The Xenia sentinel. [volume] (Xenia [Ohio]) 1863-186?, 1864-11-18
THEPREDICTIoN.

/ tain Iretou informed US be should CON
mence taking in on the following morn
ing.
1T was after sundoWn when We came
to an anchor, but Iretou was almost imme-
diately on board the brig, and after q
long whispered conversation, with Cap
tain Alwyn he returned 70 his own YES.
sci, accompanied by our mysterious girl
passenger, Alwyn promising to pull over
and visit him as soon be should get
through with the Commandant, whose
boat vas seen coming off towards the
Dart.
ANY passengers, captain? inquired
the boarding officer, looking about the
cabin, after having asked all the usual
questions relative to our cargo, passage,
bill of health, etc, -.-
If 1 had brought passengers from
home, / should have had list among my
other papers, senor, answered the young
captain, evasivly. |
'All right, captain, said the good
natured officer, laughingly, as he left the
cabin; and fifteen minutes later, I was
seated beside Captain Alwyn in the siren
sheets of the Darts boat; that was pull
ed of to the Courier, where we found
Ireton seated in the cabin, chatting with
our late passenger, who was presented in
a guise that would have defed detection
by any one acquainted with the secret;
for, instead of the delicate, and richly
dressed young lady which We had brought
from Porto SantO, 1 beheld her there, a
stout, hearty -loOking sailOr-bOy, dressed
in white duck trousers, red and white
striped shirt, short frock such as sailors
call Jumper spotlessiy white, with a
broad blue collar open at the throat, and
turned back on his shoulders, with a
white anchor worked in each corner.
To complete this outfit, the boy wore a
pair of light, longquartered pumps, and on
his head neat sennit hat, even there in
the cabin, at which a stranger we'll posted
up-iu matters of nutieal etiqutie night
have wondered but to US who knew how
necessary that hat waste the complexion
of the boys disguise, it seemed very pro-
per that he should wear it, even in the
presence of the commander.
The female cabin-boy answered to the
name of Peter, and cOnversed fuently
upon various subjects, without the slight
est perceptible Portuguese accent, speak
ing the English ladguage perfectly; and
before we LIFT the brig near midnight. 1
began to entertain some doubts if the girl
was in reality the Portuguese maiden she
claimed to be when she came on board
the Dart at Porto SanLo.
The days passed away, and the morn
ing of the third was far advanced, when
a boat, filed with officers and soldiers,
came of alongside, the commander Of
which came on deck, and informed Cap
tain A wyn that intelligence had just
been received from Porto Santo, that
Senior Cortano, the governors young aud
beautiful wife, lately Senorita Isabella
Ybanos, had eloped; taking with her a
large sum of Scnor Manuel's money,
together with many valuable jewels
and it had been ascertaiBed beyond a
doubt that she had left the island in the
Dart.
Indeed said Captain Alwyn, very
quietly, when the officer was done speak
ing; have you heard, Senior, that the
laws of Portugal, or her dependencies,
allow the marriage of men or women
Nth their ol0n children :?
I am aware that they don't, captain
but why do you ask such a question
Because, senior, on the evening that
sailed from Porto Santo, Captain CortanC
boarded my vessel, and demanded from
me this same Isabelita Ybanrs, claiming
her as bis daug hter. But happening tc
know that the governor of Porto SantC
had no wife or child, showed him rath-
er uncercmoniously over the side, upon
which he o, drred his men 10 fire atme, which
outrage I have already reported to our
consul here, and which shall not fail to
report faithfully to the roper department
on my return to London. Aye, and to
the commander of yonder frigate, too,
within twenty minutes after she anchors
and Alwyn pointed to gallant British
frigaie, some four miles outside, standing
in for Funcbal. followed not a mile
astern by crack sloop-ofwar.
You can search my vessel, sir, and il
you find Senor Manuel's runaway wife,
daughter, or any one else that does not
belong here, why, you are very welcome to
take them out
But in consideration of the near ap-
proach of the two men-Of-war, the Portu-
guese officer very courteously waived his
right of search, aud, hurrrying down into
his boat in the most undigni6ed manner,
she was cast off and sent through the
water in towards the shore, probably a
great deal faster than sic had ever gone
before.
That was the last we heard of Captain
Manuel Cortrno, or his wife, from the
authorities of Funchal but one evening
about three days afterwards, l learned q
portion of the secret connected with the
maiden, by singular accident, and an
hour later, Captain Alwyn revealed tc
me the remainder.
The two captains and myself were
ashore together, and walking along tho
base of a rugged hill some two miles from
the town, when we encountered a number
of small boys coming from the vineyards
all amusing themselves with shooting &
peculiar kind of dart cut out of hare
wood, fashioned like az arrow, aud pro,
iected by rod of elastic wood, having
cord of the same length, one end securcC
to the stick, and the other knotted to Fl
a notch cut midway Of the shaft. I haC
often seen Ireton practising with tbes,
Madeira darts, and it was said in Funcba
that be was most expert marksman.
Several of the boys knew him, anC
gathered about US, offering their to.
weapons, and urging US TO shoot. Cap
tain Ir5ton entered into the sport a
though he had been boy himself, ant
began shooting vigorously at target tha
the boys had set up few rods off.
also tried my hand at the sport; but Al
wyn stood there with a calm, quiet smile
declining to try his hand, till Iretol
thrust his bow and dart into his hand
Come, Alryn - --I Boz. boy once i
your life, aud try shot with US boys
sNachnnicallv he took the proifere