Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-12-27

! VI
tain whether there was any one there put
himself. I ought to have 'seized the oppor-
tunity, and attacked him at once. but
foolishly let the moment pass, and instead
Of acting promptly, sung out, VINO Is
ther02s In a moment his eyes up WITH a
look Of fierce intelligence; and with cups
4 pressed' exclamation he 'sprang upon me.
The suddenness Of the attack made me
start back; and, nay foot being tripped up
lgby the bag or2ootton1 aseG for o bed, We
I feH heavily 60 thesdeck' tegether5I being
! -undeamestv..s.-IIis4Ie ft,e hsnd~1Ts on my
throat; and clutchingrmy hairrwith his
right, he, with quick lift and jerk, moved
'E'my head to one side, towards the engine.
did not resist the movement much, for ]
had not thought exactly whereI vas lying;
but on, think what was my horror at 7the
next instant TO see directly over me the end
kef the side lever descending, and not more
than three feet ab0se9my headl9a BY a
/ violent eifortI got out Of the way just in
time; but even then the cutter at the emo
of the lever grated my forehead in its de-
scent. The horror Of my position seemed
to give me for the moment ,preternatural
fstrength. and sUeceeded in rolling NY. an
Gagonist over till became uppermost; and
then struck him with my olenohod fist two
or three heavy blows on the face with such
Eeffect, that his hold of .Iae relaxed, and |
d thought that had stunned him. In g. NIB
menfI gained my feet and fed; but had
6ea', mistaken in faneying | had Quoted
I ~ antagonist; he was nearly as quick as
lLwag, and pursued me closely, ! rushed
i through the passage by The side Of the ship,
acrossithe stoke:hole, through the passage
4 Between the engines, and thence to the plat
! form and up the ladder leading TO the deck.
| The chief was close behind me, so that |
dared NOT lose'time .by'tlrning'm head !;
and l remember bow,I heard his feet. slip
Z as he crossed the iron floor Of the stoke
| hole directly after me. tried to fling open
| the door of the companion, and gain the
l'deck; i thought that nay escape was GER
4 tain. But oh sir, ! had no sooner touched
the door than I found that it vas closed,
fastened on the outside. [ looked down.
The chief was Standing on. the platform at
the foot OF the ladder; he held revolving
pistol In his hand, and was then in the act
Of cooking il There was no time for hest
tation, and ] flung myself right off the lad
der upon him. He fired, but without hav-
hing time 70 take aim, and | was not hit.
Wlth the fierce Of my fall, we Both rolled
Off the platform, into the passage between
the engines, the pistol being at the same
l. time dashed from his hand. How we both
escaped being crushed by the machinery
scarcely knew; but so it was, ard directly
we were both, on our feet again, and strug
i Cling through the passage on the slippery
stoke hole floor: 7 -92'
" Hete,still grasping each others throats,
I we paused TO take, breath; and saw then
4 that Macpherson and the stQkers,, and trim
mers Of the watch were lying either dead
drunk about the side platforms and stoke
hole. 4. !. shouted as we'll as L could, but
1 without avail; and then o thought flashed
/ across ME, the steam whistle There was
i handleiby which It could be sounded from
/ the engine room. If L could but reach
| that, | must alarm all the ship, and we
might yet be saved But at that moment
the companion was opened, and the youth,
1 the chiefs accomplice, descended. He
4 came down the ladder hastily; but he had
no sooner turned an4 seen what was going
on than be paused, as if frightened and
ircesolute how to set. The chief saw him
as soon as did, and sung out TO him.
4 14a'' sThe pistol the pistol! There, between
! the, engines! .E'''s.s3 s''.
a Ths youth picked up the pistol, and
coming forward, presented it at me; but
could see, even in that moment, that he had
omittet1to COCK 1t. He pulled at the trigger,
but OF course with out avail. The chief saw,
az did, the cause of the failure. Cock ii,
i .d--n you, cock lip he cried out; and then
l heard the click as the hammer was drawn
back, and the chamber revolved. 1t was
now or; never for me. am Cornishman.
ltsir and, like most from that country,
! little bit of a wrestler. J. had regained my
strength a little, and skill took the place of
/ what was wanting. 1t was my only cbance.
So quick as lightning gave the chief the
| Ioe,' as we callit in our country, and turned
him over like a top towards the side on
which the yopth Was standing, So He fired at
the same instant; but the sudden turn /
gave my antagonist changed our positions,
and the bullet after infioting flesh wound
in my arm entered his bodyinstead of mine.
The youth gazed for moment with look
i of horror, and then, with scream, threw
herself on the body. At the same instant
saw who itswas. It was no youth, but
woman, and our captains new wife. But
tdidlnot wait to speculate on this, for I saw
that the fires must be drawn at once, and
had no strength left: | sprang to the han
dle'and sounded the whistle, There was
i well known shrill shrek which could not
fail to be heard throughout the ship; and
fell down fainting on the stoke-hole floor
/ . "Iremember little more that passed until
isEfound myself in the hospital at Panama.
The events of that night-ny wound, and
the want of medical attendance. for we car
ried no surgeon--had brought on an attack
of fever, and [ had been dangerously i'll. I
had been delirious, and when / die regain
my conacionsness, the events which had
really happened we're SO mingled in my
t brain with extrayagant fanoies of my delir-
ium, that found it difficult to distinguish
the one from the other l soon discovered,
however, that people had been told had
/ been guilty of gross INSTRUMENTATION to-
wards the chief engineer, and that he had
! been so maddened by passion as TO fire his
revolver at me; and that having gained
/ possession Of the weapon IN the struggle
I which had ensUed, had shot him to save my
| own life. 0ficourse Isdenied this; but my
ideas, and, no doubt my talk, were still SO
incoherent that but little notice was taken
Of what said. Soon the captain Of the
1 steamer came to my bedside, and begged
! and entreated me in the most earnest, the
. most piteous manner, to allow this version
/ of tho story to be believed. He said he had
been bewitched by the charms and arts Of
thatwoman ; and believingstha none Of the
| crew knew that he was really married, he
had agreed TO give her q passage, and had
! taken her on board with him as HE wife.
| She had obtained from him, by pretending
| q playful lwemanish curiosity, o knowledge
| Of, where the gold on board was slowed snd
hnxry ac<sS to{s n Ia VIZ