Litchfield enquirer., 1871-05-04
~ 5a4 F kE THE MATES ORDEAL.

was cabin boy on the brig A,iromanche and shall neyersforget the dreariness of m, sensations upon the first, day out Partial ly seasick and thoroughly homesick, crept about the decks. with ny romantic ideas of ocean life at d drea1sully low ebb The loneliness of the sea WAS indescribably depressing; and the slat and jar of the brig us she rose and fell gave only an addition al incentive to melancholy. But Captain Raymond, my commander, was an excel lent man; experience had taught him much md he knew the value of sympathy.
 "Well, my little fellow, how do you like it?" said he as he sat in the cabin with the passengers, after supper.
 l almost cried, and, no doubt, he saw my condition in its true light. .Gr
 ''This is nothing-you will feel better 1T a few days, he remarked, soothingly; "yor are lonesome. Well, my boy. you vii learn, by and by, that whenever you go te sea, you must take yourself entirely or board the vessel-take all yourself witt you. Look at those fellows on the main deck. What care they where they are: However, one sorrow is great till another comes. I have been more lonely than you are, my little lad, and perhaps if you were to hear the story, you would feel more con tented with your position. Yes boy, have been lonely; more lonely, at least in feel ing. than could have been the case had been solitary upon raft thousand miles at sea-"
 The passengers looked at the captain ex. pectingly, and so great is the satisfaction of finding that another has felt like our selves. that half forgot my homesickuess
 '1n 1928" he econtinuedrturning to his older auditors, 'I was second mate of the brig Isabel We had been freighting for SIX or eight months among the West India Islands, and picked up good deal of mon ey. At last the hot weather came on, freights grew dull, and We made ready to sail for home. In the meantime, there came on board four Spaniards, who wished to engage passage to the North, and be- ing able to accommodate just that number, we accepted them. They were all sinister looking fellows, and one in particular was 30 much so. that wondered why Captain Hillman entertained so little distrust of him. IT
 ''Neither myself nor the chief mate liked the arrangement; for in those days every sailor had the dread of pirates pretty deep. ly impressed upon his mind. And, indeed, we had only few months previous been chased by the murdrous scouudrels off the Isle of Pines.
 "We set sal, and must confess that I passed the first night in some uneasiness The passengers spoke but little English, md their conversation was mostly between themselves. During such colloquies, it seemed to me that could detect in them he manner of guilty men-a constant look of distrust and watchfulness; but as the second day wore on, and l became accus. .--~~a to-ti1o aPpoafance of thsir woll- dressed figures at my side, my anxiety abated.
 Towards the evening of this day, how sver, my attention was drawn to slight altercation between the cook and the Span. ard, Bacalardo, the man whom I had re- marked as the most villainous looking of he four. Drawing near them I asked what lad happened.
 "'Why sar, replied the cook, while was out ob de galley, dis Spanish gemmen ,prinkled something on de meat. I scrape t off de best way could. doesn't want 10 interferumce in de fairs ob my galley"
 "The faithful old negro looked angry; nor was this all-his glance and tone told ne that grim and dreadful suspicion had entered his mind. The Spaniard, howev- sr, remarked that he merely intended to season the meat with kind of pepper highly esteemed in Cuba, but upon my curiosity to see it, he regret sd that he had none remaining. I was about to order the cook not to produce the meat at supper. when the captain, approach. ing us, made light of the affair, laughing 1t the old negro's jealousy of encroach- nent upon his peculiar province; and as the mysterious substance seemed to have been wholly removed by the cooks knife, hoped that no harm might result.
 "The captain ate freely of the meat; the mate was evidently affected by what had yet his appetite prevailed. I avoided it entirely, and as to the Spaniards, the circumstance of their leaving it untast- sd seemed not remarkable, as we had learn sd on the day previous that they were not in the habit of eating animal food at sup. per.
 "Shortly afterwards, the captain, mate and three of the crew, became dreadfully sick. felt terrible presentiment of the worst. yet what was to do? The captain was helpless in his berth; the mate lay in agony upon the transom; the only fore. mast hand able to come on deck was at the wheel; the cook was paraylized with fear, and my ideas of what could or ought to be done were confused by the suddenness and appalling difficulty of my position.
 s'Shouid arm, and attack the villains? Whom should arm, and how commence? Were the helmsman to stir from his sta ton, knife would be at his heart; and were the cook to leave his galley, he would not walk to the end of it. @ 2 'I went to the cabin, where the captain and mate were vomiting in great distress, and while overhauling the medicine, more from that sense of restlessness. which we feel in the presence of sickness than from any hope of affording relief, the compan- ion doors were shut upon me, and the slide showed in it's place. At the same moment there was a slight struggle on deck, 8 groan and a fali; and next came 8 heavy splash in the water under the stern :; I had felt that I could as easily defend my self in the cabin as elsewhere, for upon deck I had been entirely at the mercy of the pirates, momentarilY expecting them to strike; but the reason for their not do- ing so soon became evident.
 'sBacalardo came to the slide, and order ed me to come on deck. I refused. and expressed determination to defend my self.
 : '.'We no kill you.' he said; we want you for navigate
 s'What have you done with the cook? I then asked. so ~
 We stab him, he is overboard: so is okhop unon All in Rbo z. .