Litchfield enquirer., 1871-07-27

be communicative, and I had grown so warmly attached to him that I did not press him further on the subject which was clearly painful to him. But from this time he grew silent and moody. All his gay spirits, that had kept heart in us even in the horrors of that slaughter-ship, vanish. ed. The men adopted the theory that his brain had been affected by hls injuries However, he never relaxed in his prompt performance of duty, and never again com mitted a fault which could give our tyrants an excuse for maltreating him.
 One night Bill andI came on deck, when we heard shrieks issuing from the cabin Neither of us spoke word. but Bills face grew set and fierce in the moonlight. In the morning noticed that he had whis. pered conference with the cook, and that afterwards he was more than usually silent and unapproachable. He had moreover a dangerous look in his face. One would have said that the man was meditating some desperate enterprise. It is doubtful if at this time he had formed the wild scheme which he afterward attempted to execute. He was, however, 8 desperate man. who might at any moment throw of the mask of quiet obedience, if the motive and opportunity were at hand.
 Once fancied that saw him talking with the stewardess in the shadow of the house amidships; but when I approached him little while afterward he affected complete ignorance of the miserable wo. man, whose relation to ''Bloody Dick" was evident, and could not be drawn into con. versation about her. She rarely came on deck, and Bill and l, who were in the same watch. scarcely ever caught glimpse ot her. At last, however, an afternoon ar. rived when we two were sitting on the lee side of the quarter.deck mending split sail; we were working rapidly and silently when "Bloody Dick' appeared, followed with evident reluctance by the woman. They stood near the companionway, and the captain plainly spoke to her of Bill, for he pointed toward him as he was ques tioning her. We could not hear his questions nor her answers, but the latter threw "Bloody Dick" into one of his quiet, dev. lIlsh rages. He turned on her with tor rent of the foulest language, spoken in soft and measured accents, and ordered her be- low. Then he approached Bill, and kick ed him till he grew weary of the exercise Neither of us said word, as remonstrance would only have made matters worse The sailor that is in the power of brutal captain has no possible redress at sea. No one dare lift finger to protect him. and there are no police to answer his cry for help.
 A few nights afterward Bill came to me in the first watch, and drawing me apart from the other men said to me:
 "You're my friend. and I'm proud of it. for you've been something sight better than 8 sailor before you came to this. l was decent man too, once, but was ruined by woman. wasn't gen. tleman, you understand, but my dad was 8 respectable man, and my mother was as nice woman as there was in London. grew up as home, and was in my dad { shop selling groceries and keeping myself pretty straight. didn't drink in them days. you understand, and was quiet, hard-working young fellow, only l was -------. fool enough to get married. warn't twenty years old, mind you, and she was three years younger than me-the prettiest girl in the Tower HamIets. And by - she; was innocent and good when knew her, and she was fond of me too, till she got her head filled with notions of be- ing fine lady. It was an Injee mate, one of Green s fsllows-them chaps that wears uniforms and gold lace. He made her think warn't enough of swell for her. and-Well! the end of it was she left me, and everybody knew she went off with the Injee fellow. Give me some tobacco, will you? can't think of her without chew ing like -. Welli I was just mad about that woman. l took to drinking day and night till see that my folks was as miser- able about me as was about her. So l says one day, Dad, I'll never disgrace you as she has me. I'm a-going to sea, and you'll never hear of me till can tell you I've choked the = villain that ruined her. So went to sea. That's three years ago. and I've been knocking round ever since."
 m ''Have you ever found the msn?" I asked
 'Not yet" he answered; ''but-but"- and he seemed unable to speak.
 s'But' what, Bill?" said I. 'Speak out, old man; you know you can trust me-"
 'I've found her." he answered; '.she's aboard this ship. The girl the old man licks when he s tired of licking us is my little Nell" Here he walked suddenly away from me, and stood alone by the fore rigging, his head bent upon his arm. By and by he came back to me, and went on with the story. s'Sbe knows me, and she ain't afraid of me. I couldn't hurt her, you know. I've had talk with her, and she hates Bloody Dick worse than we do. He won t beat her again, though"
 How do you know that?" asked.
 'Because. . he replied fercely, ''he's a dead man before twenty-four hours is over. I've got the whole thing fixed. The men are all in it but you. I warn't going to Say a word to you about it. so as you'd be ali right if we failed. But we ain't going to fail. Tomorrow night we'll take this ship. or there won't be men enough left to sail her.
 '.But, Billr" urged, ''you've lost your senses, man. You'll ruin the whole of us. If you can trust the men to follow, which I don't believe you can. for they've no heart left in them, what could you do? You'd be hung if you took the ship into port: be- sides. none of us can navigate her. ''Burn her," he replied. Sand take to the boats. We're on the Pacific now, and you can cruise all over it in a small boat. When we're picked up and swear the off cers went down with the ship. who's to prove the contrary?" .zs e..5 :
 "Bill, said I, earnestly. :" don't do this mad thing. l won't betray you, though I won't join you. Whether you fail or not We shall be worse of than we are now. s'And the woman" he demanded hoarse- ly--s what's to become of her?', T