The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-01-01
MORNING, JANUARY 1, 1869.

was sort of wizard. The punishment
you gave me, though own deserved IL,
made me resolve to desert as soon as an
opportunity offered. / had an old ship
mate with mo whom / could trust, and we
planned the whole thing together. knew
II deserted at Glbra,ter or any Of the
ports In the Mediterranean should almost
certainly be caught, and shot ofi.hand rs
an example. Igot Tom Brown to write
my will. intending to leave my watch and
chest to my messmate, who was to return
them to me at Gibralter; but Tom played
us trick, and put his own name instead
of my friends In, and the trick was not
found out till Afterwards, when my friend
was afraid Of discovery, II he made any
rout about the matter"
"who was your friendY' asked Captain
R.
"Hc Is alive, and In the service; I had
rather not mention his name"
"Go on" said the Captain.
'rhat night jumped overheard"
"How did you get back into the shipw
asked the captain hastily.
"why, sir, the forward port-hole on the
starboard side was LEFT open Intentionally,
with bit OF rope fastened to the gun,
and hanging down SO that I could catch
it,
The captain struck his forehead with
the palm of his hand, and said to himself,
"what o set of blockheads we wcrc!"
"Pretty well for that" responded hon.
est Billy, "though not quite SO great as
, might be expected"
The last part Of his speech he meant for
compliment, but It sounded directly the
contrary.
"As soon as was overheard" contin-
ued he, II swan TO the rope, waiting for
the signal from my friend to climb up,and
hide myself In coll Of cable slowed away
close to the bows. In the hustle that fol-
lowed It was easy enough to do this; and
nobody saw me but my friend. Here I
remained In my wet clothes, rather un-
comfortable, rs you may suppose, until
my provisions were expended, and my
baccy-box empty. calculated they would
last till we arrived at Glbralter, where
nothing could have been easier for me
than to slip out Of the port-holc and swim
ashore. But the plaguey head-wlnds and
calms, which dare say you remember
delayed the squadron several days longer
than expected, exhausted my stock. I
shouldn't have minded the want Of biscuit
and water, but Il was impossible to live
without baccy. My friend had promised
to come sometimes within hall Of signals
OF distress, but, as he told me afterward,
he was confined for several days for pick
ing a quarrel with Tom Brown, whom he
longcd to pay of with good hiding for
forging the will.
h! remained In this state until ! wal
, nearly sta,,o.j when MT be'ng able Il
T atand Il any longer, I, one night when cv.
( crybody between decks seemed fast asleep,
, crept out Of my hole, where I lay colled
up In the shape Of cable, covered with a
piece Of old canvas, and, finding apitchcr
of water, took hearty drink. This was
rs far as dared to go at that time, but
the next time vcntured out I was lucky
enough to get good supply Of provisions
which happened to be LEFT, by some acci-
dent, In the way. Two or three times /
heard search making for me and was ter
ribly frightened, but I believe the search
ers were more frightened still, and afraid
to look closely into the cable tier.
When we arrived Mt the bay Of Algesi.
ras, took an opportunity Of alarming
Tom little by visiting him In the night,
r aud bidding him goodbye. after which I
slipped quietly out of the port-hole, and
my friend pulled up the rope and shut the
port-hole after me-"
''But how did you manages to escape
from the police ut Algesiras"
~ was on board the frigatc all the time,
In my old hiding place."
"And when the ship was searched di.
rectly after."
II was on shore at that time"
"And how did you manage ut MaltaT'
"The landlord was my sworn brother,
and would not have blabbed for q thou
sand pounds"
"And the capers on the yard-arm and
top-gallant, the visits to Tom Brown, at
Syracuse, and the wonderful stories told
by the sallorsY'
~ never paid but two visits to the ship,
so fer Us remember, sir, after she LEFT
Malta; one was the night I wanted to
talk to Tom, the other when he disappear
ed the night afterwar,l. The rest Of the
stories were all owing 10 the Jokes of
some of tho sailors and the fears OF the
Others"
"But arc you sure you did not Jump In
to the sea with Tom Brown, In u flame Of
flrcp
mo, sir, as am an honest man, Tom
got away without any help of mine, aud
without my ever knowing how until along
time aitcrwartl, when accidentally met
him In Liverpool. When he deserted, and
to quiet his conscience lcft my watch and
clothes to my friend, /! had no motive for
playing the ghost any more. I shipped
In an American merchantman for Smyrna
and after voyaging for year or two, and
saving q few hundred dollars. came to
Boston at last. I did net dare TO stay
long ashore, for fear OF being known by
some OF my officers Of the squadron; so
took my money and my bundle, and went
into the back country. am q little at ev-
I.rvthin, M I ret on prctty well, and