St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-06-28
-H0rrDiHy Il COHrict.

| had served twenty-five wears on
board an East lndiaman. and for the
last ten wears had commanded the Belle.
one of the finest crafts that ever fioated
| was an old sea dog, and had dwclt 50
long on the salt water that ielt almost
4 hatred !or the land.
On the 10Th OF October. 1924, re-
ceiycd orders to put myself in readiness
to sail for Cayenne. l was to transport
>eventy-tiye soldiers and q convict. |
had orders to treat this individual well,
and the letter | received from the Direc-
tory inclosed another, with huge red
seal, which | was not to open until be-
tween - and IS degrees west longitude g:
that is u,t before we were about to Gloss
the line.
The letter was a long packet, 50 well
closed on every side that il was impos>i-
bic TO catch the slightest glimpse Of its
contents. | am no: naturally supersti-
tious. but there was something in the
look Of the letter that | did not altogether
like, though could give no reason why.
However | carried it into the cabin, and
stuck it under tie glass OF a little old
shabby English clock which was fast
encd above my head. was busy fixing
the letter under the clock when who
should come INTO my cabin but the con-
Wet and his wife. This was the first
time | had seen either of them, and |
may say that a more prepossesslng couple
| Lever met. The woman was scarcely
more than fifteen, and as handsome as a
picture; while the husband was an in
telligent. magniticently formed man, OH
whose features nature had never written
'villain
His crime, to be plain, was the mis-
/ fortune of being Il hundred years ahead
of his age. lie and Others had attempt
ed something which our Government
called treason, and which it punished
with death. 1t, therefore, Occasioned III.
considerable wonder that he should b,
placed under my cll;,rge-but more O
this afterwards
He had, as | said, his wife hanging OF
his arm. She was as merry as a bird
she looked like a turtle dove cooling anc
nesting beneath his great wing.
Before q month had passed over oul
heads, looked upon them as my OWL
children. Every morning | used to cal
them into my cabin. The young fellow
would sit, waiting at my table, that is t,
say at my chest, which was my bed. ii,
would often help me at my reckoning
and soon learned to do better than
could. | was amazed at his ability
His young wife would sit upon one o
tie round stools in my cabin working a
her needle.
One day we were all three sitting il
this way when l said:
"Do you know, my young ones, as il
seems to me, we make very pretty
family picture! Mind, don't mean tt
ask questions, but maybe you have no
much money to spare, and you are, botL
Of you, as | think, too handsome to die
in the burning sun Of Cayenne, like many
a poor wretch before you. It's bae
country-a bad country, take my wore
for 1t. |, who have roughed it through
tempest, wind and sunshine, till I've 20
the skin Of a rhinoceros, might get alon;
there but you-I am afraid for you
SO if you should have a chance to hav
a bit of foolish friendship for your poo
old captain, I'll tell you what I'll do
I'll get rid of this old brig; she's no
much better than an old tub, after all
so I'll settle myself down there with you
if you like. You see l have not ivin!
soul in the world to care for, or tha