The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-05-02

| ed my ear from time 10 Tune. AnShS
was the hoarse grinding and rafting ofthe
steam winch at work discharging cargo;
the cries and curses of the coarse men at
work; the striking of the bells on board;
the tapping Of the water at the warf; the
sounds of the great ferry-boats which
crossed from East Boston to Boston
proper. | was beginning to feel tired,
and was thinking of turning in for the
night when the lamp that hung in the
passage revealed the figure of the second
mate, a great rough, sulky looking fellow,
with as warm a heart as ever beat In
human breast.
.'Oh," said /, .''come in, set down, and
spin me that long-promised yarn of yours.
Take a cigarette-'tis the only thing L
smoke; I'll keep you company" SO
saying, / produced two of the little weeds,
and we commenced slowly to exhale.
"Well, Sawbones," he began Il was
the doctor), Il hate palaver; so here
goes. was once mate of coolie ship.
l am not going to speak of the coolie
traid at this time; but it's about coolies
that the story is. I'm not going to enter
into time or place; but suffice it that our
ship was good one, and we were on
voyage with right heavy load of coolies.
We were packed, can tell you, and no
mistake. Well, we had the blackies on
deck pretty much, and we did all we
could to ventilate and purify them, and
as yet we had had no bad disorder among
them-all was going pretty well.
''The skipper was much engaged be-
low; he was one of the kind that believe
in keeping the steam up-high pressure,
you know. In fact, had command; the
old man never interfered. Doctor, boys
are the greatest nuisance and torment
that you can have afloat or ashOre-no
mistake We had two boys They were
little, dwarfish chits, but as cunning and
trickey as apes. 1t took us all our time
to look after those boys. Sometimes
they fought, sometimes they leagued in
mischief, but if they were out of sight
you might be sure they were doings no
good. George was the name of one, Har-
ry that of the other. The whole of the ship
was against them, and they against the
whole of the ship. 1t was a game, and
the little wretches played. OF course
they we're thrashed from time to time, but
that seemed to act only as a stimulant.
"Well, one day the coolies got up a
great affair-at least it was a great affair
to them, poor creatures. They were to
give sort of offering TO their god-or at
least one of them. They wanted to be in
his good books, you see, and so they made
him his gift. l don't know all that was
in the bundle, but think there was rice
and know there was money. The offer
ing was fixed to the truck of the main
mast-the truck, you know, is the bot
tom affair at the very point of the mast
Well, it was fastened up during the
day, and the sign was, that if the god
came in the night, and took away the
bundle, he was well pleased, and meant
to bless their voyage. 1t was fastened
all right, and they set a watch of their
own to keep a tight eye to the bundle,
so that they might see the god swoop over
and carry it away. There was also
group of coolies at the shrouds to see that
there was no unhallowed interference bv
the ships people.
"Well, evening shaded into night, and
deuced dark night it was, tOo-heavy
masses of clouds scudding across
sombre sky; not bad weather, but rather
threatening, you know. | was on watch,
feeling rather anxious as to how the night
might turn out. Our doctor, a native
came to my side. He was a very intelli- !
gent fellow, l can tell you, and well ed !
ucated. He didn't believe in the god |
coming down and taking away the bundle, |
but he wasn't such a fool as to express
his mind before the coolies They are
rather dangerous cattle at times. You
read now and again of their rising in
mutiny, killing the officers and crew, ay.
even setting fire to the ship, and playing
the deuce generally. Coolies are not to
be trifed with, especially when there is
great crowd of them. OF course they
are ignorant and superstitious, and such
are always dangerous. Life with such
people is at discount, and no mistake.
Well, the doctor and | were devising
plans for ventilating the ship by kindling
fires, etc, and so the watch passed.
When eight bells struck at midnight,
turned in as soon as | was relieved. 1t
seemed scarcely a minute before heard
eight bells strike again, and / was forced
to know that it was 8 o'clock in the
morning, and time for me to be on deck
and take my watch. found the ship
much as | had left her. The second
said that the wind had not risen higher
than when l went below, but that the
night had been intensely dark. 1t was
so at the time he spoke. l commenced {
to pace to and fro, wishing heartily that {
my watch was over, and, as time passed, {
noticing the grand diffusion of the un-
certain light of early morning.
Suddenly my blood was nearly frozen !
n my veins by a deviish uproar ]
thought at first that it was mutiny-then |
ire. Whilst was composing nay mind
or action, the screaming was renewed
enfold. Coolies streamed and crowded on l.
ieck in dozens. They were all violently T
excited, but did not seem disposed to do
my mischief. L sent one of the hands |
o ascertain what was the row, before / Q
ave any command, but before he return. d
d, the native doctor sprang to my side, . !,
With a CLASSY, terror-sticken eye, and !
rembling limbs. Mr.. Topsal, says he, /
our lives are in danger! What folly, /
That madnessl Who could do il? You =.
aust act very prudently, Mr. Topsal, or
his will be our last voyage, r
while was staring at the poor, hor- +
flied doctor, unable to see his drift, the 5
han returned, and said that the row was Z
aused by the coolies having discovered r
hat the bundle was gone-or, as they
aid, that the god had carried it off. 1t G
Tas yet early dawn, and the great fact .
ad just been discovered. / had forgot
IN about the affair. Now / glanced ND fl
the truck of the main. No bundle was 81
here. 1t was gone. How? Nothing in :
ne way of atmospheric force could have !
emoved it. Of course, we could not ),
Omit the supernatural (unless indeed, h
suspicion of the possibility of o
ne devil having done the thing. Only =
ne other explanation remained, that of Il
human Intervention. But how. and Il