Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-17
A YOTNG HERO.

n HOl NJ hLhV.
cav, ay. sir. they're smart seamer enOu Oh,
no doubt, them Dalmatians, and reason good,
too, seein' they man half the A ustrian navy. but
they amt got the seasonin' OF an Englishman,
i am standing on the upper deck OF the Aus
trian Lloyd steamer, looking my last upon pyTa-
midsl Jaffa, as 1t rises up in terrace after ter
race OF stern gray masonry against the lustrous
evening sky. with the fOamed-tipped breakers
at its feet Beside me, with his elbow on the
haDdrail, and his short pipe between bis teeth =,
ough an Englishman as if he had not spent two
thirds of his life abroad, and delighted to get
bold OF a listener who las he phrases i) ''has
been about bit"
81 No; they amt got an Euglishman's season.
in, he continues, pursuing his criticism of the
Dalmatian seamen: ''and what's more, they
Amt got an Engiishman,s pluck neither, not
when it comes to a real scrape."
Can no one but an Euglishman have any
pluck, them ask |, laughing.
"Wen, won't just go for to say that: o
course man as Is man ul have pluck IN him
shark to save his mess-mate; and I've seed a
Rooshan stand TO his gun arter every man i'm the
battery, barrin' himself, had been bowed all to
smash. But, if yer come TO that, the pluckiest
Teller as ever / seed warn't a man at air"
90 What was he, then a woman
emo, nor that neither: though, mark We,
don't go for to say a how women amt got pluck
enough to0-sOme 'em at least. My old
'Ooman, now, saved me once from a lubber of a
Portgee as was just a gOin to stick g knife into
me, when she cracked his nut with a hand-spike.
You can hear her spin the yarn yourself, if you
likes TO paw a visit when we get to Constanti-
nople.) But this as I'm a talkIn' on was
little lad not much bigger'n Tom Thumb, only
with sperrlt of his own a. 'ud ha' bowed up
man-o-war Almost. Would you like to hear
about if?'
eagerly assent: and the narrator, knocking
the ashes out OF his pipe, folds his brawny arms
upon the top OF the rail, and commences a. fol-
Bout three years ago. sfore got this berth
rs I'm i'm now, was second engineer aboard
Liverpool steamer bound for New YORK There
been lot of extra down I'm AZ af ha
last minute, and we II had no end of a Job stow
IN II away, and tkat ran US late o. startin; so
that, altogether, as you may think, the cap'n
warn't altogether in the sweetest temper in the
world. nor the mate neither; as for the chief
engineer, he was an easy goin' sort o chap, as
nothin' on earth could put out. But on the
mornin' of the third day ont from Liverpool, he
cum down TO me in a precious hurry, lOokin' as
ifsomethin' lad put him out pretty cOnsidera-
"Tom," says he, ''what dye think? Bless if
We amt found a stowaway." Chats the name
themselves abroad outward bound vessels, and
gets carried out unbeknown to everybody
The dickens you have,' says L. s'who is he,
and where did you ind him?''
''wen, We found him slowed away among the
casks for ard; and ten to one we'd never ha'
twigged him at all ii the shippers dog hadn't
smiled him out and begun barkin.'' Sich a lit
tie mite as he is, too, could Almost put him in
bacey-pouch, poor little beggar! but he looks
to be good plucked un for ali that"
didn't wait TO hear no more but up on deck
IKE sky-rocket and there did see a sight
W,
and What few passengers We had aboard. was all
IN ring on the c'stle. and in the middle stood
the rust mate, lookin' as black as thunder.
Right in front OF him, lookin' a reg Tar mite
among all of them big fellers. was a little DIT
o a lad not 10 years Outraged as a scare
crow, but with bright, curly hair, and a bonnie
little face OF his own, il be hadn't been 50 wofuI
thin and pale. But, bless yer SOUL 10 see the
way that little chap held his head up and looA ed
ABOUT him, you q ha' thought the whole ship be-
l0nged TO him. The mate was a great. huikin,
olackbearded Teller, with a look that nd ha'
frightened a horse, and voice ht to make one
jump through key-hOle; but the Young I'M
warnt a bit afeared-he stood straight nm and
looked him full in the face with them bright
clear eyes o hisn, for all the world as if he was
frlnee Haired himself. Folk did saw after
ward Towering his voice to a whisper1 as how
ne come o better blood nor what he ought; and
IoI my part m rsyther o. that way o. thinkin'
myseu, icr never Yet seed a common street.
harao as 6ey calls. EN- now) carry ii of like
MN. hou might ha' heerd pin drop, as the
mate spoke.
.'wen, you young whelp.- saws he i'm his
grimnest voice, what's brought you here?''
lit was my step-father a. done it, SAYS the
boy in a weak little voice, but as steady as coud
be. "PkSher's dead, and mothers N arried again
and my sew father, says as how be won't have
NO brsts about, eatIn' up his wages; and he
slowed me away when nobody wzrn't lookin'
and guv some grub to keep me goin' for a
day or two till got To sea He says I'm TO 90
70 Aunt Jzue at Halifax, and here's her adj
And with that, he slips his hand into the
breast OF his a urt, and out with a scrap o. pa
pei, awful dirt v and crumbled up, but with the
address on il, "A ghtenOugh.
We all believe every word ont, even without
tne paper; for \. look, aud his voice and the
way ne spoke, va : enough to show that there
amy hapOrt o. lyin' in his ykose skin
but tne mate dio1l seem to swSller the Va I'm ar
AL, ne only shrugS ed his shoulders with a kind
o grin, as much as 80 say, s'T'm too old bird TO
he says 70 him, ''Leo. here, my lad: that, ali
very fDe, but IL won { dc here-ssne 81 the.e
men o. mine are in the secret, and L mean 10
have IL out OF EN- y 'ow, you just point oot
tbs man slowed veg away and fed YOU tbs
very minute, If you det. it'll be the worse fer
The boy looked up in hi. bright, fearless way
aid my heart good to loo al nm' the brave
mite chAp.), and says, quite quietly, i've told
you the truth; amt got no more TO say"
Il ne mate says nothin', but looks Al him Tor
minute a. IL he'd see clean Ia rough him; and |
then he faced round to the men lookin' blseker |
thAnever. "Reeve a rope to the ysrd!' he sings |
out, loud enough 20 raise the q cad. " Smart, 1
The men all looked at each other as much As
70 say. " W hat on earth's a-comin' .now?' But |
eooaru snip, o. course, when you're told to do
i q G you've got ''d' it, 50 the rope was rove
{" Now, my lad" says the mate. I'M a hard.
square Kind o. voice, that made every vor.' seem
IKE nttin' stone into wall, Z" you see that
ere rope? Well, I'll give you ten minutss 10 |
took out mis- watch and held il irr his
handl; % and If YOU don't tell me the truth afo,e
the times up, Ill hang you like dog, f"
The crew all stared at one another as IL they
couldn't believe their ears(f didn't believe mine |
! can tell yel, and then q low growl went among
EN-, Ike Wild beast awakin' out of q nap.
Silence there." shouts the mate, in a voice |
hke The roar ola noreaster. "Stapd By to run