Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-08-17
STORY OF DANISH JUSTICE

STORY OF DANISH JUSTICE
THE war had broken out between Eng
land and France; BOnaparte had brok
en- the treaty of Amiens; all was con
isternation among the English in India
particularly those who had valuable
IcargOes at sea, and those who We're about
to return to their native land. I was
one of the latter class; so I jOyfully &C
cepted passage home on board a Dane
Denmark, as yet, remaining neutral
in the quarrel.
So far as luxury went, I certainly
found her very inferior to the regular
| Indiamen, but as a sailor she was fal
/ superior, and in point of discipline heI
crew was as well regulated, and as strict
! " commanded as a crew of a Brit.
| ish man-Of-war. In fact, such order,
regularity, and implicit obedience, ]
could never have believed to exist on
/ board a merchantman.
The chief mate was one of the finest
young men / ever saw. He had just
been promoted to his present pOst-not
from the mere fact Of his being the
owners son, but really from sterling
merit. He was beloved by the creN,
among whom he had served, as is usual
in the Danish service, five years, and
was equally popular with his brother
officers and the passengers returning to
Europe.
The only bad character we had on
board was the cOOk--a sWarthy ill-lOOk-
ing Portuguese, who managed somehow
or other daily to cause some disturbance
among the seamen. For this he had
ofEoV, boov, Tr70afod and fbgG oryo-
ming when this sketch opens he had
lust been released from irons, into which
he hadbeen ordered for four-and-twenty
hours by the chief mate, for having
punished him thus severely the irritat-
ed Portuguese swOFe to revenge himself
on the first officer.
The mate, who was called Charles,
was walking in the waist with a beauti-
full young English girl, to whom he was
engaged to be married, when suddenly,
ere a soul could interpOse, or even sus-
peet his design, the cook rushed forward
and buried his knife with one plunge
into the heart of the unfortunate young
man; Who fell, without a cry, as the ex-
ulting Portuguese burst forth into a de-
mOniac laugh of triumph.
Unconscious of the full extent of her
bereavement, the poor girl hung over
him; and as a friend, who had rushed
forward to support him drew the knife
from his bosom, with an effort the
young man turned towards her, gave
a last look of affection, and as the blade
left the wound, fell a corpse in the arms
of him who held him.
BY this time the Captain had come on
deck. He shed tears like a child, for he
loved the young man as his own son.
The eXasperated crew would have in
stantly fallen on the assassin and taken
summary vengeance, but were only
kept within bounds by their cOmman-
der's presence. The cook who appeared
to glory in his deed, was Instantly seiz-
ed and confined. The corpse was taken
below while the wretched betTOthed was
carried in a state of insensibility to her
cabin.
Eight bells had struck, the following
evening when I received q summons to
attend on deck. I therefore instantly as
eended, and found the whole of the crew
dressed in their Sunday clothes, togeth-
er with all the officers of the ship and
the male passengers assembled The
men off duty were lining either side of
the deck; the Captain surrounded by
his officers, was standing Immediately
in front of the poop, and the body of the
victim lay stretched on a
which the national flag of
Denmark had been thrown-immedi-
ately in the center. In an instant I saw
that had been summoned to be present
at the funeral of the chief mate, and my
heart beat high with grief as uncover
ed my head and stepped on the quarter
1eck.
1t was nearly a dead calm, we had
passed the traders and were fast ap-
the line; the sun had begun |
TO decline, but still burnt with fervent !
heat the sails hung listlessIy against |
The masts, and the mansail was braided |
I'D, in order to allow the breeze, should |
any rise, to go forward. I had observed !
all the morning a still stronger indica-
5iOn of our approach to the tOrridzOne. |
Through the clear blue water I had re-
marked a couple of sharks following the
vessel, accompanied by their usual COM
DaniOns,. the pilot fish. This the sailOr;
had expected as a matter of course, asJ
hey sUperstitiously believe that these
monsters of the deep always attach
themselves to a ship in which a dead
body lies, anXiOusly anticipating their
lreadful meal. In their appearance,
however, I only saw the usual announce.
nent of our vicinity to the line.
-. In such weather, placed in a ship,
which seems to represent the whole
out from all save the little
land that enciTcled us, with the wide
md fathOmless element around us-the
ethereal throne from which God seems
% looks down upon us; at one moment
,ur voice rising in solemn prayer for Ons
We have loved and the next, the splash
If the divided waters, as they receive in
heir bosom the creature he has made I
all these, at such a moment, make the I
leart thrill with deeper awe, a closer
with its creator than any res
dent on shore can know; a conscious (
less of the grandeur of God and the !
eebleness of man, which those alone
an feel who go down in ships, and see
he wonders of the deep
took my place with the other passen- {
,ers. Not a word was spoken, for we all !
believed we were about to witness the {
asst rites performed over our late friend,
nd consequently stood in anxious 81 ]
ence; when suddenly a steady tramp {
vas heard, and the larbOard watch, with {
.rawn cutIasses, slowly marched down 7
he waist, escorting the murderer, whom I
hey conducted to the side of the corpse; ]
hen withdrew o few PAGES, and formed
line, which completed the hollow S
quare.
We now began to exchange glanees.-
surely, the assassin had not been y
rOught here to witness the burial of |
lis victim and yet what else could it
e for Had it been for trial las we s
lad heard the Danes often proceeded l
o instant investigation and summa- {
Y punishment) we should probably I