard down and lay at full length on the quarter, -trying to keep in the shadow of the mainsail. I smoked a cigar and gazed -at the eddies that drifted from the vessel’s side to windward. - -After about an hour, when I had smoked my cigar down to a stump, I was -aware that the wind had died out entirely and that it was oppressively -hot on deck. I lounged aft and leaned over the rail and tried to see if -I could distinguish anything moving on the island, but could not, and -the distant hum of the surf was the only sound that broke the painful -stillness. - -Suddenly the hum of the surf seemed to grow louder. I turned to look to -the westward, and in an instant saw the ocean whipped to foam along the -horizon. - -“All hands!” I yelled, and sprang to the peak halyards. - -I let them go by the run, and had just cast off the throat when with a -rush the white squall struck us just forward of the weather-beam. One of -the men let go the jib halyard and tugged at the downhaul and managed to -get the sail half down before the full weight of the wind struck us. The -mainsail, hanging half way down the mast, thundered away at a great rate -until it split from head to leach, while the little schooner lay on her -beam ends, letting the water pour in a torrent down the open -companion-way. - -In less than five minutes it was all over. The wind slacked up as -suddenly as it began, and the vessel slowly righted. Captain Brown -clambered on deck half drowned from the flooded cabin and helped to get -in what was left of the mainsail. We got all the canvas in, but the sea -was as calm as before, except for the swell stirred up, and there was -not enough wind to fill a topsail. - -“White squall, eh?” inquired the skipper as soon as we had the sails -secured. - -“It was some kind of a squall,” I said; “but there was no warning -whatever of its coming.” - -“There never is,” he answered, with a sickly grin. “I wonder how much -water we’ve got into us. If it had held on five minutes longer we’d have -passed in our papers, sure; and, as it was, I am all but drowned. It -seemed as if the whole ocean poured into my bunk and held me down.” - -We found the cabin half full of water, and it took us all day to get -things straightened out below, while the men unbent the split mainsail -and began to repair it. - -When Garnett and the professor came on board that night they were -astonished at the damage done, for there had been no sign of wind on the -reef. - -In the schooner’s hold we found everything in a mess, and all our -fishing-gear and lines piled up on the port side in one big tangle. -Garnett managed to pick out the bomb-gun and some irons from the pile, -and Frisbow, after wiping the gun, had the cook fill it with beef tallow -to keep out the rust. - -That night we held a council, and, as there were three to one for going -inside the reef, the skipper’s objections were finally overruled, and it -was decided that we should remain in there until work on the whale was -finished. The next morning at sunrise we headed in through the entrance, -and by noon were moored snugly enough on the inside. - -The work of skinning the whale was soon accomplished, and the skin was -staked out, with one or two of the sharks we had captured, and left to -the care of the professor. - -I did not fancy the work of getting out the animal’s skeleton, as the -stench from the body was now unbearable, so I spent my time in procuring -specimens of a more attractive sort from the clear waters of the reef. - -I had been thus engaged for several days, and was returning to the -schooner one evening, when I heard a deep booming sound that seemed to -fill the air about me. The ground under me trembled violently and it -was with difficulty I kept my feet I hurried towards the schooner, and -met Frisbow on the beach opposite where she was moored. His face -expressed great anxiety, and he asked me if I had felt the earthquake. I -replied that I had, and wondered what would happen next. He didn’t -answer, but I could see that he was more excited than I had ever seen -him before. - -When we reached the schooner Garnett was being rated by Captain Brown -for having suggested bringing the vessel into such a hole. The skipper -had felt the shock, and swore that we would have the accompanying tidal -wave in about half an hour, adding that if it caught us in there we were -as good as dead men. - -It was not quite dark, so without a moment’s delay we made sail and -stood for the entrance. There was no wind to speak of, and the skipper, -fearing that we might drift into the breakers, had Garnett and the three -sailors man the whale-boat and tow us to keep up good headway. - -I took the wheel and Captain Brown went forward to direct our movements. -We went straight for the middle of the cut, while the sun dipped below -the western horizon and the sudden tropic night fell upon the ocean. The -moon was a few degrees high in the east, and we knew that there would be -plenty of light, anyhow, to steer by, as we kept slowly on. - -In a little while we neared the entrance, and it looked as if we would -be on the open ocean within half an hour, when all of a sudden I heard a -harsh, grinding sound, and the schooner, with a slight jar, became -motionless. The skipper came rushing aft and peered over the taffrail, -muttering a string of oaths through his set teeth. - -“What is it?” I asked, as I left the wheel and rushed to the rail. - -He said nothing, but dived below for a lead-line. In a moment he was -forward again and flung the lead overboard, but I noticed that the line -failed to run out. - -“What is it?” I asked again. - -He turned his face towards me, and I saw its ghastly expression in the -moonlight. - -“God knows,” he growled, “but we are hard and fast on the reef, and -there isn’t half a fathom of water anywhere ahead of us.” He bawled for -Garnett to come on board, and I heard the startled exclamations from the -men in the boat as they hauled in the tow-line and came alongside. - -In a moment the skipper jumped into the boat with the hand-lead and -started off through the entrance. - -I could see him making soundings for nearly a quarter of a mile ahead as -they glided over the calm moonlit water, and then the boat was put about -suddenly, and she came for the schooner. Frisbow and I went to the side. - -“We’re in for it now,” said the skipper, with an oath, as he clambered -on deck. “The whole bottom seems to have raised up, and there isn’t -enough water to float a junk-barrel across the whole cut.” - -“Come, bear a hand!” he yelled to Garnett. “Get a line out aft and we’ll -see if we can kedge her off; we can’t lay here all night.” - -Frisbow looked at me and I at him, but we said nothing. We were caught -like a rat in a hole, and the only thing to do was to get the schooner -afloat and wait for daylight, when things might not be as bad as they -appeared. - -There was no time to speculate until we got the schooner off the ledge, -so we lent a hand and got the kedge into the boat, and Garnett bent on -the tow-line and dropped astern. - -In a few minutes he came on board, and all hands tailed onto the line to -haul her off. We hauled and tugged, but it was no use, we couldn’t start -her. Finally we passed the line forward to the windlass, and after half -an hour’s heaving we had the satisfaction of feeling the little vessel -slide off into deep water again. There was nothing to do but to go back -to our moorings, so, sending the boat ahead again, we towed back and -made fast at our old berth, all hands quite worn out with our exertions. - -There was no thought of rest, however, for any of us; our case was too -bad for that. We were in no immediate danger, but we were cut off from -the world as suddenly and as effectually as if we were confined on the -moon. Our provisions would last six months with care, but even in that -time the chances were against our sighting a vessel in that locality. - -As soon as the schooner was safely moored we went ashore and explored -the reef, but there was no apparent change in any part above water. The -skipper was beside himself with rage at being caught, and blamed Garnett -for the whole affair. Garnett said little and mopped his head frequently -with his handkerchief, but I fancied I saw a peculiar gleam in his eye -when the captain became more than usually violent. - -After spending the whole night trying to work out some solution of our -difficulty, we came to the conclusion that the only way was to strip the -vessel, heel her over on her bilge, and force her through the entrance. - -We discussed every possible method of lightening her, and the skipper -finally thought that by taking everything out of her except her masts we -might get across the reef with what little current there would be to -favor us. - -As soon as it was daylight we started for the entrance to examine it -carefully and find the deepest water. The air was hot and still, and the -water of the lagoon had a greasy look. - -The first thing that attracted our attention was a large, dark object -that rose on the reef where yesterday there had been nearly fifty feet -of water. All eyes were directed to it as it lay there like a huge mass -of coral weed with great festoons hanging from its sides. - -Suddenly the skipper sprang to his feet “My God, it’s a ship!” he cried. - -All hands stopped rowing and turned in their seats, when Garnett, who -was steering, bawled out to “Give way together!” and we headed straight -for it. - -As we approached, we saw that it was the hull of a large ship lying on -its bilge, but so covered with marine growths that its outline could -hardly be traced in the great mass. It lay well out, and the wash of the -surf broke against the stern; this is the reason we didn’t notice it -during the night. There were three or four feet of water around it, so -we forced the boat through the floating weed until we were alongside. - -Garnett clambered to the deck amidships closely followed by Frisbow and -myself. We made our way aft aloft along the slippery incline by clinging -to the weed that covered everything, and reached a large hole that had -evidently been the entrance to the cabin. The whole design of the ship -was strange and different from any modern vessel I had ever seen. We -peered down the opening, but could see nothing inside except -various-colored marine growths. - -The professor was for going below instantly, but Garnett held back and -contented himself with examining the steering-gear, where he was joined -by the skipper. - -Frisbow let himself down the opening and I, feeling ashamed to let him -go alone, let myself down after him. - -The cabin was dark inside, for the windows were covered with weed, but I -could make out the form of the professor as he groped his way along the -slippery floor into the darkness forward. - -After going a short distance into what appeared to be a large saloon the -grass seemed to grow thinner and I stood up and looked about me. As I -did so my head came in sharp contact with a curious brass lamp which -hung suspended from one of the deck-beams. My exclamation caused Frisbow -to join me, and together we examined the strange fittings about us. - -A table and some chairs, which were fastened to the floor, still held -their shapes although covered with grass and slime, and from the strange -carving on their legs, which was still visible in places, the professor -pronounced them to be Spanish. - -A little farther on we came to a bulkhead with two doors, which were -open and led into an inky black space beyond. The professor struck a -match, and we saw that both doors had short companion-ways leading to a -cabin on the berth-deck and that the ladders were sound although covered -with slime. The match went out, but Frisbow instantly struck another and -started down. We reached the floor of a small cabin, which had two doors -on each side and which was quite free from the heavy sea-growth we had -encountered above. There was a table in the centre and the frames of -several heavy chairs, while from above hung a large brass lamp covered -with verdigris and similar in pattern to the one I had encountered with -my head. - -Striking another match, we entered the first door to the right. There -was nothing in it but a large wooden chest, which lay open and contained -a pulpy and slimy mass. In a bunk was the same material, while on the -bulkheads were green brass rods which had evidently held some sort of -drapery that had long ago succumbed to the action of sea-water. In the -other rooms we found several old matchlock guns almost entirely rust and -also half a dozen long straight swords. On a shelf was a tinder-box of -brass with the flint as good as new, but the steel was a brown lump. -There were a number of rusty knives and several brass frames, together -with a lot of glassware and crockery. Some of this rubbish crunched -sharply underfoot in the ooze, but everything else not of wood or iron -had decayed beyond recognition. - -The professor was down to his last match when we came across a small -chest in the last room. It was of iron but not heavy, so I took it under -my arm as we made for the companion-way. - -It gave me a nervous feeling to be down in the black, slimy hold of that -lost ship, and I was rather glad to start for the deck again. Before we -reached the ladder the professor’s last match was out, and we groped our -way aft as best we could, encumbered with all the spoils we could carry. - -The silence and darkness made me hasten my steps, when just before I -reached the ladder a terrific yell echoed through the blackness, causing -me to drop everything and start with a sudden terror. Then in a moment -the skipper’s hoarse voice bawled down to us from the door above, -wanting to know if we intended to remain aboard all the morning. The -old sword I had was too rusty to be of any use, otherwise I think I -should have run him through the body; so, cursing him loudly for his -impatience, to the professor’s great amusement, I picked up my things -and mounted the ladder. - -On reaching the deck we found Garnett had discovered a brass gun lying -on the port side of the ship, and he was busy spinning a yarn to the men -in the boat, when the skipper bawled out for them to lend a hand to get -our stuff aboard. We placed the iron box in the stern and, jumping in, -started to examine the cut for a channel to get to sea. - -We had only been on the wreck a few minutes, but we had no desire to -remain any longer until we found a way out of the lagoon. - -After sounding all the morning we found the depth pretty much the same -all the way across, and we now noticed that the whole reef appeared much -higher on the south side than before. The part above high-water also -showed many seams and fissures that we had not seen there when we first -examined it. - -About noon we headed for the schooner, feeling anxious and depressed. -Frisbow was more sanguine than the rest of us about lighting the -schooner and forcing her across the barrier, but I knew it would be a -desperate undertaking when we struck the breakers, that now rolled clear -across the entrance. - -When we reached the schooner we pried off the lid of the iron box and -found a mass of discolored pulp, at the bottom of which was a brass -plate with the word Isabella cut upon it in large characters. - -We were so tired out with our exertions that as soon as we had something -to eat all hands turned in for a short rest before beginning to unload -everything on the beach. This appeared to be the only way out of the -difficulty, and the skipper’s anxiety increased at every delay. - -In the afternoon we began to get the gear out of the hold, and soon had -the deck covered with stuff of all kinds to be sent ashore. As we had to -break out some of our provisions, we closed the hatchway that evening on -account of the heavy dew that fell at night. - -After supper we started to load the boat, but as the men were tired they -worked slowly. Garnett was growing ugly under the continual nagging by -the skipper, and once Frisbow started to remonstrate with the captain -for directing his abuse against the mate. This only had the effect of -precipitating matters, and Garnett, who was passing some of the gear -into the boat alongside, threw down the coil of rope he had in his hand -and swore a great oath that he would not do another stroke of work until -the skipper “mended his jaw tackle.” - -This drove the old man into a frenzy, and before we could stop him he -grabbed a harpoon and poised it to hurl at the mate. - -“You mutinous scoundrel,” he yelled, “I’ll show you who’s captain of -this craft!” Quick as thought he threw the iron, and I believed -Garnett’s end had come. - -Quicker still did the old sailor spring to one side, and, grabbing the -bomb-gun, let drive at the skipper’s head, while the harpoon drove clear -through the port bulwarks and hung there. The recoil of the gun sent -Garnett staggering backward, while the captain, throwing up his hands, -fell like a log across the hatchway. Frisbow and I stood horror-stricken -for an instant and then we rushed to the captain’s side. I expected to -find half of his head torn off by the shell, but, although his face was -black with powder and the blood oozed from his mouth, he appeared to -have no wound whatever. - -We carried him aft and laid him out in his bunk, Garnett lending a hand -as if nothing had happened between them. Then the professor went for the -medicine-chest. - -After washing blood, grease, and powder from the old man’s bruised face -and applying a little spirits between his swelling lips, he suddenly -opened his eyes and saw Garnett standing close by. He made a quick -movement as though to rise, but Frisbow held him down. Then seeing we -had mistaken the motive, he smiled a ghastly smile and held out his hand -in the direction of the mate. - -Garnett stepped forward and took it and their eyes met. - -“You’ve killed me fair and square and I don’t bear you any malice,” said -the captain with great difficulty. - -“Killed nothing,” growled Garnett, with half a smile; “I only blowed a -gallon or two of tallow into your whiskers; you were so almighty quick, -you know.” - -Here the skipper muttered an oath and tried to get up again, but Frisbow -and I both held him quiet. - -“You lie quiet to-night,” said the professor; “there’s no tremendous -hurry about this business, and to-morrow this dizziness will be out of -your head.” - -He poured out a stiff glass of spirits, which the captain gulped down, -and, after bandaging up the lower part of the bruised face with wet -towels, we left him and went on deck. - -Garnett kept chuckling to himself during the evening as we loaded the -boat, and when the moon came up he and two men started to carry the load -to the beach. - -While they were absent Frisbow and I sat on the rail and discussed our -chances of getting to sea again in a few days. I did not like to tell -him how small our chances were, for he appeared to have perfect -confidence in our ability to float the vessel overland on a heavy dew if -it became necessary. - -The boat had been gone about an hour and the moon was now high in the -cloudless heavens, and I was getting sleepy, so I lit my pipe and smoked -hard to keep awake. The water shone like a polished mirror of silver, -and the dark outline of the reef loomed distinctly through the night on -all sides. We could hear Garnett and the men talking on the beach as -they unloaded the boat, but besides this there was not a sound on that -desolate spot save the deep hum of the surf outside the barrier. - -My thoughts turned to the wreck, which shone like a black speck in the -white wash of the sea, and we talked of how she had probably run on the -ledge in the night, years ago, and then slid off into deep water. Her -crew, even if they were rescued, must have died over a century ago, and -there was little chance of our ever finding any record of her loss. That -she was a Spanish ship and her name Isabella I felt quite certain; but -even that fact conveyed little knowledge to any of us. - -While we sat on the rail and talked a deep booming like thunder suddenly -broke the stillness about us, and the little vessel trembled violently. -We started to our feet and listened as the great volume of sound filled -the air around us, dying away gradually in pulsations. We heard the -cries of the men on the beach, followed by a few moments of silence; -then the booming began again and lasted a few seconds, dying out as -before. - -“I suppose we’re about as safe here as anywhere,” muttered the -professor; “but I must say that is the most terrific sound I’ve ever -heard.” - -We waited ten or fifteen minutes in silence, when the stillness was -broken by the wash of oars as Garnett started to come aboard. We could -not see the boat against the dark outline of the shore, but we could -hear the clank of the rowlocks, and I leaned over the side, knowing it -would be in sight in a few moments. - -As I watched the water I was suddenly aware of a strong current setting -past the vessel towards the entrance, and at the same instant Frisbow -uttered a startled exclamation. In an instant the boat showed clear in -the moonlight and Garnett’s voice bawled out for to throw him a line. - -Seizing the main-sheet, I threw it to him as the men were bending to the -oars as if rowing through a rapid. The man forward caught it and hauled -alongside, all hands wasting no time in clambering to the schooner’s -deck. - -“It’s a tidal wave, sure,” grunted Garnett, out of breath. “Look out for -the hatches.” - -In less than a minute we had everything lashed down forward, and then -all hands came aft to the companion-way of the cabin. As we stood there -we heard a deep murmur from the northward and westward, which gradually -increased as the seconds flew by. - -“How are the anchors?” asked the professor of Garnett. - -“Every fathom of the best Norway iron tailing to each one,” answered the -mate; “but they’ll never hold if the sea comes over the reef.” - -Suddenly the deep murmur swelled into a thundering roar. The schooner -strained at her cables as the water flashed past, and then above the -reef we saw a hill rise white in the moonlight with its crest ragged and -broken against the night sky. The very air shook with the jar of that -foaming crest as it fell with a mighty crash on the reef and went over -it. - -“Get below!” roared Garnett, and we tumbled down the companion into the -cabin, the mate pulling the hatch-slide after him and fastening it. - -The skipper had sprung from his bunk when the roar had awakened him, and -stood looking at us in dismay as we tumbled below. In an instant I felt -the schooner rise as, with a deafening, smothering crash, the surge -struck and passed over her. She seemed to mount into the air and fly -through space for nearly a minute. I found myself lying on the port side -with my feet against the deck-beams and my hands stretched out against -the cabin floor. The next instant she righted with a jerk and I found -myself lying on top of Garnett in the middle of the cabin. The water -poured through the crack of the hatchway and down the skylight, so for -an instant I supposed we were at the bottom of the sea. Garnett, -however, flung me aside and started for the deck. - -The schooner made a few sharp rolls and then partly steadied herself on -an even keel as the mate slid back the hatch-slide. Instead of tons of -water pouring down upon us, as we looked up we caught a glimpse of the -full moon in a clear sky, and I don’t remember anything that looked half -so beautiful as it did to me at that moment. - -We scrambled on deck and looked about us. There, a quarter of a mile -away to the northward, lay Clipperton Reef, quiet and peaceful on the -bosom of the calm Pacific Ocean. Not a thing was left, save a few -streaks in the moonlit water which looked like tide-rips, to show that -any disturbance had taken place. - -As for the schooner, our bowsprit and foretop-mast were missing, and the -main-boom was broken at the saddle, but our lower masts were all right. -The bits forward were torn completely out of her with the surge on the -anchors, and her decks were swept perfectly clean, but when we sounded -the well and found only two feet of water in the hold we knew we were -safe. She had gone over the reef on the crest of the tidal wave and had -not even touched it. Whether we went through the cut or not it was -impossible to tell. - -The boat was gone, so we could not go ashore again even if we wanted to, -but the professor was the only one who showed the slightest inclination -in this respect, and after we assured him of the loss of his specimens -he showed even less than the rest of us. - -The skipper stayed on deck during the remainder of the night while we -worked the schooner away from the breakers. As there was no wind we had -to do this by means of a drag, which one man carried forward and dropped -overboard, while the rest of us tailed on to the rope which led through -a block on her quarter. By midnight we were out of all danger, and, -after putting the foresail on her, we divided into our regular watches -again. - -The next morning we went to work to repair damages, and by noon we had -all the lower sails set. A light air drifted us slowly to the westward, -and before night we saw the reef for the last time. - -We had nearly a hundred valuable specimens in the hold, and, considering -our bad luck, we were not entirely unsuccessful. Frisbow fretted a good -deal about his whale, but when we struck the trade-wind his spirits rose -so high at the prospect of being home again in a few weeks that even -this loss was forgotten. - -The skipper and Garnett got along together splendidly, and there was -less swearing done on board during the run home than probably ever -before among five sailors afloat. The only great inconvenience was the -loss of our galley, which caused us to have to cook in the cabin and eat -with the forecastle mess things. - -On the sixty-first day out we sighted the Farralone Islands, and that -night we were ashore in San Francisco. - -After being ashore about a month I was astonished one day to find -Professor Frisbow’s card at my lodgings asking me to call at once on him -at the Museum. I did so and found him greatly excited. Without giving me -a chance to ask questions he immediately began to tell me about the -wreck we saw on the reef. - -“She was the Spanish ship Isabella,” he said, “and I want your -confidence in the matter I’m going to arrange.” - -I promised secrecy, and then he told me that upon looking up old records -he had found there was a ship by that name lost with all hands somewhere -in the Pacific, and that she was fairly loaded with silver bullion. - -I did not place much faith in the matter, but told him I would try and -get a vessel to take him back there if he wanted to go. - -He was much disappointed at my reception of his scheme, but he -accompanied me to Garnett’s boarding-place, where we discussed the -matter with that sailor at the risk of losing everything. - -After a little talk the mate finally convinced Frisbow that the wreck -was either washed off into deep water or torn to pieces by the sea that -carried us over the reef, so that in either case it would be useless to -hunt for the treasure. - -This ended the matter so far as the professor and I were concerned, but -I heard afterwards how Garnett had bribed the skipper of the next ship -he sailed on to put in there and examine the place. - -No one ever knew if he found anything, for the captain and he were the -only ones who went ashore during three weeks spent there, but it was his -last voyage, for he afterwards bought a little farm up the valley and -lived quietly with a very young and pretty girl for a wife. - - - - -_THE TRANSMIGRATION OF AMOS JONES_ - - -After supper Zack Green came on deck, and, seating himself on the bitt -coverings near the port quarter-rail, lit a villanous looking cigar and -began to smoke. - -We had run into the southeast trade and were reaching along to the -southward under skysails. It was just seven bells and O’Toole, the first -mate, had half an hour more of his watch on deck. The evening was clear, -and the lumpy little trade-clouds flew merrily away to the northwest. -Not even a skysail halyard had been touched for a week, so O’Toole -lounged carelessly fore and aft on the quarter-deck, stopping at every -turn when he reached the skipper to see if he had anything to say. - -In good weather Captain Green’s discipline was not too strict, and he -would often talk to the officer on watch. “I was thinking,” said he, -without taking his eyes from the horizon-line, “about this -transportation or emigration of souls you hear so much about nowadays. -You know what I mean,--one person’s soul getting the weather-gauge of -another’s; and do you know, by Gorry, I believe there’s some truth in -it” - -“Sure! No fear, ’pon me whurd; I know it’s a fact,” said O’Toole. - -“There’s no doubt of it.” - -“I was just thinking av a case in hand, an’, ’pon me whurd, ’twas -typical av th’ machination. D’ye remember owld man Crojack? But ye must, -fer he was one av th’ owld shell-back wind-jammers av yer time, an’ a -man to decorate a quarter-deck. - -“Ye remember th’ time he took Mr. Jones to Chaney? That’s th’ case in -hand. ’Twas transmigration av sowl fer sowl, sure. - -“He was a contumacious rask’l, this Jones, an’ ’twas by this token I -came to like him. - -“His governor offered Crojack one thousand dollars if he would take him -to sea an’ bring him back again minus th’ unaccountable thirst he had -fer iced wines an’ owld liquors. An’ th’ owld man did it. - -“There was money enough in th’ Jones family. But that is where th’ -trouble came in. Th’ young divil must have had nigh onto a ton av stuff -sent outside th’ bar to meet us th’ day we sailed. Bottles av all kinds -came over th’ rail whin th’ owld man lay th’ topsail to th’ mast an’ -waited to see what th’ small boat ahead av us wanted. Crojack didn’t -object, fer he reckoned to lock th’ stuff in th’ lazarette an’ sell it -at a fair figure in Hong-Kong. I remember th’ outfly th’ youngster made -over th’ grub. We were living better than any ship in th’ Chaney trade, -an’ more like a man-o’-war than any trader afloat, but nothing would do -him. - -“Wan morning he came to th’ owld man an’ said there was a bug in his -bunk. ‘Likely as not,’ said Crojack; ‘’pon me sowl, there’s wan in -mine.’ - -“If it hadn’t been fer me th’ owld man would have made out av th’ wines, -but when he had th’ stuff locked fast th’ young man came to me, so -sorrowful like, I didn’t have th’ heart to refuse him th’ loan av a -capstan-bar. Thin we went halves, an’ as fast as we’d drink th’ stuff he -would fill th’ bottles with good salt water an’ put them back again. - -“‘Faith, ye have th’ makin’ av an uncommon nose on ye,’ said th’ owld -man one day to th’ young Jones. He was suspicious av th’ color. “’Tis a -good rule not to belave anything ye see an’ nothing ye hear,’ said that -Amos, cocking his eye at me. An’ th’ owld man never thought to examine -his lazarette till we made Singapore. Thin we came near having a mutiny -aboard. - -“After this we grew mighty quiet, fer our grog was cut off intirely, an’ -we began to nose around fer something to scratch. Jones drank all th’ -Worcestershire sauce from th’ cabin mess, an’ wound up on th’ alcohol av -th’ varnish tins in th’ carpenter’s room. - -“I was feeling blue, an’ by th’ time we struck into th’ hot calms av th’ -Chaney Sea I was seeing queer things. Wan stifling, foggy morning I -could stand it no longer, fer I’d had a nightmare that set me shaking. I -went aft to th’ owld man an’ said, all tremblin’ like, ‘Captain, there’s -something wrong on this here ship, an’ I had a bad night last night.’ - -“‘Anything wrong for’ard?’ said he. ‘I thought ye were man enough to -manage a lot av fellers like these.’ - -“’‘Tain’t that,’ I said. ‘Nothin’ th’ matter there.’ - -“‘Well, what in blazes is it?’ he roared. ‘Out with it. What’s th’ -matter with ye?’ - -“I must have looked pretty rough, fer he kept his eyes on me, staring -like, but I was a little nervous about telling my suffering. Finally I -had to let it come. - -“‘It’s like this,’ said I. ‘Last night I lay out on the main-hatch -durin’ my watch below. I was draming av Billy Malone’s wake,--Bill, yer -know, that used to be mate with Cutwater,--an’ I could see it all so -plain, even Bill’s pet goat. Th’ goat had a pigtail as long as yer arrum -hanging right under his chin, an’ his eyes were bad looking. I gives th’ -baste a kick, an’ Malone that’s dead sat right up an’ grinned horrible. -Thin he called fer water, an’ it seemed like th’ new taste was too much -fer him. He drank an’ drank an’ swelled an’ swelled till he got as big -as th’ mainsail, an’ all th’ time I heard th’ splash, splash, splash av -th’ liquid washing down his innerds. Thin he seemed to overshadow me an’ -thin draw slowly away, beck’ning me to follow. An’ I tried to follow an’ -woke up. ’Pon me whurd, fer a fact, may th’ saints belave me, there he -was drifting off th’ port beam, an’ I could hear th’ splash, splash, -splash fer a minute afterwards.’ - -“‘Is that all?’ said th’ owld man. - -“‘No, sir; ever since we struck this calm, three days ago, I’ve been -feeling quare like, an’ I ain’t slept overmuch--an’, an’--well, if ye -have a drap av th’ craythur it would do me good.’ - -“‘Go for’ard an’ send th’ carpenter aft, an’ then come here.’ - -“So I did, an’ whin I got there th’ owld man give me an uncommon long -grog. - -“‘Now,’ said he, ‘clear away th’ after battery an’ get out th’ muskets. -Ye air a fine dramist, Mr. O’Toole.’ So I lent a hand an’ got th’ two -six-pounders we carried on th’ poop clear fer firing. Thin I looks out -th’ muskets. Amos Jones came on deck an’ saw th’ manœuvres. - -“‘What t’ell!’ said he. ‘Be ye going to engage in an engagement? Where’s -th’ inimy?’ For th’ wasn’t a rag above th’ sea-line. - -“‘Pirits,’ said Chips, ramming a bag av powder into wan av th’ guns. - -“‘Ye don’t tell!’ said Amos. - -“‘Fact,’ said Chips; ‘an’ now if you’ll pass me a ball I’ll finish this -roarer.’ - -“But there wasn’t wan aboard. No, sir; powder there was in plenty, but -divil a ball aboard th’ ship. - -“Th’ owld man swore, an’ we hunted all tween-decks, but ’t wasn’t any -use, so we dealt out th’ muskets an’ waited for night. - -“Pretty soon Amos Jones came on deck again. - -“‘I have it,’ said he. ‘Here’s th’ thing,’ an’ he held up a bottle -filled full av bullets an’ nails. ‘Stave me, but this is good -ammunition; ’twill fit to a T.’ An’ sure enough it did. It fitted th’ -bore av th’ little guns exactly. A most uncommon bad thing to have hove -at ye close up. - -“Th’ fog held an’ at night it was blacker than th’ inside av th’ galley -stove-pipe. We had begun to laugh at th’ skipper, but he said nothing, -except that we’d see something before morning or else he’d put me in -irons fer the biggest liar afloat. I was tired that night, but I kept -awake an’ was leaning on th’ port rail about midnight. Suddenly I heard -a rippling in th’ calm ocean off th’ port beam. I passed th’ whurd an’ -we lay waiting, Amos standing at th’ lanyard av th’ port gun. - -“All av a suddin we saw thim. Two junks right alongside jammed to th’ -rail with pigtails. - -“‘Turn her loose!’ bawled th’ owld man, an’ Amos let her go slap into -thim. That bottle burst close aboard, fer ye never heard sich yelling. -Thin they ranged alongside an’ was fast to us, an’ they swarmed over th’ -rail like so many rats. - -“Well, there was bloody murder aboard us fer half an hour. ’Twas a nasty -fight an’ things looked bad at wan time. But Amos trained a culverin -down th’ main-deck an’ gave thim ground glass, bullets, an’ lug-bolts to -th’ quane’s taste. - -“Thin we cleared up th’ mess an’ they let go. But Amos had got it bad. - -“A big pigtail had hit him a chip in th’ thick av his leg, an’ he was -bleeding fer further orders. - -“There we were, two days’ sail from Hong-Kong, an’ no doctur aboard. - -“We tied him up th’ best we could an’ drew th’ hooker with th’ -quarter-boats ranged ahead. Finally th’ air come an’ we went along. - -“Whin we made th’ harbor we had th’ doctur, an’ he said,-- - -“‘Lost too much blood.’ - -“‘Well,’ says Crojack, ‘there’s plenty av it in Chaney.’ - -“‘Fact,’ said th’ doctur, an’ he brought th’ first loafer he found -aboard. - -“‘Now,’ says he, ‘I’ll have sum av yer juice, me boy, an’ pay ye tin -dollars fer it.’ - -“Th’ Chaneyman was scared at first, but th’ doctur said he would have -him skinned alive if he wouldn’t trade, so he finally did. - -“He guv him some spirits an’ hitched th’ yeller boy’s artery to Amos -Jones’s. Thin th’ natur av th’ proceedings did th’ rest. - -“We shut off grog on th’ voyage home an’ Amos acted like he was trying -to become a dacent member av his father’s church. Whin he landed an’ -said good-by, Crojack was making his reckoning fer that thousand -dollars. - -“He went to th’ office wan day an’ there he met Amos Jones senior, an’ -he reminded th’ gent av his debt. ‘What?’ bawled Jones. ‘Cured him, do -ye say? Well, he was bad enough before, drinking like a gentleman, but -ye’ve ruined him intirely. Here he is getting biled rice cooked fer -every meal an’ getting drunk on Chaney saki every night. No, sir, not a -cent from me, sir.’ An’ they say he cried like th’ good owld father he -was.” - -O’Toole stopped here and went to the break of the poop. When he -returned, Zack Green was thinking. “It may be so,” said the skipper; -“but did you ever hear what become of the Chinaman?” - -“That I did,” said O’Toole. - -“What?” asked Zack Green. - -“Well, Amos Jones was a frind av mine, so, if ye’ll excuse me, I’ll not -say. ’Pon me whurd, I won’t.” - - - - -_MURPHY OF THE CONEMAUGH_ - - -All deep-water ships carry mascots. As the mascot must be some kind of -living creature, a cat will often supply the necessary medium for -carrying on pleasant intercourse with the fickle goddess of fortune. But -men on deep-water ships must be fed, especially those who live in the -after-cabin or who help to form what is called the after-guard. -Therefore it is not an uncommon sight to see a ship’s deck looking like -a small farmyard afloat. - -The clipper ship Conemaugh was noted for her long voyages. She was a -product of the old school of wind-jammers and her skipper was a Yankee -of Calvinistic views, who - - “Proved his religion orthodox - By apostolic blows and knocks.” - -He met little Murphy, the ship’s pig, the morning the youngster was -brought aboard. The little fellow was in the arms of his sponsor, James -Murphy, able seaman, and the way he kicked and squealed made the black -moke of a cook poke his head out of the galley door and grin. - -“Take good care of that fellow,” said the skipper. “Them white hogs air -wuth two black ones on the West Coast, so if we don’t have to eat him I -kin swap him off easy enough.” - -So Murphy was put in a pen under the top-gallant-forecastle, and Jim was -detailed to scrub him and otherwise attend to his wants. With all this -care it would seem that he could hardly help becoming a good pig. But he -was like many youngsters who have the best of care lavished upon them; -that is, he was thrown with mixed company. It is very hard, however, to -separate the sheep from the goats, and as luck would have it Murphy’s -lot was thrown with Jim, the sailor who had the worst reputation among -the mates of any man aboard the ship. - -The day the vessel put to sea the skipper mustered the men according to -his custom, and made them an address. - -“The master,” said he, “air greater than the servant, and the servant -ain’t above the master.” Here he looked straight at Jim. “So saith the -holy gospel,--an’ whatsoever saith the gospel is er fact,--an’ is truth. -If it ain’t, I’ll make it so if I have to take the hide off every -burgoo-eating son of a sea-cook aboard the ship.” - -There were many men aboard there who had heard little of the Scriptures, -but even if they had heard much they would doubtless not have cared to -discuss them or any other matter with the skipper. His voice rose to the -deep, roaring tone of the hurricane on all occasions, and when it failed -to convince the listener of the owner’s logic, a sudden clap from his -heavy hand generally ended verbal matters about as effectively as a -stroke of lightning. Most of the men on board were used to kicks and -curses, for the skipper reckoned he could handle any class of men that -ever trod a deck. He had a fair sprinkling of all on this cruise. As the -mates followed the skipper’s example in matters of discipline, the ship -was as near to being a floating hell as anything above water could be. - -Jim Murphy resented even the curses of the captain and mates, so he was -rated among the after-guard as the worst man on board. His friendship -for the pig was against him in the forecastle, and soon even the men of -the starboard watch began to hold off from him. - -“What d’ye want to fool with that porker fer? Yell never get er taste of -him, hide or hair,” growled old Dan. - -“He ain’t the only pig aboard this here ship,” answered Jim, “an’ I like -him better than most.” - -“Kind goes with kind,” observed the second mate, whenever he saw them -together. - -Remarks like this made by the second officer caused great amusement to -the men of the starboard watch. But those who applauded the most were -old Dan and his chum Bull Davis. These two worthies gave Mr. Tautline to -understand that he was the wittiest second mate afloat, in the hope that -he would “pet” them. When they found this was useless, the united curses -of the whole crew were weak in expression as compared to the audible -reflections of this worthy pair. - -When the ship reached the latitude of the River Plate, old Dan came out -openly for mutiny. He told with grim coolness and great detail of how -he had taken part in an affair of this kind before. How he had crawled -along the projecting sheer-strake outside the bulwarks towards the -quarter-deck, while a companion had done likewise on the side opposite. -How they had made the sudden rush aft and had engaged with their -sheath-knives against the revolvers of the after-guard. A little more -nerve in a few men who hung back and the ship would have been taken. - -He had served part of a ten-years’ sentence for this, had escaped, and -had been continuously afloat ever since. - -Bull Davis was an escaped convict from Australia, and he seconded the -old villain’s project in every detail. - -One day, off the Horn, Dan was careless in modulating his voice when the -second mate gave an order. The next instant he was sprawling in the -lee-scuppers and the second mate was addressing him coolly. - -“Don’t make no remarks about the weather in my watch. It’s a square -wind, so up you go on that yard now a little quicker’n greased -lightning.” - -The devil was peeping from the old villain’s eyes as he gained the -ratlines, but he said nothing. - -When the ship ran into the southeast trade-wind, Murphy, the pig, was -turned out on the deck to root at the seams. He would start down the -gangways suddenly, without apparent reason, and go rushing along the -water-ways at full speed, punctuating his squeals with deep “houghs” -that would have done credit to a bear. On these occasions Jim, the -sailor, was perfectly happy. He would call the little fellow to him and -the pig would follow him like a dog. - -“He is a cute little baste, an’ he makes me homesick,” Jim would say, -and the mates and men would rail and curse at him for it. The only -living thing on board the ship that was in sympathy with them was the -blasphemous green parrot belonging to the carpenter. This bird would -pray and curse in the same breath, and whenever Jim came near the galley -would call out “pig,” “pig,” in a high key. Then it would curse him and -pray for his soul. - -One night Jim noticed that old Dan sat up late, sharpening his knife on -a piece of holy-stone. Just before his watch turned out at midnight he -awoke, and found that neither Dan nor Bull Davis were in the forecastle. -He went on deck and walked aft, waiting for the bells to strike. - -In a moment Davis appeared, coming out of the cabin with Mr. Tautline. - -“There’s something wrong with the port backstay in the fore-riggin’,” -said the sailor to the mate. - -“What’s that?” asked Tautline. - -“The lug-bolt in the lee fore-riggin’ is busted. You had better take a -look at it afore away goes the backstay,” said Davis. - -“All right. Wait here till I get a pipe o’ tobacco, and we’ll look at -it.” - -Jim hurried forward. He looked over the rail and peered into the -blackness alongside. The phosphorus flared in a ghostly manner as the -water rolled lazily from the vessel’s side, but everything appeared all -right. - -Suddenly a gleaming bit of something shot upward. He started back -quickly, and a hand holding a knife struck savagely at his chest. The -blade ripped his shirt from neck to waist, but did not wound him. The -next instant old Dan arose from the channels and climbed over the rail -to the deck. - -“The wrong man, ye murtherin’ villain,” growled Jim. - -“So it was, messmate,” said Dan, coolly. - -“What’s the row?” asked Tautline, coming up to where the men stood. He -saw something was wrong, but had not seen Dan come over the side. - -“That busted dead-eye,” answered Dan. “I was just lookin’ at it.” - -“Well, get out before I put a couple of dead-eyes in your ugly -figgerhead. Slant away!” And Dan slunk around the corner of the -deck-house. - -As the good weather held, the galley cat came out of hiding and sunned -herself in the lee of the galley during the warm part of the day. - -Jim saw her and tried to make friends. - -“Keetie, keetie,--nice leetle keetie,” said he, trying to stroke the -brute on the head. But long confinement had told on Maria’s liver, and -she reached out and drew several long, bloody lines on the sailor’s -hand. - -“Ye infernal shnake!” cried Jim; and he aimed a blow at the animal that -would have knocked it clear across the equator had it not jumped nimbly -to one side. His hand brought up against the galley with a loud bang. - -“Let that cat alone. What d’ ye mean by trying to spoil a dumb brute’s -temper?” roared the voice of Tautline, and his form came lurching down -the weather gangway. - -“Don’t strike me!” cried Jim, as they closed. - -The belaying-pin in Tautline’s hand came down with a sickening crack on -the sailor’s skull. - -“Stop!” he cried again. - -But Tautline was carried away by his passion and they went to the deck -together. - -It was all over in a moment. Tautline lay gasping in a red pool and Jim -sat up, sheath-knife in hand, staring about him in a dazed manner. Then -the captain and mate rushed up. - -“Handcuff him! Put him in double irons!” cried the skipper, stretching -Jim with a heavy blow. - -The next day little Murphy ran up and down the deck. The ports over the -water-ways had been knocked out as the ship was very deep; they had not -been nailed in again. Murphy came to where Jim was lying in irons under -the top-gallant-forecastle. He sniffed his bloody clothes and ran away -with a squeal. The sailor called after him, but he did not stop until he -reached the open port in the waist. Then he sniffed at the ominous stain -on the bright deck planks and poked his head through the open port. - -“Blood! Blood! Blood!” screamed the parrot in the galley. - -Murphy started, slipped, and was gone. The cook rushed to the side, -bawling out something that sounded like “man overboard,” and the noise -brought the starboard watch on deck with a rush. - -“That bloomin’ old pig,” growled Dan, looking over the rail. - -There he was, sure enough, swimming wildly and striking himself under -the jowl with every stroke. - -The captain watched his pig drifting slowly astern for a moment. Then he -turned to the mate. “All hands wear ship!” he bawled, and the men rushed -to the braces. - -“Mr. Enlis,” said the skipper, “you go aloft and keep the critter in -sight. Take my glass with you.” - -The ship was heavy, so before she could be wore around the little pig -was lost in the blue waste of sparkling waters. - -The mate came down from the ratlines with the glass and a smile which -peculiarly emphasized the singleness of a solitary tooth. He did not -like pork. - -The skipper walked the quarter-deck and mused with his chin in his hand. - -“That’s too bad. Too bad. Too bad,” said he. “I paid two dollars for -that pig.” And his voice was as mournful as the sound of the sea washing -through the ribs of a lost ship. - -“Poor little pig,” muttered Jim, and he tried to look astern from his -place under the top-gallant-forecastle. “Poor little pig!” And the -tears ran down his dirty, sun-bronzed face. - -“Wonder!” cried Dan, coming forward; “there’s a murderer for you. Crying -over an old pig he won’t get a taste of, hide nor hair.” - -“It’s all that young devil’s fault,” mused the skipper. “The master is -above the servant an’ the servant ain’t the master’s equal. So says the -Holy Scriptures. When a man takes up with them what is below him, he is -gone wrong. That’s Jim with the pig. Yes, sir, the Scriptures say them -very words somewhere,--I can’t call to mind exactly where,--but they are -so. If they ain’t I’ll make them so, and I’ll hang that Irish dog when I -get him to ’Frisco.” And he did. - - - - -_MY PIRATE_ - - -We were sitting in old Professor Frisbow’s room in the West Coast -Museum, and our host had been listening to accounts of wonderful -adventures on deep-water. Each had spoken, and it was Frisbow’s turn. We -settled ourselves comfortably, and he began: - -“Few people remember the old town of St. Augustine as it was before the -war, with its old coquina houses and flat, unpaved streets, that -abounded with sand-fleas in dry weather and turned into swamps of mud -and sand when it rained. Those who can look so far back through life’s -vista will remember its peculiar inhabitants. - -“The Southern negro, sleeping in the hot sunshine on the plaza, or -loafing about the sea-wall talking to the white ‘cracker,’ was, of -course, the most numerous; but there were also the Spaniards and -Minorcans, who married and intermarried among themselves, that made up a -large part of the population. - -“St. Augustine was not a thriving town. Its business could be seen -almost any morning quite early, when a few long, narrow, dugout canoes, -with a swarthy Minorcan rowing on one side, and a companion sitting aft -paddling on the other, would come around the ‘Devil’s Elbow’ in the -Matanzas River, and glide swiftly and silently up to a break in the -sea-wall and deposit their loads of mullet or whiting. Then the canoes -would disappear with their owners, after a little haggling had been -indulged in between the latter and the purchasers of the fish, and the -quiet of the long, hot day would begin. - -“It is astonishing how lazy one may become under the influence of that -blue, semi-tropical sky, with the warm, gentle breeze from the southern -ocean rippling the clear, green waters of the bay. Life seems a bright -dream, and any unwonted exertion causes a jar to the nerves such as one -feels when rudely awakened from a sound, pleasant sleep. During the -daytime in summer no one but the negro and a few long-haired Minorcans -would tempt the torrid sunshine; and even I, with my passion for sport, -would seldom show my pith helmet to the sun during July and August. - -“The inlets and rivers along the coast of Florida abound with all kinds -of fish, from the little mullet to the mighty tarpon; and many a day’s -sport have I had with them in either canoe or surf along that sandy -coast. - -“For a guide I often had an old Spaniard called ‘Alvarez.’ This old man -lived alone in a coquina house of rather large size, and affected the -airs and manners of a grandee. He associated with no one, and no one -seemed to know anything about him, except that he came there on a -schooner from the West Indies years ago, being then an old man. He had -bought this house, and had continued to live there without any visible -means of support other than the fish he caught. He always went to the -store opposite the plaza, at the end of every month, and paid cash in -Spanish or American gold and silver for his frugal supplies. - -“I had been out ’gator-shooting, and was returning home after two days’ -sport with a few good skins, when, on turning the last bend in South -River about twenty miles from St. Augustine, I came suddenly upon an old -man in a dugout canoe fishing. He had just hooked a large bass, and I -started the sheet of my sharpie to stop its headway, and waited until he -landed him. I then sailed up alongside of the canoe, intending to buy -the fish and take it home with me, thinking, of course, that the old man -would be glad to sell it. What was my surprise when he informed me -politely that he did not care to sell it, though he had a score or two -in the bottom of his canoe. This from an old long-haired Spaniard who -seemed in the depths of poverty excited my curiosity, and I endeavored -to start a conversation with him about the different fishing ‘drops’ in -the locality. He eyed me suspiciously at first, and finally answered my -questions with an ease that puzzled me greatly. - -“There was one particular place, or ‘drop,’ for catching drum-fish down -the South River of which I had often heard but could never find, so I -ventured upon this subject to the stranger. To my great surprise he -offered to accompany me to it any time that I should find it convenient, -telling me at the same time that he lived in St. Augustine, and that I -would probably find him there the next day. I thanked him, and, letting -go, squared away before the southeast breeze and soon left him out of -sight. - -“The next day I was walking along the sea-wall smoking my pipe and -thinking of this peculiar old fisherman with his mahogany-colored face -and bright eye, wondering if I could get him to pilot me on an -expedition to the southward. I had a rambling idea of spending several -weeks in fishing down the Indian River, and I wanted some one to pilot -me who knew the way through the inland passages. While I was trying to -form some plan of this intended trip I saw a canoe come around the bend -in the Matanzas, and, on its approaching nearer, I recognized the old -man whom I had met the day before. I went up to him as he landed at the -break in the sea-wall and asked him what luck he had had fishing. For a -reply he showed me as fine a catch of red bass as I had ever seen, at -the same time offering me a couple as a present. I took them; and after -he had tied his boat to a ring in the wall, he joined me and walked part -of the way home with me. - -“On our way I asked him if he had ever been through the passages to the -Indian River, and he smiled as he answered ‘yes.’ I then asked him if he -would guide me through on a trip that I intended to make. He was silent -for some moments, and finally said he would, provided there was no party -going along with me. I then left him; and after going home with my fish -I went around to see my friend the sheriff, to find out more about him. -I was told that he was a peaceable old fellow, and as he fished a great -deal he probably knew all the best places for miles around, that his -name was Alvarez, and that he was a reliable man as far as any one knew. - -“About a week after this we started out one fine day bound south. -Although Alvarez was an absent-minded old fellow, and in spite of his -peculiar manner, so different from the common class of dirty, -poverty-stricken Spaniards, we got along together splendidly. I was -never a great talker, especially when hunting or fishing, and the dearth -of conversation on this trip was one of the most enjoyable features of -it. Old Alvarez and I became quite good friends after this expedition, -and I often used to question him about himself and his affairs. As long -as the conversation related to his life in the town he would talk -readily enough, but anything regarding his birth or former life he -always avoided, merely saying that he ran away to sea when quite young, -and that was all that could be drawn from him. - -“My fancy often pictured him a pirate or ‘beach-comber,’ and, in fact, -there was a rumor to that effect in the town. People said that he had -treasures buried along the shore somewhere on Anastasia Island; and that -if he chose to talk, more than one vessel that had cleared Cuban ports -and had never been heard from could be accounted for. This was mere idle -gossip and amounted to nothing, but once somebody had seen his canoe at -midnight hauled up on the sand on a narrow part of the island some ten -miles below the town. - -“Sailing by, they had seen Alvarez walking up and down the beach with -his head bowed forward as if looking for something. It was not the -season for turtles’ eggs, so it was hard to imagine what he was looking -for in the soft yellow sand. People, however, did not like to inquire -too closely into his affairs, for when he was annoyed his face assumed -such a sinister expression that it boded no good for those who were -inclined to chaff him. - -“One night a negro ruffian and a Minorcan forced an entrance into his -house with the evident intention of securing his imagined treasure. The -next morning Alvarez came out and told the sheriff that there were two -dead men in his house that he would like to have removed. The sheriff, -who was a Spaniard, came around, and there, sure enough, lay both; one -shot through the neck and the other through the head, while two immense -old-fashioned pistols lay empty on a table in his room. There were no -signs of a struggle except a long smear of blood from his room to the -hall where the body of the negro lay. He was easily acquitted, and -afterwards became more stoical than ever, but he was never disturbed -again. - -“Although these things happened long before I knew him, I did not hear -of them until some time afterwards, and I’ve often wondered since what -made the old fellow take such a fancy to me. - -“Alvarez and I used to shoot pelicans together. We would go down the -river to a narrow part of the island and then cross over to the front -beach. I had always remembered this place on account of a bunch of tall -palmettoes that grew on the outside of the island and towered above the -low bunches of scrub-oak. A more lonely spot it would be hard to find -even in that wild country. Here we would make a blind for the night, and -shoot the birds as they came in on the beach to roost among the -sand-dunes. By the light of a full moon fair sport could be had in this -way, and often we would secure a fine bird with long pencilled feathers. - -“One night after shooting several birds we turned in on the sand, -intending to spend the rest of the night there, as there was no wind. I -awoke during the night, and, looking around, found that Alvarez had -disappeared. I looked across the sand-spit and saw the boat all right, -so I wondered where he could have gone. I arose, and, shaking the sand -from my clothes, followed his tracks, which were plainly visible down -the beach towards the clump of palmettoes that stood out sharply against -the moonlit sky. On nearing them I saw a figure sitting on the sand -under the largest tree, and on getting closer I saw that it was Alvarez -with his head bowed forward on his arms, which rested on his knees. He -started up suddenly on hearing me approach, and asked, sharply,-- - -“‘How long have you been here?’ - -“His voice sounded so different from what I had been accustomed to that -I was quite startled, and stood looking at him for some moments -wondering if he had gone mad. He returned my gaze steadily and gave me -a most searching look. I finally answered that I had come to look for -him; at the same time I wondered what he meant and tried to curb my -rising temper. His fixed look relaxed and he turned his head slightly. I -followed his glance, and saw that he was looking at the ground near the -foot of one of the palmettoes. The sand about the roots was much -disturbed, as if he had been digging for something. - -“‘Alvarez,’ said I, ‘what have you been hunting for, and what do you -mean by asking how long I’ve been watching you?’ - -“He remained silent for some moments, then rising, he placed his hand on -my shoulder: ‘That’s all right, Mr. Frisbow,’ he said. ‘I have these -nightmare fits on me once in a while.’ - -“‘Well,’ I answered. ‘It’s a strange sort of nightmare that makes one go -rooting around in the sand like a hog.’ - -“He looked at me again with that curious expression, and then said, -slowly,-- - -“‘I was a young man when I first came onto the Florida reef, and there’s -many things happened about here and Barrataria before you was born. Some -day I’ll talk with you about old times, but not to-night. It’s late. We -go to sleep.’ - -“‘No,’ said I, ‘tell me what you mean. There’s plenty of time for sleep, -and, besides, it’s too hot, anyhow.’ - -“‘Well,’ said he, ‘there’s just one thing I think about every time I -come to this spot, and that is the fight which took place a couple of -miles off shore, abreast this clump of palmettoes.’ - -“‘What kind of fight?’ I asked. ‘I never heard of any fight taking place -off here.’ - -“He looked at me sharply, and I fancied the hard lines in his -weather-beaten face relaxed into the faintest suspicion of a smile. - -“‘Quite likely not,’ he answered, ‘but there was one off here a long -time ago. It isn’t likely many people remember much about it, for the -men who took part in it probably died years ago. It was between two -schooners. - -“‘There was one that carried fruit from Havana, and she started down the -coast one night from St. Augustine, homeward bound, but without any -lights. This was probably an oversight, or, perhaps, a desire on the -part of her skipper to save oil. - -“‘There was another schooner coming up the coast that evening, and she -didn’t have any lights because she was all the way from the Guinea Coast -loaded with ebony.’ - -“‘I don’t see why a vessel carrying ebony shouldn’t carry lights,’ I -interrupted. - -“Old Alvarez’s face showed a net-work of lines and wrinkles and the -stumps of his yellow teeth shone bright in the moonlight. - -“‘There isn’t any real reason why they shouldn’t,’ said he; ‘but there -used to be a prejudice against the trade. As for me, I don’t see why -people considered it in such a bad light, for shipping the article not -only paid the owners but improved the ebony--after they got it ashore.’ - -“‘I see,’ I answered; ‘the ebony was alive, then, and in the form of men -and women.’ - -“‘Most likely,’ he replied, ‘though they do say that life in a ship’s -hold is not uncoupled with death, especially when a vessel gets caught -in the hot calms outside the Guinea Gulf. Anyhow, the vessel had no -lights and was crowding along with every rag on her. - -“‘The first thing anybody on board knew of the whereabouts of the fruit -schooner was the crash of her bowsprit poking into the fore-rigging and -knocking the foremast out of the Guinea trader. Then she ranged -alongside, all fast, with her head-gear tangled in the wreck. - -“‘There were a great many men on the vessel carrying the ebony, and in a -few minutes they swarmed on deck with muskets and cutlasses. As soon as -they found the fellow was a fruit schooner they started to cut her -adrift, cursing the captain and crew for the damage. - -“‘Everything might have gone well and the vessels separated but for the -fact that the passengers on board were two officers and their families -bound for Havana. These two men came on deck in uniform, and in less -than a minute the men saw them. To let them go meant certain death to -all hands on the ebony schooner, so they started over the rail after -them.’ - -“Here Alvarez became suddenly silent for a few moments, and his eyes -wandered towards the trees, as if expecting to see some one. Then, -facing me again, he continued: - -“‘They made a terrible fight, they say, cutting down half a dozen men as -they crowded aft. The captain and crew of the schooner were soon tied -up, and the men rushed onto the quarter-deck to take the officers at any -cost. It was all over in a minute, and the two wives and a beautiful -girl were carried on board the ebony schooner. The men were so worked up -that a plank was rigged from the weather-rail and the lashings cast off -from the feet of the prisoners. One by one they walked to their death -along that narrow strip of wood with their eyes bandaged and elbows -lashed fast behind them--and that was all.’ - -“He remained silent for some moments after this, and again looked -sharply at the clump of palmettoes. - -“‘But, Alvarez,’ I said, ‘what became of the two women and the beautiful -young girl?’ - -“‘I never heard,’ he answered, dryly, and started to walk slowly back to -the blind. - -“‘Did they ever catch the ebony schooner?’ I ventured again. - -“‘I don’t know,’ he replied, shortly, and, as I saw he would talk no -more, I kept silent. - -“After walking up and down the beach trying to get cool, we finally laid -down under the trees and slept until daybreak. Then we started home. On -the way back we were becalmed, and having drunk up all the water, we -drifted along under a scorching sun with our mouths too dry to open. As -I lay on my back in the bottom of the boat, I could not help thinking of -the stories about this old man, and it suddenly flashed upon me that he -had been seen near those same palmettoes before. - -“I vaguely wondered if he had been a pirate and had buried his -ill-gotten money under those trees on that lonely shore. There he sat in -the stern-sheets, his grizzled hair shining in the bright sunlight under -his old slouch hat, and his small gray eyes looking seaward for the -first cat’s-paw of the coming morning breeze. His skin, tanned to -leather from long exposure to the weather, made him as impervious to the -sun’s rays as a negro. But in spite of this his features were as clearly -cut and as strongly marked as those of a Don of bluest blood. Altogether -he was not a bad looking old man, even with his slightly hooked nose and -too firm mouth. - -“I soon fell asleep and dreamed of rich galleons fighting huge canoes -full of grizzled pirates, armed to the teeth, who squinted carefully -along their old muskets and fired with loud yells. I suddenly awoke to -find Alvarez calling to me to sit to windward, as we were heeling over -and rushing along through the water before the sea-breeze only a few -miles from town. - -“The next day we started out bass-fishing in the surf on the outer -beach. A rod and reel would have been considered strange instruments in -those days down there. We used to take our hand-lines, which were very -long, and, coiling them carefully, would wade out to our armpits. Then -swinging the heavy sinkers about our heads until they acquired -sufficient velocity, we would send them flying out beyond the first line -of breakers, and paying out line, would wade back to the beach. Sharks -abounded, and often we lost our gear when they took a fancy to our -baits. We never feared their attacking us, as the waters abounded with -fish, and in such places they seldom if ever attack a man. - -“One day after some good sport Alvarez seemed tired, and instead of -holding the end of his line in his hand he tied it around his waist. I -noticed this and was about to call his attention to the danger of it, -when I hooked a huge bass and was kept busy playing it for some time. -The lines we used were about the size of the cod-lines used in the -North, and capable of holding a strain of nearly two hundred pounds, -while the hooks were like the drum hooks now used. While I was playing -my fish my line, which was old, parted near the end, and I hauled it in -to fit a new hook and sinker. During the time I was thus engaged Alvarez -had waded out up to his shoulders in the surf and had cast his line into -deep water. He then started to wade slowly back towards the shore. -Before he had made a dozen steps I saw him suddenly reach for his line. - -“Three heavy breakers had just rolled in, followed by a comparatively -smooth spell that lasted for a few moments. I stopped working at my line -and watched him, for I knew he must have had a good bite. Suddenly I saw -him throw his whole weight on the line, but in spite of this go slowly -forward. He was now in water so deep that he had to jump up every time -the swell came to keep his head out of the foam. In a moment I turned, -and as I caught the expression of his face I knew what had happened. -That face I’ve often seen since in my dreams, and I will never forget -the expression of sudden fear that filled it. - -“He had gone out so far that he could not get a good foothold; a shark -had seized his bait and was making slowly out to sea. He called my name -and beckoned me to come and help him. With trembling fingers I finished -knotting the sinker to my line and rushed headlong with it down the -beach. Water is a yielding fluid, but all who have tried know what -tremendous exertion is required to make speed through it when in above -the knees. When I was close enough I swung my sinker over my head and -sent it whizzing straight and true towards the old man, who was now out -to the first line of breakers, and swimming, though steadily moving -outward. - -“I flung the lead towards him, and he would have caught the line, but at -that instant a huge sea broke right over him and he disappeared in the -smothering foam. When he reappeared he was beyond reach and going -steadily seaward. With a sickening feeling I hauled in the line and -plunged into the surf to swim out to him. I made good headway until I -reached the first line of curling water, when a heavy breaker fell over -me and swept me back a hundred feet from where I started. Standing there -in the surf, with the bright sun shining, I saw old Alvarez passing -slowly out to sea to disappear forever. I tried to think what to do. He -evidently could not break the line. It was impossible to untie it with -the strain on it, and he being only half dressed had left his knife -ashore. - -“I thought of our boat which was on the lee side of the island, and knew -that it would take a couple of hours to get around the point. However, -it seemed the only thing to do, so I made my way ashore and started -across the island as fast as possible. Just before entering the woods I -looked seaward, and there on the breast of a long swell, a quarter of a -mile off, was Alvarez, swimming steadily with his face turned towards -the beach. - -“In about a quarter of an hour I reached the boat, hoisted the sail, and -shoved off. There was hardly any wind on the lee side of the island, so -I put out an oar and sculled until the perspiration poured down my face -and my heart seemed as though it would burst. In spite of this I made -but little headway, and finally had to give it up exhausted. It was -about two in the afternoon when I started, and it was after three before -I cleared the point and got wind enough to get to sea. I came around on -the sea side of the island and close enough in to see our coats on the -beach, but of Alvarez there was not a trace. - -“I headed out to sea in the direction that he was going when I saw him -last, and searched about until dark, when I gave it up as hopeless. It -was late when I arrived in the town that night, so I waited until -morning before I reported the accident. - -“The sheriff searched the house in which the old man lived, but nothing -was found except an old sea-chest filled with clothes, some of which -appeared to be Spanish uniforms, but very dilapidated. No money was -found in the house except a few Spanish gold coins, and these were in -the room that he occupied as a bedroom. - -“For months afterwards I kept thinking of Alvarez and his tragic end. -Although I felt very sorry for him, I could not help wondering if he did -have money concealed in the neighborhood. I often felt heartily ashamed -of myself, after discussing with some friend the probability of his -having concealed wealth, but, nevertheless, the fancy that he had took a -strong hold of me. - -“I tried to imagine where on earth he could have hidden anything, and -always my thoughts centred on that clump of palmettoes on that low sandy -island. This feeling finally took such hold of me that one night I -started out pelican-shooting with a shovel in the bottom of my boat. - -“I felt something like a robber, but knowing that the old fellow had no -relations, or friends even, for that matter, I tried to convince myself -that I was right. It was about eight o’clock when I started with a good -sailing breeze off the land, so it could not have been more than ten -when I ran my boat’s bow on the sand and lowered the sail on the west -side of the island. - -“As I took up my gun and shovel a feeling of excitement came over me, -and I felt as though I had already found a mass of untold wealth. When I -started to walk across the island this feeling increased, and soon I was -plunging and ploughing through the deep dry sand at a great rate. - -“I could see the bunch of trees standing out clearly against the sky, -and also the white surf beyond, for, although the moon was only in its -first quarter, the night was clear and bright. I halted on the crest of -a circular sand-dune to get my breath, and a feeling of lonesomeness -crept over me as I looked towards the dark grove and down the lonely -beach where everything was lifeless. The stillness seemed intensified by -the deep booming of the surf, and I felt as if something or somebody was -watching me. I had just turned towards the trees and was starting down -the side of the dune when, with a sudden rush and flapping of wings, a -huge gray pelican started up within ten feet of me and made off like a -great gray ghost to seaward. A sudden chill shot up my spine. Dropping -the shovel, I grabbed my gun in both hands and fired instantly at the -retreating shadow. The shot was an easy one, but I missed; so, swearing -at myself audibly for my nervousness, I picked up the shovel and went -on. - -“I halted under the largest tree, and, resting my gun against the trunk, -tried to form some plan of action. Although the trees were some thirty -feet above high-water, there were no tracks or anything else to indicate -that any one had ever been there before. I might dig the whole grove -up, for all that I had to guide me, before striking the right spot. -However, I went to work at the front of the big tree and started to dig -to the eastward. - -“I toiled for an hour and was getting pretty warm. Thus far I had struck -nothing but the roots of a tree, so I began to despair. I knew that I -might keep on digging holes clear through to China, and, with nothing to -guide me, pass within a foot of what I searched for. I took off my -shirt, and the cool breeze blowing on my warm body invigorated me; so, -taking up the shovel again, I started to lengthen the hole to the -eastward. I dug steadily for another half-hour, when my shovel suddenly -struck something solid. This made my heart almost leap into my mouth, -and with quickening breath I dug fiercely on. - -“Like a miner on making his first find of gold, I trembled all over, and -the perspiration poured down my naked breast and shoulders as I threw -clouds of sand on all sides. I was as drunk as if I had swallowed a pint -of liquor, and I remember nothing except that I felt like shouting with -delight. I finally cleared a box of the sand over it and then tried to -lift it. To my intense surprise it moved easily. But my excitement gave -way to the deepest disappointment, for I well knew that if a box about -six feet long, two wide, and two deep contained coin it would take more -than one man of my size to move it. - -“I lost no time thinking these thoughts, but started to pry off the lid. -The wood, which was extremely well preserved, resisted the edge of my -shovel so well that it broke the iron. I was losing patience, so, -whirling the shovel above my head, I brought it down with crushing force -upon the lid. After a few blows it gave way, and I eagerly tore off the -splintered fragments. As I did so I leaned over and peered into the face -of a corpse. - -“I leaped back and gazed at it in a stupefied way for some moments, my -head in a whirl, then partially recovering myself, I went forward to -examine it. It looked like the body of a man in the uniform of an -officer; at least so I judged by some buttons on the coat; but -everything had passed through the last stages of decomposition. There -was nothing left on the head at all, and the teeth grinned horribly in -the moonlight. - -“As I stood and gazed I thought of Alvarez. So this was his secret! How -came a man to be buried in such a lonely spot? Was it a friend or victim -of his former days, brought ashore from some vessel in the offing that -dare not land at St. Augustine? - -“I did not molest the body, but after recovering myself I put the -fragments of the lid back as well as I could and piled the sand over it. -I then dressed, and, taking my gun, started for the boat. After sailing -several hours with hardly any wind, I arrived at the town just as the -rising sun came up out of the ocean. I said nothing of my trip to any -one, and soon after left St. Augustine to return no more for years. - -“The town is a queer old place, but it has changed greatly to one who -remembers it as it was years ago. Its quaint old fort and coquina walls -doubtless contain many secrets of their former owners. As for old -Alvarez, he carried his to sea with him that bright afternoon with a -shark for a pilot.” - - - - -_THE CURSE OF WOMAN_ - - -“Some skippers are good and some are bad,” said Gantline, joining in the -talk on the main-hatch. He was second mate, so we listened. He -expectorated with great accuracy into a coil of rope and continued: - -“Likewise so are owners. The same holds good to most kinds of people. -Some owners don’t want good skippers. They’re apt to be expensive on -long runs, for they won’t cheat a poor devil of a sailor out of his -lime-juice and other luxuries they have nowadays. At best a sailor gets -less pay and works harder than any man alive, leave out the danger and -discomfort on a long voyage on an overloaded ship. It’s only fair to -treat him as well as possible. This idea that feeding a man well and not -cursing him at every order will make him lazy is wrong, and ought to be -kept among the class of skippers who take their ‘lunars’ with a -hand-lead. - -“There are some ships always unlucky. But the luck is mostly the fault -of the skipper. - -“Take, for instance, the loss of the Golden Arrow or the big clipper -Pharos, that was found adrift in the doldrums without a man aboard her. -Everything was in its place and not a boat was lowered. Even the dishes -lay upon the table with the food rotten in them, but there wasn’t a soul -to tell how she came to be unmanned. She was an unlucky ship, for on -her next voyage out she stayed. No one has seen plank or spar of her for -twelve years. But the skipper and mate who left her adrift outside of -the Guinea current were well known to deep-water men. - -“I’m no sky-pilot, and I don’t mean to say a skipper who prefers a -pretty stewardess to an ugly one--or none at all--is always a bad man, -but I do say that a skipper who cuts off a man’s lime-juice, gives him -weevils for bread, and two-year-old junk for beef, has got enough -devilry in him for anything, and is apt to have things comfortable in -the after-cabin. - -“It was nothing but scurvy that killed young Jim Douglas, so they said; -but what about Hollender, the skipper, who brought him in along with -nineteen others? - -“I went to see Jim in the hospital, and he was an awful sight. His eyes -rolled horribly, but he took my hand and held it a long time; then he -tried to talk. His mind wasn’t steady and he often lost his bearings, -but there was something besides delirium behind his tale. - -“‘Her curse is on us, Gantline,’ he kept whispering. I held him, but he -lay mumbling. ‘Dan died, too, an’ we sewed him up in canvas like a ham, -an’ over he went; but it wouldn’t have helped, for the water was as -rotten as it lays in the deadwood bilge. ’Twas the ghost of the -skipper’s wife holding us back--her curse did the business, an’ I knew -it.’ Then he calmed down and talked more natural. - -“‘She came aboard with the child, an’ Hollender’s stewardess wouldn’t -wait on her. Black-eyed she-devil that woman. An’ the skipper grinned, -an’ the poor thing cried an’ cried. “Don’t treat me so; have mercy!” But -he just grinned. “You can go forward an’ live with the mate if you don’t -like it,” he said. She just cried an’ cried. One night she came on deck -an’ rushed to the rail. She had her baby with her an’ she hesitated. - -“’“Shall we go aft?” I said to Dan. “It’s mutiny an’ death,” says he. - -“‘Then she cursed us all--an’ went over the side----’ Jim lay quiet -after this for a minute, then he began: - -“‘Slower, slower, slower. No wind, two hundred days out, an’ the water -as rotten as it is in the deadwood bilge. The cat--I mean the mate--went -up on the forecastle, an’ he never came back. We ate him, an’ tied his -paws around our necks for luck. No wind, an’ the sails slatted to and -fro on the yards. Midnight, an’ bright moonlight when it struck us, an’ -tore our masts out an’ drove us far out of the path of ships, an’ we lay -there with the boats gone, water-logged till we rigged enough gear to -drift home by---- Help! Gantline, help! The curse of the woman was on -the ship, for there wasn’t a man aboard----’ - -“He struggled and rose up in the cot. His eyes were staring at the blank -wall. I held him hard for an instant and he suddenly relaxed. Then he -fell back dead. - -“Then, you see, there was the Albatross that sailed----” - -“But hold on a bit. Stop a minute!” said Mr. Enlis. “If you keep on like -that, Gantline, you’ll ruin the passenger trade as far as wimmen are -concerned. As for stewardesses, there won’t be one afloat if you keep -croaking. You seem to think wimmen do nothing but harm afloat, whereas I -know plenty who have done good. I don’t see what wimmen have to do with -wittles, anyhow?” - -“Who in the name of Davy Jones said they had?” growled Gantline, -angrily. “I’m no sky-pilot, and I----” - -“Right you are, mate, you say true there, for if I was to go to you to -get my last heading I’d fetch up on a lee shore where there’d be few -strange faces.” - -Gantline gave a grunt of disgust. “That’s just the way with you every -time any one starts a line of argument to prove a thing’s so; you always -sheer off, or bring in something that’s got nothing to do with the case -and don’t signify. Here I’ve been showing that bad luck to ships is -caused by something wrong with the skippers, and here you are trying to -bring wimmen into the case, just as if your thoughts ran on nothing -else. But, pshaw! everybody knows what kind of a fellow you are when -you’re on the beach.” And he jerked his pipe into his pocket and walked -aft. - -“Never mind him,” said Mr. Enlis. “He’s an old croaker, and it’s just -such growling that makes trouble for skippers. But whenever you see a -man talk like that there’s always something behind it. Yes, sir, every -time.” - -“How do you mean?” asked Chips. - -“Well, when a man’s soured on wimmen there is always a cause for it, and -I happen to know something about Gantline’s past. It’s the old story, -but who wants to know how Jim or Jack’s wife fell in love with him? -Neither does any one care about how she comes to leave him, though -nearly all story books are written about such things, and that’s the -reason I never read them. There ain’t much novelty in that line. - -“Lord, love is all alike, just the same in the poor man as in the rich; -but what I was about to say is this: Gantline, here, gives the idea that -wimmen are dangerous afloat and leaves off telling anything good about -them. That ain’t exactly fair. It’s true most wimmen who follow the sea -are not exactly to be considered fighting craft, and are mighty apt to -strike their colors do you but let it be known you’re out for prizes. -Still, I know of cases where they’ve done a power of good. There was -‘Short Moll,’ who was stewardess with old man Fane, and she made him. - -“The old man, you see, had been getting lonely, and had taken to -carrying large invoices of grog, which is bound to break a man in the -long run. - -“One day at the dock Moll came along and inquired for the skipper. The -old man saw her coming, and bawled out, ‘For Heaven’s sake, Mr. Enlis, -don’t let her come aboard!’ and dived below. - -“I ran to the gang-plank as she started over and said, ‘Captain’s gone -up-town, and there ain’t no visitors allowed.’ - -“‘Oh, there ain’t?’ she said sort of sweetly, and she screwed up her -little slits of eyes. ‘If that’s the case, you may consider me one of -the crew, for I’ve got a notion they want a stewardess aboard.’ - -“‘There ain’t no passengers, so get back on the dock and obey orders!’ -And I planted myself athwart the plank. - -“Well, sir, if you ever seen a change come over a woman in three shakes -of a sheet-rope you ought to seen her. - -“‘What!’ she yelled. ‘You stop me from coming aboard a ship in this free -an’ easy country of America? Git out o’ the way, you slab-sided, -herring-gutted son of a wind-jammer, or I’ll run ye down an’ cut ye in -two.’ And she bore down on me under full sail. - -“She carried a full cargo, and I stepped down on the main-deck, for, -after all, that gang-plank was too narrow a subject for such -broad-minded folk as Moll and me to discuss on the spur of the moment. - -“She never gave me a look, but steered straight for the cabin and -disappeared. - -“There was a most uncommon noise, and I saw the skipper’s head pop up -the hatchway. But in a moment he was drawn slowly downward, and as he -turned his face he looked like a drowning man sinking for the last -time. - -“Well, the first day off soundings there was another fracas, and Moll -came forward with a can of condensed milk in one hand and a bunch of -keys in the other. She gave me a leer and waved the can of milk, and I -knew we were to live high that voyage. I hadn’t tasted the stuff for -nigh two years. - -“One day there was another scuffle below, and a bottle of liquor sailed -up the companion-way and smashed against the binnacle. There were all -kinds of noises after that, but I finally made out Moll’s voice bawling, -‘Not another drap, sir! Not another drap!’ - -“He was a sober man for two years until she left, and after Fane heard -of her death he wasn’t the same man. She really did more good than many -a better brought-up woman on the beach, and if he called her an angel -it’s nothing to laugh at, though her wings may have looked more like the -little winged animals that fly o’ night among the mosquitoes in the -harbor than like doves. - -“So you see there’s no use going against the wimmen, for there’s lots of -good in them, only it takes strange circumstances at times to bring it -out. - -“After all, I don’t blame Gantline. And between us I’ll tell you why.” - -Here Mr. Enlis looked sharply fore and aft to see if anybody might -interrupt us, and then spoke in a low voice. - -“He married a girl years ago, and one day he came home and found her -missing. She had run off with a fellow named Jones, who was once mate -with Crojack. - -“He followed that fellow all over the world. That hole in his cheek is -where Jones’s bullet went through when they met once on the streets in -Calcutta. Jones got several bad cuts before they were separated. A year -or two after this they met again, and Gantline has had that list in his -walk ever since. You see, virtue and right don’t always come out winners -on deep-water, unless the virtue lies in the heft of your hand. That -mate Jones was a big man, and they used to say he was a powerful hand -for putting a crew through a course of study to find out who’s who and -what’s what. According to report they generally found Bill Jones was -something of both, and I heard that one voyage there wasn’t enough -belaying-pins left aboard to clew down the topsails on, so they left -them flying and put over the side for it as soon as the hook took the -ground. - -“But what I am coming to is this: Gantline was second mate with that -same fellow Hollender the voyage one of his men sent his black soul to -hell. The mate was killed and Gantline was left in command. - -“To the eastward of Juan Fernandez he picked up a boat adrift with one -man in it. He was alive and that was all. Gantline stood by while they -lifted the fellow on deck, and as he caught sight of his sun-blackened -face with the dry lips cracking over the black gums he gave a start and -swore horribly. Then he walked fore and aft on the poop, and they say -he chewed up nigh two pounds of tobacco during the rest of the day. When -the fellow’s mouth was wet enough to speak with, he raved and cried, -‘Saved at last! Saved at last!’ until they had to lash him in his bunk. -Sometimes he would call out a girl’s name, and Gantline would rush -forward onto the forecastle-head and storm at the men working on deck. - -“It didn’t last long. The fellow was strong and began to recover, and -then Gantline had his say. He walked into the room one morning carrying -two glasses full of grog, and he put them both on the sea-chest. - -“Jones looked up and recognized him--for he was clear in his mind -now--and he started for him. But he was too weak, and Gantline bore him -back into the bunk and poked a revolver into his face, telling him to -keep quiet. - -“‘You are in my hands now, and I’ll give you a fair chance, but God -knows you don’t deserve it,’ he said. ‘I could tip you over the side as -well as not, but I won’t unless it’s your fate.’ - -“The fellow saw he was caught and started up again, but Gantline drew -the barrel of his pistol level with his eyes, so he kept quiet. - -“‘Now,’ he went on, ‘you are too weak to fight with any chance, but I’ve -followed you too long to let you go unless it’s the will of Providence. -In one of those glasses of grog is a poison that will put one man out of -misery without any mess. I know which glass holds it, but you don’t; so -I’ll give you first chance. If it comes to me I’ll drink it, but if it -comes to you, you’ll drink it or I’ll put a hole in your face. Now let -her go.’ - -“The fellow Jones lay silent a moment and looked Gantline steadily in -the eyes. Then a smile broke slowly over his face. He picked up a glass -and drank off the liquor, and Gantline did the same. Then Gantline -hurried on deck. - -“He walked fore and aft a few moments and then dived below for the -medicine-chest.” - -“What!” cried Chips, “did he get the poison?” - -“Sure,” said Mr. Enlis; “but you see Gantline isn’t such a fool as he -looks. He had done some thinking during those moments on deck, and it -seemed to clear his mind. It don’t do to lay down the law to Providence. -No, sir, it don’t do. You never can tell just what Providence will do. -Gantline measured a tremendous emetic and gulped it down. Likewise, in a -moment, up it came, and the poison with it. - -“After all, he did the right thing by Jones. He put him ashore, and as -luck would have it, the war was on then, and he was shot just outside -Valparaiso by the Chilian soldiers, who took him for a deserter. That’s -the reason Gantline never says anything good about wimmen--and I don’t -blame him much!” - - -THE END - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wind-Jammers, by T. Jenkins Hains - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WIND-JAMMERS *** - -***** This file should be named 55274-0.txt or 55274-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/2/7/55274/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Jenkins Hains. -</title> -<style type="text/css"> - p {margin-top:.2em;text-align:justify;margin-bottom:.2em;text-indent:4%;} - -.c {text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - -.eng {font-family: "Old English Text MT",fantasy,sans-serif;} - -.lftspc {margin-left:.25em;} - -.letra {font-size:250%;float:left;margin-top:-1%;} - @media print, handheld - { .letra - {font-size:250%;margin:auto auto;padding:0%;} - } - -.nind {text-indent:0%;} - -.rt {text-align:right;} - -small {font-size: 70%;} - -big {font-size: 130%;} - - h1 {margin-top:5%;text-align:center;clear:both;} - - h2 {margin-top:4%;margin-bottom:2%;text-align:center;clear:both; -padding:.5em;font-size:120%;border-top:2px solid black;border-bottom:2px solid black;} - - hr {width:100%;margin:.52em auto .52em auto;clear:both;color:black; -border-top:2px solid black;border-bottom:2px solid black;padding:.1em;} - - hr.full {width: 60%;margin:2% auto 2% auto;border-top:1px solid black; -padding:.1em;border-bottom:1px solid black;border-left:none;border-right:none;} - - table {margin-top:2%;margin-bottom:2%;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;border:none;} - - body{margin-left:4%;margin-right:6%;background:#ffffff;color:black;font-family:"Times New Roman", serif;font-size:medium;} - -a:link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - - link {background-color:#ffffff;color:blue;text-decoration:none;} - -a:visited {background-color:#ffffff;color:purple;text-decoration:none;} - -a:hover {background-color:#ffffff;color:#FF0000;text-decoration:underline;} - -.smcap {font-variant:small-caps;font-size:100%;} - - img {border:none;} - -.bbox {border:double 6px black;font-weight:bold; -margin:2em auto 2em auto;max-width:20em;} - -.caption {font-weight:bold;font-size:55%;margin-left:25%;} -.caption1 {font-weight:bold;font-size:75%;text-align:center;} - -.figcenter {margin-top:1%;margin-bottom:.25%;clear:both; -margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;text-align:center;text-indent:0%;} - @media all - {.figcenter - {page-break-before: avoid;} - } - -div.poetry {text-align:center;} -div.poem {font-size:90%;margin:auto auto;text-indent:0%; -display: inline-block; text-align: left;} -.poem .stanza {margin-top: 1em;margin-bottom:1em;} -.poem span.i0 {display: block; margin-left: 0em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} -.poem span.i1 {display: block; margin-left: .45em; padding-left: 3em; text-indent: -3em;} - -.pagenum {font-style:normal;position:absolute; -left:95%;font-size:55%;text-align:right;color:gray; -background-color:#ffffff;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;text-decoration:none;text-indent:0em;} -@media print, handheld -{.pagenum - {display: none;} - } - -</style> - </head> -<body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wind-Jammers, by T. Jenkins Hains - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Wind-Jammers - -Author: T. Jenkins Hains - -Release Date: August 6, 2017 [EBook #55274] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WIND-JAMMERS *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images available at The Internet Archive) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<div class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="329" height="500" alt="[Image -of the book's cover unavailable.]" /> -</div> - -<p class="c">THE WIND-JAMMERS</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="border:2px solid black;padding:.5em;"> - -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2">Works of</td></tr> - -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2"><span class="eng">T. Jenkins Hains</span> -</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2"><img src="images/deco.png" -width="15" -alt="" -/></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="left">The Windjammers</td><td class="rt">$1.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Black Barque</td><td class="rt">1.50</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The Voyage of the Arrow</td><td class="rt">1.50</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2"><img src="images/deco.png" -width="15" -alt="" -/></td></tr> -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2">L. C. PAGE & COMPANY</td></tr> -<tr><td class="c" colspan="2">New England Building</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">BOSTON,</td><td align="left">MASS.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a>{1}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a>{2}</span> </p> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<a href="images/frontispiece_lg.jpg"> -<img src="images/frontispiece.jpg" width="295" height="500" alt="[Image -unavailable: “CLAWING OFF THE CAPE.” - -Copyright by S. S. McClure Co.]" /></a> -</p> -<p class="caption">Copyright by S. S. McClure Co.</p> -<p class="caption1"> -“CLAWING OFF THE CAPE.” -</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a>{3}</span></p> - -<div class="bbox"> -<h1><small>THE</small><br /> -WIND-JAMMERS</h1> - -<p class="c">By T. JENKINS HAINS<br /> - -<small>Author of “The Voyage of the Arrow,” “The Black Barque,”<br /> -“The Strife of the Sea,” etc.</small></p> -<hr /> - -<p class="c"> <br /> <br /> -<img src="images/colophon.png" -width="80" -alt="" -/><br /><br /><br /></p> -<hr /> -<p class="c">BOSTON<br /> -L. C. PAGE & COMPANY<br /> -PUBLISHERS</p> - -</div> - -<p class="c"> -<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a>{4}</span><br /> -<small>Copyright, 1894, 1898, 1899, by <span class="smcap">T. Jenkins Hains</span><br /> -Copyright, 1897, by <span class="smcap">Frank A. Munsey</span><br /> -<br /> -Sixth Impression, March, 1906.<br /> -<br /> -COLONIAL PRESS<br /> -<span class="smcap">Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co.<br /> -Boston, U. S. A.</span></small></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a>{5}</span> </p> - -<p class="c"> -TO<br /> -GENERAL P. C. HAINS<br /> -<small>UNITED STATES ARMY</small><br /> -A STERN CRITIC AND<br /> -MY OLDEST FRIEND</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a>{6}</span> </p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a>{7}</span> </p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a><i>CONTENTS</i></h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> - -<tr><td> </td><td class="rt"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_EXECUTIVE_OF_THE_RANDOLPH"><span class="smcap">The Executive of the Randolph</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_009">9</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#TIMBER_NOGGINS"><span class="smcap">Timber Noggins</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_028">28</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#OFF_THE_HORN_A_TALE_OF_THE_SOUTHERN_OCEAN"><span class="smcap">Off the Horn: a Tale of the Southern Ocean</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_038">38</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_BLACK_CREW_OF_COOPERS_HOLE"><span class="smcap">The Black Crew of Cooper’s Hole</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_052">52</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#JOHNNIE"><span class="smcap">Johnnie</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_071">71</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_TREASURE_OF_TINIAN_REEF"><span class="smcap">The Treasure of Tinian Reef</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_084">84</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_LE_MAIRE_LIGHT"><span class="smcap">The Le Maire Light</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_110">110</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_BACKSLIDERS"><span class="smcap">The Backsliders</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_124">124</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#CAPTAIN_CRAVENS_COURAGE"><span class="smcap">Captain Craven’s Courage</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_146">146</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_DEATH_OF_HUATICARA"><span class="smcap">The Death of Huaticara</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_161">161</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#A_BLUNDER"><span class="smcap">A Blunder</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_181">181</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#TO_CLIPPERTON_REEF"><span class="smcap">To Clipperton Reef</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_196">196</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_TRANSMIGRATION_OF_AMOS_JONES"><span class="smcap">The Transmigration of Amos Jones</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_227">227</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#MURPHY_OF_THE_CONEMAUGH"><span class="smcap">Murphy of the Conemaugh</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_235">235</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#MY_PIRATE"><span class="smcap">My Pirate</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_244">244</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td><a href="#THE_CURSE_OF_WOMAN"><span class="smcap">The Curse of Woman</span></a></td><td></td><td class="rt" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_264">264</a></td></tr> -</table> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a>{8}</span></p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a>{9}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_EXECUTIVE_OF_THE_RANDOLPH" id="THE_EXECUTIVE_OF_THE_RANDOLPH"></a><i>THE EXECUTIVE OF THE RANDOLPH</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span> WAS a few months over sixteen when my father set me to work in the -ship-yard. My task consisted in carrying water for the men to drink and -distributing among them armfuls of bolts and trunnels.</p> - -<p>In this way I became acquainted with the different men employed upon the -various parts of the vast hull for the ship of war that was being set -up, and I knew their peculiarities and some of their affairs.</p> - -<p>My father was working with several other men, one day, on the dead-wood -aft, when an unfinished butt flew out from its fastenings and struck a -man named Simms, injuring him so badly that he was laid off. As the -building dragged very slowly, other men were put on and my father had a -new assistant.</p> - -<p>This new man was about thirty years of age and rather good-looking. He -had no beard or mustache, and his sensitive mouth wore a grave -expression, as if he were much given to deep thought.</p> - -<p>It was his eyes, however, that appeared to me most remarkable. They -seldom met mine when he took his water from me, and when they did I -always had the impression that I had seen only the whites of them in -their corners.</p> - -<p>Only once did he look straight at me, and that was when I was a trifle -slow about bringing him a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a>{10}</span> bolt. Then he gazed at me for fully a quarter -of a minute, and I was so frightened by his fierce look that I almost -dropped the bolt from my hand.</p> - -<p>At other times he smiled so pleasantly, and said so many flattering -things to everybody, that the other workmen took a strong liking to him. -He always had the latest war news, and solemnly bade the men thank -Providence for each success that attended General Washington’s army.</p> - -<p>My father finally invited him to our house one Sunday, and he appeared -there all dressed and powdered like any gentleman of wealth and -position, much to my father’s disgust and to my sister Peggy’s -astonishment.</p> - -<p>He saw our looks, and explained that he was more careful of his -appearance on the Lord’s day, inasmuch as he had held clerical orders, -and that the only reason he took up the work at the ship-yard was -because he felt that he could serve the Lord better by helping to build -defences for the suffering country than by talking.</p> - -<p>His manner to both Peggy and my mother was such, that had they been of -the blood royal, he could hardly have treated them with more deference -and respect.</p> - -<p>The way he took to Peggy was remarkable, and he spent much time, after -this first visit, in her company talking of church affairs, with which -he appeared to be quite familiar. My mother and father did not object to -this, for they were religious people, and their dislike for the young -man’s effeminacy<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a>{11}</span> soon gave place to admiration for his zeal in these -elevating matters.</p> - -<p>The only person frequenting our house who did not take greatly to Mr. -Robinson was George Rhett, our young Episcopal clergyman, who was very -attentive to Peggy. He thought Mr. Robinson’s conversation more -fascinating than instructive.</p> - -<p>One day, late in the winter, three rough-looking men appeared in the -yard and asked for work. They were put on the gang under my father. The -leader of these men was a perfect giant in size, and had a head as big -and bald as the butt of a twelve-pounder. He also had a face and manner -of peculiar fierceness.</p> - -<p>I happened to be near him one day when my father gave him an order, -which he roughly answered with a great oath. Instantly Mr. Robinson -turned about and, holding up his hands, raised his face to heaven and -bade him ask forgiveness for using such language.</p> - -<p>The deep tones of his voice startled me at first with their intenseness, -but the great ruffian laughed. Then he suddenly caught Mr. Robinson’s -eye, and a change came upon him.</p> - -<p>He quietly asked my father’s forgiveness and apologized for swearing; -then he resumed work with an agility that reminded me I must not stand -about gaping.</p> - -<p>Mr. Robinson, however, was not satisfied with what he had accomplished. -He went to the foreman and, after a little argument, persuaded him to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a>{12}</span> -discharge the three new men, much to the big bald-headed ruffian’s -apparent disgust.</p> - -<p>This fellow and his comrades left the yard with some show of feeling -against Mr. Robinson, and went directly to our young pastor, Mr. Rhett, -with their grievance. They showed him letters telling of their good -character, signed by several prominent officers in the army at the -North, and explained that they wished to work, and could do so to some -advantage on a part of the hull where Mr. Robinson would not be annoyed -by their presence.</p> - -<p>When Mr. Rhett heard it was Mr. Robinson who had had the men discharged -his indignation ran high, and he went about telling such a tale of -persecution that even my mild-mannered sister Peggy was ready to take up -matters in their behalf.</p> - -<p>Mr. Rhett went to the foreman and had the men put back on the work, and -was loud in his praise of them.</p> - -<p>They really were the best men for heavy work in the yard, and when, a -few days later, they asked to have several of their friends employed, -Mr. Rhett was quite willing to recommend them. As he was very popular in -the community, his word was of so much value that they were immediately -turned to with their comrades.</p> - -<p>Mr. Robinson took no further notice of the matter, but about a week -before the launching Peggy came to me and, with many pretty blushes, -told me I was about to have a new brother. My father and mother had -consented to the marriage and every one<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a>{13}</span> was as happy as could be. That -is, every one except Mr. Rhett.</p> - -<p>The wedding took place the day of the launching of the ship, and Peggy -was a proud girl as she stood there on the forward deck and watched a -beautiful woman break a bottle of wine over the vessel’s bows. Then a -cannon-shot boomed out and the name “Randolph” was cheered again and -again. It was a memorable day in our family, and my father came home in -such a state my poor mother instantly sent me for the doctor.</p> - -<p>Of course, after this event of the launching, all talk was of the war -and of what part the frigate—named after the Hon. Peyton Randolph, of -Virginia—would take in it.</p> - -<p>It was not long before the ship had her guns aboard and the riggers were -through with her. Then Captain Biddle began looking for volunteers to -help man her.</p> - -<p>Seamen were not plentiful, but as a man-of-war must have men to man her -battery, landsmen are as good as any other class for this work after -they have had a little training.</p> - -<p>I begged hard to join, and as I had now been out of employment nearly -two months, while the frigate was fitting out, and as I also had a -hearty appetite, my poor father and mother at last consented. This, -provided that I could be regularly shipped, and so have some chance of -promotion.</p> - -<p>I was very happy and excited the morning my father took me on board and -asked Captain Biddle<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a>{14}</span> for his favor, and when I found I was really to go -to sea in that splendid ship I fairly danced with joy.</p> - -<p>I was a heavy, active boy, and soon learned to handle a musket, cutlass, -or boarding-pike in a satisfactory manner.</p> - -<p>The best men for this sort of thing, however, were those recommended by -Mr. Rhett. There were over twenty men aboard in this party, and they had -enlisted for the full term of the cruise. It was astonishing to see how -that bald ruffian would perk himself up when handling a musket or -cutlass.</p> - -<p>Finally the day came for sailing, and a great crowd collected to bid us -farewell. I saw my parents early in the day, and then Peggy and her -husband came to bid me an affectionate good-by, my poor sister weeping -upon my shoulder and hugging me again and again.</p> - -<p>Three hundred and five men stood upon the frigate’s deck and manned the -yards, to answer the shouts from the shore with three ringing cheers. A -gun boomed the parting salute, our yards were braced sharp on the -backstays to the southerly breeze, and we stood rapidly out to sea.</p> - -<p>When the bar was crossed and the long, easy roll of the ocean was felt, -I began to get a little homesick. I forgot the grand thoughts I had -indulged in but an hour before.</p> - -<p>I struggled against this peculiar feeling for some time, and then a -particularly heavy rolling sea taking the frigate squarely on the beam, -I leaned over the side, and cared not whether I was alive or dead.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a>{15}</span></p> - -<p>My paroxysms must have attracted some attention, for I heard several men -laugh. I turned quickly, and at that moment a hand was laid heavily upon -my shoulder, and Mr. Robinson stood before me. He flashed a look at the -grinning men and they turned away.</p> - -<p>Then he raised that thin, piping voice of his into a deep, sonorous -tone, and, lifting his face skyward, bade me have faith in the Lord. I -had actually begun to think I was dying, for the qualms were most -severe; so the grave face and solemn manner of my brother-in-law were -very welcome to me in spite of my utter astonishment at seeing him -aboard.</p> - -<p>I thanked him for his kindness, and gained much strength from his words, -and then, without further remark, I lay down beside a broadside gun and -tried to lose consciousness.</p> - -<p>All that night and the next day I suffered agony, but I found myself -able to attend to some duties, and asked Mr. Robinson why and how he -came to be on board. These questions he answered abruptly, but gave me -to understand that it was my sister’s wish that he should serve his -country as a sailor.</p> - -<p>In a few days I was entirely well, and I was put to work as a -powder-boy, to help pass ammunition from the magazine to the guns.</p> - -<p>The gun crews were drilled and the pieces fired to test their accuracy -and exercise the men. Then we were ready for any enemy of our size and -rating. Even greater, for that matter; for while we only rated as a -thirty-six-gun frigate, Captain Biddle was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a>{16}</span> an officer of such high -spirit and courage that he would have willingly engaged a ship of the -line had one appeared.</p> - -<p>Robinson was made captain of an after broadside gun crew, for in spite -of his knowledge of religious matters he was every inch a sailor, and -knew more of nautical affairs—including the handling of naval -guns—than any man on the ship, except, perhaps, Captain Biddle himself.</p> - -<p>Four of the men recommended by Mr. Rhett were in his gun’s crew, and -they were the stoutest and most grim-looking ruffians when working -stripped to the waist that ever stood behind the breech of a -twenty-four-pounder. When they drilled, they would practise running in -their gun and whirling it around on the deck, and then send the tackles -about in a most confusing manner.</p> - -<p>Finally the officer of the deck had to interfere, and give Robinson to -understand that gymnastic exercises were out of place on the gun-deck.</p> - -<p>In spite of this he was highly esteemed by Captain Biddle, and when his -men yelled at each discharge he was not reprimanded.</p> - -<p>We were off Charleston one evening, cruising to the eastward under easy -canvas, and waiting for a prize to heave in sight. Several British -vessels were known to be bound for the colonies, loaded with arms and -supplies for the enemy’s troops, and it would be a godsend to catch up -with one, as there were not half enough muskets ashore to equip the -volunteers in the Carolinas.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a>{17}</span></p> - -<p>It was noticed by some on board that, while the majority of the men and -all the officers appeared anxious for a meeting with the foe, there was -a peculiar apathy shown among a part of the crew. These were the men -whom Mr. Rhett had helped to get work, and they appeared quiet and -listless, taking no interest in the sails we raised above the horizon -and maintaining a manner of sullen effrontery to all who did not share -their intimacy.</p> - -<p>It was first supposed that the new life and discipline did not appeal -favorably to them, but as they made no complaint little thought was -given to the matter. Robinson kept away from this crowd except at drill -times, and then he did much to exhort them not to be so profane.</p> - -<p>Several times I noticed groups of men, who were not on watch, having a -large sprinkling of these fellows among them standing about, talking in -a manner that could hardly be said to speak well of the discipline -aboard the ship.</p> - -<p>The sun had gone down but little over half an hour, dyeing the light -clouds in the west a fiery red, when the man on the lookout in the -foretop hailed the deck.</p> - -<p>“Sail dead ahead, sir!” he bawled.</p> - -<p>In half a second all eyes were turned in that direction. Instantly -royals were sheeted home, while the outer jibs, topmast, and -topgallant-staysails were run up, making the frigate heel to leeward -under the pressure.</p> - -<p>Men were sent to quarters, the magazines opened,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a>{18}</span> the guns loaded and -run out, and everything was ready for action.</p> - -<p>We had little time to wait to find out what the vessel was ahead, for -her captain was evidently as anxious to meet us as we were to meet him, -and he stood for us with every stitch of canvas drawing alow and aloft.</p> - -<p>It grew quite dark, but we could still see the stranger, and by the -heavy topsails and well-trimmed yards it was easy to see that the vessel -was a man-of-war.</p> - -<p>In about half an hour we came abreast, and not more than fifty fathoms -distant, but somehow the Randolph was sent to leeward, giving the -stranger the weather-gage. Then we had no difficulty in recognizing the -frigate Yarmouth, sixty-four guns, commanded by Captain Vincent of his -majesty’s navy.</p> - -<p>As we were new and unknown, the British ensign had been run up to -deceive the enemy, Captain Biddle hoping to get in close and deliver a -crippling broadside before the Yarmouth was aware of our intentions, but -I am not certain whether it was seen or not in the darkness.</p> - -<p>Every man was at his post, standing silent and motionless in the dim -light of the battle-lanterns, and every gun on the starboard broadside -was kept trained on the British frigate.</p> - -<p>We drew directly abreast, and a hoarse voice hailed us through the -gloom.</p> - -<p>“Fire!” came the order clear and distinct from<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a>{19}</span> the quarter-deck, and -our answer to the hail was the deep rolling thunder of twenty heavy -guns, fired almost simultaneously.</p> - -<p>Then, as we ran clear of the cloud from our guns, the Yarmouth appeared -to burst into a spitting line of flame, and the shot from her answering -broadside crashed among us while she disappeared in a storm of smoke.</p> - -<p>The scene on our spar-deck was frightful. Men struck by the flying shot -or splinters were hurled and pitched about and fell in mangled groups -upon the sanded planks.</p> - -<p>Then the order came to wear ship, and we paid off rapidly to the -northward, to bring our port broadside to bear upon the enemy as she -crossed our wake, coming after us in full chase.</p> - -<p>We were new and light, and probably able to go two knots to her one, if -no accident happened to our sailing gear. Our rigging had not been -seriously cut and our spars were sound, so it is hard to tell just how -the action would have ended had the fight continued as it commenced.</p> - -<p>But there were other matters at hand far more dangerous to us than his -majesty’s sixty-four-gun frigate Yarmouth.</p> - -<p>As I passed a powder charge to the after starboard gun, I turned and -looked across the deck at Robinson and his crew.</p> - -<p>Instead of running his gun out and laying it towards the enemy, he and -his men quickly shifted the tackles and, slewing it around, trained it -down the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a>{20}</span> port broadside through the line of gun crews. As he did so, -some thirty men—among whom I recognized the big bald ruffian and his -comrades of the ship-yard—rushed down the starboard side, and came aft, -yelling and swearing and with their cutlasses swinging in their hands.</p> - -<p>They took their places around and behind Robinson’s gun, while one man -stepped out and coolly rammed a bag of musket-balls down the muzzle.</p> - -<p>“What are you doing?” roared the officer of the deck from the break of -the poop.</p> - -<p>“Watch me,” said Robinson, quietly; and with that he let off the heavy -gun, double charged, along the deck.</p> - -<p>The discharge swept the gangway clear of living men, the poor, surprised -fellows going down in groups like grass before a scythe-blade. Then, -with a roaring yell, the ruffians left the spar-deck to the gun crews -and rushed aft in a body, with Robinson and the bald-headed giant at -their front.</p> - -<p>It was all so sudden no one realized what was taking place. The ship was -off before the wind, racing along to the northward through the gloom.</p> - -<p>The lanterns of the port battery were smashed or blown out, and the -shrieks and groans of the wounded men added to the confusion and terror -of the scene. Those men left alive and unhurt on the port side were -tailing on to the waring braces.</p> - -<p>The officers forward bawled and swore at the bewildered sailors, trying -to get them to realize their<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a>{21}</span> position, and while they did so the -villains were taking the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>It was a short, desperate fight aft, but they had laid their plans so -well that every officer was taken off his guard and cut down before even -preparing to make a defence. Then the ruffians were masters of the -quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>I saw the Yarmouth on the port quarter. She loomed dimly through the -gloom nearly a mile away, and as I looked I saw the intermittent flashes -of her bow-chasers and heard the regular firing.</p> - -<p>A shot from one of her long twenty-fours tore past me, and killed a man -who was just starting aft to join in the affray on the poop. I thought -for an instant that they might know on the Yarmouth what was taking -place on board the Randolph, but afterwards I found they knew nothing.</p> - -<p>In a few moments the men forward began to see what had happened aft, and -they just recovered themselves as Robinson and his crew finished off the -last man and were running the ship away to the northward without a -thought of engaging the enemy.</p> - -<p>So far the villains had been successful, and with another turn of good -luck would be masters of a large frigate, fully equipped and provisioned -for a long cruise.</p> - -<p>Robinson could then have become a wealthy pirate in the West Indian and -South American waters, and retired from the sea in a year or two without -much danger of being caught, for his vessel was larger and faster than -any he would be likely to meet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a>{22}</span> From the capes of Virginia to the river -Plate no vessel of this size had cruised for years, and he would have -had a good chance to make a clean sweep before anything caught up with -him.</p> - -<p>But this turn of luck for him did not occur. When he had finished his -deadly work aft and started his men forward, our men rallied, and, led -on by the under officers left alive, began to make a stand.</p> - -<p>Robinson rushed his men on in a style worthy of a better cause. And the -way that great bald ruffian went into our poor fellows was astounding.</p> - -<p>They charged up the port gangway in a close body and engaged with pike -and cutlass, forcing those before them who were not cut down, until they -reached the mainmast. Robinson appeared like a fiend. He roared and -yelled to his men to press on, and slashed right and left with amazing -power.</p> - -<p>The great bald ruffian, who now appeared as his right-hand man, kept -close to him, and they went along that deck leaving a bloody path to -mark their course.</p> - -<p>They cut down and killed or wounded every man who had the hardihood to -dispute their way. I saw Robinson strike a gunner a blow that stretched -him dead with his skull cleft to the ears, and then, instantly -recovering his weapon, he drove it clear through the body of the man -next to him.</p> - -<p>One officer alone stood before the rush. I do not remember his name, but -he commanded the forward battery.</p> - -<p>He engaged Robinson for an instant and smote<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a>{23}</span> him sorely with his -weapon, for, although I could not see the stroke in the gloom, I heard -the villain cry out fiercely as if in pain. The next instant the bald -man struck the officer to the deck and pressed on harder than ever.</p> - -<p>This officer evidently understood the situation to be more desperate -than it really was, for, as the crowd of ruffians passed over him, he -arose with difficulty and staggered to the hatchway which led to the -magazine. I guessed his purpose the instant he disappeared, and I saw -him no more.</p> - -<p>The fight went on forward for some minute longer, and I was driven to -the forecastle by a fierce scoundrel who bore down on me with a reeking -cutlass. Then a sudden rally of our men turned my enemy and their rush -was brought to an end.</p> - -<p>As we were five to one in point of numbers, it now began to look as if -we would soon make way against the assault. Some of our men got around -in their rear, and we began to close in on them with something like a -chance of winning the fight, but it was never fought out.</p> - -<p>I saw the big bald man strike furiously at a man near me, and swing his -weapon around so fiercely that not one of our men dared get within its -reach, although they brought up stubbornly just beyond it. Then Robinson -dashed in to where I stood with my loaded musket. I fired blindly and -then saw his blade flash up, and I felt my end had come.</p> - -<p>At that instant the whole ship shivered and burst into a mass of flame. -I felt myself hurled into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a>{24}</span> air as the deck disappeared under me, and -the next moment I found myself in the water.</p> - -<p>I looked around me on all sides and saw nothing but the waves that -stretched away into the surrounding gloom. I was uninjured and swam -easily, thinking that my end must be near, and that I could only prolong -my existence by half an hour’s hard struggle.</p> - -<p>I was much dazed, but remembered the Yarmouth, and looked about for some -sign of her.</p> - -<p>Finally I made out a dark object over a mile away, and soon I recognized -her standing directly for me. This gave me hope for a short time, and I -struck out strongly, thinking it might be possible to gain her if she -remained in the vicinity of the blown-up frigate.</p> - -<p>I was a good swimmer, and made some headway until I butted hard into a -floating object I failed to see in the darkness and nearly stove in my -skull. I reached wildly upward, and my hands clutched the combings of a -hatchway.</p> - -<p>Then I recovered myself and drew my tired body clear of the sea. I had a -float that would keep me from sinking as long as I had strength to stay -upon it.</p> - -<p>The Yarmouth bore down on me, and I cried out. She altered her course a -point or two, but did not stop, and in a moment she was gliding away -into the darkness, leaving me alone on the hatchway.</p> - -<p>I could hear the rush of the water under her bluff<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a>{25}</span> bows, and the cries -of the men on deck calling out orders. Then she faded away into the -night.</p> - -<p>In a little while I heard a cry from the dark water near me, and soon I -made out a man’s head close to the hatch. I called to him, and reached -out and pulled him up on the float, for he was too weak to help himself.