The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-08
aR.t''t] From Ballou's Dollar Magazine.
sas.r An Old seaman,s stsry. a7E
By ETHAN A. CRAWFORD.
Concluded.

Inc captain nau HOuen nlmSelI, 1Or ne
was not to be found when we took the brig.
but he shortly came from his hiding place and
surrendered himself He was an evil-look-
Ing fellow, with wizened, sallow, pinched~
up face, that involun.arily reminded one of
Q dried apple. We Immediately set about
transferring the most valu,ble portion Of the
cargo to our vessel, when it was suddenly
discovered that the water was pouring into
the brig in several places, and at the same
time she was discovered to be on fire. This
was evidently the captains work--for this
purpose he had secreted himself. Our car
penter managed to stop the leaks, and we
got the fire under by means Of wet cloths be-
fore any damage was done. As it was in the
immediate vicinity of the powder room, how
ever, we thought 1t prudent to hasten oar
work, as the fire might still be mouldering
Inside the ceiling, and might break out at
any moment afresh. We therefore hastily
lashed the vessels together, the sea being
smooth and tranquil, and tossed seroons of
cochineal, eases of jalap root and indigo, and
boxes of vanilla from one hold to another
with surprising expedition. Some of our
prisoners, won over by our kind treatment
of thenl informed us where the captain had
hid the specie when he found he was pur-
sued, Itwas in the fore-peak in the chain
locker, covered over with chain and packed
in strong kegs. While hoisting the specie
in, Ham (who, although sober fellow, liked
adrop of strong drink in moderation now
and az 'in) found among the cabin stores a
small cask of brandy, and contrived to send
1t aboard the Antelope unobserved. Poor
fellow if he had known the consequences,
he would have had his hand hacked from his
body sooner than have touched it.
swell, Bill gave me permission to take a
small 'demijohn Of the same liquor which
found in the cabin, aboard for themen, but
forbidding me to broach it until the prisoners
were landed. Having scuttled the brig, we
shaped our course for the Rio Tigre, and on
the third morning came up with, the. leng
range of islands, shoals and bars that reach
out eastward from the south bank of the
river Here we landed our prisoners, preyi
ously building'a shanty for the temporary
shelter Of the wounded, until their compan-
ions, could procure them assistance from a
little town a few miles up the river. We had
scarcely got under way again ere the breeze
failed us, and the hard, clear. .air, seemed TO
,,ros,,sOo - porthor ss
SIN few hours 1t was quite calm, and the
sea, like a sheet Of glass, lay beneath us mo-
tionless and unrufied. The weather became
oppressively hot, and the sun shone with in
tolerable feryor through the heated air. The
seargulls -infallible barometers- gath
cred along the shore, and were lazily floating
on the water. preening their feathers as they
always do before sstorm. We had not made
more than few miles offing, when the little
scattered patches of white fleecy cloud that
come in the van of the northcrs, made their
appearances and fitted across the sky with
extraordinary rapidity, and in less than two
hours afterwards the sea was one seething,
kissing expanse of foam, swept by one of the
fiercest northers ever encountered. As the
sea rose, our little craft, deeply loaded as she
was with the spoil of our prize, began to Ia
Dor heavily, and the skipper being strongly
urged by Ham (who, poor fellow, though
with the best intention in the world, seemed
to be our evil gcnius--in short perfect Jo-
nah,) with great reluctance put the helm up
and ran in again under the lee Of the shoals
and islands of the Rio Tigre, and came to
anchor under the lee Of small island, well
covered with timber, which in some measure
broke the fury of the gaie. Having made all
snug for the night, and ascertained that the
anchors held securely, we piped to supper,
and Ham reminded his brother that he had
promised the men that they should have the
jug Of brandy as soon as the prisoners were
landed. Bills kind and yielding disposition
could refuse his brother nothing He as
scntcd, and as soon rs supper was over he
began carouse, and mirth and convivality
were the order Of the night Bill Wainwright
being unaware that there was any more Ii.
quor ON board, dreamed Of no danger and