The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-10-30
THE. SEALED PACKET.

4
East Indiaman, and for the last ten years hac
command Of the Belle, one Of the fines
crafts that ever foated was an old Sc;
dog, and had dwet SO long on salt water thai
[ felt almost hatred for the land.
| On the goth of October, 1884, [ received
orders to put myself in readiness to sail fol
Cayenne. was to transport seventy-ive sol
diers and convict. | had orders to treat
this individual we'll, and the letter received
from the Directory inclosed another with a
huge red seal, which I was not to open until
between 81 and 20 deg. west longitude that
is just before we were ABOUT to cross the
line.
| The letter was long packet, so well closed
on every side that it was impossible to catch
the slightest glimpse Of its contents. | am
not naturally superstitious, but there was
something in the look Of the letter that did
not altogether like, though l could give nc
reason why. However, I carried it into the
cabin and stuck it under the glass of lit.
tie old shabby English clock, which was fas-
tened above my head. I was busy fixing
the letter under the clock, and who should
come into my cabin but the convict and his
wife This was the first time l had ever
seen either of them, and [ may say more
prepossessing couple l never met The wo-
man was scarcely more than fifteen, and as
handsome as picture while the husband was
an intelligent magnifcently formed man, on
whose features nature had never written "vil-
lain"
His crime, tc be plain, was the misfortune
| bo;, 1,,rJra1 obood Of bic orr
He had attempted something which our Gov
ernment called treason, and which it punish
ed with DEATH 1t therefore occasioned ME
considerable wonder that he should be placed
under my charge-but more of this after
wards.
He had, as I said, his wife hanging upon
his arm. She was as merry as a bird; she
looked like turtle dove cooling and nesting
under his great wing.
Before month passed over our heads
looked upon them as onr own children
Every morning used to call them into my
cabin. The young fellow would sit, waiting
at my table-thatis to say, at my chest, which
was my bed. lie would often help me at
reckoning, and soon learned to do better than
I could. was amazed at his ability. His
young wife would sit upon one Of the round
stools in my cabin, working at her needle.
| One day we were all three sitting in this
way, when said:
s'Do you know my young ones as it seems
to me- we make avery pretty family picture I?
Mind. [ don't mean to ask questions, but
maybe you have not much money to spare,
and you are, both of you, as | think, too
handsome to dig in the burning sun Of Cay
enne, like many poor wretch before you
! It's bad county, bad country, take my
word for it. I, who have roughcd it through
tempest, wind and sunshine, till I've got the
skin Of rhinoceros, might get along there
but you'll am afraid of you. So if you
should chance to have bit Of foolish friend
ship for your poor old captain, I'll tell you
what I'll do I'll get rid Of this old brig
she's not much better than an old tub, after
all; so I'll settle down there with you, if you
like. You see have not living soul in the
world to care for me- want relations, want
a family. should like to make my home
with you, my pretty young ones What say
ye?"
They said nothing at all, but sat looking
first at each other and then at me, as it they
doubted whether they understood what said
At last the little bird threw her arms
round my neck and cried like baby.
/ But said she, suddenly pauSing, you
haven't looked at the letter with the big rec
seal.
Hang itp I exclaimed, lit slipped my
mind entirely
With cold dreadful sensation, went t.
my chest to sec where we were. l found tha
We had several days remaining before w
could reach the proper longitude for opening
the letter.
| Well, there we stood, all three Of us look
ing up at the letter as if it could have spo
ken to U.S. AS it happened the sun was shin
ing full upon the face OF the clock case, ant
fell upon the great red seal of the letter.
could not help fancying it looked someth;n.
like big monster, an ogres face, grinnins
from the middle Of the fire; it looked SO hor
rid
| Gould not one fancy, said I, to max
them laugh, 'i!s great big eyes were starting
out of its head !?
! 'Ah, my love- said the wife, St looks lik
blood
pooh, poohv sad her husband, takin;
her arm under his; it looks like a letter Q
invitation to wedding. Come, come, leay
the letter alone if it troubles you So Let
90 to our room and prepare for bed
And on they went. They went upon decl
and left me with that beast of a letter re
member that l kept looking at it as smokes
nv pipe; it seemed to fix its great red eye up
on mine, fascinating like the eye Of a serpent
It was red, wide, raw, staring like the ma,
of a fierce wolf 1 took my great coat ant
hung it over both clock and letter, and the
went upon deck to finish my pipe.
We we're now in the vicinity of the Cap
de Verde islands /; the Belle was running be
: fore fair wind at the rate of ten miles Al
hour. It was a SPLENDID tropical night-th
stars large and shining, the moon rising abov
the horizon, as large as a sun of silver lin
Of ocean parting it and long streams of bar
shimmering light falling upon the waves
which, as they broke sparkled like jewels
| sat upon the deck, smoking my pipe an
looking at them
All was still except the football Of tie of
Ger Of the watch as be paced the deck, ga