</p> - -<p>He raised his face as it came close to mine, and I recognized my -brother-in-law, Mr. Robinson.</p> - -<p>He was very feeble, and I soon saw that he was badly hurt, but he said -not a word and lay there on his back, quietly gazing up at the stars.</p> - -<p>I could see his features with that look of profound thought expressed -upon them as in the days we worked in the ship-yard together.</p> - -<p>My only feeling towards him was one of awe. No idea of killing him -entered my head, though I could easily have disposed of him in his -present weak state, so there I sat gazing at him, and he took no more -notice of me than if I was part of the floating hatchway.</p> - -<p>In a little while I made out another dark object in the water near us, -and presently a voice hailed me. I answered, and soon afterwards a piece -of spar supporting three men came alongside the hatch.</p> - -<p>They were all Robinson’s followers. Taking some of the rigging that -trailed from the spar, they lashed it to the hatch, and the two pieces -together made a serviceable raft.</p> - -<p>Then all drew themselves clear of the water and lay prone on the float -to rest.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a>{26}</span></p> - -<p>It was an awful night we spent on that bit of wood washed by the waves, -but when morning dawned the breeze fell away entirely, so the sea no -longer broke over us.</p> - -<p>The sun rose and shone hot on a glassy ocean, and not a sail was in -sight.</p> - -<p>There is little use in describing the four days of suffering spent on -that float. Robinson was horribly burned and badly cut by a blow from a -cutlass. His left arm was shattered from the shot I fired at him, and he -was otherwise used up from the minor blows he had received in his fierce -rush. But he lived long enough to prevent his ruffian crew from killing -me. I was bound by a solemn oath to say nothing of the affair as I had -seen it, so that if we were the sole survivors—which we were not -certain of being at that time—there could be no evidence to implicate -my shipmates.</p> - -<p>Robinson must have known that he was fatally hurt, and that is the -reason he made them spare my life. Whatever I told would not harm him; -and, besides, I really think he turned to the memory of my sister during -those last hours.</p> - -<p>He died very shortly after the Yarmouth picked us up, and the British -officers and men buried him with some ceremony; especially respectful -were they when they were told that he was our executive officer.</p> - -<p>There was some truth in this grim falsehood, although not of the kind -suspected.</p> - -<p>He was sewn carefully in canvas the day after we were rescued, and had a -twelve-pound shot lashed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>{27}</span> to his feet. The burial service was read by -the ship’s chaplain in much the same tone I had heard Robinson quote -from the Scriptures in my father’s house.</p> - -<p>All the officers uncovered as he was dropped over the side, and the -silence that followed the splash of his body into the sea was the most -impressive I have ever observed to fall on so large a body of men.</p> - -<p>Had they known the truth about this villain, it is doubtful if they -would have shown him so much honor and respect; but then the truth is -often hard to secure, and also often undesirable when attained.</p> - -<p>Peggy mourned her husband a year or more, but after her boy began to -occupy her attention she brightened up and married Mr. Rhett, who was -ever faithful to her.</p> - -<p>I kept my oath because I took it. The three surviving ruffians had -joined the British navy and no retribution could be meted out to them; -and as for my sister, she always held her husband’s memory sacred, and -only harm could come to her and her son through knowledge of the truth -about him.</p> - -<p>Captain Vincent of the Yarmouth may have thought it strange a frigate -like the Randolph should have met such a sudden end, but it was always -understood that she must have blown up from the effects of the shot from -his bow-chasers. Some of these did hull her, and it was the most -reasonable way to understand the matter.</p> - -<p>Now, when all are gone, there can be no harm in telling what I know of -that affair.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a>{28}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="TIMBER_NOGGINS" id="TIMBER_NOGGINS"></a><i>TIMBER NOGGINS</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">M</span>R. ROPESEND, the senior member of the firm of Snatchblock, Tackle & -Co., sat in his office and drew forth his pocket-knife. Upon the desk -before him lay a small wooden box which contained a patent taffrail log. -After some deliberation he opened his knife and began to pry off the lid -of the box, whistling softly as he did so. In doing this he awakened a -strange-looking animal which lay at his feet. But the animal, which Mr. -Ropesend called a “daschund,” after raising its long body upon four -twisted and double-jointed legs until its belly barely cleared the -floor, appeared overcome by the effort and flopped down again with its -head towards its master and its hind legs trailing out behind on the -floor.</p> - -<p>Mr. Ropesend carefully removed the lid of the box and with considerable -anxiety removed the instrument. Then he laid it carefully upon the -table, while Gaff, his pet, looked lazily up with one eye, and then, not -caring for logs, slowly closed it again.</p> - -<p>Presently Mr. Ropesend appeared to have developed an idea. He rang the -bell. A boy appeared almost instantly at the door leading into the main -office.</p> - -<p>“Tell Mr. Tackle to step here a moment, please,” said Mr. Ropesend in a -soothing tone.</p> - -<p>The boy vanished, and in a few minutes a man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a>{29}</span> with red whiskers trimmed -“dishonestly”—with bare chin—made his appearance.</p> - -<p>“Good-morning, Mr. Tackle; here’s the patent log for Captain Green. What -do you think of it?”</p> - -<p>“H’m. Yes. H’m-m. I see. I don’t know as I’m any particular judge of -logs, although I’ve been in this shipping house for twenty years. But it -appears to me to be a very fine instrument. Very fine indeed, sir. Sort -of screw-propeller that end affair, ain’t it?”</p> - -<p>“That’s it, of course,” said Mr. Ropesend in a tone bordering on -contemptuous; “sort of a fin-screw with long pitch. It says in order to -regulate it you simply have to adjust the timber noggins. I should -suppose a man who has been in a shipping house as long as you have would -know all about a plain taffrail log and be able to regulate it so as to -use it, if necessary.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes, I see,” said Mr. Tackle instantly, without appearing to hear -the last part of the senior’s remarks. “Eggzackly. Regulated by timber -noggins, of course. I didn’t notice it, but any one might know it -couldn’t be regulated without timber noggins. Let me see it closer. That -new cord gave it a strange look.”</p> - -<p>“I’m glad you like it and understand all about it,” said Mr. Ropesend in -a tone of decision, “for I’m very busy, and you can just take it into -your office and explain it to Captain Green when he comes for it. He -will be here presently.”</p> - -<p>So saying the senior quickly replaced the instrument<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a>{30}</span> in the box and had -it in the astonished Tackle’s hands before he could get out an H’m-m. -Then he commenced writing rapidly upon some important-looking papers -before him, giving Mr. Tackle to understand that the incident had -closed.</p> - -<p>Mr. Tackle flushed, hesitated a moment, and then quickly retired into -the outer office, and Mr. Ropesend, having rid himself of the log, -smiled grimly to Gaff, turned half-way around in his chair, proceeded to -light a cigar and puff the smoke at the dog’s face.</p> - -<p>This provoked the animal to such an extent that he growled, snarled, and -grew quite savage, much to Mr. Ropesend’s delight.</p> - -<p>The dog finally grew frantic, and had just risen from the floor to find -more congenial quarters, when the door opened suddenly and Captain Green -stepped into the room with a hoarse roar of “Good-morning, Mr. Ropesend; -I’ve come for that patent log.”</p> - -<p>This sudden entrance of the loud-voiced skipper was too much for Gaff’s -nerves, and he no sooner found himself attacked in the rear than he made -a sudden turn, and grabbed the first thing that came within his reach.</p> - -<p>This happened to be the calf of Captain Green’s left leg, which he held -on to in a manner that showed he had a healthy appetite.</p> - -<p>“Let go, you son of a sea cook!” bawled the skipper. “Let go, or I’ll -stamp the burgoo out o’ you.”</p> - -<p>“Let go, Gaff; that’s a good doggie,” said Mr.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a>{31}</span> Ropesend in his mildest -tone. “Let go, Gaff; you’ll hurt your teeth, doggie.”</p> - -<p>“Let go, you son of a pirate!” roared the skipper. “Let go, or I’ll -smash you!”</p> - -<p>“Good heavens, Captain Green, you forget yourself. What, strike a poor -dumb brute!” cried Mr. Ropesend. And he arose from his chair as if to -ward oft a threatened blow.</p> - -<p>Gaff at this juncture looked up, and apparently realized the energy -stored within the skipper’s raised boot. He let go and waddled under his -master’s desk, his long belly touching the ground amidships, as his legs -were too short to raise it clear. From this safe retreat he sent forth -peculiar sounds which were evidently intended by nature to terrify the -enemy.</p> - -<p>“Wouldn’t strike him, hey!” roared the skipper, rubbing his leg. “Well, -maybe I wouldn’t, I don’t think. By Gorry, Mr. Ropesend, that’s a -long-geared critter. I didn’t know but what he was a sort o’ walking -snake or sea-sarpint. I felt as if a shark had me. It’s a good thing I -had on these sea-boots.”</p> - -<p>“Calm yourself. Calm yourself, captain,” said the senior. “Did he hurt -you?”</p> - -<p>“No, confound him, not to speak of. It’s a fine watch-dog he is when he -bites his friends like this.—I came for that log you spoke of the other -day.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Mr. Ropesend; “I’ve just given it to Mr. Tackle to give -to you. He will explain it to you,—how it works and all that. Right in -the front<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a>{32}</span> office,—yes, that door. Good-morning.” And the skipper went -out cursing softly.</p> - -<p>In the front office he met the boy with the box containing the log and a -note from Mr. Tackle delivering the same to him, in which he excused -himself from explaining the management of the instrument by the fact -that he was called out suddenly. The note concluded, however, with the -remark that “the instrument was quite easy to regulate by means of the -timber noggins, and that he anticipated no difficulty with it.”</p> - -<p>The captain took the box and carried it on board his ship, and locked it -in the cabin. He was going to sea the next morning, and, as he had a -good deal to attend to, he couldn’t stop to investigate further.</p> - -<p>When the ship had crossed the bar, the next afternoon, and backed her -main-yards in order to put the pilot off, the mate brought out the box -containing the log, and proposed to put the instrument over the -taffrail. The third mate happened to be standing near and noticed him.</p> - -<p>The third mate’s name was Joseph, but being a very young man, and very -bright, having a fine grammar-school education, he was familiarly called -Joe by his superiors for fear that the handle of “Mister” to his name -might trim him too much by the head. Joe despised his superiors with all -the scornful feeling that a highly educated sailor has for the more -ignorant officers above him, and it required more than ordinary tact on -his part to keep from getting into trouble.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a>{33}</span></p> - -<p>“Why, the skipper don’t know enough to be mate of a liner,” said he to -the steward one day in a burst of confidence. “As for Gantline, he don’t -know nothing. You just wait and see if I don’t get a shove up before we -make another voyage around the Cape.”</p> - -<p>He had waited, but Joseph was still in his old berth this voyage.</p> - -<p>It was natural he should be a little more scornful than ever now, and as -he watched the mate clumsily handling the patent log a strong desire to -revenge himself for slighted genius came upon him.</p> - -<p>When the ship’s yards were squared again the skipper took up the log and -examined it.</p> - -<p>“I suppose you know how to regulate the machine, Mr. Gantline,” said he, -addressing the mate.</p> - -<p>“Can’t say as I do. I never seen one like this before.”</p> - -<p>“Why, blast you, all you’ve got to do is to twist them timber noggins -till it goes right, and that does the whole business. Then you let her -go.”</p> - -<p>“Where’s any timber noggins hereabouts?” asked the mate.</p> - -<p>“Why, on the tail of the log; see?” and the skipper took up the -trailing-screw.</p> - -<p>“Ah, yes, I see; but how about this clock machine that goes on the rail. -Don’t seem to open exactly.”</p> - -<p>The skipper took up this part and examined it carefully.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a>{34}</span></p> - -<p>“That’s all right. It don’t open; you just keep on letting her twist, -and add on to where you start from or subtract from where you are.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said the mate, and without further ado he dropped the -trailing-screw overboard.</p> - -<p>The third mate saw all this, and he determined to investigate the -instrument during his watch that night.</p> - -<p>When he went forward he stopped at the carpenter’s room.</p> - -<p>“Chips,” said he, addressing his chum, “we’ve got a new log on board and -the skipper and mate don’t know how to use it. Now, I’ll bet you they -will have to get me to show them, and if I do, I’ll make them shove me -up the next voyage. Why, I tell you, putting a good instrument like that -in the hands of such men is like casting pearls before—before—Captain -Green and Gantline. You just wait and see.”</p> - -<p>That night there was very little wind, but the third mate wound the log -up for about fifty miles more than the ship travelled.</p> - -<p>“We don’t need any more sights for a while,” said the skipper the next -morning. “Mr. Snatchblock said that the log was dead accurate, so we’ll -let her run. Must have blown pretty stiff during the mid-watch, Mr. -Gantline, eh?” he continued, as he looked at what the log registered.</p> - -<p>“No, I can’t say as it did,” said the mate, scratching his head -thoughtfully as he looked at the night’s run.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a>{35}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pears to me as if we made an all-fired long run of it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I guess you were a little off your first night out. You’ll be -sober in a day or so,” said the skipper, with a grin.</p> - -<p>The next day it was dead calm and foggy, but in spite of this the log -registered a good fifty-mile run, and, as the ship was to put into -Norfolk to complete her cargo, she was headed more to the southward.</p> - -<p>“I haven’t any faith in that log, captain,” said Mr. Gantline; “it don’t -seem as if we were off shore enough to head the way we do.”</p> - -<p>“Well, haul it in and let’s look at it,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>The third mate was standing close by and helped haul in the line. -“Captain,” said he, as the screw came over the rail, “this log is not -set right; and if we’ve been running by it, we are too close in to the -beach.”</p> - -<p>“Eh! what’s that? Too close in are we? How do you know the log ain’t all -right?”</p> - -<p>“Why, it’s just a matter of calculation of angles,” replied the third -mate. “These fins that Mr. Tackle calls timber noggins are set at the -wrong angle. You see the sine of the angle, at which this blade meets -the water, must be in the same proportion to the cosine of the angle to -which it is bent as its tangent is to its secant, see?”</p> - -<p>“H’m-m, yes, I see,” growled the skipper; “but why didn’t you mention it -before, if you knew it all this time, instead of waiting until we got -way in here?<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a>{36}</span> Why didn’t you tell Mr. Gantline?” His voice rising with -his anger. “Why didn’t you tell Mr. Gantline this when you knew he’d -never seen a log like this before? What do you suppose you are here for, -anyhow?” he fairly roared. “Go forward, sir; I won’t have such a man for -a mate on my ship.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Gantline,” he said, after Joe had gone, “get the lead-line and make -a few casts, sir, by yourself,—by yourself, sir,—and then come and -tell me how much water we’ve got under us.”</p> - -<p>The mate, without any unnecessary disturbance, got out the lead, and, as -it was calm and the vessel had no motion, he had no difficulty in making -a deep-sea sounding. He was also materially aided by the startling -effect of the lead, when he hove it over the side with fifty fathoms of -coiled line to follow it. To his great amazement the line suddenly -ceased running out after the five-fathom mark had passed over, and it -became necessary to heave the remaining forty-five fathoms of coiled -line after it, in order not to transmit this startling fact to any one -that might be looking on. Then, with a great deal of exertion, he -laboriously hauled the forty-five fathoms in again, and then called to -Joe to haul in and coil down the rest, and then put the lead away. After -this he went quickly aft to the skipper and whispered something in his -ear that sounded to the man at the wheel like “Shoal—Barnegat.” The man -at the wheel might have been mistaken, and it is only fair to presume -that he was, but in a very short time the ship was headed due east -again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a>{37}</span></p> - -<p>As night came on, a slight breeze came through the fog and the ship -gathered headway. The captain, who had been walking fore and aft on the -quarter in his shirt-sleeves, mopping great beads of perspiration from -his forehead, now seemed to be aware of the chilliness of the air and -forthwith went below.</p> - -<p>The ship made a very quick voyage around Cape Horn, and a year later, -when she returned, Mr. Ropesend met Captain Green in his office the -morning he arrived.</p> - -<p>“How did you like the patent log, captain?” said Mr. Ropesend.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Ropesend,” said the captain, in a deep voice that made Gaff look up -and recognize his old friend,—“Mr. Ropesend, I don’t believe in these -new-fangled logs what’s regulated by timber noggins, no more’n I do in -these worthless third mates that’s only good for teaching school.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a>{38}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="OFF_THE_HORN_A_TALE_OF_THE_SOUTHERN_OCEAN" id="OFF_THE_HORN_A_TALE_OF_THE_SOUTHERN_OCEAN"></a><i>OFF THE HORN: A TALE OF THE SOUTHERN OCEAN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE average man knows as little of the region where the backbone of the -American continent disappears beneath the ocean as he does of the heart -of Africa. The mighty chain of mountains that raise their peaks miles -above the surrounding country at the equator sink gradually until only a -single cone-shaped hump—the last vertebra—raises itself above the sea -in latitude 55° 50’ south. This is the desolate and uninhabited end of -the southern continent, commonly known as Cape Horn, and no man gets any -nearer to it than he can help. Past it flows the deep ocean stream known -as the Pacific Antarctic Drift, and over it whirl fierce hurricanes in -almost uninterrupted succession.</p> - -<p>To the southward and westward rise the jagged rocks of the Ramirez, but -these do not break in any manner the force of the high, rolling sea -which sweeps down from the Pacific. There is but little life on any of -these tussock-covered peaks, and they offer no shelter, save to the -white albatross and the wingless penguin.</p> - -<p>It is past this dreaded cape, in a region of almost continual storm and -with a rapidly shifting needle, the navigator of the sailing vessel has -to drive his way. The Straits of Magellan offer no passage to the -handler of square canvas, and the furious, whirling<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a>{39}</span> current of the Le -Maire is usually avoided, as when navigated it only saves a few miles of -westing. The floating ice is always a dreaded menace, for with the -spume-drift flying before a freezing gale and surrounded by the gloom of -the high latitude in winter, it is difficult to distinguish an object -fifty fathoms ahead of a ship’s cut-water.</p> - -<p>Rough, hard men were the “wind-jammers” as they were called, who earned -a right to live by driving overloaded ships around this cape, from 50° -south latitude on one side to 50° south latitude on the other. With the -yards “jammed” hard on the backstays, they would take advantage of every -slant in the wind, until at last it would swing fair, and then away they -would go, running off for the other side of the world with every rag the -vessel would stand tugging away at clew and earring, sending her along -ten or twelve knots an hour towards the latitude of the trade-wind.</p> - -<p>Men of iron nerve, used to suffering and hardship, they were, for they -had to stand by for a call to shorten sail at any hour of the day or -night. Their food consisted of salt-junk and hardtack, with roasted -wheat boiled for coffee, and a taste of sugar to sweeten it. Beans and -salt pork were the only other articles to vary the monotonous and -unhealthful diet. As for lime-juice, it existed only in the imagination -of the shipping commissioner who signed-on the men.</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p>The Silver Sea was manned and officered by a set of men who had been -longer in the trade around the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a>{40}</span> Cape than any others of the deep-water -fleet. She crossed the 50th parallel on the morning of June 20, and not -being certain of her exact longitude, Captain Enoch Moss headed her a -trifle to the eastwards to clear Staten Land. The second day afterwards -land was looked for, the first to be seen in eighty days out of New -York.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss was said to be a hard man among hard men. His second mate was -a man named Garnett, a fellow who had been so smashed, shot, and stove -up, in the innumerable fracases in which he had taken part, that to an -unnautical eye he appeared an almost helpless old man. His twisted -bow-legs, set wide apart, gave him a peculiar lurching motion when he -walked, and suggested the idea that he was continually trying to right -himself into equilibrium upon the moving world beneath his feet.</p> - -<p>A large, red-headed Irishman, with a freckled, hairless face, named -O’Toole, was the first officer on board. It was his watch on deck, and -he stood, quadrant in hand, calling off time sights to the skipper, who -sat below checking up his reckoning.</p> - -<p>Garnett sat on the main-hatch and smoked, waiting and resting, for he -seldom turned in during his day watches below. A man sat in the maintop, -and, as O’Toole took his last sight, hailed the deck.</p> - -<p>“Land ho!” he bawled. “Little for’ard o’ the beam!” And he pointed to -the ragged peaks of Staten Land showing dimly through the haze to the -westward. It was very close reckoning after all, and O’Toole was well -pleased as he bawled the news<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a>{41}</span> down the companion-way to the skipper. -Then he turned to Garnett, who had come on the poop.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a pity, Garnett, yer eddication was so misplaced ye don’t know a -hog-yoke from a dead-eye, fer ye miss all the cream av navigation.”</p> - -<p>Garnett removed his cap and mopped the dent in the top of his bald -cranium.</p> - -<p>“You an’ your hog-yoke be hanged. If I used up as much canvas as you the -company would be in debt to the sail-makers. I mayn’t be able to take -sights like you, but blast me if I would lift a face like yourn to -heaven. No, stave me if I wouldn’t be afraid of giving offence. I mayn’t -have much of a show hereafter, but I wouldn’t like to lose the little I -have.”</p> - -<p>“Git out, ye owld pirit! And say, Garnett, ye know this is the first -land sighted, so ye better get your man ready to go ashore. The owld man -swore he’d put him ashore on the first rock sighted, for sez he, ‘I -don’t want no more cutting fracases aboard this ship.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>The man referred to was a tall, dark-haired Spaniard, who had already -indulged in four fights on board in which his sheath-knife had played a -prominent part. Having been put in double irons he had worked himself -loose, so the captain, not wishing to be short-handed with wounded men -off the Cape, had decided to hold court in the after cabin before -marooning the man, as he had sworn to do when the ruffian had broken -loose and again attacked a former opponent. The news of sighting<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a>{42}</span> the -land brought him on deck while the mates were talking, and he made known -his course in the matter a few moments after O’Toole had ceased -speaking.</p> - -<p>“You can bring the fellow aft, Mr. Garnett,” said he. “And twelve men of -your watch can have a say in the matter before I put him ashore.”</p> - -<p>Garnett left the poop and went forward and told his watch what was -wanted, and they in turn told the man, Gretto Gonzales, whom they held -tightly bound for further orders.</p> - -<p>“Eet iz no fair! Yo no hablo Engleeze!” cried the ruffian, who began to -understand his position.</p> - -<p>“Colorado maduro, florifino perfecto,” replied Garnett, gravely, -remembering what Spanish he had read on the covers of various -cigar-boxes. “If you don’t savey English, I’m all solid with your -bloomin’ Spanish. So bear a hand, bullies, and bring the convict aft.”</p> - -<p>His victim, a mortally wounded man lying in a bunk, and two others badly -cut in the onslaughts Gonzales had begun the first day at sea, smiled -hopefully. Davis, the principal object of his attacks, cursed him -quietly, although his lungs had been pierced twice by the Spaniard’s -knife. The two other men, Americans, who had taken his part in the -affrays and suffered in consequence, also swore heartily, and -sarcastically wished Gonzales a pleasant sojourn on the Tierra del -Fuego.</p> - -<p>Although the ship carried no passengers, Enoch Moss had thought fit to -provide a stewardess. This woman was well known to many deep-water -skippers,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a>{43}</span> and at one time had possessed extreme beauty. Her early -history no one knew, but since she had taken to the sea she had -endeavored to make up for this deficiency by creating enough for several -women.</p> - -<p>Plump and rosy she was still, and much thought of by all with whom she -sailed. Many a poor sailor had reason to thank Moll, as she was called, -for the tidbits she brought forward from the cabin mess, for often a few -meals of good food did much to save a man from the horrible scurvy which -for years has been the curse of the deep-water fleet.</p> - -<p>Whatever faults the woman had, she also had good qualities in abundance.</p> - -<p>It was a strange scene there in the cabin when Gonzales was brought -before the captain. The twelve sailors shuffled about uneasily as they -stood against the cabin bulkhead, while Enoch Moss sat at the head of -the table with his charts and instruments before him. On one side stood -the condemned man, who was to be tried again, so that the skipper’s oath -to maroon him would be more than a sudden condemnation. It would have -the backing of twelve honest sailors in case of further developments. -That the twelve honest sailors would agree with the captain was evident -by the respectful attitude in which they stood, and the uneasy and -fearful glances they cast at him across the cabin table. O’Toole stood -in the cabin door, and behind him, looking over his shoulder, stood -Moll.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss looked up at the man before him and spoke in his deep, hoarse -voice.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a>{44}</span></p> - -<p>“You have fought four times since you’ve been aboard,” said he; “the -last time you broke out your irons and nearly killed Davis, and I -promised to maroon you. I’ll do it before night.” Then he turned to the -men. “We have tried to keep this fellow in irons and he breaks out. He -has cut three of you. Do you agree with me that it is best to put him -ashore before further trouble, or not?”</p> - -<p>“Yes, sir, put him on the beach,” came a hoarse answer from the men that -made O’Toole smile.</p> - -<p>“Got anything to say before you go?” asked the skipper.</p> - -<p>The poor fellow looked across to the door in the bulkhead. His eyes met -those of Moll, and he gazed longingly at her a moment while a look of -peculiar tenderness spread over his coarse, fierce face. Then he looked -at a seam in the cabin floor for an instant and appeared to be thinking.</p> - -<p>“Well, speak up,” growled Enoch Moss.</p> - -<p>“Yo no hablo Americano. Yo no understand. No, I say nothin’; yes, I say -thank you.” And he looked the skipper squarely in the face.</p> - -<p>“You can take him forward,” said Enoch Moss.</p> - -<p>As they filed out again into the cold and wet, Moll watched them, and -after they had gone the skipper called her.</p> - -<p>“Do you know Gonzales or Davis?” said he.</p> - -<p>“Never saw either of them before they came aboard this ship,” she -answered in a steady voice.</p> - -<p>The captain looked long and searchingly at the woman before him. She met -his gaze fairly for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a>{45}</span> the space of a minute; then her lip trembled -slightly.</p> - -<p>“That will do. You may go,” said he, and his voice had a peculiar -sadness that few people had ever heard.</p> - -<p>O’Toole’s step sounded on the deck overhead, and, as the stewardess went -forward into the main cabin, the mate’s voice sounded down the -companion-way. “It’s hauled to the north’ard, sir. Shall I let her come -as high as sou’-sou’west, sir?”</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss sat silent at the table. He was thinking of a Spanish crest -he had seen tattooed on the white arm of the stewardess. It belonged to -her “family,” she had told him, and was tattooed there when she was a -child of sixteen.</p> - -<p>“Yes, let her head up to the southwest, and call me when we get in close -enough to lower a boat,” he replied.</p> - -<p>Before dark they were as close in as they dared to go, much closer than -one skipper out of ten would take his ship, even in calm weather. Then a -boat was lowered and Gonzales was put into it with enough to eat to last -him a month. Garnett and two sailors jumped in, and all was ready.</p> - -<p>The skipper stood at the break of the poop, and beside him stood -O’Toole.</p> - -<p>“Ye better not cast th’ raskil adrift till ye get ashore,” said the -mate, “for by th’ faith av th’ howly saints, ’twill be himself that will -be for coming aboard an’ laving ye to hunt a route from th’ Cape.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a>{46}</span></p> - -<p>“Trust me to see the pirit landed safely,” replied Garnett. “I’ve -handled <i>men</i> before.”</p> - -<p>A female head appeared at the door of the forward cabin just beneath the -skipper’s feet. He looked down at it unnoticed for a moment. Then he -spoke in a low voice, moving away from O’Toole, so he could not hear,—</p> - -<p>“Would you like to go with him?”</p> - -<p>Moll started as if shot. Then she looked up at the captain with a face -pale and drawn into a ghastly smile. She gave a hard laugh, and walked -out on the main-deck and looked at the boat as the oars fell across. The -condemned man looked up, and his eyes met hers, but she rested her arms -on the bulwarks and gazed steadily at him over the top-gallant-rail -until he went slowly out of sight.</p> - -<p>Two hours later Garnett and the men returned with the empty boat.</p> - -<p>The ship was headed away to the southwest, and the struggle to turn the -corner began with one man less in the port-watch.</p> - -<p>In the dog-watch Garnett met O’Toole on the main-deck.</p> - -<p>“We landed him right enough,” he said, “for we just put him ashore, and -then only cast off his hands, so we could get into the boat afore he -could walk. But what seemed almighty queer was his asking me to give the -skipper’s stewardess that ring. Do you suppose they was ever married or -knowed each other afore?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t suppose nothin’, Garnett; but you better<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a>{47}</span> give her the ring. -Davis is a good enough man, but one man don’t try to kill another, so -strong, for nothin.’ Better give her the ring—and you want to git that -chafing-gear on the fore-royal-backstay a little higher up; it’s cuttin’ -through against the yard.”</p> - -<p>The following night at two bells the wind began to come in puffs, and in -less than half an hour afterwards it was snorting away in true Cape Horn -style.</p> - -<p>It was Garnett’s watch on deck at midnight, and as he came on the poop -he saw there was to be some discomfort. Each rope of the standing and -running rigging, shroud and backstay, downhaul and clew-line, was piping -away with a lively note, and the deep, smothered, booming roar overhead -told how the ship stood to it and that the canvas was holding. The three -lower storm-topsails and the main spencer were all the sails set, and -for a while the ship stood up to it in good shape. At ten minutes past -three in the morning she shipped a sea that smothered her. With a rush -and thundering shock a hundred tons of water washed over her. The ship -was knocked off into the trough of the sea, and hove down on her beam -ends. The water poured down her hatch openings in immense volumes; the -main-hatch, being a “booby,” was smashed; and all hands were called to -save ship.</p> - -<p>O’Toole and his watch managed to get the mizzen-trysail on her while -Garnett got the clew of the foretop-sail on the yard without bursting -it. Then the vessel gradually headed up again to the enormous sea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a>{48}</span></p> - -<p>The ship sagged off to leeward all the next day and was driven far below -the latitude of the Cape; then, as she gradually cleared the storm belt, -the wind slacked and top-gallant-sails were put on her to drive her back -again.</p> - -<p>Five times did she get to the westward of the Cape, only to be driven -back again by gales of peculiar violence. She lost three sets of -topsails, two staysails, a mizzen-trysail, besides a dozen or more -pieces of lighter canvas, before the first day of August.</p> - -<p>Part of this day she was in company with the large ship Shenandoah, but -as the wind was light she drew away, for in that high rolling sea it is -very dangerous for one ship to get close to another, as a sudden calm -might bring them in contact, which would prove fatal to one or both.</p> - -<p>The night was bitter cold. The canvas rolled on the yards was as hard as -iron, and that which was set was as stiff to handle as sheet tin. Old -Dan, the quartermaster, and Sadg Bilkidg, the African sailor, were at -the wheel; the quartermaster swathed in a scarf and muffled up to the -chin, with his long, hooked nose sticking forward, looked as watchful -as—and not unlike—the great albatross that soared silently in the -wake.</p> - -<p>A giant sea began rolling in from the southwest and the wind followed -suddenly. The foretop-sail went out of the bolt-ropes, and, as the ship -was to the westward of Tierra del Fuego and the wind blowing her almost -dead on it, she was hove-to with<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a>{49}</span> great difficulty. After a terrible -night the wind hauled a little. Not much, but enough to throw her head a -couple of points and let the sea come over her.</p> - -<p>A huge mass of water fell on deck and washed a man, named Johnson, -overboard. He was one of Davis’s friends, and had been cut by Gonzales. -He remained within ten fathoms of the plunging ship for fully five -minutes, but nothing could be done for him.</p> - -<p>Three days passed before the gale eased and swung to the southward, and -the high land of Tierra del Fuego was then in plain sight under the lee.</p> - -<p>The man Davis was dead, and he was dropped overboard as soon as the gale -slacked enough to permit walking on the main-deck. Sail was made, in -spite of the heavy sea, and the ship headed away to the northward, at -last, with a crew almost dead from exposure. Everything was put on -forward, starting at a reefed foresail, until finally on the second day -she was tearing along under a maintop-gallant-sail.</p> - -<p>The well was then sounded, and it was found she was making water so fast -that the pumps could just keep her afloat. Six days after this she came -logging into Valparaiso with her decks almost awash. A tug came -alongside and relieved a crew of men who looked more like a set of -swollen corpses than anything else. Men with arms blue and puffed to -bursting from the steady work at the pump-brakes, their jaws set and -faces seamed and lined with the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a>{50}</span> strain, dropped where they stood beside -the welling pump-lead upon the deck.</p> - -<p>They had weathered the Cape and saved the ship with her cargo of -railroad iron, for they had stood to it, and steam took the place of -brawn just as the water began lapping around the hatch combings. O’Toole -approached Garnett as they started to turn in for a rest after the -fracas.</p> - -<p>“There’s a curse aboard us, Garnett. Come here!” said the mate. He led -the way into the cabin, and pointed to the open door of the stewardess’s -room.</p> - -<p>“It’s a good thing to be a woman,” growled Garnett. “Just think of a man -being able to turn in and sleep peaceful-like that way, hey? Stave me, -but I’d like to turn in for a week and sleep like that,” and he looked -at the quiet form in the bunk.</p> - -<p>“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t a good thing to be a woman,” said O’Toole, -quietly. “Faith, it may be a good thing to be woman, but as for me, I’ll -take me place as a man, an’ no begrudgin’. Moll is dead, man,—been dead -for two days gone. The owld man ain’t said nothin’, for he wanted to -bring her ashore, dacent an’ quiet like. She bruk into th’ -medicin’-chist off th’ Straits.”</p> - -<p>Garnett removed his cap, and wiped the dent in the top of his bald head.</p> - -<p>“Ye don’t say!” he said, slowly. Then he was silent a moment while they -both looked into the room. Garnett put up his handkerchief and rubbed -his head again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a>{51}</span></p> - -<p>“It was so, then, hey?” he said. “An’ Davis was the man what broke ’em -up. Too bad, too bad!”</p> - -<p>“By th’ look av th’ matter, it must ha’ been. Yes, ’pon me whurd, for a -fact, it must ha’ been.”</p> - -<p>The captain’s step sounded in the after-cabin, and the mates went -forward to their bunks.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a>{52}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_BLACK_CREW_OF_COOPERS_HOLE" id="THE_BLACK_CREW_OF_COOPERS_HOLE"></a><i>THE BLACK CREW OF COOPER’S HOLE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>O the southward of Cape Horn, a hundred leagues distant across the -Antarctic Ocean, lie the South Orkneys. Sailors seldom see these strange -islands more than once. Those who do see them are not always glad of it -afterwards, for they usually have done so with storm topsails straining -away at the clews and the deep roar of a hurricane making chaos of sound -on the ship’s deck. Then those on watch have seen the drift break away -to leeward for a few moments, and there, rising like some huge, dark -monster from the wild southern ocean, the iron-hard cliffs appear to -warn the Cape Horner that his time has come. If they are a lucky crew -and go clear, they may live to tell of those black rocks rising to meet -the leaden sky. If they are too close to wear ship and make a slant for -it, then there is certain to be an overdue vessel at some port, and they -go to join the crews of missing ships. The South Orkney ledges tell no -tales, for a ship striking upon them with the lift of the Cape Horn sea -will grind up like a grain of coffee in a mill.</p> - -<p>In the largest of these grim rocks is a gigantic cleft with walls rising -a sheer hundred fathoms on either side. The cleft is only a few fathoms -across, and lets into the rocky wall until suddenly it opens again into -a large, quiet, land-locked harbor. This<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a>{53}</span> is the Great Hole of the -Orkneys. On all sides of this extinct volcanic crater rise the walls, -showing marks of eruptions in past ages, and a lead-line dropped at any -point in the water of the hole will show no bottom at a hundred fathoms.</p> - -<p>Since the days of Drake and Frobisher the hole has been visited at long -intervals, but it is safe to say that not more than six white men have -visited it since Cook’s Antarctic voyage. To get in and out of the -passage safely requires a knowledge of the currents of the locality, and -the heavy sea that bursts into a churning caldron of roaring white -smother on each side of the entrance would make the most daring sailor -hesitate before sending even a whale-boat through those grinding ledges -into the dark passage beyond.</p> - -<p>To the eastward of the Horn, all along the coast of Tierra del Fuego, -the fur seals are plentiful. At the Falklands many men of the colony -hunt them for their pelts. The schooners formerly used in this trade -were small vessels, ranging from sixty to a hundred tons, and the crews -were usually a mixture of English and native.</p> - -<p>After working along the southern shore of Tierra del Fuego they often -went as far north as the forty-fifth parallel. They then used to -rendezvous at the coaling station in the Straits of Magellan, sell out -their catch, and afterwards, with enough supplies to carry them home, -they would clear for the Falklands or the West Coast.</p> - -<p>A rough, savage lot were these sealing crews, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a>{54}</span> they were well -equipped with rifles of the best make and unlimited numbers of -cartridges. Sometimes they carried a whale-gun forward and took chances -with it at the great fin-backs for a few tons of bone. These cannon -threw a heavy exploding harpoon which both killed and secured the whale -if struck in a vital part.</p> - -<p>The largest schooner of the Falkland fleet, the Lord Hawke, was lying -off the coaling station, one day, sending ashore her pelts for shipment -to Liverpool. Her skipper, John Nelson, was keeping tally of the load -upon a piece of board with the bullet end of a long rifle cartridge. Two -other vessels were anchored in the channel, already discharged, and -their crews were either getting ready to put to sea or lounging about -the station. John Nelson suddenly looked up from his tally and saw a -strange figure standing outlined against the sky upon a jagged spur of -rock about half a mile distant on the other side of the Strait. The -natives to the southward of the Strait are very fierce and dangerous, so -Nelson swore at a sailor passing a hide and bade him “avast.” Then he -took up his glass and examined the figure closely.</p> - -<p>It appeared to be that of a white man clothed in skins, carrying either -a staff or gun, upon which he leaned.</p> - -<p>“There are no men from the schooner ashore over there; hey, Watkins?” -said Nelson.</p> - -<p>“Naw,” said his mate, looking at the solitary figure. “It’s one of those -cannibals from the s’uth’ard.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a>{55}</span></p> - -<p>“Pass me a rifle,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>The mate did so, and Nelson slipped in the cartridge he had been using -for a pencil.</p> - -<p>“Now stand by and see the critter jump,” said he, and his crew of six -Fuegians stopped shifting hides and waited.</p> - -<p>John Nelson was an Englishman of steady nerves, but he rested his rifle -carefully against the topmost backstay and drew the sights fine upon the -man on the rock.</p> - -<p>It was a useless act of brutality, but John Nelson was a fierce butcher, -and the killing of countless seals had hardened him. A man who kills a -helpless seal when the poor creature raises its eyes with an imploring -half-human appeal for mercy will develop into a vicious butcher if he -does it often.</p> - -<p>The picture on the schooner’s deck was not very pleasant. Nelson, with -his hard, bronzed face pressed to the rifle-stock, and his gleaming eye -looking along the sights at the object four hundred fathoms distant. It -was a long shot, but the cold gray twilight of the Antarctic spring-time -made the mark loom strangely distinct against the lowering evening sky.</p> - -<p>There was a sharp report and all hands looked at the figure. Nelson -lowered his rifle and peered through the spurt of smoke. The man on the -rock gave a spring to one side, then he waved his hand at the schooner -and disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Bloody good shot, that,” said John Nelson, handing Watkins the rifle. -“That’s one for the crew<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a>{56}</span> of the Golden Arrow. I guess that fellow won’t -care so much about eating sailors as he did when those poor devils went -ashore to the s’uth’ard last year.”</p> - -<p>“Think you hit him, for sure?” asked the mate.</p> - -<p>“Didn’t you see him jump?”</p> - -<p>“Oh, yes,” said Watkins. “Here, Sam, go ahead with the skins. Take that -pelt—damn!” As he spoke the faint crack of a rifle sounded and Nelson -saw his mate clutch his leg.</p> - -<p>“Nipped you, by thunder! Now where in the name of Davy Jones did that -fellow get a gun? Blow me, but things are coming to a pretty pass when a -vessel can’t unload in this blooming Strait without somebody getting -shot. I’d lay ten to one it was that Dago the Silver Sea marooned last -year.”</p> - -<p>Watkins was not badly hurt, however, and after the cut in his leg was -tied up he sat about the deck and cursed at the way the British -government allowed its stations to be open to the attacks of savages. -The station was not well fortified, but the few men there had had little -trouble, and the block-house of wood and stone was found to be -sufficient shelter. There was little for the natives to steal save coal, -so they were left alone. When a few straggling Fuegians crossed the -Strait, as they sometimes did, they were peaceful enough, and only -traded in skins and rum. Fire-arms they never used and did not care for.</p> - -<p>After the last boat-load of hides was sent ashore from the Hawke, the -crew went below and began<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a>{57}</span> to trim the vessel’s stores for getting under -way. They would start for the Falklands at daylight.</p> - -<p>It was late when the lookout was set and all hands off watch had turned -in.</p> - -<p>Nelson and his mate, Watkins, were sleeping in the cabin to starboard -while the harpooner and a half-breed hunter occupied the port bunks. The -fire burned low in the small stove and the cabin was dark.</p> - -<p>About three in the morning several canoes shot out from the southern -shore of the Strait and headed rapidly towards the Lord Hawke. It was -getting light in the east and the man on the lookout could make out the -grim monument of Admiral Drake’s, where that truculent commander had -once swung off a mutineer into eternity. The man on the lookout struck -off six bells and then went below to get a pipe of tobacco.</p> - -<p>When he came on deck, five minutes later, he was astonished to meet -twenty gigantic Patagonians clad in skins, who were being led towards -the hatchway by a dark-faced, heavy built Spaniard.</p> - -<p>“<i>Hace bien tiempo quel a manana</i>,” observed the leader, nodding and -smiling pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“What the——”</p> - -<p>But before he could finish, a savage struck him a blow on the head with -a club, and that ended his interest in things of this world. He was -quickly knifed and dropped overboard. Then the Spaniard led the way aft. -Nelson and his comrades awoke to find a couple of black giants bending -over each of them. Before they could offer any resistance the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a>{58}</span> knives -and clubs of the black crew had put an end to any possible discussion. -There was an outcry, but even the skipper’s single fierce yell was not -heard by the men on the other vessels. The leader grasped Nelson by the -throat while four natives held his arms and legs.</p> - -<p>“You shot at me yesterday,” said the Spaniard.</p> - -<p>“I didn’t know you were a white man. Who are you?” gasped Nelson, in a -strangling whisper.</p> - -<p>“Gretto Gonzales.”</p> - -<p>“The man whose wife was stewardess on the Silver Sea—you were marooned -for killing the man who ran off with her?”</p> - -<p>“How you hear?”</p> - -<p>“Saw it in last year’s newspaper—let go of my throat—— Ah!”</p> - -<p>It was all over, and the crew of the sealing schooner were dropped -overboard. The men at the station were astonished to find the Lord Hawke -standing out to sea so early in the morning without settling for the -trade at the company’s store. A few weeks later the crews of the other -Falkland schooners were more astonished to find that the Lord Hawke had -not returned to the islands. At the end of two months John Nelson and -his crew were given up for lost, for the Hawke was seen no more in the -sealing fleet. Gretto Gonzales, the Spaniard, held her head straight for -the South Orkneys and ran her through the entrance of the Great Hole. -Once safe inside, he built huts of stone for his stores, and then stood -to sea again to meet the Cape Horn fleet.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a>{59}</span></p> - -<p>As he had by some means—previous to the taking of the Hawke—heard of -the death of Davis from the wounds he had given him in the fight on the -Silver Sea, he was afraid to set foot in one of the Strait stations. -Captain Enoch Moss had marooned him two years ago for his savage conduct -aboard his ship, and since then he had become a chief among the fierce -eastern natives. These savages were large and active, and unlike the -hopeless Fuegians of Smith’s Channel. His life, like theirs, was wild -and restless, but it was unbearable for its monotony, so he had picked -his crew and determined on this wild plan of piracy. His thoughts also -appear to have been often with his wife, whom he believed to be alive, -for many of his actions point that this was his chief motive in holding -up the vessels of the Cape Horn fleet.</p> - -<p>The first vessel he sighted was the Norwegian bark Erik, and he boarded -her in his whale-boat during a calm. She was reported as missing.</p> - -<p>The next vessel was the large ship James Burk, of San Francisco. He -fought her, and followed her for nearly ten days, and finally took her -abreast of the Ramirez after having shot half her crew from his own -deck. She was also added to the list of missing ships and no one in the -civilized world was the wiser.</p> - -<p>For over a year and a half Gonzales held up vessels of all kinds, and -not a soul escaped to tell a tale. How many ships, still overdue, were -taken by him no one will ever know, but it is safe to say they were -many. His storehouses at the Orkneys were filled with enough material to -supply a colony.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a>{60}</span></p> - -<p>After taking enough supplies to last him for years, Gonzales ceased to -attack vessels. This was proved in the case of the Sentinel, whose -skipper reported a fast, black sealing schooner, without a name, manned -by a crew of Patagonians, having spoken him in south latitude 50°, west -longitude 96° 35’. The skipper of the sealing vessel came aboard and -asked the captain of the Sentinel to sell him Remington 45-90 cartridges -for sealing. After this he asked to see all the passengers, and insisted -on talking for some time to the stewardess. Then he left in his boat, -calling out a farewell in Spanish.</p> - -<p>The English ship Porpoise, a few months later, reported the same strange -sealer off Juan Fernandez. He came aboard with a dozen of his giant -crew, and asked for rifle cartridges. He also held a long conversation -about the different vessels in the Cape Horn trade, and asked many -questions in regard to their skippers and after guards.</p> - -<p>“I haf a wife; she runs away on ship,—I look for her,” said he to the -captain of the Porpoise.</p> - -<p>“Hope you will find her,” said the Englishman, with a sneering grin and -a glance at the Spaniard’s strange dress.</p> - -<p>“You seem amused,” said Gonzales.</p> - -<p>“I am,” replied the skipper, laughing.</p> - -<p>“Then see I don’t kill you,” said Gonzales, and he left without another -word.</p> - -<p>The sealing schooner was within fifty fathoms of the ship, and after -Gonzales went back aboard the captain watched him. As he looked, he saw -the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a>{61}</span> Spaniard raise a gun to his shoulder and the smoke spurt forth. At -the same instant a bullet tore its way through the taffrail, within an -inch of his waist.</p> - -<p>“Sink him, if his wife hasn’t driven him mad,” cried the captain, as he -dived below.</p> - -<p>Five other vessels reported meeting this strange sealer before the year -was out, and each told of a somewhat similar experience in regard to the -stranger’s inquiries. As sealers seldom speak deep-water ships, this was -thought strange, and when Enoch Moss, of the Yankee clipper Silver Sea, -read the latest account at Havre, he called his first mate, Mr. O’Toole, -into the after cabin.</p> - -<p>“Have you read the <i>Marine Journal</i>?” said he, looking up at the big -red-headed Irishman.</p> - -<p>“No, sir; how is it now?”</p> - -<p>“Read that, and tell me what you make of it.”</p> - -<p>O’Toole looked hard at the page for some moments, and then replied,—</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pon me whurd, for a fact, it’s him, Gonzales, th’ very man we marooned -off th’ Cape for knifin’ Davis. Now, what in th’ name av th’ saints is -he doin’ aboard a sealer with a native crew? He don’t know poor Moll is -dead, for sure, but he’s heard av th’ man he knifed.”</p> - -<p>“Maybe he will visit us to the s’uth’ard,” said Enoch Moss.</p> - -<p>“In that case, ’twill be as well to have a few rifles aboard, for a -fact. Shall I see to it?”</p> - -<p>“Yes; we clear to-morrow at noon.”</p> - -<p>And O’Toole went forward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a>{62}</span></p> - -<p>At the main-hatch he met Garnett, the second mate, and he asked,—</p> - -<p>“D’ye mind Gonzales? Th’ same as ye put off on th’ rocks av Hermite -Isle?”</p> - -<p>“The Dago who killed Davis for his wife’s sake?”</p> - -<p>“Th’ same.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I reckon I do, but what of him? He won’t turn up as long as -there’s danger of swinging.”</p> - -<p>“He’s sealin’ to th’ s’uth’ard av th’ Cape, an’ speakin’ vessels what -carry stewardesses. He shot at th’ skipper av th’ Porpoise for no more -than a joke.”</p> - -<p>“Stave me! You don’t mean it. He’s looking for Moll, then. Suppose he -meets us?”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pon me whurd, I feel sorry for ye if he does, Garnett. Ye are an owld -villain, an’ ye haven’t much chance if he sees ye. Now, for a fact, -ye’ll be in a bad way.” And O’Toole grinned hopefully.</p> - -<p>“Bah!” said Garnett, and he went on with his work.</p> - -<p>Ten weeks later the Silver Sea raised Cape St. John, and stood away for -the Horn under top-gallant-sails. It was mid-summer, and Christmas day -was daylight twenty hours out of the twenty-four. There was little -difficulty in seeing anything that might rise above the horizon. It came -on to blow very hard from the northwest during the day, and the ship, -being quite deep, was snugged down to her single lower maintop-sail. She -lay to on the starboard tack, and made heavy weather of the high, -rolling sea.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a>{63}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a bad spell for th’ ‘wind-jammers,’<span class="lftspc">”</span> said O’Toole, as he stood -under the lee of the mizzen, where he had just come to relieve Garnett.</p> - -<p>“Divil av a thing have we sighted but a blooming owld penguin this -blessed week.”</p> - -<p>“It’s a most ornery live sea rolling,” said Garnett, removing his -sou’wester, and mopping the dent in the top of his bald head. “I wonder -how that Dago would like to board us to-day?”</p> - -<p>“He was good enough sailor; but, say, Garnett, what d’ye make av that -white t’ the west’ard? ’Pon me whurd, for a fact, ’tis a small vessel -comin’ afore it.”</p> - -<p>Garnett looked to windward. There, coming out of the thick haze of the -flying drift, appeared a small black schooner running before the storm, -with nothing but a small trysail on the foremast. She rode the giant -seas like an albatross, and bore down on the Silver Sea at a tremendous -pace. Several figures appeared upon her dripping deck, and several more -appeared aft at her helm. The white foam dripped from her black sides at -each roll, and was flung far to either side of her shearing bows, -leaving a broad, white road on the following sea to mark her wake.</p> - -<p>From the time O’Toole first saw her outlined against the blue -steel-colored sky through the flying spray and spume drift to that when -she came abreast the Silver Sea was but a few minutes. But it was long -enough for Garnett to call the skipper, who came on deck and examined -her through his glass.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a>{64}</span></p> - -<p>“Gonzales and his black crew, by all that’s holy,” said Enoch Moss, -quietly.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pon me whurd it is, an’ he’s going to kape us company. Look!” said -O’Toole.</p> - -<p>As he spoke, the little vessel began to broach to on the weather-beam. -As she bore up in the trough, a tremendous comber struck her and laid -her flat on her beam ends, so that for several minutes she was quite out -of sight in the smother. Then her masts were seen to rise again out of -that storm-torn sea, and she was taking the weight of it forward of her -starboard beam. It was an interesting sight to see that little craft -rise like a live thing and throw her dripping forefoot high in the air -until her keel was visible clear back to her foremast. Great splashes of -snowy white foam, dripping from her black sides, were blown into long -streamers by the gale, and everything alow and aloft glistened with salt -water. Then she would descend with a wild plunge and bury herself almost -out of sight in the sea, only to rise again in a perfect storm of flying -spray. She was heading well and making good weather of it, half a mile -off the Silver Sea’s weather-quarter.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss watched her through his glass.</p> - -<p>“It’s Gonzales, and he has a gun. I reckon he will signal us,” said he. -“No,” he continued; “he has raised it and put it down again. Sink him; I -believe he has fired at us.”</p> - -<p>There was no report heard above the deep booming roar of the gale, but -instantly after the skipper spoke a small hole appeared in the -maintop-sail.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a>{65}</span> The hole grew in size every moment as the pressure of the -gale tore the parting canvas. Then, with a loud crack, the sail split -from head to foot and began to thrash to ribbons from the yard.</p> - -<p>“Stave me, but he has the range of us all right,” said Garnett, and the -next instant he was plunging forward bawling for the watch to lay aft -and secure the remains of the storm-topsail.</p> - -<p>“Shall we put the spencer on her?” bawled O’Toole to the skipper, who -had sprung to the wheel.</p> - -<p>“No use,” roared Enoch Moss. “Trim the yards sharp and let her hold on -the best she can. If she pays off put a tarpaulin in the mizzen.”</p> - -<p>The Silver Sea did hold her head up to the sea without any canvas, for -she was very deep, and she sagged off to leeward less than the Hawke.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss went below and came on deck again with a Winchester rifle. -Then he seated himself comfortably near the wheel and fired cartridge -after cartridge at the trysail of the schooner. After half an hour’s -sport there was nothing to indicate that his shots had taken effect, so -he desisted. All Christmas day the vessels were within sight of each -other and towards evening the wind began to slack up.</p> - -<p>Gonzales was first to take advantage of the lull. He put a close-reefed -mainsail on his little vessel, and, with a bonneted jib hoisted high -above the sea-washed forecastle, he sent the Hawke reaching through it -like mad.</p> - -<p>He came close under the Silver Sea’s lee-quarter,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a>{66}</span> and fired his -whale-gun slap into the ship’s cabin. The shell burst and scattered the -skipper’s charts all over the deck and set fire to the bulkhead. Then -began the most novel fight that ever occurred on deep water.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss, O’Toole, and Garnett kept up a rapid fire with their rifles -upon the schooner’s deck, but, although the range was not great, the -motion of the plunging vessels made it almost impossible to hit even a -good-sized mark. Gonzales, in turn, fired his whale-gun as long as he -was close enough to use it, and he made the splinters fly from the -deck-house and cabin. Then he and his fellows took to their sealing -rifles and kept up a hot fire until the Hawke passed ahead out of range. -Three times did the Spaniard go to windward and run down on the heavily -loaded ship, while all hands worked to get canvas on her. Finally, when -the Silver Sea hoisted topsails, fore and aft, she began to drive ahead -at a reasonable rate, but with dangerous force, into the heavy sea. Even -then Gonzales could outpoint her, and had no difficulty in keeping -within easy rifle range. From there he kept up a slow but steady fire -upon everything that had the appearance of life on the Silver Sea’s -deck.</p> - -<p>Late in the evening it was still quite light, and he drew closer. A huge -Patagonian was seen upon the schooner’s forecastle, firing slowly and -carefully. Soon after this a sailor was struck and badly injured. The -faint crack of the sealing rifle continued to sound at regular -intervals, and Enoch Moss began<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a>{67}</span> to get desperate. He stood behind the -mizzen, watching the Hawke following him as a dog follows a boar.</p> - -<p>“This can’t keep up forever,” he said to O’Toole. “He’ll wear us out -before we make port. I reckon we might as well stand away for the -Falklands.”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis no use; I can’t hit him,” said O’Toole, jamming his rifle into the -furled spanker. “Th’ men are all scared half mad, an’ if it falls calm -he’ll board us certain; ’pon me whurd he will.”</p> - -<p>“We must chance it, then,” said Enoch Moss. “Hoist away the fore-and -main-t’gallant-sails. We’ll run for it.”</p> - -<p>In ten minutes the Silver Sea was standing away to the eastward, with -half a gale on her quarter. She hoisted sail after sail, until she drove -along fully twelve knots an hour, leaving a wide, white wake into which -Gonzales squared away. But he could not overhaul her. He shook out his -reefs and hoisted a foresail, burying his little vessel’s head in a wild -smother of foam.</p> - -<p>Enoch Moss stood aft looking at him, and, as his ship flew along with -top-gallant-masts bending like whips, his spirits rose.</p> - -<p>“He’ll spring something yet, if he holds on,” he cried to O’Toole and -Garnett, who stood near.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pon me whurd he will,” said the mate.</p> - -<p>“Look!” bawled Garnett.</p> - -<p>As he spoke, a huge sea, following in the Spaniard’s wake, began its -combing rush. It struck<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a>{68}</span> the little schooner full upon her -weather-quarter, and rolled over her stern, swinging her broadside to. -As it did so the mainsail caught the weight of the flying crest, and the -mast went over the side. The next instant it carried the foremast with -it. Then the Hawke lay a complete and helpless wreck upon the high, -rolling seas of the Horn.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got him,” bawled Enoch Moss, springing upon the poop. “Fore-and -main-t’gallant-sails, quick!” And the mates dashed forward, bawling for -all hands to secure the canvas. Jennings and Bilkidg stood at the wheel, -and steadied the heavy ship as she came on the wind, and the way she -tore along gave them all they could do.</p> - -<p>Everything held, and they were soon several miles to windward of the -Lord Hawke. Then Enoch Moss wore ship, and stood for the schooner close -hauled. There was still a stiff gale blowing, and the heavy ship tore -her way through the high sea with a lurch and tremble that bade fair to -take her topmasts out of her. But Enoch Moss held on.</p> - -<p>“Point her head for him,” he bawled to the men at the wheel. “Hold her -tight and hit him fair; we’ll smash him under this time.”</p> - -<p>Garnett stood on the forecastle-head and watched the Spaniard giving -directions to the helmsmen by waving his hands. He saw a dozen or more -natives launch their whale-boat and try to clear the schooner just as -the Silver Sea came rushing down upon them, with a roaring waste of -snowy surge under her forefoot, fifty fathoms distant.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a>{69}</span></p> - -<p>Gonzales stood on the schooner’s deck, rifle in hand, and he fired at -Enoch Moss as the Silver Sea towered over his doomed vessel. The next -instant the heavy ship rose on the sea, and, with her great sloping -cut-water storming through it at ten knots an hour, swooped downwards. -There was a heavy jar that almost knocked Garnett overboard, but Enoch -Moss, gripping his arm where the rifle-shot had passed through, rushed -to the side and peered over in time to see the forward half of the Lord -Hawke sink from view. The native crew barely got clear, and, as the -Silver Sea passed on, they and their boat were the only objects left -floating in her wake.</p> - -<p>“Now for the rest,” roared the skipper, smarting from his wound. “Stand -by to wear ship.”</p> - -<p>“We’ll never touch them,” said O’Toole. “They’ve picked up Gonzales and -are heading dead to windward, rowing six oars double banked.”</p> - -<p>The Silver Sea bore up again to the northward, but the black crew of the -Hawke were then a good mile in the wind’s eye, pulling with giant -strokes. She wore again after jamming for an hour, but when she crossed -their wake the whale-boat was a tiny speck in the distance.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a long row home they’ll have,” said O’Toole, looking after them.</p> - -<p>“I hope the old man won’t ship any more pretty stewardesses,” growled -Garnett.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pon me whurd, I don’t belave he will.”</p> - -<p>“Let her head her course, west-nor’west,” said<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a>{70}</span> Enoch Moss, and he went -below holding his bandaged arm.</p> - -<p>The last they saw of Gonzales and his crew was the tiny speck appearing -and disappearing upon the high rolling seas of the Pacific Antarctic -Drift.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a>{71}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="JOHNNIE" id="JOHNNIE"></a><i>JOHNNIE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>T eight bells, after the dog-watch, I went aft to relieve Gantline, and -found him talking to the skipper. It isn’t good ship etiquette to -interrupt a superior officer, so I went to leeward along the poop and -gained the wheel. There I waited until the discussion ended.</p> - -<p>Gantline was somewhat excited at a remark made by the “old man,” and was -holding forth in explanation.</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” said he; “let the boys come aboard for’ard—through the -hawse-pipe, as the saying is—not in the cabin. It’s the little devils -who run away and ship that make the sailors. They take to a slush-pot or -tar-bucket as if there was honor in getting afoul of them. All the -stinks of the fo’castle, all the hard knocks, bad grub, and every mean -thing that happens in a sailor’s life—and Lord knows there are lots of -them—are all taken as part of that big thing—agoing to sea. I know you -want your boys to sign on, regular like. You say it protects them. Maybe -it does. But I say, give me the little rascals who are full of the song -of the thing. Yes, sir, you may laugh, but that’s it. They go into the -thing different, and hard knocks ain’t going to hurt them much.</p> - -<p>“You know a man has to be rough on deep water. No matter how easy he is, -sometimes he gets a hard<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a>{72}</span> crew, and he must know how to handle them when -the time comes.”</p> - -<p>“But how about that case we were speaking of?” said the skipper; “there -was the investigation, and some of the men gave Jensen a pretty rough -name, considering he’s a dead man. They didn’t lay any particular blame -on you.”</p> - -<p>Gantline was somewhat disturbed in mind, and he forthwith went to -leeward and spat a stream of tobacco juice into the sea. Then he came -back wiping his mouth on the back of his great, horny hand, his face -wearing a thoughtful look.</p> - -<p>“You see, this is the way the thing was,” said he, stopping and throwing -one leg upon the rail near where the skipper sat.</p> - -<p>“That little fellow came aboard while we were lying at the dock in the -East River. He was a dirty, ragged little rascal. I saw him sneak over -the rail and dodge behind the deck-house. When I collared him he began -crying, and asked me not to let the ‘cops’ get him. He begged so hard -and seemed so thin a little shaver I couldn’t see him run in, so I let -him down in the forepeak, and he hid behind some empty harness-casks. We -were going out the next day, and I intended to see him ashore all right -in the morning, and as it was past six bells then I went uptown to have -a last look about.</p> - -<p>“Two watchmen stopped me and asked if I had seen a boy come aboard, and -when I asked what they wanted him for they were short enough.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a>{73}</span></p> - -<p>“No, I ain’t much but a deep-water mate, but most men are civil enough -to me.”</p> - -<p>Captain Green smiled, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>“A mate ain’t supposed to know much,” continued Gantline, not liking the -smile, “but I didn’t have to stand on my head to take the sun the first -time I crossed the line,” and he looked meaningly at the skipper, who -smoked in silence.</p> - -<p>“So when those fellows talked short and big, I just told them to hurry -up to the place they were sure to fetch up in some day and went on -uptown. You know what a sailor is, so you know how he spends his last -night on the beach.</p> - -<p>“I got aboard in the morning and was feeling pretty blue. After sticking -my head in a pail of water I came on deck just as we got the word to -clear. In a few minutes we were towing out, and I never thought of that -little shaver until the next day. Then Mr. Jensen dragged him aft to the -‘old man’ by the scruff of his poor little neck.</p> - -<p>“Crojack was feeling blue then, and he didn’t want any boys aboard, so -he told the mate to flog him and turn him to with his watch.</p> - -<p>“The poor little fellow begged hard not to get the rope’s end, but the -mate wouldn’t listen.</p> - -<p>“I can’t say I was against lamming him, for I felt he had taken -advantage of me.</p> - -<p>“Jensen went too far, though, and we came near having a set-to over the -child before we were off soundings. Johnnie was cast loose and he fell -down on deck. Then old Williams, the bos’n, took him<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a>{74}</span> into the -fo’castle. After that Jensen took him in hand pretty regular.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>In my day,’ said he, ‘boys were taught something, and there weren’t no -dudes. And the only way to get knowledge into a boy’s hide is to lam it -in with a rope’s end. It stays there then.’ So he would lecture Johnnie -on the wicked ways of the world, and after the poor little fellow would -listen to the rigmarole and gibble gabble he would take him under the -t’gallant fo’castle and lam him beyond all reason, just so he wouldn’t -forget a word he told him.”</p> - -<p>“That’s what the men said,” broke in Zack Green. “He was a ruffian to -the little fellow and a d——d coward, and meaner than the wrath of -Davy Jones. It’s all because he wasn’t signed on regular.”</p> - -<p>Gantline was silent for a time, and then continued:</p> - -<p>“He grew fat and strong and in a couple of months could go aloft with -the men. He feared nothing but Jensen, and the men used to call out for -fun, ‘Here comes the mate, Johnnie,’ just to hear him curse.</p> - -<p>“Curse? Lord love ye, he could beat anything I ever heard. Why, I’ve -seen the mate go for’ard to see what the men were laughing at, when it -was just Johnnie calling Jensen names to them.”</p> - -<p>“Shows how the coward was ruining him,” broke in the skipper.</p> - -<p>“Well, he did have a queer way of training him,” went on Gantline. “He -would ask him questions<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a>{75}</span> about navigation, too, and then lam him -afterwards. One I remember.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Johnnie,’ said he, ‘if this hooker should be driven clear to the Pole -and steered away nor’west, how would she steer to get back, considering -she had left something there she wanted to go back for, for instance.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Steer away nor’west, sir? Get back, sir? Why, just the opposite -direction, southeast’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Now, how in the name of Davy Jones can a vessel get to the Pole -steering southeast, hey?’ he would yell. ‘What’s the matter with you? -I’ll give you till the watch is called to answer, and if you don’t, I’ll -peel you fore an’ aft.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“A cowardly, ignorant fool, sure enough,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>Gantline bit off a fresh chew of tobacco and stowed it carefully in his -cheek.</p> - -<p>“Still,” he went on, slowly, “when the weather got cold he saw the poor -boy shivering one day, and he went aft and bought him a new set of -slops, good and warm. He must have paid half a month’s wage for them, -for the old man never gave things away off the Horn. You may say it -wasn’t much, but he did it, anyway.</p> - -<p>“It was July when we got off the Cape. You know how it is in that month. -Cold, dark, stormy weather, with the giant nor’west sea rolling down -from the Pacific. We had been knocking about now, too, for three weeks -and were down below 61° south, so it was hard enough. The cold was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a>{76}</span> -terrible. Nearly all of us were badly frozen. There wasn’t any floating -ice, but the log-line broke from the weight of ice frozen to it as it -dipped and rose with the ship.</p> - -<p>“It was dark nearly all the time and so gloomy, even when it wasn’t -blowing hard; all hands were used up. Jensen kept Johnnie warmed up just -the same, and I guess he thought it helped him.</p> - -<p>“One day it got still. The wind died away entirely, and the -maintop-sail—the only rag we had on her—began to jerk fore and aft, -slatting loud as the ship rolled her channels under in a great live sea -that came rolling down on us from the north’ard.</p> - -<p>“It was so dark at six bells in the afternoon the forms of the men -loomed strange like through the gloom as they walked fore and aft in the -gangways. It was my watch on deck; but there was nothing to do, so I sat -on the step to windward on the poop and smoked to keep warm.</p> - -<p>“The mate came on deck after a little while to take a look around, and -he called Johnnie to coil down some running rigging at the mizzen.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>The bloody glass has fallen an inch since eight bells,” said he, -coming to where I sat.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It is sort of bad looking,’ said I, ‘and I don’t quite like the quick -run of this sea,—seems to go faster than ever, as if something was -behind it.’ And as I spoke the old hooker rammed her nose clear to her -knight-heads into a living hill. It rolled under us silently, and the -slatting of the topsail and rush of water in the channels were the only -sounds<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a>{77}</span> it made. The voices of the men jarred on my ears, strange like.</p> - -<p>“All of a sudden a long, hoarse cry broke from the gloom and silence to -windward.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What’s that?’ asked Johnnie, and he dropped the rope.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>That’s the Cape Horn devil,’ said the bos’n, grinning; ‘every time he -winks his eye he gives er yell, an’ wice wersa; see?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Cape Horn thunder,’ growled Jensen; ‘you an’ me will disagree -somewhat, Williams, if you try an’ scare the boy like that. Jump, blast -you, and lay up on that foreyard an’ see if there ain’t some serving -wanted on that weather lift. Git!’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Cape Horn h——,” he went on to Johnnie. ‘That ain’t nothing but a -bleeding old penguin, and may the devil take his infernal soul.’</p> - -<p>“Johnnie didn’t know any more than he did before he spoke, so he kept -looking out of the clew of his eye to windward while he worked. The mate -was strange and queer when he heard that cry. I don’t know what it was, -but it sounded like some one calling out of that great blackness. Jensen -went below, and when he came on deck I smelled rum on his breath.</p> - -<p>“Soon the cry was repeated, and I must say it did have a depressing -effect.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Sure sign of westerly wind,’ said Jensen, as he lit his pipe and -walked fore and aft. ‘Better make all snug for’ard there, for, by -hookey, it looks as if we were goin’ to have a fracas.’</p> - -<p>“I went for’ard and saw all snug and then came aft<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a>{78}</span> again. The old man -had come on deck, and I could see on his face the glow of his pipe as he -drew it. He was standing close to the rail and looking hard to the -north’ard.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I don’t believe a barometer is any good in these here latitudes,’ I -heard Jensen say to him. ‘I’ve seen the glass way below the centre of a -West India hurricane an’ no more wind than now for days on end.’</p> - -<p>“It wasn’t five minutes afterwards that I felt a puff, and the topsail -came aback with a crack. The old man was on the break of the poop in a -second, bawling, ‘All hands wear ship; hard up the wheel!’</p> - -<p>“The men jumped for the braces, but it was nearly ten minutes before we -got way on her. The wind came slowly. By the time she paid off it had -increased, and came harder and harder at every puff, so before we had -her braced around on the port-tack it was snorting away in true Cape -Horn style. Soon we were switching into it at a great rate, and the big -sea that took us fair on the port-bow made a nasty mess on the -main-deck, while the maintop-sail with the sheet slacked off, to spill -some of the wind out of it, bellied out like some huge monster in the -gloom overhead.</p> - -<p>“There was nothing more to do, so when the watch was changed I turned -in, and after wedging myself into my bunk I fell asleep.</p> - -<p>“It seemed as though I had hardly closed my eyes before there was a -sharp banging at my door. I turned out, and opening it found Johnnie -standing in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a>{79}</span> the for’ard cabin with the water dripping from his shining -oil-skins and blowing his fingers to try and get them warm.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Eight bells, sir,’ said he, ‘an’ the mate wants you, sir.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>All right; how is it now?’ I said.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Bad night, sir, and plenty of water on deck.’</p> - -<p>“I buttoned on my sou’wester and followed Johnnie to the cabin door. It -was on the lee side, so there was no trouble getting out.</p> - -<p>“As I stepped on deck I saw that the gale had increased in force, and -the dull booming roar overhead told that the old ship was standing up to -it manfully.</p> - -<p>“She was plunging and switching into a giant sea, and every now and then -a huge mass of water fell on deck with a tremendous crash and roared off -to leeward through the water-ways.</p> - -<p>“We kept clear of the main-deck and joined the rest of the watch on the -poop, where some of them had stayed to keep clear of the water.</p> - -<p>“As my eyes were almost blinded at first from the flying drift, I -couldn’t make out anything, but soon they got accustomed to the darkness -and water, and I looked about me.</p> - -<p>“The maintop-sail was still holding with the foot rope stretching and -bending until it was almost on the yard, but the sheet, being slacked -off, eased it, while the way the wind roared out from under the foot of -the sail told plainly of the pressure.</p> - -<p>“To leeward, on the main-deck, the foam showed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a>{80}</span> ghastly white, and it -was evident that the waist was full of ice-cold water. I soon made out -the forms of the rest of the watch huddled behind the for’ard house, -swinging their arms to keep their hands warm. The old man stood on the -break of the poop holding on to the pin-rail and beside him stood the -mate, both watching the maintop-sail as it surged and strained at the -clews.</p> - -<p>“I saw in a moment that if the sail went there would be nothing to do -but run for it, as it was all two men at the wheel could do to hold her -up to it as it was.</p> - -<p>“While I was looking at the sail I heard a loud crack like a gun and saw -the lee-clew part from the yard-arm. It was gone to ribbons in a second, -but the weather-clew still held.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Goose-wing it!’ roared the old man, and Jensen bawled for all hands to -lay out on that yard.</p> - -<p>“The men for’ard saw what had happened even if they didn’t hear the -mate. Just as they started aft to the main-rigging a tremendous sea -rolled right over the weather-rail. The for’ard house saved the men, but -they were up to their waists in cold water and held back.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Lay out on that yard!’ bawled Jensen, and we fought our way along the -weather-rail to the backstays. ‘Lay out there!’ and his voice rose to a -screech, for it was duff or dog’s belly, as the saying is, and it meant -life or death for all hands.</p> - -<p>“In the gloom I saw a slight form spring into the ratlines and go aloft -hand over hand. Then the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a>{81}</span> men followed, while Jensen was bawling, ‘Come -down, you devil’s limb! come down, or I’ll skin you!’</p> - -<p>“But Johnnie was leading the way over the futtock-shrouds, so I grabbed -the ratlines and went up with the rest.”</p> - -<p>Here Gantline stopped for a moment and expectorated violently down the -weather-side most unsailorly.</p> - -<p>“And didn’t that coward Jensen go along, or was he too scared?” asked -Captain Green.</p> - -<p>Gantline wiped his mouth and continued, slowly, “He may or may not have -been scared. He went aft. Johnnie gained the yard first with Williams -close behind him, and they started out to leeward with the watch -following.</p> - -<p>“The yard-arm was jumping and springing under the shock of flying -canvas, and it was all a good sailor could do to hold on. The men soon -passed a line under the sail and got it on the yard amidships, while -Johnnie, knife in hand, cut away the flying canvas from the bolt-rope to -leeward.</p> - -<p>“It was bitter work on that yard-arm in that freezing gale, and it took -a long time to get the sail ‘goose-winged,’—that is, with the bunt on -the yard and the weather-clew drawing,—and when we got through my hands -were so nearly frozen I could hardly hold on to a rope.</p> - -<p>“The mate was on the poop, and we had just finished lashing the sail, -when I felt the vessel take a tremendous heave to windward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a>{82}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Hold hard!’ I yelled, for I knew what was coming. With a great heave -she rolled to leeward, and above the roar I heard the smothering rush of -water as the sea went over her.</p> - -<p>“From the darkness to leeward I heard a sharp cry, and, looking to where -I had last seen Johnnie, I saw he was gone.</p> - -<p>“I grasped the topsail clew-line and slid down to the deck. Making my -way aft somehow, I found the old man and one of the men at the wheel -holding on to a rope that trailed taut over the lee-quarter, while the -old man was bawling for some one to lay aft and help pull it in.</p> - -<p>“I grabbed hold and we hauled it in together. A dark lump came over the -side and I grabbed hold of it and pulled it aboard. It was all that was -left of Jensen. He had seen Johnnie go, and had gone after him with the -line around his waist.</p> - -<p>“The old man said nothing, but took his shoulders and I took his feet -and we carried him below. He was as dead as could be. A sea had hove him -under the ship’s counter as she squatted, and the top of his head was -stove flat.</p> - -<p>“The old man didn’t say much, but I could see by the light of the lamp -there was more water in his eyes than that of the flying drift.</p> - -<p>“The next day the carpenter sewed the mate up in canvas, along with some -sheet-lead. The old man read the service in spite of the gale, and then -he raised his hand.</p> - -<p>“The men of the mate’s watch tilted the plank he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a>{83}</span> was laying on, and the -white bundle went to leeward with a heavy plunge.</p> - -<p>“Just at that minute the long, hoarse cry of a penguin broke on our ears -from the darkness to the s’uth’ard. That was all.”</p> - -<p>Zach Green sat smoking, but said nothing. Gantline turned and noticed -me. Then he spat his quid overboard, and, giving me the course for my -watch, went slowly forward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a>{84}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_TREASURE_OF_TINIAN_REEF" id="THE_TREASURE_OF_TINIAN_REEF"></a><i>THE TREASURE OF TINIAN REEF</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HE tropical sun shone fiercely on the beach of coral sand. The -tall-trunked cocoanuts, with their bunchy, long-leaved tops, rustled -softly in the trade-wind on the shore, and stood like bold sentinels, or -a picket-line, for the serried ranks of thick jungle growth on the land -behind them. The long, heavy roll of the Pacific heaved itself up, as if -in defiance, as it rolled towards the land, mounting higher and higher -upon itself, until the blue wall wavered an instant, then fell with a -mighty roar into a waste of sparkling foam as it rolled over the -barrier-reef and rushed towards the beach beyond.</p> - -<p>Sometimes the seas would come in quick couples, and the deep thundering -jar of their falling bodies could be heard clear back to Sunharon, where -Sangaan lived in the pride of his manhood and a grass-thatched palace.</p> - -<p>Northward from the reef, well off shore, lay a small schooner, rolling -deep in the swell. Her mainsail was hauled flat aft, and she lay hove -to, while a small white speck in the sea between her and the shore, -growing rapidly larger every moment, told plainly to the curious native -sitting on the beach in the shadow of a palm that a boat was soon to -make a landing.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a>{85}</span></p> - -<p>But Warto was not uneasy. He had seen boats land there before, and had -once helped to carry some of the men ashore, where a large fire had been -built and knives sharpened; but that was long ago, long before Mr. -Easyman had come there and taught him how to take care of his soul as -well as his huge brown body.</p> - -<p>Still, memory made his eyes bright, and he involuntarily clutched a -short spear with his right hand as he sat and watched the small boat -near the surf.</p> - -<p>“Steady your bow oar!” roared a deep-voiced, bow-legged man who stood at -the steering oar. Then he removed his cap and wiped a dent in the top of -his bald head, while he gazed steadfastly at a floating mass in the -water. “By the Holy Smoke, Gantline! but that’s some o’ that whale -slush, or bust my eyes!”</p> - -<p>Gantline, pulling stroke oar, turned quickly in his seat at this and -gazed in the direction the boat was heading, where a small object -floated like a lump of tallow on the smooth water. His gray eyes grew -suddenly bright as he brought the object in range of his vision, but he -assumed a careless air as he answered Garnett.</p> - -<p>“Nothing but a piece of whale-blubber,” he muttered, as he drew his oar -inboard. “Some of those niggers been trying out on the beach; and, by -thunder! if that ain’t one squatting there under that big palm right -ahead.”</p> - -<p>“Get out your boat-hook,” roared Garnett to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a>{86}</span> man at the bow oar, -“and make a pass at it; for, by the Pope! it looks to me like a lump of -amber-grease.”</p> - -<p>They were very close to the line of lifting water, closer, in fact, than -Garnett supposed; but he was so intent on capturing the floating prize -that he did not realize his danger.</p> - -<p>The man forward reached for the floating mass with his boat-hook and -drew it alongside, but it took the united efforts of himself and the man -next him to lift the spongy, slippery lump into the boat.</p> - -<p>There it was, a good hundred pounds of ambergris, worth fifty dollars a -pound anywhere on the West Coast.</p> - -<p>Garnett removed his cap and mopped the top of his bald head, while his -eyes remained fixed upon the prize. “By the Holy Smoke, Gantline! you -see what comes o’ being in charge of a party. I came mighty near letting -you go ashore with the boat by yourself, and then I’d been out a few -thousand; but never mind, I’ll give you a pound o’ the stuff, anyways.”</p> - -<p>Gantline gave a loud grunt of disgust. “Seems to me half and half would -sound better among old messmates like us. By thunder! if I had picked it -up you would have had your share fast enough.”</p> - -<p>Garnett smiled broadly and replaced his cap on his head.</p> - -<p>“It’s a pity that the devilish desire to prosper should come atween two -old shipmates like us two; but I remember the time, onct, when the -terbacker<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a>{87}</span> gave out on the Moose, and you never so much as offered me a -quid off your plug, even when you knowed I was suffering. Besides, it -not only wouldn’t do to divy up from a physical stand-point, but it’s -’gainst all morals and religion. What d’ye suppose old Easyman, ashore -there, would say if I gave up my rights? The Bible says, ‘He that have -got, shall have; and he that haven’t got, shall have that which he ain’t -taken from him,’ which goes to show that by all rights and religion I -should take away that pound I promised you.”</p> - -<p>Gantline muttered something that Garnett couldn’t hear, and then resumed -his oar.</p> - -<p>During all this time the boat had been drifting towards the beach, but -the wind had caused her to swing nearly broadside on while all hands -were busy with the prize. Suddenly Gantline looked seaward, and gave a -quick exclamation that brought Garnett to his senses and the steering -oar with a jump.</p> - -<p>“Back port! Give way starboard, for God’s sake!” roared the mate, as he -swung all his weight on the steering oar to slew the boat head-on; but -it was too late. A great blue sea rose just outside of them, with its -inshore slope growing steeper and steeper, until it was almost -perpendicular. Then, curling clear and green, it fell over them, and in -an instant boat and men disappeared in the white smother.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Ternal bliss! ’ternal bliss!” lisped Warto, sweetly, as he sat -scraping his great toe-nail with a piece of shell. Then he glanced -sharply up and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a>{88}</span> down the beach to see if anybody was looking who might -tell the missionary, and, grasping his spear firmly, dropped his grass -cloth and made for the surf.</p> - -<p>The first thing that attracted his attention was a shining bald head -which glistened brightly in the sunshine, and he made his way swiftly -towards it.</p> - -<p>“Get onto the divil av a naygur makin’ for us,” said a sailor. “Faith, -an’ if me eyes ain’t entirely full of salt, I do believe the black -haythen has a harpoon along with him. Now, bless me——”</p> - -<p>This last remark was caused by the actions of Garnett, who was swimming -a little in advance of the rest, turning his head every now and then to -watch for the following breakers. The mate had an oar under each arm and -was using the boat-hook for a paddle, when he was aware of a black head, -with shining eyes and grinning teeth, close aboard him.</p> - -<p>There was something suspicious in the manner the savage swam, for, while -he often held one hand clear of the water, Garnett noticed that the -other was always below the surface.</p> - -<p>“Git out the way, ye murdering shark, or I’ll hook ye higher than -Haman!” roared Garnett, as he flourished his boat-hook and glared -fiercely at the islander. “None o’ your cannibal tricks on me;” and with -that he made a pass with his weapon so quick that Warto came near ending -his career as a beach-comber then and there.</p> - -<p>As it was, he ducked his head just in time, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a>{89}</span> then, completely cowed -by this show of resistance from what he supposed were helpless men, made -for the beach.</p> - -<p>Before Garnett made the land quite a crowd had collected, for the -fleeing savage had spread the news in a few moments, and then hastened -back to see if anything was to be gained from the new arrivals.</p> - -<p>These came ashore in due course of time on whatever flotsam that -happened within their reach, Gantline astride of a keg which bore the -missionary’s name in large black letters, painted on the ends, while the -two sailors clung tenaciously to the sides of the capsized boat.</p> - -<p>Soon the majestic form of Sangaan was seen approaching, accompanied by a -crowd of servants and the Reverend Father Easyman himself.</p> - -<p>At an order from their chief, several stout fellows plunged into the -surf and assisted in getting Gantline and the men safely ashore; but -Garnett flourished his boat-hook when they approached him, and glared at -them so savagely that they soon let him alone and turned their attention -to securing whatever stuff still floated in the broken water.</p> - -<p>When Garnett could stand, he turned and cast his eye along the white -line of rolling surge in search of his prize, but failing to see it, he -walked slowly ashore, looking intently from right to left.</p> - -<p>Gantline and the men were already surrounded by the crowd of natives, -and the missionary was alternately shaking their hands and offering up<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a>{90}</span> -thanks for their safe deliverance from the perils of the sea. At a wave -of the good man’s hand, two strapping fellows picked up his keg and made -off in the direction of the mission, but the rest of the supplies, that -still floated, were piled in a heap upon the sand as fast as the men -could rescue them from the water.</p> - -<p>“By the Holy Smoke! Mr. Easyman,” grunted Garnett, with a string of -oaths, “but you’re making a fine lot o’ these naygers when they swim out -and try to murder a man as soon as he gets into trouble. There was——”</p> - -<p>“Ah, me!” gasped the missionary, lifting his hands and raising his eyes; -“so it is the violent one I see again,—the man of fierce speech. A warm -welcome to you, friend; for it has been a long time since you and Father -Tellman’s pig left the Marquesas suddenly on the same day. A mere -coincidence, however! a mere coincidence!” and he shot a vengeful look -at the mate, who smiled and spat a stream of tobacco and salt water upon -the sand.</p> - -<p>“What is the invoice of goods that you have landed so disastrously. I -had thought you were a right good sailor, though I reckoned you a poor -Christian. Give me the bill and I’ll check off what I owe your captain -for. Ah, my friend, it gives me great unease to hear you use such -strange and unholy words, especially before my great friend, Chief -Sangaan, the greatest chief in the Archipelago, and also the greatest -ras——”</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis Garnett, sure enough,” he continued to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a>{91}</span> himself, as that sailor, -having handed him the list of goods, hurried off down the beach, where -Gantline stood with his eyes fixed on an object in the surf.</p> - -<p>“Blast his eyes! if he don’t remember me when I was on the Pigeon,” said -Garnett, as he reached Gantline. “You remember that foolishness I told -you about concerning a pretty wench he had at the mission—ewe lamb, he -called her—and that infernal pig I pulled out of his friend’s pen the -day we sailed. Dernation! the beast was so tough I can taste it yet.”</p> - -<p>“There’s a saying in the Holy Book that stolen fruits is sweetest,” -answered Gantline, with a grin; “which goes to show the onreliability of -misplacing these quotations. Which, the same, you seem to be doing in -regard to that lump of whale stuff. It seems to me that I might enter -into a dispute with you in regard to the ownership of it; for, if I see -straight, there it is just inside the first line of breakers, and -belongs to the man who can abide the longest for its sake.”</p> - -<p>“Now, by the eyes of that sky-pilot, if you are bent on quarrelling and -intent on mutiny, it won’t take long for me to show you who is running -this affair,” said Garnett, as he glared at Gantline and began to make a -few preparations necessary for establishing his authority.</p> - -<p>“We’re on the beach; and, Lord love ye, Garnett, I’ll make a fair -showing if you start for me. Afloat I’ll obey orders, but ashore you’ve -got to prove what’s what before I believe it.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a>{92}</span></p> - -<p>So saying, Gantline plunged into the surf and made his way rapidly -towards the floating mass, which represented, in value, his profits of a -dozen voyages.</p> - -<p>“This is too infernal bad,” muttered Garnett to himself, as several -natives started out to help Gantline. “Here I’ll have to fight Gantline -or lose half of that lump o’ grease; but he brings it on himself, for -it’s mutiny.”</p> - -<p>He grasped the boat-hook which he still carried, and waited patiently -until the lump was brought ashore. Then he approached the second mate, -who had had the prize carried above high-water mark, where he stood -astride of it.</p> - -<p>The natives saw that something was wrong between the white men, although -they knew nothing of the dispute or the value of the fetid prize, so -they began to crowd around them in the hope of viewing and enjoying the -hostilities in which they had no desire to take part.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis no use, Garnett; you are too old a dog to make headway against me, -even with that hook, though there was a time when you might have held on -to some purpose.”</p> - -<p>“I have had a clip or two in my time,” answered Garnett; “but we’ll see. -No matter if you do get to windward of me, Easyman and the chief will -hold you for mutiny till the skipper gets you. So stand away to leeward -of that lump or I’ll be for boarding ye.”</p> - -<p>“Stand off!” bawled Gantline; “if I fire this<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a>{93}</span> chunk of coral into that -dent in your forepeak there’ll be trouble.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, brothers! ah, brothers! what is this strife about? and what is that -lump on the sand?” asked a voice on the outside of the group. The -natives instantly stood aside, and the Reverend Father Easyman stood -before the quarrelling mates. “Oh, ho! it is my friend of the godless -tongue; and pray, my friend, what is it he desires to take from you? for -I reckon him a covetous man,” said the missionary, looking at Garnett, -but addressing Gantline.</p> - -<p>“It’s just a find of grease,” answered Gantline, “and, as I went into -the surf after it, I want to divide it with Garnett here, who says it’s -his because he saw it first.”</p> - -<p>“Lump of grease! Now, bless me, my friend, it has a most unholy odor for -grease. ’Tis a poor beef that gives forth such tallow; but let me -examine it closer, for there is no need to guard it, as Sangaan there -will have no disputes about the ownership of property on his most -civilized island.”</p> - -<p>“Sangaan be hanged!” grunted Garnett; “the stuff’s mine, and I’ll have -it if I have to bring the schooner in and fire on the village with our -twelve-pounder. Who’s Sangaan, that he must meddle with the affairs of -an American citizen, hey? After a while I suppose I’ll have to be asking -permission from every chief in the Archipelago to carry the stuff we -just brought ashore for you. Have your niggers clear our boat and give -me the bill, for it’s time we were aboard again.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a>{94}</span></p> - -<p>“Not so fast, friend Garnett,” said the missionary; “your boat is stove, -and it will take a man a half a day to repair it, and as you haven’t -enough spare hands aboard your vessel to man another, you will have to -stay ashore with me this evening. Perhaps I may find a nice tender shote -and entertain you according to your taste,” and he glanced sharply at -the sailor. “As for this find, as you call it, it seems to me that I -have heard of the stuff before, and that it has some value; so I will -have it carried up to the village and stored safely. In the mean time we -can discuss its ownership and also examine certain articles billed to me -at our leisure; for although your captain is an honest trader and a true -Christian man, yet one of his last year’s kegs did contain a most -unsavory mixture, and gave rise to the impression that his vessel’s hold -contained much liquid tar in a free state. As for Sangaan, it will be -well for you to show him some deference, for, although a good chief and -a devout man, he has little love for sailors, as you may remember if you -have not forgotten that affair of the Petrel. He is coming this way now -with his men, so have a care.”</p> - -<p>Garnett saw there was nothing to do but as the missionary said. The boat -was injured so as to be unsafe for a long pull through the heavy surf, -and it would have to be repaired before launching again.</p> - -<p>Gantline had the fetid mass which he was guarding so closely put into an -empty keg, and several natives carried it off to the mission as Sangaan -walked up.</p> - -<p>The chief evidently remembered the mate, for he<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a>{95}</span> advanced smiling and -held out his hand, saying, in good English, “How do you do? Had a bad -time in surf, so come up to the mission and we’ll have a good time.”</p> - -<p>Garnett shook his hand, and then, the missionary joining them, they -walked towards the mission house together. They proceeded in silence, -Garnett eyeing the chief suspiciously and trying to remember if he had -ever committed any deviltries which Sangaan might still feel sore about. -The missionary kept Gantline and the two sailors in view, but appeared -to be lost in deep thought. A close observer, however, might have -noticed an unholy twinkle in his eye when he glanced at the natives who -were carrying the keg of ambergris towards his home.</p> - -<p>As for Sangaan, he suddenly seemed to remember some of Garnett’s former -trips through the Archipelago, and asked very abruptly, “How’s Mr. -’Toole?” And at the memory of O’Toole’s affairs with the natives Garnett -snapped out, “He’s dead.” Whereupon the chief laughed so heartily that -Garnett’s suspicions were aroused again, and he remained silent.</p> - -<p>“And Captain Crojack, how is he? He used to do good trade with the -people to the southward.”</p> - -<p>“Oh, he’s still alive,” answered Garnett, somewhat reassured. “He’s in -the China trade now.”</p> - -<p>“And ’Toole, his mate,—I think you must lie——”</p> - -<p>“He is dead, I tell you,” answered the mate quickly, for it was evident -that the chief still wished<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a>{96}</span> to hear some news of him. “That’s a fine -big mission house, by the—— Beg your pardon, but it is just the same; -and, by thunder, it’s the best on the islands.”</p> - -<p>“Be not so violent, friend Garnett,” said the missionary. “It is a good -house, and, by the blessing of Providence, we have striven successfully -to keep it in good repair against the fierce typhoon and the hot sun.”</p> - -<p>“It’s good and large,” said Sangaan, with pride; “and you and your men -may sleep upstairs. The room is wide and cool.”</p> - -<p>Garnett grunted out thanks for the chief’s hospitality, but remarked -that if the boat could be fixed in time he would rather go aboard the -ship. All he wished for was the loan of a few tools and a piece of wood, -and he thought the boat could be fixed fast enough. These the missionary -lent him; so, after going over the list of goods and testing some of the -contents of the kegs and packages, he and Gantline, accompanied by the -two sailors, went back to the beach and began work on the boat.</p> - -<p>They were soon surrounded by a curious crowd of natives, who squatted -around them in a circle and looked on, regardless of the hot sunshine, -while the mates and men toiled bravely at their task.</p> - -<p>The boat was so badly stove, however, that it was dark before they were -half through repairing her; so, when Father Easyman came down on the -beach and told them that they would find something to eat at the -mission, all hands knocked off and started for it.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a>{97}</span></p> - -<p>Garnett and Gantline had been arguing about the possession of their find -of the morning, but had not come to blows; for the mate knew that it -would rest with the skipper as to who would have the largest share of -it, and that nothing could be settled until they got aboard ship. There -was little use, either, in getting the missionary mixed up in the -matter, for he would be likely to press the weight of his judgment -against him if called upon to help decide the case.</p> - -<p>The mission house was a large frame building, built of boards brought -ashore from a vessel, and had a sloping thatch roof. It was two stories -high, however, the upper one serving as a loft for storing supplies -belonging to the missionary. It was now nearly empty; a large, cool -room, with a slight opening all around it under the overhanging eaves of -the thatch.</p> - -<p>In this loft Garnett and his men were left to pass the night, after -having partaken of a good meal at the expense of their host, who lived -several hundred yards farther back in the village, in a modest little -cottage close to the larger abode of Sangaan.</p> - -<p>The good chief had offered them shelter under his roof, but as he had a -numerous company in his household, and the weather being warm, the mates -had expressed a keen desire to sleep alone with their men. The keg -containing their prize was also stored away with them for the night, and -soon silence settled upon the peaceful village of Sunharon.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a>{98}</span></p> - -<p>The gentle rustle of the trade-wind soothed the ears of the tired men -and they slept soundly on.</p> - -<p>“By the Holy Smoke! what’s up?” exclaimed Garnett, as he sprang up from -the tarpaulin on which he and the men were lying.</p> - -<p>There was a tremendous uproar in the room beneath, and the voice of -Sangaan could be heard singing lustily. It was a little past midnight, -but the chieftain’s voice was thick and husky, and it was evident that -he intended celebrating the arrival of the supplies.</p> - -<p>Garnett had carefully withdrawn the charges from the brace of huge -muzzle-loading pistols he had carried ashore with him, and had managed -to get a handful or two of dry powder from the missionary, so he was -prepared to defend any attack upon his treasure.</p> - -<p>He awaited developments, but as no one appeared on the ladder which led -to the loft, he crawled to the opening and looked below.</p> - -<p>About twoscore of natives, with Sangaan in their midst, were crowding -around a keg which Garnett recognized as one of his own wares, and a -smile broke upon his grizzled features.</p> - -<p>Gantline had come to his side, and they gazed down upon the mob.</p> - -<p>In a moment Sangaan saw their faces and waved his hands, “Come down! -come down!” he cried in a thick voice, and the whole assembly took up -the cry, laughing and shouting.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a>{99}</span></p> - -<p>“Come, drink health!” bawled Sangaan, as he staggered towards the -ladder.</p> - -<p>“No, sirree!” roared Garnett. “What! you expect me to come down and -drink with a lot o’ niggers like them. No, sirree, not by a darned -sight.”</p> - -<p>“Go t’ell, then!” bawled Sangaan, and he walked to the keg for another -drink, flourishing an empty cocoanut shell as he went.</p> - -<p>It was well that the natives could not understand Garnett’s remarks, or -there might have been trouble, but, instead of paying any attention -whatever to the white men, they shouted, laughed, and sang in the -highest good humor.</p> - -<p>“Gad, Lord love ye, but what heads you’ll have in the morning,” muttered -Gantline, with a grin. “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis nearly half Norway tar the devils are -pouring into their skins. However, I suppose it’s best, after all, for -if ’twas the real stuff, like what we gave the missionary, they would -set fire to half the village before morning and probably murder us.”</p> - -<p>“By thunder, I’m about tired of the racket as it is,” said Garnett; -“let’s see, if we can’t get a move on them anyhow,” and he poked one of -his pistols down the opening. “Yell together, Gantline.”</p> - -<p>“Hooray! Let ’er go slow!” they roared as Garnett fired. “Hooray!” and -he banged away with the other, filling the place with smoke and smashing -the lantern on the table beneath him.</p> - -<p>“Load her up, Gantline,” and he passed one of the pistols to the second -mate. There was wild<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a>{100}</span> scrambling for the door in the room beneath, but -before the frightened natives could get clear the mates had fired again, -yelling all the time like madmen, while the two sailors hove everything -they could get their hands on down upon the struggling crowd. In a few -moments Sangaan had retreated, but, as he carried the keg of rum along -with him, he doubtless thought it was not worth while to go back again. -The shouting gradually died away in the distance, and only a faint hum -from the direction of Sangaan’s abode told that the celebrating natives -were still in high good humor.</p> - -<p>“After all, Gantline,” said Garnett, “now that these barkers are dry and -in good condition, we might decide who’s to be owner of that keg, if we -only had a little more light,” and he began to reload one of the -pistols.</p> - -<p>“You’re the most bloody-minded devil I ever sailed with,” growled -Gantline; “but I’ll just go you this time, for there’s light enough for -me to see to bore a hole in that stove-in figure-head of yours. Here, -give me a bullet and powder and take your place over there by that -barrel of rice, and let Jim here give the word.”</p> - -<p>“If it’s murder ye’re up to, I’ll be for calling the missionary,” cried -the sailor. “Faith, an’ who iver heard ave fi’tin’ a jewel in sich a -dark hole. As fer me, I won’t witness it,” and he started for the -ladder, closely followed by his shipmate.</p> - -<p>“Go, and be hanged,” growled Garnett; “but mark ye, this is a fair fight -and don’t you go trying<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a>{101}</span> to make the missionary believe different, for I -never struck a sailor or mate under me that couldn’t have a chance to -strike back. I don’t belong to that kind o’ crowd.”</p> - -<p>“Take your place and stop your jaw tackle; if you don’t hurry they’ll be -back with a crowd before we begin,” said Gantline, as the sailors -disappeared down the ladder and started off. “We ought to have stopped -them.”</p> - -<p>“Darnation! but it’s dark. Where are you now?” asked Garnett from his -position.</p> - -<p>“Ready. Fire!” bawled Gantline, and his pistol lit up the darkness.</p> - -<p>Bang went Garnett’s, and then there was a dead silence.</p> - -<p>“Garnett,” growled Gantline.</p> - -<p>“Blast you! what is it?”</p> - -<p>“Did you get a clip?”</p> - -<p>“No, you infernal fool; but you came within an inch of my ear, and I -fired before I put the ball in my pistol. You owe me a shot.”</p> - -<p>“It’ll be a hard debt to collect, mate, for I’ll be stove endways before -we try that again. Here comes Easyman with the men now.”</p> - -<p>As he spoke there was a rush of feet, and the two sailors, followed by -the missionary and a crowd of half-sober natives, burst into the room -below.</p> - -<p>“Hello aloft, there!” sung out a sailor.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Garnett, quietly, from the opening above.</p> - -<p>“Have you done him any harm?” asked the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a>{102}</span> missionary, in a voice that -showed him to be a man of action when necessary.</p> - -<p>“No,” answered Gantline; “there’s nothing happened.”</p> - -<p>A lantern flashed in the room, and in a moment Father Easyman was upon -the ladder.</p> - -<p>In another moment he was in the loft, and the sailors with a crowd of -natives followed.</p> - -<p>“Now,” said the missionary, “hand over those pistols, or I will have to -assert my authority, even as the good King David did of old. I know you, -Garnett, a fierce and unholy man, but you have enough sins on your soul -now, so don’t force me to set these men upon you.”</p> - -<p>“By thunder!” growled the mate, “it’s to protect ourselves we’ve been -forced to fire, to scare that drunken Sangaan out of the room below. -It’s a pretty mess he’s been making in a decent mission house, coming -here drinking that tar—I mean rum, and waking us out of peaceful -sleep.”</p> - -<p>“Fact, he woke us up with his yelling,” said Gantline, “and we fired -down below just to scare the crowd away.”</p> - -<p>“But what is this the men say about you two fighting?” asked the -missionary.</p> - -<p>“Oh, they were as badly frightened as the niggers. Hey, Jim, ain’t that -so?” said Garnett, and he gave the sailor so fierce a look that the -fellow stammered out, “Faith, an’ it must ’a’ been so; it was so dark we -couldn’t see nothing at all.”</p> - -<p>“Well, come with me, anyway,” said the missionary.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a>{103}</span> “It won’t do for -Sangaan to take it into his head to come back here if he gets drunk. He -is easy enough to manage sober, but you remember the Petrel affair.”</p> - -<p>“Sangaan be blowed,” grunted Garnett. “I can take care of any crowd o’ -niggers that ever saw a mission, but if you insist on our cruising with -a sky-pilot, why, we’re agreeable. Come on, Gantline.”</p> - -<p>They followed the good man down the ladder and up the village street to -his house. When they were in the starlight the mates noticed that -several of the natives who had followed the men back carried short -spears, and one or two had long knives in the belts of their grass -cloths. When they saw this they began to realize that perhaps the -missionary was right after all, and it was just as well that they -changed their sleeping quarters for the remainder of the night.</p> - -<p>The next morning they patched the stove-in plank on the boat’s bottom, -and after getting all the gear into her, including the keg into which -they had put their treasure the day before, they ran her out into the -surf and started off. Several natives helped them until they were beyond -the first line of breakers, but Garnett was in a bad humor and accepted -this favor on their part in very bad grace.</p> - -<p>When the men and Gantline put good way on the craft with their oars, the -mate swore a great oath and rapped the nearest native, holding to the -gunwale, a sharp blow across the head with his boat-hook and bade them -get ashore. This fellow gave<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a>{104}</span> a yell which was taken up by the crowd on -the beach, and instantly several rushed into the surf carrying short -spears.</p> - -<p>“Give way, bullies,” grunted Garnett, “or the heathen will be aboard of -us.” And the men bent to their oars with a hearty good will.</p> - -<p>As it was, several managed to get within throwing distance, and a spear -passed between the mate’s bow-legs and landed in the bottom of the boat. -He instantly picked it up and threw it with such wonderful aim at a -native that it cut a scratch in the fellow’s shoulder. This had the -effect of stopping the most ambitious of the crowd, and they contented -themselves with yelling and brandishing their weapons.</p> - -<p>“Steady, bullies,” said Garnett, as they neared the outer line of -combing water; “if we miss it this time there’ll be trouble.”</p> - -<p>The old mate balanced himself carefully on his bow-legs and grasped the -steering oar firmly as they neared the place where the sea fell over the -outer barrier.</p> - -<p>They went ahead slowly until there came a comparatively smooth spell, -then they went for the open water as hard as they could.</p> - -<p>As they reached almost clear, a heavy sea rose before them with its -crest growing sharper and sharper every moment. Garnett, with set jaw -and straining muscles, held her true, and with a “Give way, bullies,” -hissed between his teeth, the boat’s head rose almost perpendicular for -an instant on the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a>{105}</span> side of the moving wall. Then with a smothering roar -it broke under and over her and she fell with a crash into the smooth -sea beyond.</p> - -<p>“Drive her!” he roared, as the half-swamped craft lay almost motionless; -and Gantline, bracing his feet, gave three gigantic strokes and his oar -snapped short off at the rowlock.</p> - -<p>“Drive her through!” he roared again, as one of the men turned with a -scared look at the sea ahead. “Drive her or I’ll drive this boat-hook -through you!” and he made a motion towards the bottom of the boat. The -two remaining oars bent and strained under the pressure, and in another -instant they rose on a smooth crest and went clear, while the sea fell -but two fathoms astern.</p> - -<p>“Lord love ye, Garnett, but that was a close shave,” panted Gantline; -“give us the bailer and let me get some of this water out of her. It’s -astonishing how those seas deceive one, for from here it looks as smooth -on the reef as the top of Easyman’s head. It’s evident that you -calculate to go out of the island trade on the profits of this voyage. -They would have handled us rough enough had we been stove down on the -reef again.”</p> - -<p>Garnett muttered something, as he glared astern at the crowd on the -beach, and passed Gantline the bailer from the after-locker.</p> - -<p>He then headed the boat for the schooner, which had been working in all -the morning, and now lay hove-to about a mile distant.</p> - -<p>In a little while they were on board and Captain<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a>{106}</span> Foregaff was handed -the receipts of his trade, which he carried below and deposited in a -strong box; making a note afterwards, in a small book, of the percentage -due his mates. Then he came on deck, and as the boat was dropped astern -he drew away his head-sheets and stood to the eastward.</p> - -<p>On going forward he noticed the keg they had brought back with them and -instantly demanded to know its contents.</p> - -<p>“It’s a find o’ grease,” said Garnett, as he picked it up and carried it -aft, where he deposited it carefully in the cockpit.</p> - -<p>“Find o’ what?” asked Foregaff, as he and Gantline followed hard in his -wake.</p> - -<p>“Find o’ whale grease,” said the mate. “It’s the stuff that sells so -high in the States. I found it in the surf, and Gantline here has been -trying to prove half of it his because he was along with me.”</p> - -<p>“Well, where, in the name o’ Davy Jones, do I come in on this deal?” -bawled Foregaff. “Ain’t we running this business on shares, I want’er -know?”</p> - -<p>“So far as concerns trade, you’re right; but d’ye mean to say that what -I find ain’t my own?” said the mate in a menacing tone.</p> - -<p>“Trade be blowed! Gantline and I come in on this, share an’ share alike. -Knock in the head o’ the keg an’ let’s have a look at it.” And the -skipper’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.</p> - -<p>Gantline reached an iron belaying-pin and quickly knocked in the top of -the keg and tore off the pieces.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a>{107}</span></p> - -<p>“You see, it’s ill-smellin’ stuff,” grunted Garnett, “and its value is -according to its smell.” He bent over the keg and peered into it. “It’s -pretty hard,” he continued, “when a man’s been through all the danger -and trouble o’ getting a prize to have to divy up with them that ain’t -in the contract——”</p> - -<p>“Gord A’mighty! Hard down the wheel there! Spring your luff!” he roared, -as he sprang to his feet. “Pig grease! s’help me, the scoundrel’s robbed -us!”</p> - -<p>The men rushed to the sheets as the schooner came up on the wind and -headed for the island again, while Gantline and Foregaff bent over the -open keg.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis as good lard as ever fried doughnut,” said the skipper, as he -stuck his finger into the mass and then drew it through his lips, while -Gantline glared at it as though it was the ghost of Father Tellman’s -pig.</p> - -<p>“Clear away the gun for’ard, and get——”</p> - -<p>“Hello, what’s the matter?” asked the skipper, as Garnett was getting -ready for action.</p> - -<p>“Why, we can’t get ashore there again. They well-nigh murdered us as it -was,” said the mate.</p> - -<p>“Well, what good can we do with that gun, then? It won’t throw a ball -across the surf, let alone to the village. You must have been up to some -deviltry ashore.” And the skipper eyed the mates suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Devil be hanged! We were as soft as you please, but they were for -mischief from the time<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a>{108}</span> we rolled over in the surf. I guess, perhaps, -you’d better go ashore, though, for old Easyman don’t like me.”</p> - -<p>“Not by the holy Pope,” said the skipper, with a grin. “You don’t catch -me on that beach for all the whale grease afloat, or ashore either, for -that matter. If that’s the game, we might as well stand off again.”</p> - -<p>“Let’s at least have a try at that sky-pilot’s house,” growled Garnett. -“Give me a couple of charges and I’ll see what I can do, anyhow.”</p> - -<p>“As for that, go ahead; but no good’ll come of it,” muttered the -skipper.</p> - -<p>Garnett was on the forecastle in a few minutes with several cartridges -for the old twelve-pounder.</p> - -<p>The schooner was rapidly nearing the surf, and Foregaff could see the -natives with great distinctness through his glass.</p> - -<p>When she was as near as was safe to navigate, she yawed and Garnett -fired.</p> - -<p>The shot struck the crest of a comber, in spite of all he could do to -elevate the gun, and ricochetted on to the sand, where a native picked -it up and danced a peculiarly aggressive dance while he held it aloft in -his hand.</p> - -<p>The flag on the mission dipped gracefully three times while Garnett -loaded for a second shot.</p> - -<p>“If I only had a shell I’d make those niggers see something,” he -muttered, as he rammed home the charge.</p> - -<p>“Fire!” And the gun banged again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a>{109}</span></p> - -<p>The flag dipped again in the breeze, and several natives, joining hands, -danced wildly to and fro.</p> - -<p>“Keep her off!” bawled the skipper, with a broad smile on his face. -“Done by a nigger chief,” he muttered to himself. “I want’er know, I -want’er know.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a>{110}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_LE_MAIRE_LIGHT" id="THE_LE_MAIRE_LIGHT"></a><i>THE LE MAIRE LIGHT</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">I</span>T had been calm all day, and the dull light of the overcast sky made -the sea have that peculiar black tint seen in this latitude. It rolled -silently with the swell, like a heaving world of oily ink, and, although -we were almost midway between the Falklands and the Straits of Magellan, -Captain Green determined to try a deep-sea sounding. This proved barren -of result with a hundred-fathom line on end.</p> - -<p>The silent calm continued, and the weird, lonesome cry of a penguin -greeted our ears for the first time on the voyage.</p> - -<p>Late in the afternoon a light breeze sprang up from the westward. As the -ship gathered headway, a school of Antarctic porpoises came plunging and -jumping after her. The toggle-iron was brought out, and the carpenter -tried his luck at harpooning one on the jump. After lacerating the backs -of several he gave it up and turned the iron over to Gantline, with the -hope that he might do better.</p> - -<p>The old mate took the iron in his right hand and balanced it carefully. -Then he took several short coils of line in his left hand, and, bracing -himself firmly on the backstays just forward of the cathead, waited for -a “throw.” Almost instantly a big fellow came jumping and plunging -towards the vessel, swerving from side to side with lightning-like -rapidity. He passed under the bowsprit end so<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a>{111}</span> quickly that Gantline’s -half-raised arm was hardly rigid before it was too late to throw. -Suddenly back he came like a flash across the ship’s cut-water. There -was a sharp “swish,” and the line was trailing taut through the -snatch-block with three men heaving on it as hard as they could. It was -done so quickly that it seemed less than a second from the time the -animal flashed past to when he hung transfixed a few feet above the sea -beneath the bowsprit end.</p> - -<p>Chips, who had harpooned many a porpoise in the low latitudes, was -filled with admiration, and instantly lent a hand to get the striped -fellow on deck.</p> - -<p>I went aft, for it was my watch on deck, and we expected to sight land -before darkness compelled us to stand off to the eastward. At five -o’clock a man stationed in the mizzen-top sung out that he could see -something on the weather-beam to the westward, and soon by the aid of -the glass we made out the high, grim cliffs of Staten Land looming -indistinctly through the haze on the horizon. The first land sighted for -seventy days.</p> - -<p>The ship’s head was again pointed well up to the wind to try and turn -the “last corner” of the world,—Cape Horn.</p> - -<p>Captain Zack Green stood looking at the land a long time, and then -remarked,—</p> - -<p>“I would have gone through the Straits ten years ago, but I don’t want -to get in there any more.”</p> - -<p>“What!” I asked, “would you take a vessel as heavy as we are through the -Straits of Magellan?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a>{112}</span></p> - -<p>“Straits of thunder!” he replied. “Who said anything about going through -the Straits of Magellan with a deep loaded clipper ship? Man alive! -That’s the way of it. Whenever anybody talks of going through the -Straits, every eternal idiot thinks it the Magellan, when he ought to -know no sailing ship ever goes through Smith’s Channel. Strait of Le -Maire, man, between Staten Land and Tierra del Fuego. It would have -saved us thirty miles westing, and thirty miles may be worth thirty days -when you are to the s’uth’ard.”</p> - -<p>I admitted that what he said was true, but as people knew very little of -this part of the world, they usually associated the word “Straits” down -here with the Magellan.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said he, “they ought to know better, for nothing but small -sailing craft and steamers could go through there without standing a -good chance of running foul of the rocks. It’s the Le Maire Strait I was -thinking of; but even that is dangerous, for there is no light there any -more, and the current swirls and cuts through like a tide-race. I’ve -been going to the eastward since they had trouble with the light and -can’t get any one to stay and tend it.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” I asked; “is it too lonely?”</p> - -<p>“No,” he answered, slowly, “it isn’t that altogether, though I reckon -it’s lonely enough with nothing but the swirling tide on one side and -barren rocks and tussac on the other. I was ashore there once and saw -the fellows who ran the light, before they died, and the head man told -me some queer<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a>{113}</span> things. It’s a bad place for the falling sickness, too, -and that’s against it, but the mystery of the light-keepers was enough -to scare a man.</p> - -<p>“I knew old Tom Jackson, the skipper of the relief boat, and he asked me -to go over to the light with him. It’s only a day’s run from the -Falklands, and, as I was laid up with a topmast gone, I went.</p> - -<p>“We had a whaling steamer to go over in. A vessel about one hundred -tons, with an infernal sort of cannon mounted for’ard which threw a -bomb-harpoon big enough to stave the side of a frigate.</p> - -<p>“On the way over Jackson told me how hard it was to get any one to stay -at the light, and how he came across the two men who were now keepers.</p> - -<p>“Two men had drifted ashore near the settlement lashed to the thwarts of -a half-sunken whale-boat. They were all but dead and unable to speak. -Finally, after careful nursing, one began to show some life, and he -raved about a lost ship and the Cooper’s Hole.</p> - -<p>“You see, over there in the South Orkneys there is a hole through the -cliffs about a hundred feet wide, with the rocks rising straight up -hundreds of feet on both sides. Inside this narrow passage, which is -like an open door, is the great hole, miles around inside, with water -enough for all the vessels afloat to lie in without fouling.</p> - -<p>“This fellow raved about driving a ship through the hole during a storm. -He talked of revenge, and would laugh when he raved about the captain of -the ship.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a>{114}</span></p> - -<p>“When these men were well again they told a straight story about the -loss of the ship Indian. As near as they could make out, they had been -fifteen days in that open boat, which they clung to when the vessel -foundered off the Horn. They had nothing saved but the rags they came -ashore in, so they were glad enough to take Jackson’s offer of two -hundred pounds a year to tend the Le Maire light.</p> - -<p>“We arrived off the light the next afternoon. There was no place to land -except on the rocks, where the heave of the swell made it dangerous. It -was dead calm this evening, so we got ashore all right. As we climbed -the rocks towards the light the fellows there came out of the small -house to meet us.</p> - -<p>“The head keeper walked in front, and he was the queerest-looking -critter that ever wore breeches. His hair was half a fathom long and the -color of rope yarn, and his eye was as green and watery as a -cuttlefish’s. The other fellow was somewhat younger, but he seemed taken -up with the idea that his feet were the only things in nature worth -looking at, so I paid little attention to him.</p> - -<p>“The older fellow with long hair grunted something to Jackson and held -out his hand, which the skipper shook heartily.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well,’ he roared, ‘how’s things on the rocks? Damme if I don’t wish I -was a light-keeper myself, so’s I could sit around and admire the sun -rise and set.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a>{115}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I wish to blazes you was,’ grunted the long-haired heathen; ‘as for -me, I’m about tired of this here job, and you might as well tell the -governor that if he gives me the whole East Falkland I wouldn’t stay -here through another winter.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>That’s just the way with a man soon as he gets a soft job. Never -satisfied. Now, here’s my friend Green just waiting to step into your -shoes the minute you think two hundred pounds a year is too infernal -much for a gent like you to live on.’</p> - -<p>“The old fellow looked hard at me with his fishy eyes, but said nothing.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No,’ went on Jackson, ‘you wouldn’t be satisfied with ten thousand. -What’s the matter, anyhow? Have you seen the bird lately?’</p> - -<p>“At this the fellow glanced around quickly and took in every point of -the compass, but he didn’t answer.</p> - -<p>“Finally he mumbled, ‘To-night’s the night.’ Then he turned to me and -asked, ‘Be you going to stay ashore to-night?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No,’ I answered, ‘not if we can get back on board.’</p> - -<p>“Then the fellow turned and led the way to the light and Jackson and I -followed after him.</p> - -<p>“The light-house was built of heavy timber, brought ashore from a -vessel, and the lantern was one of those small lenses like what you see -in the rivers of the States. It had a small platform around it, guarded -by an iron hand-rail, which, I should judge, was about fifty feet above -the rocks. Outside<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a>{116}</span> the lens was the ordinary glass covering, making a -small room about the lantern, and outside of all was a heavy wire -netting to keep birds from driving through the light during a storm.</p> - -<p>“There were some repairs needed, and the lampist had to go back on board -the steamer for some tools. He had hardly started before the dull haze -settled over the dark water, and in half an hour you couldn’t see ten -fathoms in any direction.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>By thunder! Green, we are in for a night of it, sure,’ said Jackson to -me. ‘There’ll be no chance of that boat coming back while this lasts.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Let her go,’ I replied; ‘I’d just as soon spend a night in the lantern -as in that infernal hooker soaked in sour oil and jammed full of -bedbugs. I don’t know but what I’d rather like the change.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Like it or not, here we are, so we might as well take a look around -before dark.’</p> - -<p>“We hadn’t gone more than half a mile through the gigantic tussac-grass -when I felt a peculiar sensation at my heart. The next moment I was -lying flat on my back and Jackson was doing all he could to bring me to. -I had the falling sickness, and I realized what the governor meant by -the order that no person should be allowed to travel alone on the -Falklands.</p> - -<p>“In a little while I grew better, and with Jackson’s help managed to get -back to the light, faint and weak.</p> - -<p>“That old long-haired fellow was there waiting for us, and he expressed -about as much surprise and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a>{117}</span> feeling at my mishap as if I had been an old -penguin come ashore to die. However, after I had a glass of spirits and -eaten some of the truck he had cooked for supper, I felt better. Then -the old fellow went into the lantern and lit up for the night. He then -came back and joined us in the house, where we sat talking.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It’s the first quarter o’ the moon an’ third day,’ said he, coming in -and sitting down at the table and lighting his pipe from the sperm-oil -lamp.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I never made any remarks to the contrary,’ said Jackson.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It’s this night, sure, and the Strait will be crowded before morning; -then he’ll be here.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Who?’ I asked.</p> - -<p>“Old man Jackson laughed. ‘That’s his friend the bird,’ he said, looking -towards me. ‘He has a visitor every now and then, you see, so it isn’t -so blooming lonesome here after all.’</p> - -<p>“The keeper looked hard at me with his fishy eyes, and then continued.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>He has been here twice before,’ he said.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well, suppose he has,’ snapped Jackson.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>If you can get another man, get him. I don’t want to be here when he -comes again.’</p> - -<p>“I looked at Jackson and saw his face contracted into a frown. ‘It’s -some sailor’s joke,’ said he. ‘Nobody but a fool would send a message -tied to the leg of an albatross.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It’s a joke I don’t like, an’ I’d like you to take us away.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a>{118}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well, joke or no joke, you’ll have to stay until I get some one to -take your place,’ and Jackson filled his pipe and smoked vigorously.</p> - -<p>“I must have been dozing in my chair, for it was quite late and the fire -in the stove almost out, when I was aroused by a peculiar sound.</p> - -<p>“I noticed Jackson start up from the table and then stand rigid in the -centre of the room.</p> - -<p>“There was a deep moaning coming from the water that sounded like wind -rushing through the rigging of a ship. Then I heard cries of men and the -tumbling rush of water, as if a vessel were tearing through it like mad. -Jackson sprang to the door and was outside in an instant. I followed, -but the old keeper sat quietly smoking.</p> - -<p>“Outside, the light from the tower shone like a huge eye through the -gloom, and as the fog was thick, it lit up the calm sea only a few -fathoms beyond the ledge. This made the blackness beyond all the more -intense.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>That vessel will be on the rocks if they don’t look sharp,’ said -Jackson. ‘Ship ahoy!’ he bawled in his deep base voice, but the sound -died away in the vast stillness about us.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There’s no wind,’ said I; ‘but I distinctly heard the rattle of blocks -and snaps of slatting canvas as she came about.’</p> - -<p>“We stood there staring into the night, and were aware of the presence -of the old keeper, who had joined us. Suddenly we heard the rushing -sound again, and it seemed as if a mighty wind was blowing<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>{119}</span> through the -Strait. There were faint cries as if at a great distance. Then the noise -of waring braces coupled with the sharp snapping of slatting canvas.</p> - -<p>“Jackson looked at me, and there was a strange look in his eyes.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>They’ll pass through all night,’ said the old keeper, ‘and in the -morning there won’t be a sail in sight, calm or storm.’</p> - -<p>“We stood in the fog for half an hour listening to the noises in the -Strait, while the glare from the light made the mist-drifts form into -gigantic shapes which came and melted again into the darkness. Once -again Jackson went to the water’s edge and bawled into the blackness. -The long-haired keeper smiled at his attempts, and his eyes had a -strange glow in them like the phosphor flares in water of the tropics.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>The devil take this infernal place!’ said Jackson. ‘I never heard of -so many vessels passing through here in a whole season. The whole Cape -Horn fleet are standing to the s’uth’ard to-night.’</p> - -<p>“I felt a little creepy up the back as we went into the house. Jackson -made up the fire, while I lay in a bunk.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It’s been so since the light went out last winter; but it was the -fault of the oil, not me,’ said the old keeper.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Why didn’t you stay awake and look to it?’ asked Jackson.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It was a terrible night, and I got wet. I sat by the stove and fell -asleep, and when I woke up it<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a>{120}</span> was daylight, and the light was out. That -bird was there on the platform.’</p> - -<p>“Jackson talked to the old fellow sharply, but I finally fell asleep. He -aroused me at daylight, and I went outside.</p> - -<p>“The sun was shining brightly, and the light air had drifted the fog -back across the Strait to the ragged shore of Tierra del Fuego, where it -hung like a huge gray pall, darkening underneath. To the northward lay -the steamer, but besides her there was not a floating thing visible.</p> - -<p>“The younger keeper, with the hang-dog look, started up the tower to put -out the light, and I followed, taking the telescope to have a look -around. We had just reached the platform when there waddled out from -behind the lantern the most gigantic albatross I ever saw. The creature -gave a hoarse squawk and stretched its wings slowly outward as if about -to rise. But instead of going it stood motionless, while the keeper gave -a gasp and nearly fell over the rail, his face showing the wildest -terror.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>That’s him,’ he whispered.</p> - -<p>“And I must say I felt startled at seeing a bird four fathoms across the -wings. I stood looking at the creature a moment, and was aware of -something dangling from its leg. Then I went slowly towards it. It stood -still while I bent down and unfastened the piece of canvas hanging to -its leg, but it kept its great black eye fixed on me; then it snapped -its heavy hooked beak savagely, and I started backward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a>{121}</span></p> - -<p>“The creature dropped gracefully over the edge of the platform, and, -falling in a great circular sweep, rose again and held its way down the -Strait. I watched it with the telescope until it disappeared in the -distance, and then swept the horizon for signs of a sail. There was -nothing in sight, and the sea was like oil as far as the eye could -reach. I put down the glass and examined the piece of rag. It was -nothing but a bit of tarred canvas, with nothing on it to tell where it -came from. The keeper asked to see it, and he could make no more of it -than I could. Then we went down, and as we approached the house the old -keeper came out of the door and looked around in the air above him. I -held out the piece of canvas and he gave a start.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>He was there, then?’ he asked.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>If you mean that all-fired big albatross, yes,’ I answered. ‘But why -the devil are you so scared of him?’</p> - -<p>“The old fellow didn’t answer, but stood looking at the piece of canvas, -saying, ‘Only one left. This is the third time.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Only one fool!’ I cried. ‘How, by Davy, can you read anything on that -bit of canvas when it’s as blank as a fog-bank?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>And you are that fool,’ he replied, in a low tone, so smoothly that I -damned him fore and aft for every kind of idiot I could think of.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Let him alone,’ said Jackson, hearing the rumpus. ‘All these outlying -keepers are as crazy as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a>{122}</span> mollyhawks. It’s some joke, or some fellow’s -trying to get the place.’</p> - -<p>“In a little while we went aboard the steamer and started for the -Falklands.</p> - -<p>“I was still there three weeks later, when two small sealing schooners -came in and unloaded their pelts. The men aboard them told a strange -tale of a wreck in the great hole of the Orkneys. They had gone into the -crater after seals and had found a large ship driven into a cleft in the -rocky wall. Her bow was clear of the water, but her stern was fathoms -deep in it, so they couldn’t tell her name. On their way up they had -gone to the westward and come through the Le Maire. They had hunted for -two days off the rocks and reported the light out both nights.</p> - -<p>“Jackson started off in a day or so to see what was the matter, and he -took a goose-gun for that albatross. When he reached the light there -wasn’t a sign of those keepers. Everything was in its place and the -house was open, but there was nothing to tell how the fellows left.</p> - -<p>“In a little while he noticed the head of an albatross peering over the -platform of the light, and he tried to get a sight at it. But the -critter seemed to know better than to show itself.</p> - -<p>“He finally started up the ladder and gained the platform. There were -the two keepers, stark and stiff, one of them holding an oil-can in his -dead grip. The sight gave him such a turn that when the giant bird gave -a squawk and started off he missed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a>{123}</span> it clean, although it wasn’t three -fathoms from the muzzle of his gun. He yelled to the men below to come -up, but by the time they got there the whole top was afire from the -spilled oil catching at the flash, or burning wad, from his gun.</p> - -<p>“There was no way to put the fire out, so they had the satisfaction of -climbing down and watching the tower burn before their eyes.</p> - -<p>“It’s hard to say just how those keepers died. It may have been the -falling sickness, or it may have been natives that killed them. As for -me, I’ve believed there was something unnatural about the whole affair, -for I’ve never heard of an albatross landing on a light before. There -was some talk about fear of mutiny aboard the Indian by her owners, but -there was no ground for it. Those fellows probably told a straight -story. There was a boat picked up to the northward of the Strait some -time afterwards, but there was no name on it, and the only man in it was -dead. He had several ugly knife wounds, but it proved nothing.</p> - -<p>“There’s room to the eastward of the island for me. You had better watch -those fore-and mizzen-t’gallant-sails,—it looks as if we may get a -touch of the Cape before morning.”</p> - -<p>I went forward and started some men aft to the mizzen. We were about to -begin the struggle “around the corner.” The deepening gloom of the -winter evening increased, and the distant flares and flashes from the -Land of Fire gave ominous thoughts of the future in store for us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a>{124}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_BACKSLIDERS" id="THE_BACKSLIDERS"></a><i>THE BACKSLIDERS</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">“W</span>AL, I swow!” exclaimed Captain Breeze, as he came to the break of the -poop the morning after the Northern Light had dropped down the bay to -await the tide before putting to sea. The object that had called forth -this remark was the figure of a very pretty and strongly built woman, -dressed in a close-fitting brown dress with a white apron, standing at -the galley door waiting to receive the breakfast things from the -“doctor,” who was busy with the morning meal inside.</p> - -<p>It was quite early and the mates were forward getting the men to the -windlass. The tug was alongside waiting to take the tow as soon as the -anchor came to the cat-head. The passengers were still below in their -bunks and the skipper had only just turned out. He was bound out on a -long voyage to the West Coast, and both he and his mates had enjoyed a -more than usually convivial time the evening before. This accounted for -the skipper not having seen his stewardess until the next morning, for -she had come aboard quietly and had gone unperceived to her state-room -in the forward cabin. He had asked for a good stewardess this voyage, -for he had several female passengers. The company had evidently tried to -accommodate him, for this girl certainly looked everything that was good -and nothing bad. He stood gazing at her in amazement.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a>{125}</span> Stewardesses on -deep-water ships were not of this breed. Forward, the men manned the -brakes, and a lusty young fellow looking aft from the clew of his eye -caught a glimpse of the vision at the galley door and broke forth, all -hands joining in the chorus,—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A Bully sailed from Bristol town,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Singing yo, ho, ho, oh, blow a man down;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A Bully sailed, and made a tack,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Hooray for the Yankee Jack,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Waiting with his yard aback,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Soo-aye! Hooray! Oh, knock a man down.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>The rising sun shone upon the white topsails hanging in the buntlines -and glittered upon the brass binnacle and companion-rail. In the bright -light the hair of the young woman at the galley door looked like -burnished copper or a deep red gold. The curve of her rosy cheek was -perfect, and every now and then the skipper caught a glimpse of red lips -and a gleam of white teeth.</p> - -<p>“Wal, I swow!” he exclaimed again.</p> - -<p>“Anchor’s short, sir!” came the hoarse cry of Mr. Enlis from the head of -the top-gallant-forecastle.</p> - -<p>“Sink me if that ain’t the all-aroundest, fore an’ aft, alow an’ aloft, -three skysail-yard, close-sailin’ little clipper I——”</p> - -<p>“Anchor’s short, sir!” came Garnett’s bawl from the capstan.</p> - -<p>“——I ever see,” continued the skipper, completely deaf and lost to -everything else.</p> - -<p>“Stand by to take the line!” roared Mr. Enlis to the tow-boat.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a>{126}</span></p> - -<p>He was a cool, collected, and extremely profane mate, and he saw in an -instant that if the tug did not get the ship’s head she would swing -around with the sea-breeze and be standing up the harbor with the tide.</p> - -<p>As it was, she kept paying off so long that the natural sailorly -instinct, alive in every true deep-water navigator as to a sudden change -of bearings, asserted itself in the skipper and brought him out of his -dream with a start. His vision faded, and in its place he saw his vessel -swinging towards Staten Island, her topsails filling partly as they -hung.</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter for’ard?” he roared. “Wake up, you——,” and he let -drive a volley of oaths which for descriptive power stood far and away -above any of that extensive collection of words found in the English -dictionary. Had Mr. Garnett been of a literary turn of mind he might -have noted them down for future reference, but he apparently did not -appreciate their depth and power, for he caught them up carelessly as -they came and flung them into the faces of the crew with no concern -whatever.</p> - -<p>No one was affected much by this outburst, but after the skipper had -taken pains to explain that his mates and crew were all sons of female -dogs, and that they had inherited a hundred other bad things besides low -descent from their ancestors, he subsided a little and another voice was -heard from the main-deck.</p> - -<p>“That’s right, old man; don’t mind me. Cuss<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a>{127}</span> them out, I shan’t pay any -attention. I’ll get used to your tune, even if I don’t to your words,” -cried the pretty girl from the galley door, smiling up at him.</p> - -<p>Jimmy Breeze looked down upon the main-deck from the break of the poop. -Then he scratched his head, first on one side and then on the other. -Never before in the twenty years he had followed deep water had he ever -heard of a stewardess addressing a captain like this. Had she been old -and ugly a belaying-pin would have found itself flying through the air -in the direction of her head. But this beautiful, gentle young girl!</p> - -<p>It was too much for the skipper, so he turned slowly upon his heel and -walked aft with the air of a much disturbed man, muttering incoherently -to himself.</p> - -<p>At three bells in the morning the female passengers had their breakfast -served in the saloon. The skipper happened to be in his room adjoining -and could hear the praise bestowed upon his stewardess by Mrs. O’Hara, -the Misses O’Hara, and Mrs. McCloud.</p> - -<p>“A perfect jewel,” affirmed the latter, while “Carrie” was forward -getting her tea. “I really don’t think we could make a voyage without -her.”</p> - -<p>“And so beautiful and good,” said the Misses O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“Faith, tu be sure, she’s a rale saint av a gurl,” added Mrs. O’Hara, -just as she appeared with the tea things. “An’, Carrie, me gurl, d’ye -like th’ sea<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a>{128}</span> that ye follow it alone, so to spake?” she continued, -addressing the stewardess.</p> - -<p>“Yes, indeed, ma’am. But it’s not alone I am entirely, for surely the -captain is the finest I ever saw, and they told me he was a father to -his crew. He’s a man after my own heart.”</p> - -<p>“Humph!” growled Jimmy Breeze in the solitude of his state-room. He -thought his stewardess was not only very pretty, but an extremely -discerning young woman. It was, however, this very perfection in -appearance and deportment that caused trouble this morning, for when -“Bill,” the cabin boy, passed the stewardess in the alley-way he was -quite overcome by the vision of loveliness. He had some of the dinner -things for the officers’ mess, and when he turned suddenly at the door, -a heavy lurch of the vessel sent him against the coamings. This had the -effect of throwing the things scattering to leeward about the feet of -Mr. Enlis.</p> - -<p>“You holy son of Belial!” roared the mate. And he continued to curse him -loudly until Mr. Garnett came up.</p> - -<p>“Whang him!” grunted the second officer, shortly. “Whang the lights out -of him, the burgoo-eating, lazy,” etc.</p> - -<p>Mr. Enlis had seized the unfortunate “Bill” by the slack of his coat and -had yanked him to the mast to “whang” him, when the form of the -stewardess appeared at the door of the forward cabin.</p> - -<p>The mate laid on one good whang, when he was interrupted by the remark, -“Soak it to him; don’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a>{129}</span> mind me, I’ll get used to hearing him pipe.” And -the pretty girl smiled pleasantly.</p> - -<p>“Ye had better go below, missie, for there’s a-going to be a little -hee-hawing for’ards. Come back again soon,” said Garnett, with a leer.</p> - -<p>“Not exactly, while the fun lasts,” answered Miss Carrie.</p> - -<p>But, somehow, the mate could not curse loud enough to keep his temper up -before the young girl, and he ended matters by giving Bill a kick that -sent him to leeward, where he landed in the mess-kit. Then the mate -touched his forelock to Miss Carrie and went forward muttering something -about there being no discipline aboard a boat with wimmen folks around. -Garnett balanced himself upon his short bow-legs to the heave of the -ship, which was now well off shore, and took his cap in his hand while -he mopped a deep, greasy dent in the top of his bald head. Then he took -out a vial of peppermint salts and sniffed loudly at it, looking out of -the clew of his eye at the stewardess. “Holy smoke an’ blazes, but she’s -a craft to sail with! To think of a tender-hearted young gurl like that -wanting to see a man whanged.” And he went forward like a man in a -dream.</p> - -<p>Each time during the following days when the oaths flew thick and fast -from poop or forecastle, Miss Carrie appeared upon the scene and cheered -on the contestants. It was simply uncanny to see the fresh young girl -telling the skipper or mates to “go ahead and cuss them out,” or “don’t -mind me,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a>{130}</span> boys, I’ll get used to it.” They could not go on while the -young girl stood by. Once Enlis continued to use foul language before -her, but two or three groans and hisses made his face flush for the very -shame of it. He threatened to kill every man who uttered a sound, and -seized a belaying-pin to carry out his design, but a laugh from the -galley door drove him into a frenzy, and he sent the pin flying at the -girl’s head. He was instantly reported to the skipper for his brutal -conduct and had the satisfaction of being knocked down by that truculent -commander, barely escaping forward with his life.</p> - -<p>“He’s a real captain,” said Miss Carrie to the O’Haras, whenever she -thought the skipper was in his state-room and could hear. She was a very -pretty girl, and what she said was seldom lost entirely.</p> - -<p>Day after day life grew quieter on board the Northern Light. There was -no help for it. And while life grew quieter, so likewise did Jimmy -Breeze, the skipper. He was just “losing his tone,” as Mr. McCloud -expressed it. He sometimes burst forth at odd moments, but the presence -of his stewardess usually ended the flare into deep mutterings.</p> - -<p>One morning he came on the poop and joined his passengers.</p> - -<p>“There’s no use denyin’ it,” he said, “cussin’s wrong, and that young -gurl shan’t be exposed to it no more. She’s a-tryin’ not to mind the -rough words; but, sink me, any one can tell how they effects<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a>{131}</span> her, young -and innercent as she is. Things is goin’ much better this v’yage, and -blast me if I allows any d—d swab to shoot off his bazoo in my hearing. -No, sir; if there’s any cussin’ to be done, I’ll do it. Yes, sir, I’ll -do it; and I’ll whang the lights out of any d—d junk-eating son of a -sea-cook aboard here I catches,—an’ I don’t make no exceptions for -passengers.”</p> - -<p>Here he glared at Mr. O’Hara, but that gentleman appeared absorbed in -the weather-leach of the main-top-sail.</p> - -<p>“An’ I don’t make no exceptions for passengers,” repeated the skipper, -still glaring at the small and inoffensive O’Hara, who stared vacantly -aloft. Then the skipper went aft to the wheel and noted the ship’s -course.</p> - -<p>Within another week after this speech of Captain Breeze’s a change had -come over the ship’s company almost equal to that which had physically -come over Mr. Garnett, whose long, flowing jet-black mustaches had now -given place to a natural growth of stubbly, grizzly beard and whiskers. -But of course the change of ships’ morals did not cause as much comment -after the skipper had repeated his remarks in regard to swearing to the -mates. Mr. Garnett’s private affairs were always of a nature that caused -inquisitive and evil-disposed persons much interest, whereas the ship’s -company interested no one, unless it was the stewardess.</p> - -<p>As there was war on the West Coast of South America between Chile and -Peru, the Northern<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a>{132}</span> Light carried her specie in the captain’s safe, as -drafts and exchanges were difficult to negotiate. Captain Breeze was a -careful and determined skipper and he had the confidence of the owners. -He was a bachelor, but he debauched in moderation,—that is, in -moderation for a deep-water sailor. Therefore it was something over ten -thousand dollars in negotiable form that he carried in the small steel -safe lashed to the deck beside his capacious bunk.</p> - -<p>On the days he opened his “slop-chest” to sell nigger-head tobacco which -cost him seven cents a pound for ninety, and shoes which cost him thirty -cents a pair for two dollars and a half, he took pride in opening the -steel doors and displaying his wealth to the stupid gaze of the men. The -men were not forced to pay the prices he asked for his stores, but it -was a case of monopoly. They could go without tobacco or shoes for all -he cared. When they had done so for a short time they usually accepted -matters as they were and signed on for both at any price he had the -hardihood to demand. Oil-skins and sou’westers usually took a whole -month’s pay, but that was no affair of his. If the men wished to go wet -they could do so. He had no fear that they would attempt to crack his -safe or steal his stores, for behind the safe and within easy reach of -his strong hand stood his Winchester rifle loaded full of cartridges.</p> - -<p>Mr. McCloud and Mr. O’Hara often had the pleasure of viewing the ship’s -wealth, for there were occasions when the skipper’s temper was -sufficiently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a>{133}</span> mellow to allow them in his room that they might marvel at -his power. He seldom failed to impress them. When the Northern Light had -crossed the line he had impressed them into such a state of high respect -for himself, and had subdued their own spirits so far, that he actually -began to make their acquaintance. He would now hold conversation with -them, but always in a tone of immeasurable and hopeless superiority. -During this period the moral tone of the crew had likewise risen -accordingly.</p> - -<p>Garnett marvelled greatly during his watch below, and at night when on -deck he could be seen walking to and fro in the light of the tropic -moon, mopping the dent in his bald head and sniffing hard at his little -vial. The change was dreadful to the old sailor’s nerves.</p> - -<p>Mr. Enlis went about his duties silently, muttering strange sounds when -things went wrong. The skipper’s promise to “whang the lights out” of -any one caught swearing had had its effect.</p> - -<p>One warm morning, after breakfast, the skipper invited McCloud and -O’Hara below to try some beer. This feeling of good fellowship, starting -as it did under impressive surroundings, developed into one of real -confidence within a very short time. Mr. O’Hara had pronounced the hot, -flat beer the best he had ever tasted, and McCloud had affirmed without -an oath that he told nothing but the truth.</p> - -<p>“Th’ only wan av all th’ saints that cud come within a mile av it,” said -O’Hara, “is that paragin<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a>{134}</span> av goodness and all the virtues, me own old -woman, Molly. She kin make beer.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, the blessings of a good lassie!” said McCloud, holding his mug at -arm’s length. “Captain, ye have me pity, fra I weel ken ye need it, -being as ye are a puir lonely sailor-man. I drink to ye, sir, with much -feeling——”</p> - -<p>“An’ hope as ye will not be always be sich,” interrupted O’Hara.</p> - -<p>Jimmy Breeze sat silent and sullen upon his safe, glaring at his -passengers over the rim of his mug each time he raised it to his lips. -At the end of the sixth measure he dashed the mug upon the deck and -swore loudly for nearly a minute, and his guests were wondering what had -happened.</p> - -<p>“I’ll not be any d—d sich any longer!” he roared. “I’ve stood it long -enough, s’help me.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara put down his mug and edged towards the cabin door, and McCloud -was in the act of following his example when Breeze sprang forward and -locked it, putting the key in his pocket.</p> - -<p>“Sit down, you swabs, and give me your advice. You can’t leave here till -you do; so take your time and lay me a straight course.”</p> - -<p>“What’s—what’s the matter?” gasped O’Hara.</p> - -<p>The skipper seated himself on top of his safe.</p> - -<p>“It’s like this,” he said. “Here I’m bound for the West Coast in cargo -and passengers, likely to be at sea four months or more, and here I am -bound to get married even if I have to run the bleeding hooker clear -back to Rio to have it done.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a>{135}</span></p> - -<p>“Whew!” said McCloud.</p> - -<p>“Whew!” said O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“What I wants is advice. Shall I lay a course back to the Brazils and -cross the hawse of some shaved-headed priest, or put into the river -Plate and have her own kind of sky-pilot do the job? She lays she won’t -have no shave-head splice her, and it’s a good three weeks’ run to the -river, to say nothing of the danger of the Pompero this time o’ year. -Ain’t there any way to make her ’bout ship an’ head her on the right -tack, or have I got to be slanting about this d—d ocean until I get to -be an old man?”</p> - -<p>“What wud ye loike us to do?” asked O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“Do!” roared Breeze. “If I knew, do you suppose I’d ask you? I’d make -you do it so infernal quick you——”</p> - -<p>“Or whang yer lights out, ye insolent man,” said McCloud, turning upon -him.</p> - -<p>“Well, well, I’m no priest,” said the repentant O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“No more ye ken, Mickey, me boy; na is it the likes o’ you as will be o’ -service in this case. Now, ye know, Mickey, I knows law, and I always -have told ye the skipper of a vessel is a law to himself. Ain’t that be -the truth, sir?” he asked, turning to the captain.</p> - -<p>Captain Breeze nodded.</p> - -<p>“That being the case, I know a skipper can marry people, perform -religious worship, and do all manner o’ things aboard ships off -soundings, as the saying is.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a>{136}</span></p> - -<p>The skipper nodded encouragingly from the safe.</p> - -<p>“That being the case,” says I, “there’s no reason or being or state as -can keep him fra marrying this minute if—if he wants to.”</p> - -<p>“I know that all right,” said Breeze; “but who’s to marry me?”</p> - -<p>“I don’t happen to be able to guess the leddie’s name,” said McCloud.</p> - -<p>“D—n the lady! Who’s to marry me? That’s what I want to know,” roared -the skipper.</p> - -<p>“Why, the leddie will marry you, and you will marry the leddie to -yourself, I presume. We are both married, O’Hara and me.”</p> - -<p>The skipper sat glaring at his passengers, while he repeatedly damned -the lady, the priests, the passengers, and all else connected with the -affair.</p> - -<p>“You infernal cross-checkered sea-lawyer, how can I marry myself? How -can I marry myself and the girl too? Answer me that, sir,” and he glared -at McCloud.</p> - -<p>“Sure, ’tis aisy enough, a little bit av a thing loike that, sur,” said -O’Hara. “Mac is right, an’ he has the lure strong an’ fast in his books -foreninst th’ state-room.”</p> - -<p>“I’ll get the law and read it to ye so ye may ken it, ye hard-headed -sailor-man,” said McCloud, somewhat ruffled, and he started for the -door. The skipper unlocked it and let him out, holding O’Hara as hostage -against his return.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes McCloud came back with several<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a>{137}</span> leather-covered books, -and, seating himself, opened one of them and began his search for -authority.</p> - -<p>“Here it is,” he said, at length, while the skipper sat and looked -curiously at him. “Here’s law for ye, an’ good law at that. Just as -binding as any law ever writ.”</p> - -<p>O’Hara nodded at the skipper and smiled an “I told you so.”</p> - -<p>Jimmy Breeze came over to his passenger and looked over his shoulder -sheepishly. McCloud read, “And therefore be it enacted, that all such -masters of vessels when upon the high seas on voyages lasting one month -or more shall have authority to perform such services upon such members -of the ship’s company as they may see fit; provided that notice of the -consent of the contracting parties has been previously given, etc.”</p> - -<p>“Wal, I swow!” said Breeze, after a short pause.</p> - -<p>“Get married first,” suggested O’Hara, draining one of the mugs.</p> - -<p>“Sink me if I don’t pull off the affair before eight bells, and if I -find your infernal book is wrong, blast me if I don’t ram the insides of -its law down your throat and whang your hide off with the leather -cover,” said the skipper, hopefully.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis good, rale good lure,” muttered O’Hara, looking for more beer. -“Who’s th’ leddy?”</p> - -<p>Although no one had mentioned the name of the fair stewardess for fear -of precipitating an outburst on the part of the skipper, no doubt was -felt by the passengers that she was the object of the skipper’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a>{138}</span> -affections. His contempt for the O’Haras in general precluded the -possibility of a match with either of the young ladies of that -prosperous family. Besides, they both had pug-noses and were exceedingly -well freckled. The beauty of Miss Carrie had long been observed to have -had its effect upon Captain Breeze; so his answer to O’Hara’s apparently -hopeful question caused the latter little real disappointment, although -he may have had secret ambitions.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me ye might give the lassie some notion of your hurry, -especially if it’s going to happen so soon. The puir child na kens your -purpose, no doubt,” said McCloud.</p> - -<p>“Faith, I think ye right, Mac. I gave th’ owld gal nigh six months tu -git ready in——”</p> - -<p>“Six thunder!” growled Breeze. “I mean to get married afore eight bells, -at high noon, according to good English law, and if you fellows want to -help you can get your wives and darters to bear a hand.” They went into -the saloon, where they found Carrie fixing the table for dinner.</p> - -<p>The skipper hitched up his trousers impressively while his passengers -stood at either hand.</p> - -<p>“Carrie,” said he, solemnly, “we’ll stand by to tack ship at seven -bells,—an’—an’—and after that we’ll make the rest of the voyage in -company. Hey? How does that strike you, my girl?”</p> - -<p>“Mercy! What a man you are, Captain Breeze!” said Carrie, blushing -crimson. “Sure it’s sort of sudden like.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a>{139}</span></p> - -<p>“You’ll have half an hour to get ready in,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>“Plenty of time,” chimed in McCloud.</p> - -<p>“An’ an aisy toime iver afterwards as th’ capt’in’s leddy,” said O’Hara, -with dignity.</p> - -<p>“But who’s to marry us?” asked the maiden, shyly, glancing at the -skipper.</p> - -<p>“I’m to marry you,” said Jimmy Breeze. “It’s law and it’s all right. I’m -master of this here hooker, and what I says goes aboard, or ashore -either, for that matter. It’s put down in that yaller book, an’ it’s -law.”</p> - -<p>“Land sakes! I never could, Captain Breeze,—really, now, not before -these people,—I never could in the world.” And Carrie blushed -furiously.</p> - -<p>“You passed your word last night, so I holds you in honor bound,” said -Breeze, with great fervor. “You have half an hour, so I leaves you.” And -he drew himself up and strode to the companion, and so up on the -main-deck out of sight.</p> - -<p>McCloud and O’Hara, seeing danger ahead, strove with all the power of -their persuasive tongues to get the fair girl to listen to reason, or -rather law. She was stubborn on the point, however, and the female -portion of the O’Hara faction, together with Mrs. McCloud, was brought -to bear. These ladies, after expressing their modest astonishment at the -skipper’s unseemly haste, immediately, however, vied with each other to -argue in his behalf. They were so persuasive in their appeals, and so -adroit in painting the picture of Miss Carrie’s future happiness, that -in<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a>{140}</span> less than a quarter of an hour that refractory young lady gave way -in a flood of tears. After this she hastily prepared herself for the -ordeal by reading over the marriage service with Miss O’Hara, and things -looked propitious for the skipper.</p> - -<p>At seven bells that truculent commander promptly put in an appearance, -dressed in a tight-fitting coat and cap with gold braid. He was followed -below by Mr. Enlis, who looked uncertain and sour. After a short -preliminary speech the skipper called the blushing bride to his side as -he stood at the head of the cabin table. The book lay open before him, -and without further ado he plunged boldly into the marriage service, -answering for himself in the most matter-of-fact manner possible. He -placed a small gold ring upon the middle finger of his bride’s right -hand, which she dexterously removed and transferred to her left, and -after the ceremony was over he glared around at the assembled company as -if inviting criticism.</p> - -<p>No one had the hardihood to venture upon any. Then the paper which was -to do duty as certificate was drawn up by the clerky McCloud and was -duly signed by all present. It was afterwards transferred to the -skipper’s safe. Whiskey and water was produced for the men and ale for -the ladies, and before long even the sour mate was heard holding forth -in full career by the envious Mr. Garnett, who was forced to stand watch -while his superiors enjoyed themselves. It was a memorable affair for -some and immemorable for others, for the next day O’Hara<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a>{141}</span> could remember -nothing, and Mr. Enlis remembered that he had gotten exceedingly drunk. -Much he related to Garnett during the dog-watch, and that worthy rubbed -the top of his bald head and sniffed furiously at his vial, swearing -softly that the “old man” had made a fool of himself, and that he was -accordingly glad of it.</p> - -<p>The cruise continued as a cruise should when a bride is aboard ship, and -at the end of a fortnight the Northern Light was in the latitude of the -river Plate. There had been never an oath uttered since the skipper’s -marriage, and the mates had begun to chafe under the restraint. The -bride was on deck nearly all the time, and was certain to make remarks -and cheer on any attempt at a fracas.</p> - -<p>One afternoon the carpenter sounded the well and was astonished to find -a foot of water in the hold. The weather had been fine and the vessel -steady, so he was at a loss to account for this phenomenon. He sounded -again an hour later and found the water had gained six inches. Then he -lost no time in reporting the condition of the ship to the captain.</p> - -<p>With water gaining six inches an hour, the crew manned the pumps with -set faces, appalled at the sudden danger in mid-ocean. Suddenly, -however, the pumps “sucked.” An investigation showed the ship was -rapidly becoming dry.</p> - -<p>The water-tanks were examined and found to be empty, but no leaks in -them could be discovered.</p> - -<p>To be at sea without water to drink is most dreaded by deep-water -sailors, so Jimmy Breeze<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a>{142}</span> started his condenser and headed his ship for -Buenos Ayres, cursing the fates for the foul luck that would ruin his -anticipated quick passage.</p> - -<p>His wife consoled him as best she could and lamented her husband’s luck -to the passengers. Whereat she received the sympathy of the O’Haras and -Mrs. McCloud, and was looked upon as a very unfortunate woman.</p> - -<p>“Ah, pore thing! to think av it happening on her honeymoon at that,” -cried Mrs. O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“The sweet child, trying all she can to help her husband to forget his -lost chances for extra freight money. To think of it, and just married -at that,” said Mrs. McCloud.</p> - -<p>“Pore young sowl,” said Kate O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a good wife that sticks to her husband in disthress,” said O’Hara.</p> - -<p>“Ye ken it’s a jewel he has to be na thinking of money losses,” said -McCloud.</p> - -<p>Finally the ship made port and anchored off the city to take in water -and continue her voyage at the earliest opportunity.</p> - -<p>Mrs. O’Hara and Mrs. McCloud insisted on being allowed ashore to see the -sights. Captain Breeze would hear of no such thing, but finally, when -his bride added her voice to the occasion, he relented, and the ladies -went ashore together.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Breeze pointed out many places of interest, as she admitted having -been there before, and at one of the principal hotels she left the -party. She told them not to wait for her, as she would stop and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a>{143}</span> see a -friend, but to go down to the landing, where the boat might wait for her -after she was through her call.</p> - -<p>The day passed gayly, but when the party assembled at the landing, Mrs. -Breeze was not there. They never saw her again.</p> - -<p>The next day Captain Breeze called Mr. Enlis aft and took him below. -When he had him in the privacy of his state-room he pointed to his -little safe, and asked him to look through it.</p> - -<p>This operation took but a moment, for it was almost entirely empty, and -when he was through he looked at the skipper.</p> - -<p>“What would you do?” asked Jimmy Breeze, huskily.</p> - -<p>“Me?” asked the mate, apparently amazed at the question.</p> - -<p>“Yes, you.”</p> - -<p>“About what?” asked Enlis, trying to look utterly lost.</p> - -<p>“About that gal and the money, blast you!”</p> - -<p>“Oh!” exclaimed Mr. Enlis, as if a sudden light had flooded the dark -recesses of his brain. He remained silent.</p> - -<p>“Well, what?” asked the skipper, in real anger.</p> - -<p>“I dunno,” said Mr. Enlis, after a long pause. “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Pears to me I wouldn’t -let on nothing about it. Mum’s the word, says I.”</p> - -<p>“But the money, you swab?” growled the skipper.</p> - -<p>“To be sure,” said Enlis. “The money.”</p> - -<p>“Well?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a>{144}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, you might ask the police about the money on the quiet like,” -ventured the mate.</p> - -<p>“Suppose you and Garnett go ashore and see about it without making any -fuss. Garnett is a good one for such matters. It would hardly do for me, -seeing as how I stand in the matter of husband.”</p> - -<p>“Egg-zactly; we’ll do it right away;” and the mate hastened forward to -take advantage of the opportunity.</p> - -<p>Garnett and Enlis went ashore with what money they could get, and they -entered a description of the missing stewardess with the police. “An old -hag with side whiskers, having a wart under her left eye and all her -teeth gone,” said Garnett, as he finished. “An’ I hopes you’ll soon find -her,” he added, with a leer at the official. “Ye’ll know her by the way -she swears.”</p> - -<p>Several hours afterwards two exceedingly happy and drunken sailor-men -staggered down the street towards the landing. A beggar accosted them, -but after a search for coin, they protested they were cleaned out.</p> - -<p>“Don’t make no difference. Give me clothes,” whined the mendicant.</p> - -<p>“I’d give ye anything, me boy, for a weight is off my mind. Was ye ever -married?” cried Garnett.</p> - -<p>“Give the pore fellow clothes, Garnett, you swine!” roared Enlis.</p> - -<p>Garnett staggered against a house and undid his belt. Then with much -trouble he drew off his<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>{145}</span> trousers and stood with his white legs -glistening in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>“Here, pore fellow. You are a long-shore swab, but I knows by your look -ye are married. Take them, blast ye!” And he flung his trousers from -him. “This bean-swillin’ mate is too mean to give ye anything.”</p> - -<p>“Not I!” bawled Enlis, casting off his belt. “Here, you swivel-eyed -land-crab;” and he drew off his trousers likewise and handed them to the -beggar.</p> - -<p>“Thanky,” hissed the creature, and ran away.</p> - -<p>The men in the boat looked up the street towards where they heard -singing, and they beheld two very drunken men in flowing jumpers -staggering trouserless along, while their voices roared upon the quiet -night,—</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“A Bully sailed from Bristol town,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Singing yo, ho, ho, oh, blow a man down;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">A Bully sailed, and made a tack,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Hooray for the Yankee Jack,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Waiting with his yard aback,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Soo-aye! Hooray! Oh, knock a man down.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>{146}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="CAPTAIN_CRAVENS_COURAGE" id="CAPTAIN_CRAVENS_COURAGE"></a><i>CAPTAIN CRAVEN’S COURAGE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">E</span>VERY man develops during the period of his growth a certain amount of -nerve-power. This energy or life in his system will usually last him, -with ordinary care, twoscore or more years before it fails. Sometimes it -is used prodigally, and the man suffers the consequence by becoming a -debtor to nature. It is this that makes the ending of many overbold men -out of keeping with their lives. Some religious enthusiasts would have -it that they are repentant towards the end of their careers,—that is, -if they have not led conventional lives,—and that accounts for their -general break-down from the high courage shown during their prime. Among -sailors, soldiers, hunters, and others who live hard lives of exposure, -the strain is sometimes peculiarly apparent.</p> - -<p>It is often the case that the man of hard life dies before his -life-flame burns low, and then he is sometimes classed as a hero. For -instance, the captain of the Penguin, who ran his ship ashore on the -North Head of San Francisco Bay, was the most notorious desperado in the -whole Cape Horn fleet. Many men who sailed with him never saw the land -again. Their names appeared upon his log as “missing,” “lost overboard -in heavy weather,” etc. Investigation of such matters resulted in -nothing but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a>{147}</span> expense to the courts and the development of the ruffian’s -sinister character and reputation. Yet when he ran the Penguin ashore -with the terrible southeast sea rolling behind her, he maintained his -rigid discipline to the last and saved his passengers and part of his -crew. He died as a brave man should, never flinching from his post until -his life was crushed out.</p> - -<p>There were some who said he dared not come ashore, as he had overrun his -distance through carelessness, and that without the backing of his -ship’s owners he would have been stranded in a bad way upon the beach. -But the majority were willing to forget his record in his gallant end, -and he will be known in the future by the men who follow deep-water as a -hero.</p> - -<p>Craven, the pirate, was a much bolder and desperate man, yet his end was -different. He hailed from the same port as the skipper of the Penguin, -and sailed with the Cape Horn fleet in its early days.</p> - -<p>He retired from the sea at the age of thirty-five and settled on the -southern coast of California, taking to farming with that peculiar zeal -shown by all deep-water sailors. He fell desperately in love, married, -and the following year shot and killed a man who was less pious than -polite in his behavior towards Craven’s wife.</p> - -<p>After this affair he fled. Nothing was heard of him again for several -years, but as he was an expert navigator it was supposed he took to the -sea for safety.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a>{148}</span></p> - -<p>One day an American trader was standing in the Hoogla River, China, when -a junk appeared heading for her under all sail. Behind the junk, about a -mile to windward, came a trading schooner. The Chinese on the junk made -desperate efforts to overtake the American ship. When they came within -hailing distance they begged to be allowed alongside.</p> - -<p>The skipper of the Yankee warned them off with his guns, and ten minutes -later the schooner had laid the junk aboard. There was some sharp firing -for a few minutes, and then the Americans saw the men from the schooner -swarm over the junk’s deck. After that Chinamen were dropped overboard -in twos and threes, and before they had drawn out of sight ahead the -schooner was standing away again, leaving the junk a burning wreck. When -the ship made harbor they learned that Craven had appeared on the coast. -He had been there the preceding year and had been recognized. Altogether -it was said he had taken over five hundred junks and put their crews -overboard. The captain of the American ship reported the incident he had -just witnessed to the English gunboat Sovereign, but no action was taken -in the matter. There was no treaty between the United States and China, -and, as Craven was an American, it was a case for the Chinese to settle.</p> - -<p>Craven had been on the coast several times. He had a rendezvous to the -eastward somewhere among the numerous coral reefs, and from this den he -would sally forth in his schooner, armed with six twelve-pounders,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>{149}</span> and -swoop down upon some unsuspecting Chinese town. His boldness was -remarkable.</p> - -<p>Once he held a whole village in check single-handed while his men -carried a boat-load of young maidens aboard the schooner, and then -returned for the rest of their booty left upon the sand. It was said -that had the emperor himself been within a day’s journey of the coast, -Craven would have had him aboard his vessel to gratify his sinister -humor.</p> - -<p>His cruelty was phenomenal. A favorite amusement of his being to tie two -Chinamen together by their pigtails and sling them across a spring-stay. -Then he would offer freedom to the one who would demolish the other the -quicker. It was seldom that he failed to produce a horrible spectacle.</p> - -<p>On one occasion when he captured a prominent mandarin he asked an -enormous ransom. Not getting it within the time specified, he had the -unfortunate man skinned and stuffed. Then he was carried ashore and left -standing for his friends to greet.</p> - -<p>Craven’s crew numbered less than twenty-five men, and they were all -white, except two or three who acted as servants to the rest, taking a -hand in the fracases only when ordered to.</p> - -<p>It might be supposed that the pirate wasted much time and energy for -little gain taking junks. He dared not touch a white trader, and the -junks were the easiest to handle. There was little left for him to prey -upon, so he went along the Chinese coast like a ravenous shark, leaving -a smoking wake behind, strewn with the blackened timbers of burned<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a>{150}</span> -junks and dotted with the corpses of murdered men. Everything Chinese -was game for his crew, and what he lost in quality of plunder he made up -in quantity.</p> - -<p>While the American ship lay in the Hoogla an accident occurred aboard -which delayed her departure. During the time spent in making some of the -necessary repairs Craven appeared at the mouth of the river, and was so -bold that the English gunboat was at last prevailed upon to drive him -away. The Sovereign met him some twenty miles off shore in the act of -scuttling a captured junk. This was too much for the Englishman, and he -fired a shot to drive him off. To his surprise Craven returned the fire. -That settled the matter. The heavy Blakely rifle on the gunboat’s -forecastle was trained upon the schooner, and it sent a shell that cut -both masts out of her and left her helpless. Craven returned the fire -with vigor, landing several telling shots. A heavy shell from the rifle -was then fired at half a mile range, and struck the schooner in the -stern above the water-line. It ranged forward, raking her whole length, -and left her a burning wreck. She began settling rapidly by the head, -and the gunboat, firing a parting broadside, which destroyed the -schooner’s two boats, drew slowly away. The Englishman waited within -sight until the schooner disappeared beneath the sea, and then, thinking -it would be more merciful to let the crew remain in the water than to -bring them ashore, steamed away for the river.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>{151}</span></p> - -<p>A few weeks after this a Spanish brig came in. She was a trader bound -south, and the mate of the American ship made arrangements to take -passage on her as far as Singapore to get some necessary supplies for -his vessel.</p> - -<p>The first person he met on rowing over to the brig to secure a passage -was a small, peculiarly yellow man with a Spanish cast of features, who -met him at the gangway and asked him his business before allowing him to -come aboard. On telling his desire to secure a passage to the southward, -he was peremptorily refused; but when he explained his business was -urgent and that he had many necessary supplies to secure, the man at the -gangway reconsidered the matter, and bade him wait alongside until he -could consult his skipper, who was below suffering from an attack of -gout in his leg.</p> - -<p>In a little while he reappeared at the brig’s side and announced gruffly -that he might bring his things aboard the following morning, as that was -the time set for the brig’s sailing.</p> - -<p>The next day the mate, Mr. Camp, came aboard the brig, and soon -afterwards she was standing out to sea. There were two passengers -besides himself aboard, Manila traders, who had come over from the -Philippines and who wished to get to the southward.</p> - -<p>When the brig had made an offing, Camp was surprised at the appearance -of a most peculiar looking colored man, who limped up the companion-way -to the poop. His skin was an orange-yellow, and appeared dry and dark in -spots. His right leg was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a>{152}</span> swathed in bloody rags, and he limped as if in -some pain. He had an eye that glinted strangely as the mate came within -its range of vision, and his face wore the determined look of a fighter -who is making a desperate stand against heavy odds. In a quiet voice he -addressed the man who had made the arrangement with the mate, Mr. Camp.</p> - -<p>“Collins,” said he, “get me the glass. I believe I see a couple of birds -making in along the beach for the harbor.” This he said in good English, -with a slight Yankee accent, and Camp turned in astonishment to look at -him more closely.</p> - -<p>The man Collins, who was the mate of the brig, handed him the glass, and -after a moment Craven laid it down with an oath.</p> - -<p>“The two fellows we missed last week. They’ll loose off at having seen -us, and that gunboat will be hard in our wake before night. You might -send a few men aft to get to work on our passengers. They are poor -whelps.”</p> - -<p>Camp went towards him.</p> - -<p>“I don’t understand what you mean by that last remark,” said he. “I am -an American and wish a certain amount of civility aboard here.”</p> - -<p>The skipper smiled grimly at him and sat upon the poop-rail.</p> - -<p>“You’ll get the best the coast affords, my boy,” said he. “You’ll be a -gentleman of leisure after you quit this hooker. This is the brig -Cristobal, Captain Craven; and now you can make up your mind whether you -will be a member of the ship’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a>{153}</span> company or try and float a twelve-pound -shot. It’s piracy, says you? Well, it’s swim, then, says we, and good -luck to you,” and he chuckled hoarsely, while several men came aft and -stood by the mate for further orders.</p> - -<p>Camp saw that it was death in a hideous form to disobey. Both he and the -two Manila men were led below, where they swore allegiance to Craven and -joined his crew. In a crisis of this nature a man even of strong mould -is apt to think twice before accepting the inevitable. Time is valuable -when one has but a few moments to live, and to gain it these three -innocent men were glad to accept any terms. They were sent forward with -the men and joined the crew, which now numbered fourteen hands. Here -they learned how Craven and four men had clung to some of the wreck of -his schooner for two days. Then the brig Cristobal picked them up in an -exhausted state. Two days later Craven and his fellows quietly dropped -the skipper overboard and announced to the crew their intention of -taking charge of the brig. All who wished to could join. There were six -unarmed men against five desperadoes armed to the teeth, and in a short -time matters were settled satisfactorily. Craven was in command of a -vessel and crew bound for China from the Philippines, and it was his -humor to keep her on her course and have a look at things in the harbor. -This he did to his satisfaction, and no opportunity offering for him to -revenge himself upon the gunboat there, he took on some supplies and put -to<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a>{154}</span> sea. When he met Camp at the break of the poop after the latter had -joined, he became more communicative than usual.</p> - -<p>“This color we have will soon wear off, my boy,” said he. “Collins there -thought he knew something about medicine, and he broke open the medicine -chest to get this iodine to paint us with. He’s a clown. The infernal -stuff burned half the skin off, and that accounts for his looks. Where’s -the skipper of this hooker, says you? Well, that depends somewhat on his -morals. I don’t call to mind any island trader as will go to the heaven -some old women pray for. A trader’s life is always a hard one, so I -don’t think we did any harm in helping the fellow to something -different, although he did struggle mighty hard to stay. Some religious -people would call it bad to put yellow-skinned heathen overboard, but we -don’t look at it that way. Most of these junk-men are no better than -animals, and we do them a clean favor by ending their sufferings. Yes, -sir, that’s the way to look at the matter, my son. There isn’t a man -alive who can look back and see anything in his life worth living for -and suffering for. It’s all in his mind’s eye that something will be -better in the future. We know that’s all blamed nonsense, for that -something better never comes, so in helping him to what’s coming to all -of us we just do him a favor. Now, you are a likely chap, Camp, and I -hope you’ll see the reason of things. Go below and tell one of the girls -we got yesterday to give you your grog. Collins has the key. Then you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a>{155}</span> -want to bear a hand and get our little battery in working order. We’ll -raise half a dozen junks before night and we’ve got a little business -with the first one.”</p> - -<p>In a short time all hands were hard at work getting the brig’s -twelve-pounders in working order. In the late afternoon a lateen-sail -showed above the horizon, and everything was ready for action. By night -the junk ahead was still out of range, and the watch was set, and half -the men went below to get some rest.</p> - -<p>At two in the morning Camp was turned out, and the smudge on the lee bow -showed that the brig would soon have the wind of the unsuspecting -Chinaman. In half an hour Craven had him under his lee, and he paid off -gradually until he brought him fair on his lee broadside, not two -hundred feet distant. Then he swung up his ports and let go his battery, -serving it with remarkable accuracy and rapidity.</p> - -<p>The astonished Chinaman let go everything in the way of running gear, -and the junk, which was running free, broached to and lay helpless, -wallowing in the swell, with her deck crowded with screaming men. Craven -then brought the Cristobal to, and taking the boat with four men, -carried a line to the junk, and soon had her alongside.</p> - -<p>The Chinamen were bound hand and foot after several who showed fight -were killed. Then Craven had them transferred to the Cristobal, and with -untiring energy went to work to transfer his ammunition and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a>{156}</span> guns to the -junk. It was noon before this was accomplished, and then he told the -Chinaman who was the junk’s captain that he really owed him much for -swapping such a fine Spanish brig for his worthless old hulk. In -consideration of this debt he requested him to keep the brig on her -course to the Peninsula, and crowd on all sail if he saw an English -gunboat in his wake. If he failed, and showed such ingratitude as to -disobey this request during the next twenty-four hours, he hinted in a -mild way that he would overhaul him, and then fry him in whale-oil and -serve him to his shipmates. As Craven was never known to make an idle -threat, the conversation had its desired effect. The Cristobal stood -away on her course with a Chinese crew, and Craven, bracing his -lateen-sail sharp on the wind, headed slowly back again over the course -he had just run.</p> - -<p>About eight bells in the afternoon the Sovereign was sighted dead ahead. -She was driving along full speed with a bone in her teeth. That is, with -the bow wave roaring off on either side in a snowy-white smother, -looking like a great white streak against her dark cut-water.</p> - -<p>She passed within hailing distance, and Craven kept below the rail and -rubbed his wounded leg while he smiled grimly.</p> - -<p>“I’ve a notion to let go at her,” said he to Camp. “We could slap a -couple of twelves into her before she knew what was up. I’d like to see -her skipper with a couple of shot through his teakettle before<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a>{157}</span> he knew -where he was at. Jim, suppose you lay the port guns on her.”</p> - -<p>But Collins had sense enough not to get the guns trained in time. In ten -minutes the gunboat was a speck on the horizon.</p> - -<p>Craven knew she would overhaul the brig in a few hours, but hoped his -merciful attack on the junk’s crew would lessen the heat of the chase. -He might have sunk her and escaped, but his fancy took a different turn, -and he played his game out.</p> - -<p>Before sundown he was rapidly nearing the China coast and several junks -were made out ahead. All hands, tired as they were, turned out and stood -by for a fracas. It was not long in coming.</p> - -<p>The nearest junk was laid close under Craven’s lee and the Chinamen -could be seen crowding about her decks. He was so close a conversation -could be carried on with the men on the junk, and the rush of the foam -under her forefoot sounded loud upon Camp’s ears.</p> - -<p>Craven let go his port broadside into her without warning. In five -minutes he had her alongside. Several of her crew were dead, but he lost -no time in transferring the living to his junk and making them lend a -hand to shift his guns again. Then he sailed away with his battery -transferred for the second time.</p> - -<p>Craven fought his way up the coast, shifting his guns and ammunition -from vessel to vessel at every available opportunity. Towns that had -been warned of his approach in a junk, would see a peaceful<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a>{158}</span> trading -schooner come quietly into the harbor at dusk. Nothing would be thought -of this until in the early hours of the morning a heavy cannonade would -arouse his victims, and those who survived would see the finest vessel -there standing out to sea in tow of a schooner that fairly disappeared -in the smoke of her own guns. The pirate had ammunition in plenty within -three days’ sail of Hong-Kong, and he dodged everything sent after him -for nearly a year. He kept the sea with remarkable cunning, and his -absolute fearlessness won him many recruits.</p> - -<p>Once he was heard from far down the Straits of Malacca, where he engaged -a Malay pirate for several hours whose crew outnumbered his ten to one. -He finally sank her with all hands.</p> - -<p>A few months after this he again fell in with the gunboat Sovereign. He -was sailing a huge junk at this time, and under this disguise came near -escaping again. He was recognized, however, and captured with his entire -crew. They were taken to Hong-Kong. Here he was confined for nearly a -year, an object of curiosity, until they were ready to cut off his head.</p> - -<p>He and his men were led out every day or two and held in line while the -swordsman walked along them with upraised blade. When this grim -executioner had chosen a man, which he did at random, he would bring the -weapon down suddenly upon the back of his neck. This was trying on the -nerves of those of the crew who had to look on. No one knew just when -his turn would come.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a>{159}</span></p> - -<p>Craven, however, stood it well for a month or two and was apparently -indifferent to the sight of death, but the long strain of hunting his -fellow-men and of being hunted in turn by them had done its work. His -nervous energy had been pretty well used up. One day a trader came into -the harbor and brought a woman to the English consul’s. She claimed to -be Craven’s wife. It took some time before she could get to see her -husband, but through the consul’s influence she finally did. Then came -the break in the man’s nerve.</p> - -<p>From that time on he trembled when the sword struck. At the end of a -week he was hysterical, and they had to hold him when they brought him -out. His sole idea now was to live to see the woman who had caused his -ruin. This he struggled and cried for, and the idea of separating from -her again caused him more agony than one can well conceive.</p> - -<p>The Chinese are always particular that great criminals of theirs shall -get great punishments. Craven’s sufferings were prolonged as much as -possible. There were forty men of his crew taken with him, and he had -seen the heads of nearly all cut off. When his turn came, and it was -next the last, he screamed shrilly as the swordsman swung up the blade -two or three times over the victim’s head before giving the final -stroke. Craven was trembling all over. He cried and begged for a little -delay. His horror of death was terrible, and he pleaded to see his wife -once more. The idea of<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a>{160}</span> separating from her now forever was more than he -could stand, and it caused the greatest possible amusement to the -on-lookers. They laughed and drew their long pigtails upward, meaningly, -in derision. When the sword fell, Craven had gone entirely to pieces and -died the death of a most pitiable coward.</p> - -<p>Camp, who was the only man left, finally managed to get the English -consul to intercede in his behalf. He was afterwards released, but his -sufferings had been so great during his imprisonment that he died soon -afterwards.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a>{161}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_DEATH_OF_HUATICARA" id="THE_DEATH_OF_HUATICARA"></a><i>THE DEATH OF HUATICARA</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>E were lying in the stream with the topsails hanging in the buntlines. -Everything was stowed ready for getting under way. The night was very -dark, as the sky was obscured by the lumpy clouds which had been banking -in from the westward all day before the light sea-breeze. Now it was -dead calm, and the water was smooth and streaky as it rippled past the -anchor-chain and cut-water, making a low lapping sound in the gloom -beneath us, which was intensified by the stillness of the quiet bay.</p> - -<p>Gantline and I sat on the forecastle-rail, watching the lights of the -city and small craft anchored closer in shore. On the port bow the black -hull of the Blanco Encalada loomed like a monster in the gloom, her -anchor-lights shining like eyes of fire. Her black funnel gave forth a -light vapor which shone for an instant against the dark sky and -vanished. Long tapering shadows cast in the dim light of her turret -ports told plainly that she had her guns ready for emergencies. She lay -there silent and grim in the darkness, and our clipper bark of a -thousand tons appeared like a pilot-fish nestling under the protecting -jaws of some monster shark, as we compared the two vessels in respect to -size and strength.</p> - -<p>It was quite late and our last boat had come<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a>{162}</span> aboard some time since, -bringing our skipper, Zachary Green, his pretty daughter, and two -passengers. At daylight we would clear with the ebb-tide and land-breeze -of the early morning, and then, with good luck, we would make an offing -and stand away for the States. We were sick of the war-ridden country, -and even the town of Valparaiso itself offered no attraction for us. Our -cargo hardly paid enough freight money to buy the vessel a suit of -sails, and it was with a feeling of great relief that we steved in the -last bale and closed the hatches.</p> - -<p>While we sat on the rail we heard a slight rippling in the water ahead -of the vessel. It sounded as if a large fish was making its way slowly -across the bows. We listened in silence for some moments while the -sounds came nearer. I looked aft and saw two figures in the light from -the after companion-way, and I recognized Miss Green and the smaller of -the two passengers standing close to the hatch. The sounds in the water -interested me no longer, and I gazed rather hard at the figures aft. The -two passengers, who were missionaries on their way home, had been aboard -ship several times during the last week, but they had always been so -pious and reserved in manner that I never once thought to see one of -them talking to a young woman alone at such a late hour. But there are -many things a sailor must learn not to see. Memory is not always a -congenial friend of his.</p> - -<p>Suddenly I heard a sound of some one breathing, followed by a smothered -oath, coming from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a>{163}</span> direction of the rippling water which drew more -and more beneath us.</p> - -<p>“Ha! Voila, me gay sons, que voules vous—si padrone.—Hace bien tiempo, -manana—hell-fire but the bloody lingo gets crossways of me gullet,” -came a deep voice from the black water.</p> - -<p>“Och! stow ye grandsons, ye blathering ijiot, an’ kape yer sinses. If -them’s Dagoes on watch ’twill be all up with us. Whist, then! Ye men on -the fo’c’stle!”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Gantline and I in the same breath.</p> - -<p>“Faith, an’ if yez have a drap av th’ milk av human pity in yer hearts, -ye’ll give two poor divils a lift out av this haythen country. Say not -er whurd, but let us come on deck quiet like. Ef ye don’t, th’ blood av -two innocent men will be upon yer sowls fer ever an’ ever, amen. Spake -aisy.”</p> - -<p>“Now, Lord love ye, what kind of a man is this?” asked Gantline, as a -naked man climbed slowly up the martingale-stays and crouched close to -the starboard bow out of sight of the man-of-war.</p> - -<p>“By th’ luck av Lyndon! Is this old Tom Gantline who talks? Gorry, man, -we’ve just escaped from th’ prison on th’ beach. Don’t you remember me? -I’m Mike McManus, own cousin to Reddy O’Toole who used to be mate with -ye an’ owld man Crojack.”</p> - -<p>“No, I don’t remember you,” answered Gantline; “but if you had said you -were any one else you would have gone overboard again fast enough. No<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a>{164}</span> -one but a chip of that devil’s limb, O’Toole, would have come out here -in this tideway, right under the guns of that man-o’-war. Who’s with -you?” and he peered over at the man who still clung to the bobstays as -if uncertain whether to trust himself on board or again swim for it.</p> - -<p>“That’s a man called Collins, a ’Frisco man, who got taken along with -me, when we was smugglin’ in th’ rifles, up to th’ north’ard. Whist! -below there; come up and make yerself known amongst friends. We’re -safe.”</p> - -<p>“I ain’t so almighty certain about that,” growled Gantline; “what am I -to do with you but put you ashore? I can’t run the risk of having the -vessel overhauled for such fellows as you. You may be some bloody -cutthroats for all I know. What do you mean by smuggling rifles? Ain’t -there enough on shore without bringing any more into this infernal -country? I reckon a rifle won’t look as if it was worth so much when -they stand you up against a wall and let you peep into the muzzle of a -dozen or two.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, shipmate, ye haven’t the heart to turn us over fer that, when all -we’ve done was to try an’ land a few fer thim poor fellows, an’ this -Dago with his ironclad overhauled us. Oh, me boy, ye haven’t seen th’ -inside av one av thim black iron holes on th’ beach, to talk av puttin’ -us ashore again. Gord! men, to sit ther fer six whole months behind them -steel walls and never see th’ sun rise or set, an’ do nothing but kill -lice and chintz-bugs all day long,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a>{165}</span> an’ all night. No, ye may be in -sympathy with Chilly, but ye have th’ look av a sailor-man for all that”</p> - -<p>As he spoke he climbed to the catheads and drew himself gently onto the -top of the top-gallant-forecastle. He was followed by the man Collins.</p> - -<p>They crouched shivering behind the capstan, and I saw they were in a bad -condition. They were wasted and gaunt, and their flesh had a soft, -sickly look, as if they had spent a long time in close confinement. The -hair of their heads was long and matted. How they swam so far in that -tideway was strange, and told plainly of their desperate courage in -attempting to escape from the terrors of the beach.</p> - -<p>Gantline stood irresolute a moment, looking at their shivering forms. -Then he glanced sharply at the man on watch, who walked in the port -gangway. It was too dark to see him distinctly, so trusting that he in -turn had seen nothing of what had occurred forward, he started aft. The -two figures I had noticed a few minutes before had now disappeared.</p> - -<p>“Keep quiet,” I said to the naked men, whose teeth chattered in the cool -night air. “Lie flat on deck until he comes back and perhaps we can do -something. Haste! Not a word!”</p> - -<p>The man Mike was about to make some reply, but at that moment the fellow -on watch came close to the edge of the forecastle. I stepped quickly in -front of the man, and in doing so trod on a projecting foot which -cracked horribly, and, twisting, brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a>{166}</span> me down in a heap upon them. A -deep groan told of the damage done, but I instantly regained myself and -began to hum a song in a low bass voice.</p> - -<p>The man on the main-deck stopped a moment and looked hard at me, but it -was so dark he could see but little and my singing reassured him, so he -turned again and went off.</p> - -<p>In a short time Gantline returned with a bundle.</p> - -<p>“Now, bear a hand there, you men, and put these clothes on in a quarter -less no time,” he whispered. “Come, hurry up,” and he passed a shirt and -a pair of dungaree trousers to each.</p> - -<p>“Och! he has broken me toe clane off,” groaned Mike, slipping on the -garments. His companion dressed rapidly in silence.</p> - -<p>“Now then, up you go, both of you, into the foretop, and lie out of -sight till we get to sea, and if I see a hair of your heads inside the -next twenty-four hours I’ll turn you both over on the beach. Here, take -a nip apiece before you go,” and he passed a small bottle to the man -Collins.</p> - -<p>The poor fellow’s eyes sparkled as he thrust the neck of it into his -thick beard and tilted his head back in order to let the liquor have -free way down his throat. Gantline suddenly jerked it out of his hand -and passed it to the Irishman, who put it to his lips, gave a grunt of -disgust, and threw the empty bottle over the side.</p> - -<p>“Now wait till you see me go aft with the watch, and then aloft with -you,” said Gantline, as he left us.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a>{167}</span></p> - -<p>When he reached the man he started off with him to the quarter-deck, and -as they disappeared together over the break of the poop the men crawled -for the rigging. They were so weak from their exertions that it seemed -as if they would never get over the futtock-shrouds, but finally the man -Collins gained the top, and dragged his companion after him. Then I went -into the forward cabin and took what salt-junk was left and carried it -aloft before Gantline returned. By the time I reached the deck he had -started forward again and joined me on the forecastle. His seamed and -lined face wore an anxious look as he took his place beside me and acted -as if nothing had happened to seriously interrupt our former -conversation. We sat a few moments discussing our stowaways and then -went aft to get a little sleep before clearing.</p> - -<p>I turned in and lay awake thinking of the men in the foretop, hoping -nothing would occur to make it necessary for more than one man to go -aloft there. The sails were all loosed except the foreroyal, and this I -would go aloft for myself.</p> - -<p>It was past midnight before I lost consciousness, and it seemed almost -instantly afterwards Gantline poked his head in my doorway and -announced, “Eight bells, sir.” I turned out and found it was still dark, -but a faint light in the east told of the approaching day. The men were -getting their coffee from the galley, and the steward was on his way to -the cabin with three large steaming cups for the skipper and passengers. -A light air was ruffling<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a>{168}</span> the water and the tide was setting seaward, so -if nothing unusual happened we would soon be standing out. The dark -outlines of the Blanco Encalada began to take more definite shape, but -all was quiet on board of her.</p> - -<p>By the time the men finished their coffee Zachary Green came on deck, -and then he gave the order to “heave short.”</p> - -<p>In a few moments all was noise and bustle on the forecastle-head. The -clanking of the windlass mingling with the hoarse cries of “Ho! the -roarin’ river!” and “Heave down, Bullies,” broke the stillness of the -quiet harbor.</p> - -<p>“Anchor’s short, sir!” roared Gantline’s stentorian voice from the -starboard cathead. This was followed by an order to sheet home the -topsails. In a few minutes we broke clear and swung off to starboard -with the fore-and main-yards aback. Then we came around and stood out -with the ebb-tide, the light breeze sending us along with good steering -way.</p> - -<p>In a short time we hauled our wind around the point, and, with -everything drawing fore and aft to the puffs that came over the -highlands, we started to make our offing, leaving the Blanco Encalada -with her brass-work shining in the first rays of the rising sun. We had -gone clear without mishap, but although we were making six knots an hour -off the land, we knew the breeze would not hold after the sun rose. As -we expected, it fell before the men had finished breakfast, and we lay -becalmed a few miles off shore on a sea of oily smoothness.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a>{169}</span></p> - -<p>The passengers came on deck to take a last look at the harbor astern, -and their voices sounded pleasant to the ear as they held forth on the -beauties of a morning in the South Pacific.</p> - -<p>These passengers were both clerical-looking men, and were fair types of -the missionaries who live on the islands of the South Sea. They had -engaged passage to the States more than a week before we sailed, and -since then were almost inseparable. Their clothes were of some dark -material, much alike in cut, but their faces and head-gear were in -marked contrast.</p> - -<p>The younger one had a smooth, sallow face, without a sign of beard, and -wore a low black hat with a broad rim. The other looked to be ten years -older, apparently a little over fifty. His face was as brown as a -sailor’s and an enormous beard covered it almost to the eyes, which -sparkled merrily from under an old slouch hat. His hair was also long, -and his figure was of gigantic build.</p> - -<p>“I was speaking to those poor fellows in the prison there only -yesterday,” the younger one was saying, as I came aft, “and I did my -best to cheer them, but they were both much set against spiritual -consolation; and the one, McManus, stole my pocket-knife with its saw -blade, which I used to carry to cut cocoanuts.”</p> - -<p>“How do you know it was he who took it? Might not you have lost it?” -asked the big man, with a smile.</p> - -<p>“Do you suppose I would bear false witness<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a>{170}</span> against any man?” replied -the younger, in a tone of reproach. “I noticed he came close to me while -I was praying for him, and felt his hand touch me, but did not know my -loss until after I left the prison. It will do him little good, however, -as he and his companion in crime are to be shot this morning. It is -probably just as well, for I know that those sailor men are a wicked lot -and much given to wine, women, and desperate deeds.”</p> - -<p>“Ah!” said the big man in a deep voice, “it is probably true; but you -are rather severe on sailor-men, for all that. These sailors are an -intelligent lot for the most part. And think you, dear friend, that -there is probably not one who would not rather marry a sweet, good woman -and live a pleasant and pious life, even as we ourselves do. We do this -because we have money to maintain our positions; but the sailor has our -feelings and longings without the means to gratify them, and, as he is -intelligent enough to see that his life is hopeless, he gets as much -pleasure out of it as possible and hesitates not at a desperate deed for -gain.”</p> - -<p>“Charity is very good and noble, but it gives me great pain to hear you -express such unsound views as that. If it were not for the many noble -deeds you have done for the islanders, I should be tempted to shun you -as a recreant I trust you only jest, but it is even ill to jest on such -subjects,” answered the younger, with a flushed face and a voice -vibrating with suppressed feeling.</p> - -<p>The big man made no answer to this, but suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a>{171}</span> called his companion’s -attention to several large “alberco” which had followed the ship until -she lay becalmed, and then plunged and jumped like so many porpoises in -the wake. We drifted slowly all the morning, and about noon the -sea-breeze set in from the southward and sent us along at a comfortable -rate. Nothing occurred to make it necessary for a man to go aloft in the -foretop, and those who had gone up the main and mizzen in the early -morning had noticed nothing unusual. The platform in the top was as -large as that in a full-rigged ship, so the men who were hiding were not -visible from the deck as long as they lay flat on their backs or faces.</p> - -<p>Gantline had decided to tell the skipper the whole affair of the night -before, but the old man was in such a bad humor that the mate delayed -telling him until the prospect of a serious burst of anger was less -apparent.</p> - -<p>The day wore on and the bark held steadily on to the westward, making -from eight to ten knots an hour. After supper the skipper came on deck -with his passengers and they were soon joined by Miss Green. They sat -aft around the taffrail and chatted, the men smoking and very much at -their ease.</p> - -<p>Miss Green was of an extremely religious disposition, but it was easy to -see that it was not entirely the devoutness of the younger passenger -that attracted her to him. There was a mysterious power about the man -that was apparent to any one after being an hour in his company. -Something in his deep, vibrating voice, when he was talking, appeared<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a>{172}</span> -to hold the attention, and I, more than once, looked at him as he sat -next to the skipper’s daughter, holding forth on matters of the church.</p> - -<p>Zachary Green was still in a bad humor because of his low freight money, -and it was evident that he would ease his pent-up feelings on some one. -He had listened to the talk of the missionaries with ill-concealed -contempt, whenever they fell to discussing their ecclesiastical affairs, -and now he asked the younger abruptly when he was to return.</p> - -<p>“Ah,” replied he, “I shall return as soon as possible, for my flock will -get along poorly without me. I have converted many chiefs, who wrangle -among themselves, as has also my friend here.”</p> - -<p>The skipper turned with a look of disdain at the big-bearded man who -appeared to understand the implied interrogation and hastened to answer. -“It is true, I have converted many to the Christian faith,” he said, in -a low voice, “but I shall not return to the islands of the Pacific, for -I think there is a better field nearer home. Not that I believe my -labors wasted, for the converted natives never stole anything but -ammunition and utensils, while the others stole everything from me they -could lay hand to. Not that the effort was entirely vain, I say, but -that better work can be done among our own people, such as sailors, for -instance.”</p> - -<p>“Eh! What’s that?” growled Zachary Green, as he listened to the last -part of this sentence. “What do you mean by sailors?” and his eyes -flashed ominously.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a>{173}</span></p> - -<p>“Why, go among them, and see that they get the proper books in the -libraries sent out on vessels for them to read, for instance.”</p> - -<p>“Now, by Gorry! you are talking some sense. Instead of whining around -among a lot of good-for-nothing niggers, like your friend here, you’ll -really do something if you follow that up. Yes, sir, if you’ll only put -something in these libraries besides ‘Two Years before the Mast,’ Bible -dictionaries, and the like, and get some police reports nicely bound, -along with some yarns like ‘Davy Crockett,’ you’ll be a blessing to -sailors, and skippers, too, for that matter. No, sir, don’t play fool -with those islanders any further. They were all right before they ever -saw a Christian, and they’ve been all wrong ever since. Hang it, you -talk like a man of sense, after all, and I hope what I’ve said won’t be -lost on you.” And as he finished his peroration he stood up and looked -astern.</p> - -<p>“Hello!”</p> - -<p>Before the astonished missionaries could say a word the skipper started -for his glasses, and, seizing them, he looked steadily at a faint trail -of smoke which rose above the horizon directly in the vessel’s wake.</p> - -<p>“Now, by Gorry! That’s strange,” he muttered. “There’s no steamer bound -out to-day, and yet that fellow seems to be standing right after us.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Gantline!” he called, as he turned towards where the mate stood. -“Go aloft with the glass and see if you can make out that fellow astern -of us.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a>{174}</span></p> - -<p>“Aye, aye, sir!” answered Gantline. And he took the skipper’s glass and -made his way leisurely up the main-ratlines.</p> - -<p>From the lower top he could see nothing but a black funnel and masts -without yards, so he went higher. On reaching the cross-trees he looked -forward, and there, lying prone on their stomachs, were the two hiding -men. Their eyes were straining at the vessel astern, and even if -Gantline had not already made out who she was, one look at those faces -would have told him. He came on deck and returned the skipper’s glasses -without a word, and then started forward, but Zachary Green stopped him.</p> - -<p>“Could you make her out?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Well, there isn’t much of her rising yet, but I suppose she’s the -Blanco Encalada,” he answered.</p> - -<p>“Seems to me it is hardly time for her to put to sea,” growled the -skipper, “and she’s heading almost the same course as we are. It is -generally the way with you, though, after you get ashore on the beach, -and it will take a week to soak the liquor out of you so you can see -enough to know a downhaul from a clew-line.” And the old man turned back -to his passengers.</p> - -<p>Before two bells in the first watch that evening it was blowing half a -gale to the southward out of a clear sky, and the old bark flew along on -her course with everything drawing below and aloft.</p> - -<p>There was no sea running, so she heaved over and drove along at a rate -that bade fair to keep the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a>{175}</span> Blanco below the horizon for several hours. -As it grew late the air became quite chilly, and the skipper went below -with his passengers.</p> - -<p>The moon rose and shone with great brilliancy, so that our towering -main-skysail must have been visible a long distance, while the foam -flaked and surged from the vessel’s black hull as white as a mass of -liquid silver. All night we drove along with nothing visible astern, and -at daylight the hull of the steamer was still below the horizon. At -seven bells Zachary Green came on deck.</p> - -<p>“Name o’ thunder! What’s he after?” he growled, as he gazed astern. “By -Gorry! It is the Blanco, after all, Gantline; but what makes him hold on -like this? We are going to the westward of Juan Fernandez, and that is -more than a hundred miles out of his course.”</p> - -<p>The mate made no answer, but went on with his work overseeing the -washing down of the quarter-deck. “It’s just like those Dagoes to go -running all over the Southern Ocean for no other purpose than to wear -out their gear and burn coal,” continued the skipper. “If this wind -keeps slacking up, he ought to be abreast of us before noon, though I -never knew this old hooker to send the suds behind her at the rate she’s -been doing all night. Breakfast! did you say? Well, steward, just give -those sky-pilots a chance to shake off the odor of sanctity they’ve -slept in and put on their natural one of hypocrisy and gin-and-bitters. -Pshaw! there’s lots lazier men than missionaries in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a>{176}</span> world, though I -can’t call to mind exactly where I’ve seen them. Mr. Gantline, you may -let her head a point more to the north’ard.” Saying this, the skipper -took a last look at the approaching steamer and then disappeared down -the companion-way.</p> - -<p>Although the vessel still raced along at a rate that sent the foam -flying from her sharp clipper bows, she was no longer doing her utmost, -and the Blanco rose rapidly in her wake with the black smoke pouring -from her funnel.</p> - -<p>Suddenly, while Gantline was watching her, she appeared to be enveloped -in a white cloud of steam. Then there was a sharp, shrieking rush as -something tore its way through the air close to the -main-top-gallant-yard, and struck the smooth sea almost half a mile -ahead, followed by the sullen boom of a heavy rifled gun.</p> - -<p>The rush of the shot brought Captain Green on deck, closely followed by -his passengers.</p> - -<p>“Gorry! what’s the matter?” he bawled, as he rushed to the taffrail, -while the younger passenger, who had followed close at his heels, smiled -grimly.</p> - -<p>The Blanco came driving heavily along a couple of miles astern. She was -rapidly drawing up.</p> - -<p>“Wants us to heave to, I suppose,” growled Gantline, and he eyed the -skipper suspiciously.</p> - -<p>“Man alive!” roared Green, “why in the name of thunder don’t you do it, -then, before he cuts the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a>{177}</span>spars out of us? Fore-and main-royals, there, -quick! Let go by the run. Main-clew-garnets—all hands!” And the skipper -bounded onto the poop and cast off everything he could lay hands on.</p> - -<p>The bark was soon luffed and her main-yards backed. Then the Blanco came -abreast, and all hands had a chance to look into the muzzles of her -ten-inch rifles, which were trained towards us. A swarm of men crowded -the deck of the ironclad while a boat shot out from her side and -approached us rapidly, with a short, thick-set man in uniform sitting in -the stern-sheets.</p> - -<p>Zachary Green stood at the break of the poop, scowling at him as he -swung himself lightly into the mizzen-channels and leaped onto the -quarter-deck, followed by six men. Hardly had he done so when the -younger of our two passengers drew a heavy revolver from somewhere about -his back and fired point-blank at this officer.</p> - -<p>The Chilian was in the act of drawing his sword and the hilt was across -his breast at that instant. The bullet intended for him struck the hilt -and flattened on the brass. The next instant there was a rapid -fusillade, the six Chilians firing together, and the passenger with a -six-shooting revolver in each hand, backing away behind a cloud of -smoke.</p> - -<p>It was all over in half a minute. Three of the blue-jackets were dead -and their officer badly hurt when the firing ceased. The passenger -tossed his empty pistols over the side and staggered aft, and not one of -the survivors dared follow him. He gained the after companion-way, and -as he did so the figure<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a>{178}</span> of the captain’s daughter appeared on deck. I -could see her face pale as she caught the look in the passenger’s eyes, -but she said no word. He went to her, kissed her lightly, and passed on -to the starboard taffrail. The Chilians now recovered themselves and -rushed for him. He climbed over with difficulty, but did not hesitate. -Then he plunged headlong into the sea before any one could seize him; -and as we rushed to the side we could see his body sink slowly down into -the green depths until it finally vanished.</p> - -<p>The skipper, Gantline, and the big missionary stood looking on in -amazement, and then the wounded officer turned towards them.</p> - -<p>“That was Señor José Huaticara; of course you did not know.” And he -nodded to the skipper. Then the dead were placed in the boat, while a -tourniquet was passed around the officer’s leg to stop the flow of blood -until he could reach his ship. In a few moments he and his men were on -their way back to the Blanco.</p> - -<p>Zachary Green stood staring after them without a word. The name of the -dead desperado was too well known to him to protest against the manner -he was treated while on an American ship, but he desired some -explanation.</p> - -<p>The Blanco dipped her colors, and he came to his senses. “Hard up the -wheel, there!” he bawled. “Stand by the lee-brace!” and the bark paid -off again on her course.</p> - -<p>The ironclad headed away to the northward and<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a>{179}</span> in a few minutes was a -couple of miles away on the starboard quarter.</p> - -<p>“I met him only a week ago,” explained the big missionary, in answer to -the skipper’s look, “and I thought, of course, he was what he claimed to -be.”</p> - -<p>Zachary Green give a grunt of disgust and went aft.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Gantline,” said he, as he met the mate, “are there any more -missionaries aboard this ship, for if there are we will put them ashore -on Mas-á-Fuera.”</p> - -<p>“There are two more,” answered Gantline, looking the skipper in the -eyes.</p> - -<p>“Show them to me,” said the skipper.</p> - -<p>Gantline went forward and looked aloft.</p> - -<p>“Come down from there!” he bawled, and two lean figures stood in the -foretop and then painfully descended the ratlines before the astonished -gaze of the crew.</p> - -<p>When they gained the deck they followed the mate aft to Zachary Green, -who stared at them in amazement.</p> - -<p>“We are off soundings and that fellow has no right to board me,” he -said, “but if you belong to that José gang, I’ll signal for him to come -back for you.”</p> - -<p>“Faith, an’ if we did, Captain Green, it isn’t such a crowd av -cutthroats as ye seem to belave,” said McManus. “The fact is we’re just -broke away from bein’ shot fer no more than th’ carryin’ av a few -Remingtons. I see ye remember me, so for th’ sake av auld times ye -better give us a passage to th’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a>{180}</span> States an’ not make Crusoes av us on -the Fernandez.”</p> - -<p>Zachary Green looked at Gantline.</p> - -<p>“It’s the truth,” said the mate.</p> - -<p>“Truth be hanged! Who says it’s the truth? I’ll——”</p> - -<p>At that moment a slight figure appeared at the companion-way, and the -next instant Miss Green seized her father’s arm. He turned roughly, but -there was something in the poor girl’s face that made him look to her. -She led him below, and the escaped men stood staring after her.</p> - -<p>“You fellows can turn to with the men forward,” said Gantline. And they -went.</p> - -<p>A little later Zachary Green came on deck again and stood looking -silently over the bright Pacific. He stood there by the taffrail looking -long at the eastern horizon. No one approached or spoke to him, for all -knew Captain Green when his mind was full of unpleasant memories.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a>{181}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="A_BLUNDER" id="A_BLUNDER"></a><i>A BLUNDER</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>BOUT three o’clock in the morning Garnett slid back the hatch-slide and -bawled, “Cape Horn, sir!”</p> - -<p>Captain Green was asleep, but the news brought him to his feet in an -instant, and stopping just long enough to complete his toilet, which -consisted of gulping down four fingers of stiff grog, he sprang up the -companion-way and was on deck.</p> - -<p>It was broad daylight, although the wind had shifted to the northward -and brought with it a thick haze which partly obscured the light of the -rising sun. Some miles away on the weather-beam rose a rocky hump, -showing dimly through the mist; but its peculiar shape, not unlike that -of a camel lying down with its head to the westward, told plainly that -it was the dreaded Cape. Beyond it lay Tierra del Fuego, now almost -invisible, and past it swept the high-rolling seas of the Antarctic -Drift.</p> - -<p>Captain Green stood blinking and winking in the crisp air of the early -morning as Garnett walked up. It was January and daylight twenty hours -out of twenty-four, but it was cold and the morning watch was a -cheerless one. The old mate came up and pointed to the northward.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Cape, I make it, though it don’t show up mighty high. We’ve -been holding on like this most of my watch, but it’s been getting a -dirty look<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a>{182}</span> to the west’ard,” and as he spoke he leaned over the -weather-rail and spat into the foam, which drifted past at the rate of -six knots an hour.</p> - -<p>“It’s the Cape, right enough,” said Zack Green; “and if we can hold on a -few hours longer we ought to weather the Ramirez and get clear. How’s -she heading now?”</p> - -<p>“Sou’west b’ sought,” answered the man at the wheel.</p> - -<p>“Well,” said Green, “there’s almost four points easterly variation here, -so that brings her head a little to the s’uth’ard of west b’ south. Let -her go up all she will, Mr. Garnett, and call me when we make the -Ramirez. I don’t believe much in that drift; it’s all in that big -easterly variation. Watch the maint’gallant-sail if it begins to come -down sharp from the north’ard,” and as he finished speaking the skipper -disappeared down the companion-way.</p> - -<p>Garnett sniffed the air hungrily as the odor of stiff grog disappeared -also.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a pius drink, s’help me, ’tis a pius drink,” he muttered. “Yes, a -truly moral beverage, as they would say in the islands; but there’s no -use thinking a dog of a mate will get any pleasure in these days of -thieving ship-masters.” He walked fore and aft in no pleasant frame of -mind, glancing at each turn at the distant loom of the land on the -weather-beam.</p> - -<p>“How d’ye head?” he bawled to the man at the wheel, in total disregard -for the skipper and sleeping passengers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a>{183}</span></p> - -<p>“Sought b’ west a quarter west, sir,” answered the helmsman.</p> - -<p>“Well, what in the name of the great eternal Davy Jones are you running -the ship off like that for?”</p> - -<p>“She’s touchin’ now, sir, an’ goin’ off all the time.”</p> - -<p>“Going to——” but before he could finish the maintop-gallant-sail came -aback against the mast.</p> - -<p>“For’ard there! clew down the maint’gallant-sail!” he roared, ad he -looked sharply to windward, where the giant Cape Horn sea came rolling -down through the deepening haze.</p> - -<p>“Maint’gallant-sail!” echoed the cry forward, as the men sang out and -jumped for the halyards, while some of the watch sprang into the -ratlines and made their way aloft.</p> - -<p>“Come, bear a hand there! Get that sail rolled up and lay aft to the -mizzen-top-sail.”</p> - -<p>The vessel was driving along at a comfortable rate in spite of the heavy -sea, and it looked as though she might give the grim Cape the slip and -go scudding away on the other side of the world. A few hours running to -the westward with the wind holding and she would go clear. But the giant -sea began rolling down from the northwest, growing heavier, so by the -time the maintop-gallant-sail was rolled up and eight bells struck it -had the true Cape Horn heave to it.</p> - -<p>Mr. Gantline came on deck to relieve the mate, and he soon had the ship -dressed down to her lower<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a>{184}</span> topsails. It was not blowing more than an -ordinary gale, but the tremendous sea made it dangerous to force the -vessel ahead, so she drifted and sagged off to leeward. The “sea-calmer” -was rigged forward, and soon the water to windward had an oily look, -while the wind, catching up the tops of the combers, hurled a spray down -upon the ship that made shroud and backstay, downhaul, and clew-line -smell strong of fish-oil, as they cut the wind like bow-strings and -hummed in unison until the volume of sound swelled into a deep booming -roar.</p> - -<p>“Let her come up all she will!” bawled Garnett into Gantline’s ear, as -he started to go below. “If she sags off any more you better call the -old man, for it looks bad. By the way, Gantline, where’s that bottle of -alcohol the old man gave you for varnishing the wheel? I’ve got one of -his porous plasters on my chest, and the blooming thing has glued itself -to every hair on my body, and I can’t get it adrift.”</p> - -<p>“It’s in the right-hand corner of the boson’s locker,” said the mate, -with a grin. “But go easy, Garnett. The old man put a spoonful of -tartar-emetic into the stuff, ‘for,’ says he, ‘tartar-emetic makes the -varnish have a more enduring effect against the weather.’<span class="lftspc">”</span></p> - -<p>“Sink him for a scoundrel!” growled Garnett, his little eyes flashing -and beard bristling with rage. “It’s always something he’s doing to make -bad feeling aboard ship. Why should he suspect a man of drinking raw -spirit, hey?”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a>{185}</span></p> - -<p>“Why, indeed,” said Gantline.</p> - -<p>And Garnett went below muttering a string of fierce oaths.</p> - -<p>At six o’clock the gale had increased, and the noise of the bawling men -struggling with the fore-and mizzentop-sails awakened the skipper, who, -fearing all was not well, hastily made his toilet again and appeared at -the head of the companion-way.</p> - -<p>“How is it now?” he asked of Gantline, who stood near the wheel.</p> - -<p>“Gone off two points, and there’s an almighty sea running. I’m -shortening her down fast. Whew!”</p> - -<p>As he spoke a great hill of water full forty feet high rolled down on -the weather-beam. The ship headed it a couple of points and sank slowly -into the slanting trough. Then she began to rise to it. The combing -crest struck her forward of the main-rigging, and with a roar like -Niagara crashed over the top-gallant-rail. It hove her down on her -bearings and filled the main-deck waist-deep, while the shock made the -skipper and Gantline clutch for support. The next instant Green sprang -on to the poop.</p> - -<p>“All hands there!” he bawled. “Get that fore-top-sail on the yard!”</p> - -<p>Garnett came struggling on deck, muttering something about being afloat -in a diving-bell, and was almost washed off his feet by the roaring -flood in the waist. In a few moments he was on the foreyard bellowing -out orders to the men stowing the topsail.</p> - -<p>The uproar and cries of the men startled the two<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a>{186}</span> passengers, Dr. Davis -and his wife, who had undertaken the passage at a physician’s advice. -The physician, knowing nothing at all about the sea, had unhesitatingly -recommended a sea-voyage for the Reverend Dr. Davis as a certain cure -for the nervous ailment from which that gentleman suffered. The strain -at being face to face with death so often was doing wonders for the -minister, and he in turn was doing what he could for the crew. All -except Mr. Garnett had profited much by his presence on board, but the -mate stubbornly held out against any form of religion.</p> - -<p>“Keep the main on her as long as it will hold!” bawled Green. “It looks -as if we will catch it sure.” Then, catching a glimpse of Dr. Davis’s -face at the companion-way, he added, “I’ll be hanged if I ever overload -a ship again and run such risk.”</p> - -<p>The minister stepped out on deck.</p> - -<p>“Good-morning, doctor; we are having a touch of the Cape this morning,” -cried the skipper.</p> - -<p>“So it seems; is the Cape in sight?”</p> - -<p>“No; but I guess you’ll see it again before we get clear.”</p> - -<p>“Mr. Garnett said he thought we would make some northing to-day. He does -not believe in so much easterly variation, but says it is the drift that -makes it appear so. It seems to me an easy thing to decide.”</p> - -<p>“Garnett be hanged!” snorted Green in disgust “He will get into trouble -some day with his fool’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a>{187}</span> ideas. Hello! there goes the steward with the -hash,” and the skipper dived below, where he was followed by his -passenger.</p> - -<p>Garnett appeared at the table, but Mrs. Davis kept her bunk, as the -plunging ship made it difficult to eat with comfort. No one spoke during -the meal, as the crashing noise from the straining bulkheads drowned all -sounds save the roar of the elements on deck.</p> - -<p>Garnett stopped in the alley-way to light his pipe and get a few whiffs -before relieving Gantline. Then he made his way to the poop and stood -close to the mizzen, trying to get shelter from the wind and spray, -while Gantline went below.</p> - -<p>Dr. Davis came on deck and found the second officer trying to smoke, so -he joined him.</p> - -<p>“It’s harder to be mate with a man like Green than anything I’ve -tackled,” said he. “I’ve been to a few places and seen a few men in my -day, but most of them would reason things out. There’s no reason in -him.”</p> - -<p>“What’s the matter?” asked Dr. Davis.</p> - -<p>“It’s all about variation now. He’s always trying to work off -new-fangled notions on me. When I first began coming around this way the -drift was good enough to figure by.”</p> - -<p>“But hasn’t it been proved?”</p> - -<p>“Proved nothing. How’s a man going to prove he’s steering north when -he’s heading nor’west in a three-knot drift with nothing to get a -bearing on? I’ll allow there’s some variation in a compass, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a>{188}</span> nothing -like that. Besides, he does other unreasonable things. There’s no reason -in him.”</p> - -<p>“Well, I suppose it is hard to get along with unreasonable people,” said -the minister; “but there are some things we know are true without being -able to reason about them. For instance——”</p> - -<p>“No, sir,” interrupted Garnett. “There ain’t anything we know about -anything unless we can reason it out. You have your ideas and I have -mine; that’s all there is to it.”</p> - -<p>“Fore-staysail!” bawled the skipper from the wheel, and that piece of -canvas was run up, quickly followed by the trysail on the spanker-boom. -Dr. Davis, left alone, started aft. He went safely along until he -reached the middle of the poop, when a heavy sea struck the vessel and -made her heel quickly to leeward. The minister tried to seize the rail, -but missed it, and the next instant fell headlong into the seething -water alongside.</p> - -<p>Garnett was not ten feet distant working at the trysail, and without a -moment’s hesitation he seized a downhaul and plunged overboard with the -line about him.</p> - -<p>The passenger arose with a look of peaceful resignation on his face -which contrasted strongly with the old mate’s fierce expression of -determination. As the vessel was making no headway against the sea it -was less difficult than it appeared to seize the drowning man and give -the signal to haul away.</p> - -<p>In another minute Garnett was on deck again with Dr. Davis, neither of -them much the worse for<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a>{189}</span> their bath. The cold, however, made it -necessary for them to change their clothes.</p> - -<p>The gale held on all day, but nothing unusual occurred. At eight bells -that evening Dr. Davis had recovered sufficiently to again venture on -deck. It was Gantline’s dog-watch, but as there was as much light as -there had been during the day, Dr. Davis kept him company.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Garnett is a very hard man to convince when he has once set his -mind against a thing,” said the minister. “There’s no way of showing him -he is wrong when he has made a mistake.”</p> - -<p>“That’s true enough, especially if you try to rough him. He’s mad to-day -because the skipper found fault with his swearing at the men.”</p> - -<p>“He does swear most horribly,” said Dr. Davis.</p> - -<p>“It’s nothing to what he used to. He don’t realize he does it at all -now.”</p> - -<p>“How do you mean?”</p> - -<p>“Why, he used to be a most blasphemous old cuss. One day he went ashore -at Tinian, and the missionary there asked him to dinner. When he asked -Garnett what he would have he sung out, ‘Gimme a bowl of blood, ye tough -old ram of the Lord,’ just to shock the good man. The missionary rose -and ordered him out of the house, but Garnett wouldn’t go, so he struck -him over the head with a dish of fried plantains, he was that mad. -Garnett was two days getting over the stroke, for he had been stove down -before by a handspike in the <span class="pagenum"><a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a>{190}</span>hands of a drunken sailor. He always -thought the good man had called a curse down upon him, and since then -he’s been slow at figures.”</p> - -<p>“I see,” said Dr. Davis.</p> - -<p>“Yes, it’s a fact, you’ve got to show a thing pretty plain to Garnett -before he believes it. As to that missionary, he wasn’t overbright at -converting savages.”</p> - -<p>“What do you mean? That he wasn’t strong enough physically?”</p> - -<p>“No, no, love ye, no; that missionary could take care of himself and not -half try. What I mean is downright religious and Christian argument. -There was one chief he never could convert. The fellow had an idol, the -most uncanny thing I ever saw; sort of half bird, half beast, part fish, -and having a strain of dragon. He used to pray to the thing, although he -could speak English well enough and had seen plenty of white men. The -missionary told him it was wrong to worship anything in an image of -things in the heavens above, the earth beneath, or waters under the -earth, and the chief took it all kindly. The good man finally gave him -up, but the chief never could tell why. Once he offered to bet the -missionary two wives against a bottle of rum that there wasn’t anything -in the heavens above or earth beneath that resembled the strange thing -in any way; and as the good man couldn’t prove it, the matter ended.”</p> - -<p>The gale increased as the night wore on, and the vessel lay to on the -port tack and drifted off with her head pointing northwest by north, but -she was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a>{191}</span> to the westward of the Ramirez. It was Garnett’s watch and the -skipper was below. The ship was driving off to leeward, and the skipper -determined to wear ship and stand to the southward again if she was -headed off any farther. Garnett had orders to report any change which -might take place.</p> - -<p>The old mate had a chart in his room with the variation marked on it -above the fiftieth parallel, some ten degrees less than where he now -was. But even this variation appeared excessive to him, and, as the -skipper told him to report if the vessel’s head fell off to the eastward -of north, he held on. Figuring on a two-knot drift, he would not be in -the vicinity of the rocks during his watch even if she headed as far as -north by west, for at noon she had made a good westing.</p> - -<p>The ship’s head was to the eastward at four bells, but, as there was -really over twenty degrees’ variation, Garnett held on and made sail -whenever he could. Long before his watch was out the vessel had been -making little leeway and reaching heavily along under lower topsails. At -seven bells the wind hauled again to the southward and came harder than -ever, carrying the foretop-sail out of the bolt-ropes.</p> - -<p>The noise of bawling men brought the skipper on deck, and he had the -mizzentop-sail rolled up and the fore-staysail ready for waring ship. -While he stood on the poop he looked to leeward. The mist seemed to -break into rifts in the dull light of the early morning, and through one -he saw an<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a>{192}</span> object that made him catch his breath. In an instant the -flying spume closed in again and all was blank.</p> - -<p>Garnett came aft, and, although it was cold, he took off his sou’wester -and mopped the top of his bald head as he glanced at the skipper. The -old man stood petrified gazing into the blank to leeward. Then he turned -on the mate with a savage glare in his eye. “Get all hands on that -fore-staysail, quick!” he roared, and Garnett went plunging forward, the -skipper’s voice following him and rising almost to a shriek,—“Loose the -jib and foresail!” Then turning, he dashed for the wheel and rolled it -hard up. Back again on the poop he roared to Gantline, who came plunging -out on the main-deck to loose the foretop-sail.</p> - -<p>The men started to obey orders and sprang to the halyards and braces, -looking over their shoulders to leeward at each roll of the ship to find -out the cause of the excitement.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the flying spume broke again, and there, dead under the lee, -lay the outer rocks of the Ramirez not a mile distant. Then some of the -crew became panic-stricken, and it was all the mates could do to keep -them in hand.</p> - -<p>“There’s no land there!” roared Garnett “H’ist away the fore-staysail.”</p> - -<p>Then the ship’s head paid off, while the staysail tore to ribbons under -the pressure. The topsail was loosened, and it thundered away to bits, -almost taking the topmast with it. The jib followed suit,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a>{193}</span> but together -they lasted long enough to get her head off before the wind. Then -Garnett, casting off the weather-clew of the reefed foresail, hauled it -down far enough to keep the wind under it, and away they went. In a few -moments her head swung to on the starboard tack, and as they hauled the -wind a deep thunderous sound rose above the gale. The trusty -maintop-sail was trimmed hard on the backstays, and all hands waited -with eyes straining to leeward.</p> - -<p>“Will she go clear?” asked Dr. Davis, calmly, as he stood by the -skipper’s side on the poop. But Green’s teeth were shut tight, and the -muscles of his straining face were as taut as the clews of the -storm-topsail. Nearer and nearer sounded that dull, booming thunder, and -now, right under her lee, they could see the great white rush of those -high-rolling seas that tore over the ledges and crashed into a world of -smother that hid everything beyond in a thick haze.</p> - -<p>“She’ll go clear,” said Garnett, and he took out his handkerchief and -mopped the dent in his bald head.</p> - -<p>“But it’s a d—d close shave,” answered Gantline.</p> - -<p>As he spoke a great rolling sea rose on the weather-quarter, lifting -full forty feet from trough to crest as it began its shoreward rush. On -and on it rolled in majestic grandeur, a gigantic, white-topped mass, -until it vanished into the thick haze of flying spray, but still bearing -more and more to the northward. They went clear.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a>{194}</span></p> - -<p>Dr. Davis was not present at a little conversation held between Mr. -Garnett and the skipper some minutes later, but during the mate’s next -watch on deck he found a chance to speak to him. He saw him standing -under the mizzen watching the main-top-sail, and he crowded close into -the mast, wiping his spectacles.</p> - -<p>“Well, what do you think of it now?” he asked.</p> - -<p>“Nothing,” growled Garnett, “except I made a mistake; and if I’d held on -ten minutes there’d have been thirty more men gone to a lower latitude, -that’s all.”</p> - -<p>“But think of the responsibility. How would you have felt with the lives -of thirty men on your conscience? Don’t you see, we have to accept some -truths without stopping to reason them out. There may be no reason for -that variation, but you see it exists, after all. It is the same way in -regard to the duty we owe our Maker, and I am afraid you will -acknowledge it only after you have ‘held on too long,’ as you admit in -this case. As for a man going to a lower latitude, as you call it, there -is no such place. A man’s hell is his own conscience.”</p> - -<p>Garnett remained silent for some minutes watching the clews of the -maintop-sail, and appeared to be absorbed in deep thought.</p> - -<p>“Maybe you’re right about there not being any hell below, and maybe -you’re not,” he finally said. “I hope you are right; but I’ve had some -experience in my day, and had all kinds of luck, both<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a>{195}</span> good and bad. It -don’t seem probable I’d strike it as rich as that. No, sir, it ain’t -probable; though, of course, it’s possible.”</p> - -<p>And Dr. Davis left him standing there with a strange, hopeful gleam in -his eyes.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a>{196}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="TO_CLIPPERTON_REEF" id="TO_CLIPPERTON_REEF"></a><i>TO CLIPPERTON REEF</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">T</span>HIS rather singular expedition left San Francisco under the direct -charge of Professor Frisbow, of the West Coast Museum. While an entirely -private affair, its object was to secure specimens of several of the -almost extinct species of pelagic fish.</p> - -<p>The vessel used for the purpose was a small sealing schooner of about -seventy-five tons, and the crew, including the captain and mate, -consisted of five able-bodied men. The rest of the party were the -professor and myself.</p> - -<p>As we were both good sailors, the size of our vessel did not -inconvenience us, so that, after fitting up two state-rooms in the -cabin, we found, although a little crowded, we were as snug “as weevils -in a biscuit”</p> - -<p>The wind was blowing almost a gale when we towed out between the heads -of the bay, and as it came from the northwest, a stout pea-coat was far -from uncomfortable while walking the narrow limits of the quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>The setting sun shone red on the rolling hill-side of North Head, where -herds of cattle cropped the short grass of the highlands. In the clear -atmosphere small objects were visible with strange distinctness. To the -southward the jets of spray shooting skyward told plainly of the heavy -sea that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a>{197}</span> fell upon the Seal Rocks. Our skipper shook out the double -reef he had in the mainsail and determined to drive his vessel off shore -as far as possible while the fair wind held.</p> - -<p>It was nearly dark before the tug gave a short whistle for the men -forward to cast off the tow-line, and as the last light on the western -horizon faded into shadow the head-sheets were flattened and we stood -away to the southwest.</p> - -<p>Clipperton Isle or Reef lies 10° 17´ north latitude and 109° 10´ west -longitude. The distance on a straight course being but little over -fifteen hundred miles from our starting-point, but as the northeast -trade is very light and unsteady along the coast of the continent, we -deemed it wiser to take the regular sailing route to the southward and -make our easting afterwards.</p> - -<p>The first twenty-four hours out were uncomfortable enough, as the heavy -sea caught us fair on the starboard beam and made the stanch little -vessel roll horribly. Gradually, however, the wind hauled more to the -northward and we made better weather of it. Our Bliss log registered two -hundred and fifty-four miles for the first day’s run, and on the fourth -day out we picked up the trade in 26° north latitude and headed away due -south.</p> - -<p>Our reason for selecting this almost unknown spot for our field of -operations was owing, principally, to the reports of the captains of two -whaling ships who had been consulted in regard to our object, and also, -I fear, to the keen desire<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a>{198}</span> of my companion, the professor, to explore -this curious island.</p> - -<p>Fish of several varieties which we desired to procure abounded along the -southern coast of California, and the California Gulf swarmed with -almost every species of shark except the one we wished for. We had -finally decided, however, to stick to deep water, and had procured the -schooner for a small amount and the services of Captain Brown, an old -whaleman, who had been in the vicinity of the island on several voyages.</p> - -<p>During the first week out we had an opportunity to get acquainted with -our skipper, who with his mate occupied the starboard side of the -after-cabin.</p> - -<p>Old Captain Brown was a typical whaling skipper and as crusty an old -sailor as one could wish to sail with. He had acquired the true sailor -habit of finding fault with everything, and divided his time between -making sarcastic personal remarks to the mate and cursing the men.</p> - -<p>As for Garnett, the mate, I had sailed before in his company and knew -him thoroughly. He had been nearly everything that was bad, and had been -in every part of the world. He was fifty-five and over, but he was one -of the roughest and toughest specimens of humanity, both morally and -physically, I had ever seen. His hairy chest bore a mark where a bullet -had passed through, the calf of his right leg was twisted where a -bayonet had penetrated, for he had been a soldier, and the index-finger -of his left hand was missing. Besides these trifles he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>{199}</span> a large -dent, nearly half an inch deep, on the top of his bald head, where a -sailor had “stove him down” with a handspike. This was the only injury -he had received that had ever given him much trouble, and sometimes the -pain in his head affected his eyesight.</p> - -<p>In spite of his ugly record and many drawbacks I knew him to be the best -sailor that ever handled canvas and worth a whole ship’s company in an -emergency. Therefore we let the skipper rate him, and while he confined -himself to sarcasm and insolence I believed Garnett would not turn -rusty.</p> - -<p>It was not long before Captain Brown found out the mate’s defect in -vision, and at about the same time he was convinced that he was also the -greatest liar afloat. After this he used to amuse us by calling out -“Ship ahoy!” and gazing steadfastly at a part of the blank horizon. -Then, if Garnett was near, he would discuss the ship in detail, and the -mate would swear positively, with great emphasis, “My God! but that’s -the old Moose,” or some other vessel he had sailed in; and then the -skipper would suddenly break off and begin to walk fore and aft with -rapid and excited strides. When he would reach the vicinity of Garnett -he would look up at the main-top-sail and wish to know, in a loud voice, -why in the name of Ananias all the liars were not struck dead. Then he -would storm and swear at all people who ever told the truth, and thank -heaven he never told the truth when he could possibly help it; all of -which noise had about as much effect on Garnett as<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a>{200}</span> if he had been -pouring water gently into the dent in his oily bald head.</p> - -<p>“Aren’t you afraid to curse and call on the Lord so often?” I asked, -during one of his fits.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>Fraid o’ nothin’. Do you suppose the Lord minds my cursing at such a -fellow as Garnett? What difference does it make, anyhow? The Lord never -yet answered either prayer or curse of mine.”</p> - -<p>“Yes,” I replied, “but Garnett might, and then——”</p> - -<p>“He might, might he? Now, by all thunder, I guess not. He might as well -git it through his head that if there’s any swearing to be done I’ll do -it. Yes, sir, I’ll do it, s’help me——” And here he broke off into a -string of such expressive profanity, relating to gods, devils, and men, -that Frisbow came up from below to listen.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the tenth day out we crossed the twelfth parallel, and -at noon we hauled our wind and headed straight for the island as located -by Sir Edward Belcher.</p> - -<p>On the fifteenth day the wind left us in 10° 43´ north latitude and -about 113° west longitude, or nearly two hundred and fifty miles -westward of the reef. Here we encountered the most trying part of the -whole voyage out. For two days the log registered less than a ten-mile -run, and the four following less than twenty.</p> - -<p>Finally, after ten days of drifting, we sighted the island, one bright -morning, almost directly over our knight-heads. As the wind was light, -our skipper<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a>{201}</span> feared to approach within less than a mile of the shore, as -there was danger of drifting into the breakers. There were hundreds of -fathoms of water close in near the beach, and it was useless to think of -anchoring, so we hove the vessel to about a mile to leeward.</p> - -<p>After setting the shark line the boat was put overboard, and the mate -and one man proceeded to pull us to the shore.</p> - -<p>On arriving close to the island the surf was found to be too heavy to -make a safe landing, and we were compelled to pull around to the -entrance of the lagoon on the south side. We landed with little -difficulty inside the entrance, and, securing the boat, proceeded to -explore the reef.</p> - -<p>Lying low in the water, it presented a peculiar and, at the same time, -beautiful appearance. No part of it was over ten feet above the sea, and -it lay shaped into a most perfect oval. On the outside of the circle the -beach was of snow-white coral, which, as it sloped away seaward on the -north side, reflected various shades of green and blue through the clear -water.</p> - -<p>On the south side the sea had just the faintest milky color, showing -that there was a slight set to the southward.</p> - -<p>We devoted the whole day to exploring the reef, and only returned on -board when darkness made the schooner almost invisible.</p> - -<p>As we passed through the entrance we made soundings, and found a depth -of five or six fathoms<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a>{202}</span> nearly all the way across, or enough water for -quite a large vessel to pass through. On getting aboard we found that -the skipper had caught several desirable specimens for our collection -and had sighted a small sperm-whale about a half a mile to windward just -before dark. This had stirred his blood, and he had been cursing his -luck heartily at our staying ashore in the boat when we might be after -big game, for we had several irons and a few tubs of line on board and -also a bomb-gun.</p> - -<p>After supper we were so worked up by listening to Captain Brown’s -whaling yarns that we decided to have a try at the first whale sighted. -At daylight the next morning Garnett sung out to the skipper that there -was something off the weather-beam. We turned out and found the sea just -ruffled by a light air and the sun shining fiercely out of a cloudless -sky. On searching the horizon we found nothing visible except the reef, -which lay some three miles to the northward.</p> - -<p>All of a sudden we noticed a blur of white to the westward, and Frisbow -immediately went below for the glasses. Garnett sung out again from -forward and pointed at the blur, then, thinking we could not see -anything, he came aft to where we stood.</p> - -<p>By this time both the skipper and Frisbow had their glasses, and were -just in the act of focussing them upon the object when it suddenly -vanished.</p> - -<p>Captain Brown began to mutter something about people who saw so many -strange things, and Garnett<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a>{203}</span> removed his cap to wipe the perspiration -from the dent in his head.</p> - -<p>“What kind of vessel can it be?” asked Frisbow.</p> - -<p>“I’ll be hanged if I know,” I answered.</p> - -<p>“Might be the Flying Dutchman,” suggested Garnett, with his usual -gravity.</p> - -<p>This was too much for the skipper, and he warned Garnett that such jokes -were out of place among intelligent men and liable to be followed by -disastrous consequences, and then added that “Most people knew a whale -when they saw it.” Suddenly the blur appeared again. This time it lasted -for over a minute. It was not a “blow,” and I was just about to ask the -skipper what he made it out to be when he quickly shoved his glass into -my hand and told me to “look quick.”</p> - -<p>I did so, and saw that the blur was a great cloud of spray and foam -thrown up from the sea. Instantly a large gray object rose from the -churned water, then fell again in the thick of it, and I recognized the -form of a huge thresher-shark. He appeared to land heavily upon the -whale, for that animal, after lashing the sea furiously, sounded, and -presently the disturbance subsided.</p> - -<p>After breakfast we saw a blow half a mile to windward, and the skipper -said it was the same whale we had noticed in the early morning.</p> - -<p>We didn’t stop to argue the question, but hauled the whale-boat, that -was towing astern, alongside and made haste to get the gear into her.</p> - -<p>Leaving the schooner in charge of the three men,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a>{204}</span> all of whom were -picked sailors, the rest of us manned the boat and started out. Captain -Brown took his place in the bow as harpooner and boat-steerer, while -Garnett and the professor pulled bow and stroke oars respectively, -leaving me to handle the steering oar.</p> - -<p>The sea was almost like glass, and under the skipper’s direction we -rapidly approached our game. My heart beat so with excitement that it -seemed to choke me as we silently drew head on to the monster, the -skipper motioning with his hand which way he wanted me to steer. Then we -shipped the oars carefully and took out the paddles for a close throw. -All of a sudden he raised the iron and hurled it at the black mass -ahead. Garnett and Frisbow backed water as hard as they could, and in an -instant there was a tremendous splash as the animal fluked and sounded. -The skipper stood by the line, while the professor took up the bomb-gun, -determined to have the honor of shooting the beast.</p> - -<p>The whale didn’t go down far or stay long below the surface, but when he -did come up he came with a rush that took him clear of the water and -almost aboard of us. The surging splash he made as he fell alongside -nearly swamped us with the sea and sent Frisbow over the thwart into the -bottom of the boat, while the lance came near lodging in Garnett’s neck -as the gun exploded in the air.</p> - -<p>Old Captain Brown stormed and swore, and, calling Garnett to tend the -line, he picked up the gun and began loading it himself as I passed him -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a>{205}</span> charge, while Frisbow scrambled to his feet and asked if he had -“killed him.”</p> - -<p>A hoarse chuckle from Garnett warned him of his mistake, but before any -one could answer the skipper passed him the gun again and sprang forward -to the line. I looked over the side, and suddenly noticed a dark spot in -the clear depths directly beneath us growing rapidly larger. Putting -forth all my strength, I swung on the steering oar to slue the boat to -one side, and it was just by good luck I managed to do so in time. I -heard an exclamation from the skipper, and saw Frisbow standing with the -gun ready, when, without an instant’s warning, the great bulk of the -whale rose alongside close enough to touch. The professor fired with the -muzzle not two feet from the animal’s body, which, as it fell alongside, -half filled the boat with water.</p> - -<p>Instead of sounding again the whale swam slowly away, towing us after -it. Captain Brown started to load the gun, and had just put in the -powder charge when the whale slowed up and began blowing rapid jets of -crimson spray.</p> - -<p>“We’ve got him now,” he said, and laid down the gun to wait for the end.</p> - -<p>In about ten minutes the animal was motionless upon the water, and after -waiting a little longer we hauled alongside. He was a small sperm-whale, -not over thirty feet in length, with about enough blubber to make a -“twenty-barrel,” as he was termed by the skipper. We made a line fast to -him and then sat and waited for the schooner, that<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a>{206}</span> was creeping slowly -up from leeward with the light breeze. The heat was terrific as we sat -there in the open boat, and it was long past noon before the schooner -picked us up.</p> - -<p>After dinner Frisbow, myself, and two men manned the boat to tow the -whale ashore. We worked the schooner in as close as possible to the -entrance of the lagoon, and then we had to work into the lagoon in the -small boat with a white-ash breeze. We finally landed our prize inside -the entrance, and Frisbow turned to work at once to get off the skin. -This appeared to be a useless object, but as he was bent upon it there -was nothing else to do.</p> - -<p>During the whole of the following week he was ashore nearly all the time -with one or two men, and sometimes, when the wind was light and we -drifted well off, it was nearly midnight before he would get aboard. It -was while this work was progressing that the incident occurred which -caused all our troubles.</p> - -<p>Frisbow and Garnett had both tried to persuade Captain Brown that it was -the best and safest place for the schooner inside the lagoon, as there -was plenty of water and quite smooth anchorage. The skipper, like a true -deep-water sailor, dreaded the proximity of the beach even worse than he -did fresh water on his skin, and he was several times made furious at -the idea of putting his vessel inside the lagoon.</p> - -<p>One day after Garnett and Frisbow had gone ashore, where they had been -hard at work at the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a>{207}</span> whale, I told the skipper that I would look out for -the vessel, and he went below and turned in.</p> - -<p>The two men left on board were idling about the galley. One of them, the -one who acted as cook, sat in the doorway and worked a pan of “duff” -which he held between his knees.</p> - -<p>The schooner had her mainsail set and hauled flat aft, while her jib was -drawn to windward, thus heaving her to in the light air that barely -ruffled the surface of the ocean. There was not a cloud in the sky, and -only a dull haze tempered the fierce heat of the sun.</p> - -<p>I had the wheel lashed hard down and lay at full length on the quarter, -trying to keep in the shadow of the mainsail. I smoked a cigar and gazed -at the eddies that drifted from the vessel’s side to windward.</p> - -<p>After about an hour, when I had smoked my cigar down to a stump, I was -aware that the wind had died out entirely and that it was oppressively -hot on deck. I lounged aft and leaned over the rail and tried to see if -I could distinguish anything moving on the island, but could not, and -the distant hum of the surf was the only sound that broke the painful -stillness.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the hum of the surf seemed to grow louder. I turned to look to -the westward, and in an instant saw the ocean whipped to foam along the -horizon.</p> - -<p>“All hands!” I yelled, and sprang to the peak halyards.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a>{208}</span></p> - -<p>I let them go by the run, and had just cast off the throat when with a -rush the white squall struck us just forward of the weather-beam. One of -the men let go the jib halyard and tugged at the downhaul and managed to -get the sail half down before the full weight of the wind struck us. The -mainsail, hanging half way down the mast, thundered away at a great rate -until it split from head to leach, while the little schooner lay on her -beam ends, letting the water pour in a torrent down the open -companion-way.</p> - -<p>In less than five minutes it was all over. The wind slacked up as -suddenly as it began, and the vessel slowly righted. Captain Brown -clambered on deck half drowned from the flooded cabin and helped to get -in what was left of the mainsail. We got all the canvas in, but the sea -was as calm as before, except for the swell stirred up, and there was -not enough wind to fill a topsail.</p> - -<p>“White squall, eh?” inquired the skipper as soon as we had the sails -secured.</p> - -<p>“It was some kind of a squall,” I said; “but there was no warning -whatever of its coming.”</p> - -<p>“There never is,” he answered, with a sickly grin. “I wonder how much -water we’ve got into us. If it had held on five minutes longer we’d have -passed in our papers, sure; and, as it was, I am all but drowned. It -seemed as if the whole ocean poured into my bunk and held me down.”</p> - -<p>We found the cabin half full of water, and it took us all day to get -things straightened out below, while<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a>{209}</span> the men unbent the split mainsail -and began to repair it.</p> - -<p>When Garnett and the professor came on board that night they were -astonished at the damage done, for there had been no sign of wind on the -reef.</p> - -<p>In the schooner’s hold we found everything in a mess, and all our -fishing-gear and lines piled up on the port side in one big tangle. -Garnett managed to pick out the bomb-gun and some irons from the pile, -and Frisbow, after wiping the gun, had the cook fill it with beef tallow -to keep out the rust.</p> - -<p>That night we held a council, and, as there were three to one for going -inside the reef, the skipper’s objections were finally overruled, and it -was decided that we should remain in there until work on the whale was -finished. The next morning at sunrise we headed in through the entrance, -and by noon were moored snugly enough on the inside.</p> - -<p>The work of skinning the whale was soon accomplished, and the skin was -staked out, with one or two of the sharks we had captured, and left to -the care of the professor.</p> - -<p>I did not fancy the work of getting out the animal’s skeleton, as the -stench from the body was now unbearable, so I spent my time in procuring -specimens of a more attractive sort from the clear waters of the reef.</p> - -<p>I had been thus engaged for several days, and was returning to the -schooner one evening, when I heard a deep booming sound that seemed to -fill the air about me. The ground under me trembled violently<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a>{210}</span> and it -was with difficulty I kept my feet I hurried towards the schooner, and -met Frisbow on the beach opposite where she was moored. His face -expressed great anxiety, and he asked me if I had felt the earthquake. I -replied that I had, and wondered what would happen next. He didn’t -answer, but I could see that he was more excited than I had ever seen -him before.</p> - -<p>When we reached the schooner Garnett was being rated by Captain Brown -for having suggested bringing the vessel into such a hole. The skipper -had felt the shock, and swore that we would have the accompanying tidal -wave in about half an hour, adding that if it caught us in there we were -as good as dead men.</p> - -<p>It was not quite dark, so without a moment’s delay we made sail and -stood for the entrance. There was no wind to speak of, and the skipper, -fearing that we might drift into the breakers, had Garnett and the three -sailors man the whale-boat and tow us to keep up good headway.</p> - -<p>I took the wheel and Captain Brown went forward to direct our movements. -We went straight for the middle of the cut, while the sun dipped below -the western horizon and the sudden tropic night fell upon the ocean. The -moon was a few degrees high in the east, and we knew that there would be -plenty of light, anyhow, to steer by, as we kept slowly on.</p> - -<p>In a little while we neared the entrance, and it looked as if we would -be on the open ocean within half an hour, when all of a sudden I heard a -harsh,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a>{211}</span> grinding sound, and the schooner, with a slight jar, became -motionless. The skipper came rushing aft and peered over the taffrail, -muttering a string of oaths through his set teeth.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” I asked, as I left the wheel and rushed to the rail.</p> - -<p>He said nothing, but dived below for a lead-line. In a moment he was -forward again and flung the lead overboard, but I noticed that the line -failed to run out.</p> - -<p>“What is it?” I asked again.</p> - -<p>He turned his face towards me, and I saw its ghastly expression in the -moonlight.</p> - -<p>“God knows,” he growled, “but we are hard and fast on the reef, and -there isn’t half a fathom of water anywhere ahead of us.” He bawled for -Garnett to come on board, and I heard the startled exclamations from the -men in the boat as they hauled in the tow-line and came alongside.</p> - -<p>In a moment the skipper jumped into the boat with the hand-lead and -started off through the entrance.</p> - -<p>I could see him making soundings for nearly a quarter of a mile ahead as -they glided over the calm moonlit water, and then the boat was put about -suddenly, and she came for the schooner. Frisbow and I went to the side.</p> - -<p>“We’re in for it now,” said the skipper, with an oath, as he clambered -on deck. “The whole bottom seems to have raised up, and there isn’t -enough water to float a junk-barrel across the whole cut.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a>{212}</span></p> - -<p>“Come, bear a hand!” he yelled to Garnett. “Get a line out aft and we’ll -see if we can kedge her off; we can’t lay here all night.”</p> - -<p>Frisbow looked at me and I at him, but we said nothing. We were caught -like a rat in a hole, and the only thing to do was to get the schooner -afloat and wait for daylight, when things might not be as bad as they -appeared.</p> - -<p>There was no time to speculate until we got the schooner off the ledge, -so we lent a hand and got the kedge into the boat, and Garnett bent on -the tow-line and dropped astern.</p> - -<p>In a few minutes he came on board, and all hands tailed onto the line to -haul her off. We hauled and tugged, but it was no use, we couldn’t start -her. Finally we passed the line forward to the windlass, and after half -an hour’s heaving we had the satisfaction of feeling the little vessel -slide off into deep water again. There was nothing to do but to go back -to our moorings, so, sending the boat ahead again, we towed back and -made fast at our old berth, all hands quite worn out with our exertions.</p> - -<p>There was no thought of rest, however, for any of us; our case was too -bad for that. We were in no immediate danger, but we were cut off from -the world as suddenly and as effectually as if we were confined on the -moon. Our provisions would last six months with care, but even in that -time the chances were against our sighting a vessel in that locality.</p> - -<p>As soon as the schooner was safely moored we<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a>{213}</span> went ashore and explored -the reef, but there was no apparent change in any part above water. The -skipper was beside himself with rage at being caught, and blamed Garnett -for the whole affair. Garnett said little and mopped his head frequently -with his handkerchief, but I fancied I saw a peculiar gleam in his eye -when the captain became more than usually violent.</p> - -<p>After spending the whole night trying to work out some solution of our -difficulty, we came to the conclusion that the only way was to strip the -vessel, heel her over on her bilge, and force her through the entrance.</p> - -<p>We discussed every possible method of lightening her, and the skipper -finally thought that by taking everything out of her except her masts we -might get across the reef with what little current there would be to -favor us.</p> - -<p>As soon as it was daylight we started for the entrance to examine it -carefully and find the deepest water. The air was hot and still, and the -water of the lagoon had a greasy look.</p> - -<p>The first thing that attracted our attention was a large, dark object -that rose on the reef where yesterday there had been nearly fifty feet -of water. All eyes were directed to it as it lay there like a huge mass -of coral weed with great festoons hanging from its sides.</p> - -<p>Suddenly the skipper sprang to his feet “My God, it’s a ship!” he cried.</p> - -<p>All hands stopped rowing and turned in their seats,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a>{214}</span> when Garnett, who -was steering, bawled out to “Give way together!” and we headed straight -for it.</p> - -<p>As we approached, we saw that it was the hull of a large ship lying on -its bilge, but so covered with marine growths that its outline could -hardly be traced in the great mass. It lay well out, and the wash of the -surf broke against the stern; this is the reason we didn’t notice it -during the night. There were three or four feet of water around it, so -we forced the boat through the floating weed until we were alongside.</p> - -<p>Garnett clambered to the deck amidships closely followed by Frisbow and -myself. We made our way aft aloft along the slippery incline by clinging -to the weed that covered everything, and reached a large hole that had -evidently been the entrance to the cabin. The whole design of the ship -was strange and different from any modern vessel I had ever seen. We -peered down the opening, but could see nothing inside except -various-colored marine growths.</p> - -<p>The professor was for going below instantly, but Garnett held back and -contented himself with examining the steering-gear, where he was joined -by the skipper.</p> - -<p>Frisbow let himself down the opening and I, feeling ashamed to let him -go alone, let myself down after him.</p> - -<p>The cabin was dark inside, for the windows were covered with weed, but I -could make out the form of the professor as he groped his way along the -slippery floor into the darkness forward.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a>{215}</span></p> - -<p>After going a short distance into what appeared to be a large saloon the -grass seemed to grow thinner and I stood up and looked about me. As I -did so my head came in sharp contact with a curious brass lamp which -hung suspended from one of the deck-beams. My exclamation caused Frisbow -to join me, and together we examined the strange fittings about us.</p> - -<p>A table and some chairs, which were fastened to the floor, still held -their shapes although covered with grass and slime, and from the strange -carving on their legs, which was still visible in places, the professor -pronounced them to be Spanish.</p> - -<p>A little farther on we came to a bulkhead with two doors, which were -open and led into an inky black space beyond. The professor struck a -match, and we saw that both doors had short companion-ways leading to a -cabin on the berth-deck and that the ladders were sound although covered -with slime. The match went out, but Frisbow instantly struck another and -started down. We reached the floor of a small cabin, which had two doors -on each side and which was quite free from the heavy sea-growth we had -encountered above. There was a table in the centre and the frames of -several heavy chairs, while from above hung a large brass lamp covered -with verdigris and similar in pattern to the one I had encountered with -my head.</p> - -<p>Striking another match, we entered the first door to the right. There -was nothing in it but a large wooden chest, which lay open and contained -a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a>{216}</span> pulpy and slimy mass. In a bunk was the same material, while on the -bulkheads were green brass rods which had evidently held some sort of -drapery that had long ago succumbed to the action of sea-water. In the -other rooms we found several old matchlock guns almost entirely rust and -also half a dozen long straight swords. On a shelf was a tinder-box of -brass with the flint as good as new, but the steel was a brown lump. -There were a number of rusty knives and several brass frames, together -with a lot of glassware and crockery. Some of this rubbish crunched -sharply underfoot in the ooze, but everything else not of wood or iron -had decayed beyond recognition.</p> - -<p>The professor was down to his last match when we came across a small -chest in the last room. It was of iron but not heavy, so I took it under -my arm as we made for the companion-way.</p> - -<p>It gave me a nervous feeling to be down in the black, slimy hold of that -lost ship, and I was rather glad to start for the deck again. Before we -reached the ladder the professor’s last match was out, and we groped our -way aft as best we could, encumbered with all the spoils we could carry.</p> - -<p>The silence and darkness made me hasten my steps, when just before I -reached the ladder a terrific yell echoed through the blackness, causing -me to drop everything and start with a sudden terror. Then in a moment -the skipper’s hoarse voice bawled down to us from the door above, -wanting to know if we intended to remain aboard<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a>{217}</span> all the morning. The -old sword I had was too rusty to be of any use, otherwise I think I -should have run him through the body; so, cursing him loudly for his -impatience, to the professor’s great amusement, I picked up my things -and mounted the ladder.</p> - -<p>On reaching the deck we found Garnett had discovered a brass gun lying -on the port side of the ship, and he was busy spinning a yarn to the men -in the boat, when the skipper bawled out for them to lend a hand to get -our stuff aboard. We placed the iron box in the stern and, jumping in, -started to examine the cut for a channel to get to sea.</p> - -<p>We had only been on the wreck a few minutes, but we had no desire to -remain any longer until we found a way out of the lagoon.</p> - -<p>After sounding all the morning we found the depth pretty much the same -all the way across, and we now noticed that the whole reef appeared much -higher on the south side than before. The part above high-water also -showed many seams and fissures that we had not seen there when we first -examined it.</p> - -<p>About noon we headed for the schooner, feeling anxious and depressed. -Frisbow was more sanguine than the rest of us about lighting the -schooner and forcing her across the barrier, but I knew it would be a -desperate undertaking when we struck the breakers, that now rolled clear -across the entrance.</p> - -<p>When we reached the schooner we pried off the lid of the iron box and -found a mass of discolored<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a>{218}</span> pulp, at the bottom of which was a brass -plate with the word Isabella cut upon it in large characters.</p> - -<p>We were so tired out with our exertions that as soon as we had something -to eat all hands turned in for a short rest before beginning to unload -everything on the beach. This appeared to be the only way out of the -difficulty, and the skipper’s anxiety increased at every delay.</p> - -<p>In the afternoon we began to get the gear out of the hold, and soon had -the deck covered with stuff of all kinds to be sent ashore. As we had to -break out some of our provisions, we closed the hatchway that evening on -account of the heavy dew that fell at night.</p> - -<p>After supper we started to load the boat, but as the men were tired they -worked slowly. Garnett was growing ugly under the continual nagging by -the skipper, and once Frisbow started to remonstrate with the captain -for directing his abuse against the mate. This only had the effect of -precipitating matters, and Garnett, who was passing some of the gear -into the boat alongside, threw down the coil of rope he had in his hand -and swore a great oath that he would not do another stroke of work until -the skipper “mended his jaw tackle.”</p> - -<p>This drove the old man into a frenzy, and before we could stop him he -grabbed a harpoon and poised it to hurl at the mate.</p> - -<p>“You mutinous scoundrel,” he yelled, “I’ll show you who’s captain of -this craft!” Quick as thought<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a>{219}</span> he threw the iron, and I believed -Garnett’s end had come.</p> - -<p>Quicker still did the old sailor spring to one side, and, grabbing the -bomb-gun, let drive at the skipper’s head, while the harpoon drove clear -through the port bulwarks and hung there. The recoil of the gun sent -Garnett staggering backward, while the captain, throwing up his hands, -fell like a log across the hatchway. Frisbow and I stood horror-stricken -for an instant and then we rushed to the captain’s side. I expected to -find half of his head torn off by the shell, but, although his face was -black with powder and the blood oozed from his mouth, he appeared to -have no wound whatever.</p> - -<p>We carried him aft and laid him out in his bunk, Garnett lending a hand -as if nothing had happened between them. Then the professor went for the -medicine-chest.</p> - -<p>After washing blood, grease, and powder from the old man’s bruised face -and applying a little spirits between his swelling lips, he suddenly -opened his eyes and saw Garnett standing close by. He made a quick -movement as though to rise, but Frisbow held him down. Then seeing we -had mistaken the motive, he smiled a ghastly smile and held out his hand -in the direction of the mate.</p> - -<p>Garnett stepped forward and took it and their eyes met.</p> - -<p>“You’ve killed me fair and square and I don’t bear you any malice,” said -the captain with great difficulty.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a>{220}</span></p> - -<p>“Killed nothing,” growled Garnett, with half a smile; “I only blowed a -gallon or two of tallow into your whiskers; you were so almighty quick, -you know.”</p> - -<p>Here the skipper muttered an oath and tried to get up again, but Frisbow -and I both held him quiet.</p> - -<p>“You lie quiet to-night,” said the professor; “there’s no tremendous -hurry about this business, and to-morrow this dizziness will be out of -your head.”</p> - -<p>He poured out a stiff glass of spirits, which the captain gulped down, -and, after bandaging up the lower part of the bruised face with wet -towels, we left him and went on deck.</p> - -<p>Garnett kept chuckling to himself during the evening as we loaded the -boat, and when the moon came up he and two men started to carry the load -to the beach.</p> - -<p>While they were absent Frisbow and I sat on the rail and discussed our -chances of getting to sea again in a few days. I did not like to tell -him how small our chances were, for he appeared to have perfect -confidence in our ability to float the vessel overland on a heavy dew if -it became necessary.</p> - -<p>The boat had been gone about an hour and the moon was now high in the -cloudless heavens, and I was getting sleepy, so I lit my pipe and smoked -hard to keep awake. The water shone like a polished mirror of silver, -and the dark outline of the reef loomed distinctly through the night on -all sides. We could<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a>{221}</span> hear Garnett and the men talking on the beach as -they unloaded the boat, but besides this there was not a sound on that -desolate spot save the deep hum of the surf outside the barrier.</p> - -<p>My thoughts turned to the wreck, which shone like a black speck in the -white wash of the sea, and we talked of how she had probably run on the -ledge in the night, years ago, and then slid off into deep water. Her -crew, even if they were rescued, must have died over a century ago, and -there was little chance of our ever finding any record of her loss. That -she was a Spanish ship and her name Isabella I felt quite certain; but -even that fact conveyed little knowledge to any of us.</p> - -<p>While we sat on the rail and talked a deep booming like thunder suddenly -broke the stillness about us, and the little vessel trembled violently. -We started to our feet and listened as the great volume of sound filled -the air around us, dying away gradually in pulsations. We heard the -cries of the men on the beach, followed by a few moments of silence; -then the booming began again and lasted a few seconds, dying out as -before.</p> - -<p>“I suppose we’re about as safe here as anywhere,” muttered the -professor; “but I must say that is the most terrific sound I’ve ever -heard.”</p> - -<p>We waited ten or fifteen minutes in silence, when the stillness was -broken by the wash of oars as Garnett started to come aboard. We could -not see the boat against the dark outline of the shore, but we could -hear the clank of the rowlocks, and I leaned<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a>{222}</span> over the side, knowing it -would be in sight in a few moments.</p> - -<p>As I watched the water I was suddenly aware of a strong current setting -past the vessel towards the entrance, and at the same instant Frisbow -uttered a startled exclamation. In an instant the boat showed clear in -the moonlight and Garnett’s voice bawled out for to throw him a line.</p> - -<p>Seizing the main-sheet, I threw it to him as the men were bending to the -oars as if rowing through a rapid. The man forward caught it and hauled -alongside, all hands wasting no time in clambering to the schooner’s -deck.</p> - -<p>“It’s a tidal wave, sure,” grunted Garnett, out of breath. “Look out for -the hatches.”</p> - -<p>In less than a minute we had everything lashed down forward, and then -all hands came aft to the companion-way of the cabin. As we stood there -we heard a deep murmur from the northward and westward, which gradually -increased as the seconds flew by.</p> - -<p>“How are the anchors?” asked the professor of Garnett.</p> - -<p>“Every fathom of the best Norway iron tailing to each one,” answered the -mate; “but they’ll never hold if the sea comes over the reef.”</p> - -<p>Suddenly the deep murmur swelled into a thundering roar. The schooner -strained at her cables as the water flashed past, and then above the -reef we saw a hill rise white in the moonlight with its crest ragged and -broken against the night sky. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a>{223}</span> very air shook with the jar of that -foaming crest as it fell with a mighty crash on the reef and went over -it.</p> - -<p>“Get below!” roared Garnett, and we tumbled down the companion into the -cabin, the mate pulling the hatch-slide after him and fastening it.</p> - -<p>The skipper had sprung from his bunk when the roar had awakened him, and -stood looking at us in dismay as we tumbled below. In an instant I felt -the schooner rise as, with a deafening, smothering crash, the surge -struck and passed over her. She seemed to mount into the air and fly -through space for nearly a minute. I found myself lying on the port side -with my feet against the deck-beams and my hands stretched out against -the cabin floor. The next instant she righted with a jerk and I found -myself lying on top of Garnett in the middle of the cabin. The water -poured through the crack of the hatchway and down the skylight, so for -an instant I supposed we were at the bottom of the sea. Garnett, -however, flung me aside and started for the deck.</p> - -<p>The schooner made a few sharp rolls and then partly steadied herself on -an even keel as the mate slid back the hatch-slide. Instead of tons of -water pouring down upon us, as we looked up we caught a glimpse of the -full moon in a clear sky, and I don’t remember anything that looked half -so beautiful as it did to me at that moment.</p> - -<p>We scrambled on deck and looked about us. There, a quarter of a mile -away to the northward,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a>{224}</span> lay Clipperton Reef, quiet and peaceful on the -bosom of the calm Pacific Ocean. Not a thing was left, save a few -streaks in the moonlit water which looked like tide-rips, to show that -any disturbance had taken place.</p> - -<p>As for the schooner, our bowsprit and foretop-mast were missing, and the -main-boom was broken at the saddle, but our lower masts were all right. -The bits forward were torn completely out of her with the surge on the -anchors, and her decks were swept perfectly clean, but when we sounded -the well and found only two feet of water in the hold we knew we were -safe. She had gone over the reef on the crest of the tidal wave and had -not even touched it. Whether we went through the cut or not it was -impossible to tell.</p> - -<p>The boat was gone, so we could not go ashore again even if we wanted to, -but the professor was the only one who showed the slightest inclination -in this respect, and after we assured him of the loss of his specimens -he showed even less than the rest of us.</p> - -<p>The skipper stayed on deck during the remainder of the night while we -worked the schooner away from the breakers. As there was no wind we had -to do this by means of a drag, which one man carried forward and dropped -overboard, while the rest of us tailed on to the rope which led through -a block on her quarter. By midnight we were out of all danger, and, -after putting the foresail on her, we divided into our regular watches -again.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a>{225}</span></p> - -<p>The next morning we went to work to repair damages, and by noon we had -all the lower sails set. A light air drifted us slowly to the westward, -and before night we saw the reef for the last time.</p> - -<p>We had nearly a hundred valuable specimens in the hold, and, considering -our bad luck, we were not entirely unsuccessful. Frisbow fretted a good -deal about his whale, but when we struck the trade-wind his spirits rose -so high at the prospect of being home again in a few weeks that even -this loss was forgotten.</p> - -<p>The skipper and Garnett got along together splendidly, and there was -less swearing done on board during the run home than probably ever -before among five sailors afloat. The only great inconvenience was the -loss of our galley, which caused us to have to cook in the cabin and eat -with the forecastle mess things.</p> - -<p>On the sixty-first day out we sighted the Farralone Islands, and that -night we were ashore in San Francisco.</p> - -<p>After being ashore about a month I was astonished one day to find -Professor Frisbow’s card at my lodgings asking me to call at once on him -at the Museum. I did so and found him greatly excited. Without giving me -a chance to ask questions he immediately began to tell me about the -wreck we saw on the reef.</p> - -<p>“She was the Spanish ship Isabella,” he said, “and I want your -confidence in the matter I’m going to arrange.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a>{226}</span></p> - -<p>I promised secrecy, and then he told me that upon looking up old records -he had found there was a ship by that name lost with all hands somewhere -in the Pacific, and that she was fairly loaded with silver bullion.</p> - -<p>I did not place much faith in the matter, but told him I would try and -get a vessel to take him back there if he wanted to go.</p> - -<p>He was much disappointed at my reception of his scheme, but he -accompanied me to Garnett’s boarding-place, where we discussed the -matter with that sailor at the risk of losing everything.</p> - -<p>After a little talk the mate finally convinced Frisbow that the wreck -was either washed off into deep water or torn to pieces by the sea that -carried us over the reef, so that in either case it would be useless to -hunt for the treasure.</p> - -<p>This ended the matter so far as the professor and I were concerned, but -I heard afterwards how Garnett had bribed the skipper of the next ship -he sailed on to put in there and examine the place.</p> - -<p>No one ever knew if he found anything, for the captain and he were the -only ones who went ashore during three weeks spent there, but it was his -last voyage, for he afterwards bought a little farm up the valley and -lived quietly with a very young and pretty girl for a wife.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a>{227}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_TRANSMIGRATION_OF_AMOS_JONES" id="THE_TRANSMIGRATION_OF_AMOS_JONES"></a><i>THE TRANSMIGRATION OF AMOS JONES</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>FTER supper Zack Green came on deck, and, seating himself on the bitt -coverings near the port quarter-rail, lit a villanous looking cigar and -began to smoke.</p> - -<p>We had run into the southeast trade and were reaching along to the -southward under skysails. It was just seven bells and O’Toole, the first -mate, had half an hour more of his watch on deck. The evening was clear, -and the lumpy little trade-clouds flew merrily away to the northwest. -Not even a skysail halyard had been touched for a week, so O’Toole -lounged carelessly fore and aft on the quarter-deck, stopping at every -turn when he reached the skipper to see if he had anything to say.</p> - -<p>In good weather Captain Green’s discipline was not too strict, and he -would often talk to the officer on watch. “I was thinking,” said he, -without taking his eyes from the horizon-line, “about this -transportation or emigration of souls you hear so much about nowadays. -You know what I mean,—one person’s soul getting the weather-gauge of -another’s; and do you know, by Gorry, I believe there’s some truth in -it”</p> - -<p>“Sure! No fear, ’pon me whurd; I know it’s a fact,” said O’Toole.</p> - -<p>“There’s no doubt of it.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a>{228}</span></p> - -<p>“I was just thinking av a case in hand, an’, ’pon me whurd, ’twas -typical av th’ machination. D’ye remember owld man Crojack? But ye must, -fer he was one av th’ owld shell-back wind-jammers av yer time, an’ a -man to decorate a quarter-deck.</p> - -<p>“Ye remember th’ time he took Mr. Jones to Chaney? That’s th’ case in -hand. ’Twas transmigration av sowl fer sowl, sure.</p> - -<p>“He was a contumacious rask’l, this Jones, an’ ’twas by this token I -came to like him.</p> - -<p>“His governor offered Crojack one thousand dollars if he would take him -to sea an’ bring him back again minus th’ unaccountable thirst he had -fer iced wines an’ owld liquors. An’ th’ owld man did it.</p> - -<p>“There was money enough in th’ Jones family. But that is where th’ -trouble came in. Th’ young divil must have had nigh onto a ton av stuff -sent outside th’ bar to meet us th’ day we sailed. Bottles av all kinds -came over th’ rail whin th’ owld man lay th’ topsail to th’ mast an’ -waited to see what th’ small boat ahead av us wanted. Crojack didn’t -object, fer he reckoned to lock th’ stuff in th’ lazarette an’ sell it -at a fair figure in Hong-Kong. I remember th’ outfly th’ youngster made -over th’ grub. We were living better than any ship in th’ Chaney trade, -an’ more like a man-o’-war than any trader afloat, but nothing would do -him.</p> - -<p>“Wan morning he came to th’ owld man an’ said there was a bug in his -bunk. ‘Likely as not,’ said Crojack; ‘<span class="lftspc">’</span>pon me sowl, there’s wan in -mine.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a>{229}</span></p> - -<p>“If it hadn’t been fer me th’ owld man would have made out av th’ wines, -but when he had th’ stuff locked fast th’ young man came to me, so -sorrowful like, I didn’t have th’ heart to refuse him th’ loan av a -capstan-bar. Thin we went halves, an’ as fast as we’d drink th’ stuff he -would fill th’ bottles with good salt water an’ put them back again.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Faith, ye have th’ makin’ av an uncommon nose on ye,’ said th’ owld -man one day to th’ young Jones. He was suspicious av th’ color. “<span class="lftspc">’</span>Tis a -good rule not to belave anything ye see an’ nothing ye hear,’ said that -Amos, cocking his eye at me. An’ th’ owld man never thought to examine -his lazarette till we made Singapore. Thin we came near having a mutiny -aboard.</p> - -<p>“After this we grew mighty quiet, fer our grog was cut off intirely, an’ -we began to nose around fer something to scratch. Jones drank all th’ -Worcestershire sauce from th’ cabin mess, an’ wound up on th’ alcohol av -th’ varnish tins in th’ carpenter’s room.</p> - -<p>“I was feeling blue, an’ by th’ time we struck into th’ hot calms av th’ -Chaney Sea I was seeing queer things. Wan stifling, foggy morning I -could stand it no longer, fer I’d had a nightmare that set me shaking. I -went aft to th’ owld man an’ said, all tremblin’ like, ‘Captain, there’s -something wrong on this here ship, an’ I had a bad night last night.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Anything wrong for’ard?’ said he. ‘I thought ye were man enough to -manage a lot av fellers like these.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a>{230}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>‘Tain’t that,’ I said. ‘Nothin’ th’ matter there.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well, what in blazes is it?’ he roared. ‘Out with it. What’s th’ -matter with ye?’</p> - -<p>“I must have looked pretty rough, fer he kept his eyes on me, staring -like, but I was a little nervous about telling my suffering. Finally I -had to let it come.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>It’s like this,’ said I. ‘Last night I lay out on the main-hatch -durin’ my watch below. I was draming av Billy Malone’s wake,—Bill, yer -know, that used to be mate with Cutwater,—an’ I could see it all so -plain, even Bill’s pet goat. Th’ goat had a pigtail as long as yer arrum -hanging right under his chin, an’ his eyes were bad looking. I gives th’ -baste a kick, an’ Malone that’s dead sat right up an’ grinned horrible. -Thin he called fer water, an’ it seemed like th’ new taste was too much -fer him. He drank an’ drank an’ swelled an’ swelled till he got as big -as th’ mainsail, an’ all th’ time I heard th’ splash, splash, splash av -th’ liquid washing down his innerds. Thin he seemed to overshadow me an’ -thin draw slowly away, beck’ning me to follow. An’ I tried to follow an’ -woke up. ’Pon me whurd, fer a fact, may th’ saints belave me, there he -was drifting off th’ port beam, an’ I could hear th’ splash, splash, -splash fer a minute afterwards.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Is that all?’ said th’ owld man.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No, sir; ever since we struck this calm, three days ago, I’ve been -feeling quare like, an’ I ain’t slept overmuch—an’, an’—well, if ye -have a drap av th’ craythur it would do me good.’<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a>{231}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Go for’ard an’ send th’ carpenter aft, an’ then come here.’</p> - -<p>“So I did, an’ whin I got there th’ owld man give me an uncommon long -grog.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Now,’ said he, ‘clear away th’ after battery an’ get out th’ muskets. -Ye air a fine dramist, Mr. O’Toole.’ So I lent a hand an’ got th’ two -six-pounders we carried on th’ poop clear fer firing. Thin I looks out -th’ muskets. Amos Jones came on deck an’ saw th’ manœuvres.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What t’ell!’ said he. ‘Be ye going to engage in an engagement? Where’s -th’ inimy?’ For th’ wasn’t a rag above th’ sea-line.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Pirits,’ said Chips, ramming a bag av powder into wan av th’ guns.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Ye don’t tell!’ said Amos.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Fact,’ said Chips; ‘an’ now if you’ll pass me a ball I’ll finish this -roarer.’</p> - -<p>“But there wasn’t wan aboard. No, sir; powder there was in plenty, but -divil a ball aboard th’ ship.</p> - -<p>“Th’ owld man swore, an’ we hunted all tween-decks, but ’t wasn’t any -use, so we dealt out th’ muskets an’ waited for night.</p> - -<p>“Pretty soon Amos Jones came on deck again.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I have it,’ said he. ‘Here’s th’ thing,’ an’ he held up a bottle -filled full av bullets an’ nails. ‘Stave me, but this is good -ammunition; ’twill fit to a T.’ An’ sure enough it did. It fitted th’ -bore av th’ little guns exactly. A most uncommon bad thing to have hove -at ye close up.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a>{232}</span></p> - -<p>“Th’ fog held an’ at night it was blacker than th’ inside av th’ galley -stove-pipe. We had begun to laugh at th’ skipper, but he said nothing, -except that we’d see something before morning or else he’d put me in -irons fer the biggest liar afloat. I was tired that night, but I kept -awake an’ was leaning on th’ port rail about midnight. Suddenly I heard -a rippling in th’ calm ocean off th’ port beam. I passed th’ whurd an’ -we lay waiting, Amos standing at th’ lanyard av th’ port gun.</p> - -<p>“All av a suddin we saw thim. Two junks right alongside jammed to th’ -rail with pigtails.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Turn her loose!’ bawled th’ owld man, an’ Amos let her go slap into -thim. That bottle burst close aboard, fer ye never heard sich yelling. -Thin they ranged alongside an’ was fast to us, an’ they swarmed over th’ -rail like so many rats.</p> - -<p>“Well, there was bloody murder aboard us fer half an hour. ’Twas a nasty -fight an’ things looked bad at wan time. But Amos trained a culverin -down th’ main-deck an’ gave thim ground glass, bullets, an’ lug-bolts to -th’ quane’s taste.</p> - -<p>“Thin we cleared up th’ mess an’ they let go. But Amos had got it bad.</p> - -<p>“A big pigtail had hit him a chip in th’ thick av his leg, an’ he was -bleeding fer further orders.</p> - -<p>“There we were, two days’ sail from Hong-Kong, an’ no doctur aboard.</p> - -<p>“We tied him up th’ best we could an’ drew th’ hooker with th’ -quarter-boats ranged ahead. Finally th’ air come an’ we went along.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a>{233}</span></p> - -<p>“Whin we made th’ harbor we had th’ doctur, an’ he said,—</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Lost too much blood.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well,’ says Crojack, ‘there’s plenty av it in Chaney.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Fact,’ said th’ doctur, an’ he brought th’ first loafer he found -aboard.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Now,’ says he, ‘I’ll have sum av yer juice, me boy, an’ pay ye tin -dollars fer it.’</p> - -<p>“Th’ Chaneyman was scared at first, but th’ doctur said he would have -him skinned alive if he wouldn’t trade, so he finally did.</p> - -<p>“He guv him some spirits an’ hitched th’ yeller boy’s artery to Amos -Jones’s. Thin th’ natur av th’ proceedings did th’ rest.</p> - -<p>“We shut off grog on th’ voyage home an’ Amos acted like he was trying -to become a dacent member av his father’s church. Whin he landed an’ -said good-by, Crojack was making his reckoning fer that thousand -dollars.</p> - -<p>“He went to th’ office wan day an’ there he met Amos Jones senior, an’ -he reminded th’ gent av his debt. ‘What?’ bawled Jones. ‘Cured him, do -ye say? Well, he was bad enough before, drinking like a gentleman, but -ye’ve ruined him intirely. Here he is getting biled rice cooked fer -every meal an’ getting drunk on Chaney saki every night. No, sir, not a -cent from me, sir.’ An’ they say he cried like th’ good owld father he -was.”</p> - -<p>O’Toole stopped here and went to the break of the poop. When he -returned, Zack Green was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a>{234}</span> thinking. “It may be so,” said the skipper; -“but did you ever hear what become of the Chinaman?”</p> - -<p>“That I did,” said O’Toole.</p> - -<p>“What?” asked Zack Green.</p> - -<p>“Well, Amos Jones was a frind av mine, so, if ye’ll excuse me, I’ll not -say. ’Pon me whurd, I won’t.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a>{235}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="MURPHY_OF_THE_CONEMAUGH" id="MURPHY_OF_THE_CONEMAUGH"></a><i>MURPHY OF THE CONEMAUGH</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">A</span>LL deep-water ships carry mascots. As the mascot must be some kind of -living creature, a cat will often supply the necessary medium for -carrying on pleasant intercourse with the fickle goddess of fortune. But -men on deep-water ships must be fed, especially those who live in the -after-cabin or who help to form what is called the after-guard. -Therefore it is not an uncommon sight to see a ship’s deck looking like -a small farmyard afloat.</p> - -<p>The clipper ship Conemaugh was noted for her long voyages. She was a -product of the old school of wind-jammers and her skipper was a Yankee -of Calvinistic views, who</p> - -<div class="poetry"> -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">“Proved his religion orthodox<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By apostolic blows and knocks.”<br /></span> -</div></div> -</div> - -<p>He met little Murphy, the ship’s pig, the morning the youngster was -brought aboard. The little fellow was in the arms of his sponsor, James -Murphy, able seaman, and the way he kicked and squealed made the black -moke of a cook poke his head out of the galley door and grin.</p> - -<p>“Take good care of that fellow,” said the skipper. “Them white hogs air -wuth two black ones on the West Coast, so if we don’t have to eat him I -kin swap him off easy enough.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a>{236}</span></p> - -<p>So Murphy was put in a pen under the top-gallant-forecastle, and Jim was -detailed to scrub him and otherwise attend to his wants. With all this -care it would seem that he could hardly help becoming a good pig. But he -was like many youngsters who have the best of care lavished upon them; -that is, he was thrown with mixed company. It is very hard, however, to -separate the sheep from the goats, and as luck would have it Murphy’s -lot was thrown with Jim, the sailor who had the worst reputation among -the mates of any man aboard the ship.</p> - -<p>The day the vessel put to sea the skipper mustered the men according to -his custom, and made them an address.</p> - -<p>“The master,” said he, “air greater than the servant, and the servant -ain’t above the master.” Here he looked straight at Jim. “So saith the -holy gospel,—an’ whatsoever saith the gospel is er fact,—an’ is truth. -If it ain’t, I’ll make it so if I have to take the hide off every -burgoo-eating son of a sea-cook aboard the ship.”</p> - -<p>There were many men aboard there who had heard little of the Scriptures, -but even if they had heard much they would doubtless not have cared to -discuss them or any other matter with the skipper. His voice rose to the -deep, roaring tone of the hurricane on all occasions, and when it failed -to convince the listener of the owner’s logic, a sudden clap from his -heavy hand generally ended verbal matters about as effectively as a -stroke of lightning. Most of the men on board were used to kicks and -curses, for the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a>{237}</span> skipper reckoned he could handle any class of men that -ever trod a deck. He had a fair sprinkling of all on this cruise. As the -mates followed the skipper’s example in matters of discipline, the ship -was as near to being a floating hell as anything above water could be.</p> - -<p>Jim Murphy resented even the curses of the captain and mates, so he was -rated among the after-guard as the worst man on board. His friendship -for the pig was against him in the forecastle, and soon even the men of -the starboard watch began to hold off from him.</p> - -<p>“What d’ye want to fool with that porker fer? Yell never get er taste of -him, hide or hair,” growled old Dan.</p> - -<p>“He ain’t the only pig aboard this here ship,” answered Jim, “an’ I like -him better than most.”</p> - -<p>“Kind goes with kind,” observed the second mate, whenever he saw them -together.</p> - -<p>Remarks like this made by the second officer caused great amusement to -the men of the starboard watch. But those who applauded the most were -old Dan and his chum Bull Davis. These two worthies gave Mr. Tautline to -understand that he was the wittiest second mate afloat, in the hope that -he would “pet” them. When they found this was useless, the united curses -of the whole crew were weak in expression as compared to the audible -reflections of this worthy pair.</p> - -<p>When the ship reached the latitude of the River Plate, old Dan came out -openly for mutiny. He told<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a>{238}</span> with grim coolness and great detail of how -he had taken part in an affair of this kind before. How he had crawled -along the projecting sheer-strake outside the bulwarks towards the -quarter-deck, while a companion had done likewise on the side opposite. -How they had made the sudden rush aft and had engaged with their -sheath-knives against the revolvers of the after-guard. A little more -nerve in a few men who hung back and the ship would have been taken.</p> - -<p>He had served part of a ten-years’ sentence for this, had escaped, and -had been continuously afloat ever since.</p> - -<p>Bull Davis was an escaped convict from Australia, and he seconded the -old villain’s project in every detail.</p> - -<p>One day, off the Horn, Dan was careless in modulating his voice when the -second mate gave an order. The next instant he was sprawling in the -lee-scuppers and the second mate was addressing him coolly.</p> - -<p>“Don’t make no remarks about the weather in my watch. It’s a square -wind, so up you go on that yard now a little quicker’n greased -lightning.”</p> - -<p>The devil was peeping from the old villain’s eyes as he gained the -ratlines, but he said nothing.</p> - -<p>When the ship ran into the southeast trade-wind, Murphy, the pig, was -turned out on the deck to root at the seams. He would start down the -gangways suddenly, without apparent reason, and go rushing along the -water-ways at full speed, punctuating<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a>{239}</span> his squeals with deep “houghs” -that would have done credit to a bear. On these occasions Jim, the -sailor, was perfectly happy. He would call the little fellow to him and -the pig would follow him like a dog.</p> - -<p>“He is a cute little baste, an’ he makes me homesick,” Jim would say, -and the mates and men would rail and curse at him for it. The only -living thing on board the ship that was in sympathy with them was the -blasphemous green parrot belonging to the carpenter. This bird would -pray and curse in the same breath, and whenever Jim came near the galley -would call out “pig,” “pig,” in a high key. Then it would curse him and -pray for his soul.</p> - -<p>One night Jim noticed that old Dan sat up late, sharpening his knife on -a piece of holy-stone. Just before his watch turned out at midnight he -awoke, and found that neither Dan nor Bull Davis were in the forecastle. -He went on deck and walked aft, waiting for the bells to strike.</p> - -<p>In a moment Davis appeared, coming out of the cabin with Mr. Tautline.</p> - -<p>“There’s something wrong with the port backstay in the fore-riggin’,” -said the sailor to the mate.</p> - -<p>“What’s that?” asked Tautline.</p> - -<p>“The lug-bolt in the lee fore-riggin’ is busted. You had better take a -look at it afore away goes the backstay,” said Davis.</p> - -<p>“All right. Wait here till I get a pipe o’ tobacco, and we’ll look at -it.”</p> - -<p>Jim hurried forward. He looked over the rail<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a>{240}</span> and peered into the -blackness alongside. The phosphorus flared in a ghostly manner as the -water rolled lazily from the vessel’s side, but everything appeared all -right.</p> - -<p>Suddenly a gleaming bit of something shot upward. He started back -quickly, and a hand holding a knife struck savagely at his chest. The -blade ripped his shirt from neck to waist, but did not wound him. The -next instant old Dan arose from the channels and climbed over the rail -to the deck.</p> - -<p>“The wrong man, ye murtherin’ villain,” growled Jim.</p> - -<p>“So it was, messmate,” said Dan, coolly.</p> - -<p>“What’s the row?” asked Tautline, coming up to where the men stood. He -saw something was wrong, but had not seen Dan come over the side.</p> - -<p>“That busted dead-eye,” answered Dan. “I was just lookin’ at it.”</p> - -<p>“Well, get out before I put a couple of dead-eyes in your ugly -figgerhead. Slant away!” And Dan slunk around the corner of the -deck-house.</p> - -<p>As the good weather held, the galley cat came out of hiding and sunned -herself in the lee of the galley during the warm part of the day.</p> - -<p>Jim saw her and tried to make friends.</p> - -<p>“Keetie, keetie,—nice leetle keetie,” said he, trying to stroke the -brute on the head. But long confinement had told on Maria’s liver, and -she reached out and drew several long, bloody lines on the sailor’s -hand.</p> - -<p>“Ye infernal shnake!” cried Jim; and he aimed a<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a>{241}</span> blow at the animal that -would have knocked it clear across the equator had it not jumped nimbly -to one side. His hand brought up against the galley with a loud bang.</p> - -<p>“Let that cat alone. What d’ ye mean by trying to spoil a dumb brute’s -temper?” roared the voice of Tautline, and his form came lurching down -the weather gangway.</p> - -<p>“Don’t strike me!” cried Jim, as they closed.</p> - -<p>The belaying-pin in Tautline’s hand came down with a sickening crack on -the sailor’s skull.</p> - -<p>“Stop!” he cried again.</p> - -<p>But Tautline was carried away by his passion and they went to the deck -together.</p> - -<p>It was all over in a moment. Tautline lay gasping in a red pool and Jim -sat up, sheath-knife in hand, staring about him in a dazed manner. Then -the captain and mate rushed up.</p> - -<p>“Handcuff him! Put him in double irons!” cried the skipper, stretching -Jim with a heavy blow.</p> - -<p>The next day little Murphy ran up and down the deck. The ports over the -water-ways had been knocked out as the ship was very deep; they had not -been nailed in again. Murphy came to where Jim was lying in irons under -the top-gallant-forecastle. He sniffed his bloody clothes and ran away -with a squeal. The sailor called after him, but he did not stop until he -reached the open port in the waist. Then he sniffed at the ominous stain -on the bright deck planks and poked his head through the open port.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a>{242}</span></p> - -<p>“Blood! Blood! Blood!” screamed the parrot in the galley.</p> - -<p>Murphy started, slipped, and was gone. The cook rushed to the side, -bawling out something that sounded like “man overboard,” and the noise -brought the starboard watch on deck with a rush.</p> - -<p>“That bloomin’ old pig,” growled Dan, looking over the rail.</p> - -<p>There he was, sure enough, swimming wildly and striking himself under -the jowl with every stroke.</p> - -<p>The captain watched his pig drifting slowly astern for a moment. Then he -turned to the mate. “All hands wear ship!” he bawled, and the men rushed -to the braces.</p> - -<p>“Mr. Enlis,” said the skipper, “you go aloft and keep the critter in -sight. Take my glass with you.”</p> - -<p>The ship was heavy, so before she could be wore around the little pig -was lost in the blue waste of sparkling waters.</p> - -<p>The mate came down from the ratlines with the glass and a smile which -peculiarly emphasized the singleness of a solitary tooth. He did not -like pork.</p> - -<p>The skipper walked the quarter-deck and mused with his chin in his hand.</p> - -<p>“That’s too bad. Too bad. Too bad,” said he. “I paid two dollars for -that pig.” And his voice was as mournful as the sound of the sea washing -through the ribs of a lost ship.</p> - -<p>“Poor little pig,” muttered Jim, and he tried to look astern from his -place under the top-gallant-forecastle.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a>{243}</span> “Poor little pig!” And the -tears ran down his dirty, sun-bronzed face.</p> - -<p>“Wonder!” cried Dan, coming forward; “there’s a murderer for you. Crying -over an old pig he won’t get a taste of, hide nor hair.”</p> - -<p>“It’s all that young devil’s fault,” mused the skipper. “The master is -above the servant an’ the servant ain’t the master’s equal. So says the -Holy Scriptures. When a man takes up with them what is below him, he is -gone wrong. That’s Jim with the pig. Yes, sir, the Scriptures say them -very words somewhere,—I can’t call to mind exactly where,—but they are -so. If they ain’t I’ll make them so, and I’ll hang that Irish dog when I -get him to ’Frisco.” And he did.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a>{244}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="MY_PIRATE" id="MY_PIRATE"></a><i>MY PIRATE</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">W</span>E were sitting in old Professor Frisbow’s room in the West Coast -Museum, and our host had been listening to accounts of wonderful -adventures on deep-water. Each had spoken, and it was Frisbow’s turn. We -settled ourselves comfortably, and he began:</p> - -<p>“Few people remember the old town of St. Augustine as it was before the -war, with its old coquina houses and flat, unpaved streets, that -abounded with sand-fleas in dry weather and turned into swamps of mud -and sand when it rained. Those who can look so far back through life’s -vista will remember its peculiar inhabitants.</p> - -<p>“The Southern negro, sleeping in the hot sunshine on the plaza, or -loafing about the sea-wall talking to the white ‘cracker,’ was, of -course, the most numerous; but there were also the Spaniards and -Minorcans, who married and intermarried among themselves, that made up a -large part of the population.</p> - -<p>“St. Augustine was not a thriving town. Its business could be seen -almost any morning quite early, when a few long, narrow, dugout canoes, -with a swarthy Minorcan rowing on one side, and a companion sitting aft -paddling on the other, would come around the ‘Devil’s Elbow’ in the -Matanzas River, and glide swiftly and silently up to a break<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a>{245}</span> in the -sea-wall and deposit their loads of mullet or whiting. Then the canoes -would disappear with their owners, after a little haggling had been -indulged in between the latter and the purchasers of the fish, and the -quiet of the long, hot day would begin.</p> - -<p>“It is astonishing how lazy one may become under the influence of that -blue, semi-tropical sky, with the warm, gentle breeze from the southern -ocean rippling the clear, green waters of the bay. Life seems a bright -dream, and any unwonted exertion causes a jar to the nerves such as one -feels when rudely awakened from a sound, pleasant sleep. During the -daytime in summer no one but the negro and a few long-haired Minorcans -would tempt the torrid sunshine; and even I, with my passion for sport, -would seldom show my pith helmet to the sun during July and August.</p> - -<p>“The inlets and rivers along the coast of Florida abound with all kinds -of fish, from the little mullet to the mighty tarpon; and many a day’s -sport have I had with them in either canoe or surf along that sandy -coast.</p> - -<p>“For a guide I often had an old Spaniard called ‘Alvarez.’ This old man -lived alone in a coquina house of rather large size, and affected the -airs and manners of a grandee. He associated with no one, and no one -seemed to know anything about him, except that he came there on a -schooner from the West Indies years ago, being then an old man. He had -bought this house, and had continued to live there without any visible -means of support other<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a>{246}</span> than the fish he caught. He always went to the -store opposite the plaza, at the end of every month, and paid cash in -Spanish or American gold and silver for his frugal supplies.</p> - -<p>“I had been out ’gator-shooting, and was returning home after two days’ -sport with a few good skins, when, on turning the last bend in South -River about twenty miles from St. Augustine, I came suddenly upon an old -man in a dugout canoe fishing. He had just hooked a large bass, and I -started the sheet of my sharpie to stop its headway, and waited until he -landed him. I then sailed up alongside of the canoe, intending to buy -the fish and take it home with me, thinking, of course, that the old man -would be glad to sell it. What was my surprise when he informed me -politely that he did not care to sell it, though he had a score or two -in the bottom of his canoe. This from an old long-haired Spaniard who -seemed in the depths of poverty excited my curiosity, and I endeavored -to start a conversation with him about the different fishing ‘drops’ in -the locality. He eyed me suspiciously at first, and finally answered my -questions with an ease that puzzled me greatly.</p> - -<p>“There was one particular place, or ‘drop,’ for catching drum-fish down -the South River of which I had often heard but could never find, so I -ventured upon this subject to the stranger. To my great surprise he -offered to accompany me to it any time that I should find it convenient, -telling me at the same time that he lived in St. Augustine, and that I -would probably find him there the next day. I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a>{247}</span> thanked him, and, letting -go, squared away before the southeast breeze and soon left him out of -sight.</p> - -<p>“The next day I was walking along the sea-wall smoking my pipe and -thinking of this peculiar old fisherman with his mahogany-colored face -and bright eye, wondering if I could get him to pilot me on an -expedition to the southward. I had a rambling idea of spending several -weeks in fishing down the Indian River, and I wanted some one to pilot -me who knew the way through the inland passages. While I was trying to -form some plan of this intended trip I saw a canoe come around the bend -in the Matanzas, and, on its approaching nearer, I recognized the old -man whom I had met the day before. I went up to him as he landed at the -break in the sea-wall and asked him what luck he had had fishing. For a -reply he showed me as fine a catch of red bass as I had ever seen, at -the same time offering me a couple as a present. I took them; and after -he had tied his boat to a ring in the wall, he joined me and walked part -of the way home with me.</p> - -<p>“On our way I asked him if he had ever been through the passages to the -Indian River, and he smiled as he answered ‘yes.’ I then asked him if he -would guide me through on a trip that I intended to make. He was silent -for some moments, and finally said he would, provided there was no party -going along with me. I then left him; and after going home with my fish -I went around to see my friend the sheriff, to find out more about him. -I<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a>{248}</span> was told that he was a peaceable old fellow, and as he fished a great -deal he probably knew all the best places for miles around, that his -name was Alvarez, and that he was a reliable man as far as any one knew.</p> - -<p>“About a week after this we started out one fine day bound south. -Although Alvarez was an absent-minded old fellow, and in spite of his -peculiar manner, so different from the common class of dirty, -poverty-stricken Spaniards, we got along together splendidly. I was -never a great talker, especially when hunting or fishing, and the dearth -of conversation on this trip was one of the most enjoyable features of -it. Old Alvarez and I became quite good friends after this expedition, -and I often used to question him about himself and his affairs. As long -as the conversation related to his life in the town he would talk -readily enough, but anything regarding his birth or former life he -always avoided, merely saying that he ran away to sea when quite young, -and that was all that could be drawn from him.</p> - -<p>“My fancy often pictured him a pirate or ‘beach-comber,’ and, in fact, -there was a rumor to that effect in the town. People said that he had -treasures buried along the shore somewhere on Anastasia Island; and that -if he chose to talk, more than one vessel that had cleared Cuban ports -and had never been heard from could be accounted for. This was mere idle -gossip and amounted to nothing, but once somebody had seen his canoe at -midnight<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a>{249}</span> hauled up on the sand on a narrow part of the island some ten -miles below the town.</p> - -<p>“Sailing by, they had seen Alvarez walking up and down the beach with -his head bowed forward as if looking for something. It was not the -season for turtles’ eggs, so it was hard to imagine what he was looking -for in the soft yellow sand. People, however, did not like to inquire -too closely into his affairs, for when he was annoyed his face assumed -such a sinister expression that it boded no good for those who were -inclined to chaff him.</p> - -<p>“One night a negro ruffian and a Minorcan forced an entrance into his -house with the evident intention of securing his imagined treasure. The -next morning Alvarez came out and told the sheriff that there were two -dead men in his house that he would like to have removed. The sheriff, -who was a Spaniard, came around, and there, sure enough, lay both; one -shot through the neck and the other through the head, while two immense -old-fashioned pistols lay empty on a table in his room. There were no -signs of a struggle except a long smear of blood from his room to the -hall where the body of the negro lay. He was easily acquitted, and -afterwards became more stoical than ever, but he was never disturbed -again.</p> - -<p>“Although these things happened long before I knew him, I did not hear -of them until some time afterwards, and I’ve often wondered since what -made the old fellow take such a fancy to me.</p> - -<p>“Alvarez and I used to shoot pelicans together.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a>{250}</span> We would go down the -river to a narrow part of the island and then cross over to the front -beach. I had always remembered this place on account of a bunch of tall -palmettoes that grew on the outside of the island and towered above the -low bunches of scrub-oak. A more lonely spot it would be hard to find -even in that wild country. Here we would make a blind for the night, and -shoot the birds as they came in on the beach to roost among the -sand-dunes. By the light of a full moon fair sport could be had in this -way, and often we would secure a fine bird with long pencilled feathers.</p> - -<p>“One night after shooting several birds we turned in on the sand, -intending to spend the rest of the night there, as there was no wind. I -awoke during the night, and, looking around, found that Alvarez had -disappeared. I looked across the sand-spit and saw the boat all right, -so I wondered where he could have gone. I arose, and, shaking the sand -from my clothes, followed his tracks, which were plainly visible down -the beach towards the clump of palmettoes that stood out sharply against -the moonlit sky. On nearing them I saw a figure sitting on the sand -under the largest tree, and on getting closer I saw that it was Alvarez -with his head bowed forward on his arms, which rested on his knees. He -started up suddenly on hearing me approach, and asked, sharply,—</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>How long have you been here?’</p> - -<p>“His voice sounded so different from what I had been accustomed to that -I was quite startled, and stood looking at him for some moments -wondering<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a>{251}</span> if he had gone mad. He returned my gaze steadily and gave me -a most searching look. I finally answered that I had come to look for -him; at the same time I wondered what he meant and tried to curb my -rising temper. His fixed look relaxed and he turned his head slightly. I -followed his glance, and saw that he was looking at the ground near the -foot of one of the palmettoes. The sand about the roots was much -disturbed, as if he had been digging for something.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Alvarez,’ said I, ‘what have you been hunting for, and what do you -mean by asking how long I’ve been watching you?’</p> - -<p>“He remained silent for some moments, then rising, he placed his hand on -my shoulder: ‘That’s all right, Mr. Frisbow,’ he said. ‘I have these -nightmare fits on me once in a while.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well,’ I answered. ‘It’s a strange sort of nightmare that makes one go -rooting around in the sand like a hog.’</p> - -<p>“He looked at me again with that curious expression, and then said, -slowly,—</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I was a young man when I first came onto the Florida reef, and there’s -many things happened about here and Barrataria before you was born. Some -day I’ll talk with you about old times, but not to-night. It’s late. We -go to sleep.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>No,’ said I, ‘tell me what you mean. There’s plenty of time for sleep, -and, besides, it’s too hot, anyhow.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Well,’ said he, ‘there’s just one thing I think<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a>{252}</span> about every time I -come to this spot, and that is the fight which took place a couple of -miles off shore, abreast this clump of palmettoes.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What kind of fight?’ I asked. ‘I never heard of any fight taking place -off here.’</p> - -<p>“He looked at me sharply, and I fancied the hard lines in his -weather-beaten face relaxed into the faintest suspicion of a smile.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Quite likely not,’ he answered, ‘but there was one off here a long -time ago. It isn’t likely many people remember much about it, for the -men who took part in it probably died years ago. It was between two -schooners.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There was one that carried fruit from Havana, and she started down the -coast one night from St. Augustine, homeward bound, but without any -lights. This was probably an oversight, or, perhaps, a desire on the -part of her skipper to save oil.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There was another schooner coming up the coast that evening, and she -didn’t have any lights because she was all the way from the Guinea Coast -loaded with ebony.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I don’t see why a vessel carrying ebony shouldn’t carry lights,’ I -interrupted.</p> - -<p>“Old Alvarez’s face showed a net-work of lines and wrinkles and the -stumps of his yellow teeth shone bright in the moonlight.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There isn’t any real reason why they shouldn’t,’ said he; ‘but there -used to be a prejudice against the trade. As for me, I don’t see why -people considered it in such a bad light, for shipping the article<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a>{253}</span> not -only paid the owners but improved the ebony—after they got it ashore.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I see,’ I answered; ‘the ebony was alive, then, and in the form of men -and women.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Most likely,’ he replied, ‘though they do say that life in a ship’s -hold is not uncoupled with death, especially when a vessel gets caught -in the hot calms outside the Guinea Gulf. Anyhow, the vessel had no -lights and was crowding along with every rag on her.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>The first thing anybody on board knew of the whereabouts of the fruit -schooner was the crash of her bowsprit poking into the fore-rigging and -knocking the foremast out of the Guinea trader. Then she ranged -alongside, all fast, with her head-gear tangled in the wreck.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There were a great many men on the vessel carrying the ebony, and in a -few minutes they swarmed on deck with muskets and cutlasses. As soon as -they found the fellow was a fruit schooner they started to cut her -adrift, cursing the captain and crew for the damage.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Everything might have gone well and the vessels separated but for the -fact that the passengers on board were two officers and their families -bound for Havana. These two men came on deck in uniform, and in less -than a minute the men saw them. To let them go meant certain death to -all hands on the ebony schooner, so they started over the rail after -them.’</p> - -<p>“Here Alvarez became suddenly silent for a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a>{254}</span> moments, and his eyes -wandered towards the trees, as if expecting to see some one. Then, -facing me again, he continued:</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>They made a terrible fight, they say, cutting down half a dozen men as -they crowded aft. The captain and crew of the schooner were soon tied -up, and the men rushed onto the quarter-deck to take the officers at any -cost. It was all over in a minute, and the two wives and a beautiful -girl were carried on board the ebony schooner. The men were so worked up -that a plank was rigged from the weather-rail and the lashings cast off -from the feet of the prisoners. One by one they walked to their death -along that narrow strip of wood with their eyes bandaged and elbows -lashed fast behind them—and that was all.’</p> - -<p>“He remained silent for some moments after this, and again looked -sharply at the clump of palmettoes.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>But, Alvarez,’ I said, ‘what became of the two women and the beautiful -young girl?’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I never heard,’ he answered, dryly, and started to walk slowly back to -the blind.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Did they ever catch the ebony schooner?’ I ventured again.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>I don’t know,’ he replied, shortly, and, as I saw he would talk no -more, I kept silent.</p> - -<p>“After walking up and down the beach trying to get cool, we finally laid -down under the trees and slept until daybreak. Then we started home. On -the way back we were becalmed, and having drunk up all the water, we -drifted along under a scorching<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a>{255}</span> sun with our mouths too dry to open. As -I lay on my back in the bottom of the boat, I could not help thinking of -the stories about this old man, and it suddenly flashed upon me that he -had been seen near those same palmettoes before.</p> - -<p>“I vaguely wondered if he had been a pirate and had buried his -ill-gotten money under those trees on that lonely shore. There he sat in -the stern-sheets, his grizzled hair shining in the bright sunlight under -his old slouch hat, and his small gray eyes looking seaward for the -first cat’s-paw of the coming morning breeze. His skin, tanned to -leather from long exposure to the weather, made him as impervious to the -sun’s rays as a negro. But in spite of this his features were as clearly -cut and as strongly marked as those of a Don of bluest blood. Altogether -he was not a bad looking old man, even with his slightly hooked nose and -too firm mouth.</p> - -<p>“I soon fell asleep and dreamed of rich galleons fighting huge canoes -full of grizzled pirates, armed to the teeth, who squinted carefully -along their old muskets and fired with loud yells. I suddenly awoke to -find Alvarez calling to me to sit to windward, as we were heeling over -and rushing along through the water before the sea-breeze only a few -miles from town.</p> - -<p>“The next day we started out bass-fishing in the surf on the outer -beach. A rod and reel would have been considered strange instruments in -those days down there. We used to take our hand-lines, which were very -long, and, coiling them carefully,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a>{256}</span> would wade out to our armpits. Then -swinging the heavy sinkers about our heads until they acquired -sufficient velocity, we would send them flying out beyond the first line -of breakers, and paying out line, would wade back to the beach. Sharks -abounded, and often we lost our gear when they took a fancy to our -baits. We never feared their attacking us, as the waters abounded with -fish, and in such places they seldom if ever attack a man.</p> - -<p>“One day after some good sport Alvarez seemed tired, and instead of -holding the end of his line in his hand he tied it around his waist. I -noticed this and was about to call his attention to the danger of it, -when I hooked a huge bass and was kept busy playing it for some time. -The lines we used were about the size of the cod-lines used in the -North, and capable of holding a strain of nearly two hundred pounds, -while the hooks were like the drum hooks now used. While I was playing -my fish my line, which was old, parted near the end, and I hauled it in -to fit a new hook and sinker. During the time I was thus engaged Alvarez -had waded out up to his shoulders in the surf and had cast his line into -deep water. He then started to wade slowly back towards the shore. -Before he had made a dozen steps I saw him suddenly reach for his line.</p> - -<p>“Three heavy breakers had just rolled in, followed by a comparatively -smooth spell that lasted for a few moments. I stopped working at my line -and watched him, for I knew he must have had a good bite. Suddenly I saw -him throw his whole<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a>{257}</span> weight on the line, but in spite of this go slowly -forward. He was now in water so deep that he had to jump up every time -the swell came to keep his head out of the foam. In a moment I turned, -and as I caught the expression of his face I knew what had happened. -That face I’ve often seen since in my dreams, and I will never forget -the expression of sudden fear that filled it.</p> - -<p>“He had gone out so far that he could not get a good foothold; a shark -had seized his bait and was making slowly out to sea. He called my name -and beckoned me to come and help him. With trembling fingers I finished -knotting the sinker to my line and rushed headlong with it down the -beach. Water is a yielding fluid, but all who have tried know what -tremendous exertion is required to make speed through it when in above -the knees. When I was close enough I swung my sinker over my head and -sent it whizzing straight and true towards the old man, who was now out -to the first line of breakers, and swimming, though steadily moving -outward.</p> - -<p>“I flung the lead towards him, and he would have caught the line, but at -that instant a huge sea broke right over him and he disappeared in the -smothering foam. When he reappeared he was beyond reach and going -steadily seaward. With a sickening feeling I hauled in the line and -plunged into the surf to swim out to him. I made good headway until I -reached the first line of curling water, when a heavy breaker fell over -me and swept me back a hundred feet from where I started. Standing there -in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a>{258}</span> surf, with the bright sun shining, I saw old Alvarez passing -slowly out to sea to disappear forever. I tried to think what to do. He -evidently could not break the line. It was impossible to untie it with -the strain on it, and he being only half dressed had left his knife -ashore.</p> - -<p>“I thought of our boat which was on the lee side of the island, and knew -that it would take a couple of hours to get around the point. However, -it seemed the only thing to do, so I made my way ashore and started -across the island as fast as possible. Just before entering the woods I -looked seaward, and there on the breast of a long swell, a quarter of a -mile off, was Alvarez, swimming steadily with his face turned towards -the beach.</p> - -<p>“In about a quarter of an hour I reached the boat, hoisted the sail, and -shoved off. There was hardly any wind on the lee side of the island, so -I put out an oar and sculled until the perspiration poured down my face -and my heart seemed as though it would burst. In spite of this I made -but little headway, and finally had to give it up exhausted. It was -about two in the afternoon when I started, and it was after three before -I cleared the point and got wind enough to get to sea. I came around on -the sea side of the island and close enough in to see our coats on the -beach, but of Alvarez there was not a trace.</p> - -<p>“I headed out to sea in the direction that he was going when I saw him -last, and searched about until dark, when I gave it up as hopeless. It -was late<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a>{259}</span> when I arrived in the town that night, so I waited until -morning before I reported the accident.</p> - -<p>“The sheriff searched the house in which the old man lived, but nothing -was found except an old sea-chest filled with clothes, some of which -appeared to be Spanish uniforms, but very dilapidated. No money was -found in the house except a few Spanish gold coins, and these were in -the room that he occupied as a bedroom.</p> - -<p>“For months afterwards I kept thinking of Alvarez and his tragic end. -Although I felt very sorry for him, I could not help wondering if he did -have money concealed in the neighborhood. I often felt heartily ashamed -of myself, after discussing with some friend the probability of his -having concealed wealth, but, nevertheless, the fancy that he had took a -strong hold of me.</p> - -<p>“I tried to imagine where on earth he could have hidden anything, and -always my thoughts centred on that clump of palmettoes on that low sandy -island. This feeling finally took such hold of me that one night I -started out pelican-shooting with a shovel in the bottom of my boat.</p> - -<p>“I felt something like a robber, but knowing that the old fellow had no -relations, or friends even, for that matter, I tried to convince myself -that I was right. It was about eight o’clock when I started with a good -sailing breeze off the land, so it could not have been more than ten -when I ran my boat’s bow on the sand and lowered the sail on the west -side of the island.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a>{260}</span></p> - -<p>“As I took up my gun and shovel a feeling of excitement came over me, -and I felt as though I had already found a mass of untold wealth. When I -started to walk across the island this feeling increased, and soon I was -plunging and ploughing through the deep dry sand at a great rate.</p> - -<p>“I could see the bunch of trees standing out clearly against the sky, -and also the white surf beyond, for, although the moon was only in its -first quarter, the night was clear and bright. I halted on the crest of -a circular sand-dune to get my breath, and a feeling of lonesomeness -crept over me as I looked towards the dark grove and down the lonely -beach where everything was lifeless. The stillness seemed intensified by -the deep booming of the surf, and I felt as if something or somebody was -watching me. I had just turned towards the trees and was starting down -the side of the dune when, with a sudden rush and flapping of wings, a -huge gray pelican started up within ten feet of me and made off like a -great gray ghost to seaward. A sudden chill shot up my spine. Dropping -the shovel, I grabbed my gun in both hands and fired instantly at the -retreating shadow. The shot was an easy one, but I missed; so, swearing -at myself audibly for my nervousness, I picked up the shovel and went -on.</p> - -<p>“I halted under the largest tree, and, resting my gun against the trunk, -tried to form some plan of action. Although the trees were some thirty -feet above high-water, there were no tracks or anything else to indicate -that any one had ever been there<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a>{261}</span> before. I might dig the whole grove -up, for all that I had to guide me, before striking the right spot. -However, I went to work at the front of the big tree and started to dig -to the eastward.</p> - -<p>“I toiled for an hour and was getting pretty warm. Thus far I had struck -nothing but the roots of a tree, so I began to despair. I knew that I -might keep on digging holes clear through to China, and, with nothing to -guide me, pass within a foot of what I searched for. I took off my -shirt, and the cool breeze blowing on my warm body invigorated me; so, -taking up the shovel again, I started to lengthen the hole to the -eastward. I dug steadily for another half-hour, when my shovel suddenly -struck something solid. This made my heart almost leap into my mouth, -and with quickening breath I dug fiercely on.</p> - -<p>“Like a miner on making his first find of gold, I trembled all over, and -the perspiration poured down my naked breast and shoulders as I threw -clouds of sand on all sides. I was as drunk as if I had swallowed a pint -of liquor, and I remember nothing except that I felt like shouting with -delight. I finally cleared a box of the sand over it and then tried to -lift it. To my intense surprise it moved easily. But my excitement gave -way to the deepest disappointment, for I well knew that if a box about -six feet long, two wide, and two deep contained coin it would take more -than one man of my size to move it.</p> - -<p>“I lost no time thinking these thoughts, but started to pry off the lid. -The wood, which was<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a>{262}</span> extremely well preserved, resisted the edge of my -shovel so well that it broke the iron. I was losing patience, so, -whirling the shovel above my head, I brought it down with crushing force -upon the lid. After a few blows it gave way, and I eagerly tore off the -splintered fragments. As I did so I leaned over and peered into the face -of a corpse.</p> - -<p>“I leaped back and gazed at it in a stupefied way for some moments, my -head in a whirl, then partially recovering myself, I went forward to -examine it. It looked like the body of a man in the uniform of an -officer; at least so I judged by some buttons on the coat; but -everything had passed through the last stages of decomposition. There -was nothing left on the head at all, and the teeth grinned horribly in -the moonlight.</p> - -<p>“As I stood and gazed I thought of Alvarez. So this was his secret! How -came a man to be buried in such a lonely spot? Was it a friend or victim -of his former days, brought ashore from some vessel in the offing that -dare not land at St. Augustine?</p> - -<p>“I did not molest the body, but after recovering myself I put the -fragments of the lid back as well as I could and piled the sand over it. -I then dressed, and, taking my gun, started for the boat. After sailing -several hours with hardly any wind, I arrived at the town just as the -rising sun came up out of the ocean. I said nothing of my trip to any -one, and soon after left St. Augustine to return no more for years.</p> - -<p>“The town is a queer old place, but it has changed<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a>{263}</span> greatly to one who -remembers it as it was years ago. Its quaint old fort and coquina walls -doubtless contain many secrets of their former owners. As for old -Alvarez, he carried his to sea with him that bright afternoon with a -shark for a pilot.”<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a>{264}</span></p> - -<h2><a name="THE_CURSE_OF_WOMAN" id="THE_CURSE_OF_WOMAN"></a><i>THE CURSE OF WOMAN</i></h2> - -<p class="nind"><span class="letra">“S</span>OME skippers are good and some are bad,” said Gantline, joining in the -talk on the main-hatch. He was second mate, so we listened. He -expectorated with great accuracy into a coil of rope and continued:</p> - -<p>“Likewise so are owners. The same holds good to most kinds of people. -Some owners don’t want good skippers. They’re apt to be expensive on -long runs, for they won’t cheat a poor devil of a sailor out of his -lime-juice and other luxuries they have nowadays. At best a sailor gets -less pay and works harder than any man alive, leave out the danger and -discomfort on a long voyage on an overloaded ship. It’s only fair to -treat him as well as possible. This idea that feeding a man well and not -cursing him at every order will make him lazy is wrong, and ought to be -kept among the class of skippers who take their ‘lunars’ with a -hand-lead.</p> - -<p>“There are some ships always unlucky. But the luck is mostly the fault -of the skipper.</p> - -<p>“Take, for instance, the loss of the Golden Arrow or the big clipper -Pharos, that was found adrift in the doldrums without a man aboard her. -Everything was in its place and not a boat was lowered. Even the dishes -lay upon the table with the food rotten in them, but there wasn’t a soul -to tell how she came to be unmanned. She was an unlucky<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a>{265}</span> ship, for on -her next voyage out she stayed. No one has seen plank or spar of her for -twelve years. But the skipper and mate who left her adrift outside of -the Guinea current were well known to deep-water men.</p> - -<p>“I’m no sky-pilot, and I don’t mean to say a skipper who prefers a -pretty stewardess to an ugly one—or none at all—is always a bad man, -but I do say that a skipper who cuts off a man’s lime-juice, gives him -weevils for bread, and two-year-old junk for beef, has got enough -devilry in him for anything, and is apt to have things comfortable in -the after-cabin.</p> - -<p>“It was nothing but scurvy that killed young Jim Douglas, so they said; -but what about Hollender, the skipper, who brought him in along with -nineteen others?</p> - -<p>“I went to see Jim in the hospital, and he was an awful sight. His eyes -rolled horribly, but he took my hand and held it a long time; then he -tried to talk. His mind wasn’t steady and he often lost his bearings, -but there was something besides delirium behind his tale.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Her curse is on us, Gantline,’ he kept whispering. I held him, but he -lay mumbling. ‘Dan died, too, an’ we sewed him up in canvas like a ham, -an’ over he went; but it wouldn’t have helped, for the water was as -rotten as it lays in the deadwood bilge. ’Twas the ghost of the -skipper’s wife holding us back—her curse did the business, an’ I knew -it.’ Then he calmed down and talked more natural.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a>{266}</span></p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>She came aboard with the child, an’ Hollender’s stewardess wouldn’t -wait on her. Black-eyed she-devil that woman. An’ the skipper grinned, -an’ the poor thing cried an’ cried. “Don’t treat me so; have mercy!” But -he just grinned. “You can go forward an’ live with the mate if you don’t -like it,” he said. She just cried an’ cried. One night she came on deck -an’ rushed to the rail. She had her baby with her an’ she hesitated.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">’</span>“Shall we go aft?” I said to Dan. “It’s mutiny an’ death,” says he.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Then she cursed us all—an’ went over the side——’ Jim lay quiet -after this for a minute, then he began:</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Slower, slower, slower. No wind, two hundred days out, an’ the water -as rotten as it is in the deadwood bilge. The cat—I mean the mate—went -up on the forecastle, an’ he never came back. We ate him, an’ tied his -paws around our necks for luck. No wind, an’ the sails slatted to and -fro on the yards. Midnight, an’ bright moonlight when it struck us, an’ -tore our masts out an’ drove us far out of the path of ships, an’ we lay -there with the boats gone, water-logged till we rigged enough gear to -drift home by—— Help! Gantline, help! The curse of the woman was on -the ship, for there wasn’t a man aboard——’</p> - -<p>“He struggled and rose up in the cot. His eyes were staring at the blank -wall. I held him hard for an instant and he suddenly relaxed. Then he -fell back dead.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a>{267}</span></p> - -<p>“Then, you see, there was the Albatross that sailed——”</p> - -<p>“But hold on a bit. Stop a minute!” said Mr. Enlis. “If you keep on like -that, Gantline, you’ll ruin the passenger trade as far as wimmen are -concerned. As for stewardesses, there won’t be one afloat if you keep -croaking. You seem to think wimmen do nothing but harm afloat, whereas I -know plenty who have done good. I don’t see what wimmen have to do with -wittles, anyhow?”</p> - -<p>“Who in the name of Davy Jones said they had?” growled Gantline, -angrily. “I’m no sky-pilot, and I——”</p> - -<p>“Right you are, mate, you say true there, for if I was to go to you to -get my last heading I’d fetch up on a lee shore where there’d be few -strange faces.”</p> - -<p>Gantline gave a grunt of disgust. “That’s just the way with you every -time any one starts a line of argument to prove a thing’s so; you always -sheer off, or bring in something that’s got nothing to do with the case -and don’t signify. Here I’ve been showing that bad luck to ships is -caused by something wrong with the skippers, and here you are trying to -bring wimmen into the case, just as if your thoughts ran on nothing -else. But, pshaw! everybody knows what kind of a fellow you are when -you’re on the beach.” And he jerked his pipe into his pocket and walked -aft.</p> - -<p>“Never mind him,” said Mr. Enlis. “He’s an old croaker, and it’s just -such growling that makes trouble for skippers. But whenever you see a -man<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a>{268}</span> talk like that there’s always something behind it. Yes, sir, every -time.”</p> - -<p>“How do you mean?” asked Chips.</p> - -<p>“Well, when a man’s soured on wimmen there is always a cause for it, and -I happen to know something about Gantline’s past. It’s the old story, -but who wants to know how Jim or Jack’s wife fell in love with him? -Neither does any one care about how she comes to leave him, though -nearly all story books are written about such things, and that’s the -reason I never read them. There ain’t much novelty in that line.</p> - -<p>“Lord, love is all alike, just the same in the poor man as in the rich; -but what I was about to say is this: Gantline, here, gives the idea that -wimmen are dangerous afloat and leaves off telling anything good about -them. That ain’t exactly fair. It’s true most wimmen who follow the sea -are not exactly to be considered fighting craft, and are mighty apt to -strike their colors do you but let it be known you’re out for prizes. -Still, I know of cases where they’ve done a power of good. There was -‘Short Moll,’ who was stewardess with old man Fane, and she made him.</p> - -<p>“The old man, you see, had been getting lonely, and had taken to -carrying large invoices of grog, which is bound to break a man in the -long run.</p> - -<p>“One day at the dock Moll came along and inquired for the skipper. The -old man saw her coming, and bawled out, ‘For Heaven’s sake, Mr. Enlis, -don’t let her come aboard!’ and dived below.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a>{269}</span></p> - -<p>“I ran to the gang-plank as she started over and said, ‘Captain’s gone -up-town, and there ain’t no visitors allowed.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Oh, there ain’t?’ she said sort of sweetly, and she screwed up her -little slits of eyes. ‘If that’s the case, you may consider me one of -the crew, for I’ve got a notion they want a stewardess aboard.’</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>There ain’t no passengers, so get back on the dock and obey orders!’ -And I planted myself athwart the plank.</p> - -<p>“Well, sir, if you ever seen a change come over a woman in three shakes -of a sheet-rope you ought to seen her.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>What!’ she yelled. ‘You stop me from coming aboard a ship in this free -an’ easy country of America? Git out o’ the way, you slab-sided, -herring-gutted son of a wind-jammer, or I’ll run ye down an’ cut ye in -two.’ And she bore down on me under full sail.</p> - -<p>“She carried a full cargo, and I stepped down on the main-deck, for, -after all, that gang-plank was too narrow a subject for such -broad-minded folk as Moll and me to discuss on the spur of the moment.</p> - -<p>“She never gave me a look, but steered straight for the cabin and -disappeared.</p> - -<p>“There was a most uncommon noise, and I saw the skipper’s head pop up -the hatchway. But in a moment he was drawn slowly downward, and as he -turned his face he looked like a drowning man sinking for the last -time.<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a>{270}</span></p> - -<p>“Well, the first day off soundings there was another fracas, and Moll -came forward with a can of condensed milk in one hand and a bunch of -keys in the other. She gave me a leer and waved the can of milk, and I -knew we were to live high that voyage. I hadn’t tasted the stuff for -nigh two years.</p> - -<p>“One day there was another scuffle below, and a bottle of liquor sailed -up the companion-way and smashed against the binnacle. There were all -kinds of noises after that, but I finally made out Moll’s voice bawling, -‘Not another drap, sir! Not another drap!’</p> - -<p>“He was a sober man for two years until she left, and after Fane heard -of her death he wasn’t the same man. She really did more good than many -a better brought-up woman on the beach, and if he called her an angel -it’s nothing to laugh at, though her wings may have looked more like the -little winged animals that fly o’ night among the mosquitoes in the -harbor than like doves.</p> - -<p>“So you see there’s no use going against the wimmen, for there’s lots of -good in them, only it takes strange circumstances at times to bring it -out.</p> - -<p>“After all, I don’t blame Gantline. And between us I’ll tell you why.”</p> - -<p>Here Mr. Enlis looked sharply fore and aft to see if anybody might -interrupt us, and then spoke in a low voice.</p> - -<p>“He married a girl years ago, and one day he came home and found her -missing. She had run<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a>{271}</span> off with a fellow named Jones, who was once mate -with Crojack.</p> - -<p>“He followed that fellow all over the world. That hole in his cheek is -where Jones’s bullet went through when they met once on the streets in -Calcutta. Jones got several bad cuts before they were separated. A year -or two after this they met again, and Gantline has had that list in his -walk ever since. You see, virtue and right don’t always come out winners -on deep-water, unless the virtue lies in the heft of your hand. That -mate Jones was a big man, and they used to say he was a powerful hand -for putting a crew through a course of study to find out who’s who and -what’s what. According to report they generally found Bill Jones was -something of both, and I heard that one voyage there wasn’t enough -belaying-pins left aboard to clew down the topsails on, so they left -them flying and put over the side for it as soon as the hook took the -ground.</p> - -<p>“But what I am coming to is this: Gantline was second mate with that -same fellow Hollender the voyage one of his men sent his black soul to -hell. The mate was killed and Gantline was left in command.</p> - -<p>“To the eastward of Juan Fernandez he picked up a boat adrift with one -man in it. He was alive and that was all. Gantline stood by while they -lifted the fellow on deck, and as he caught sight of his sun-blackened -face with the dry lips cracking over the black gums he gave a start and -swore horribly. Then he walked fore and aft on the poop,<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a>{272}</span> and they say -he chewed up nigh two pounds of tobacco during the rest of the day. When -the fellow’s mouth was wet enough to speak with, he raved and cried, -‘Saved at last! Saved at last!’ until they had to lash him in his bunk. -Sometimes he would call out a girl’s name, and Gantline would rush -forward onto the forecastle-head and storm at the men working on deck.</p> - -<p>“It didn’t last long. The fellow was strong and began to recover, and -then Gantline had his say. He walked into the room one morning carrying -two glasses full of grog, and he put them both on the sea-chest.</p> - -<p>“Jones looked up and recognized him—for he was clear in his mind -now—and he started for him. But he was too weak, and Gantline bore him -back into the bunk and poked a revolver into his face, telling him to -keep quiet.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>You are in my hands now, and I’ll give you a fair chance, but God -knows you don’t deserve it,’ he said. ‘I could tip you over the side as -well as not, but I won’t unless it’s your fate.’</p> - -<p>“The fellow saw he was caught and started up again, but Gantline drew -the barrel of his pistol level with his eyes, so he kept quiet.</p> - -<p>“<span class="lftspc">‘</span>Now,’ he went on, ‘you are too weak to fight with any chance, but I’ve -followed you too long to let you go unless it’s the will of Providence. -In one of those glasses of grog is a poison that will put one man out of -misery without any mess. I know which glass holds it, but you don’t; so -I’ll give you<span class="pagenum"><a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a>{273}</span> first chance. If it comes to me I’ll drink it, but if it -comes to you, you’ll drink it or I’ll put a hole in your face. Now let -her go.’</p> - -<p>“The fellow Jones lay silent a moment and looked Gantline steadily in -the eyes. Then a smile broke slowly over his face. He picked up a glass -and drank off the liquor, and Gantline did the same. Then Gantline -hurried on deck.</p> - -<p>“He walked fore and aft a few moments and then dived below for the -medicine-chest.”</p> - -<p>“What!” cried Chips, “did he get the poison?”</p> - -<p>“Sure,” said Mr. Enlis; “but you see Gantline isn’t such a fool as he -looks. He had done some thinking during those moments on deck, and it -seemed to clear his mind. It don’t do to lay down the law to Providence. -No, sir, it don’t do. You never can tell just what Providence will do. -Gantline measured a tremendous emetic and gulped it down. Likewise, in a -moment, up it came, and the poison with it.</p> - -<p>“After all, he did the right thing by Jones. He put him ashore, and as -luck would have it, the war was on then, and he was shot just outside -Valparaiso by the Chilian soldiers, who took him for a deserter. That’s -the reason Gantline never says anything good about wimmen—and I don’t -blame him much!”</p> - -<p class="c">THE END</p> - -<hr class="full" /> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Wind-Jammers, by T. 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