The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1873-06-03
outward hound vessels, and gets carried

Shlpl'er uOS uauu Siileu uitn ou1 oho
begun barkin'. Stitch little mite as he
lis, too! I conld most put him in my
haccy pouch, poor little beggar! but he
looks to be good-plucked un for all
that"
IL didn't wait to hear no more, hut ur
on deck like a sky-rocket; and there
did see sight and no mistake. Every
man Jack o. the crew, and what few pas
sengers we bad aboard, was all in ring
on the fo'c'stle, and in the middle was
the fust mate, lookin' as black as tbun'
lder. Right in front of him, lookin' 6
res'lar mite among all them big fyllers
was little bit O lad not ten year old
ragged as scare crow, hut with bright
curly hair, and bonnie little face O. his
own, if it hadn't been so woful thin and
pale. But bless yer soul to see the way
that little chap held his head up, and
looked about him, you'd ha' thought the
whole ship belonged to him. The mate
was a great hulkin' black bearded feller
with look that I'D ha' frightened 6
horse, and voice fit to make one jump
through a keyhole! but the young ur
warn't bit afeard-he stood straight
up and looked him full in the face with
them bright, clear eyes 0 his'n, for al
the world as if he was Prince Hatred
himself Folks did say arterwards-low
ering his voice to whisper--as how he
coined o. better blood nor what he
ought; and, for my part. I'm rayther o
that way o thinkin' myself; for | never
yet seen common street Harab-as
they calls them now carry it off like
him. You might ha' heard pin drop,as
the mate spoke"
"Well, you young whelp," says he in
his grimmest voice, "what brought you
here ?"
"It was my step father as done it,
says the boy in weak little voice. but as
steady as could be. Fathers dead and
mothers married, and my new father says
as how he won't have no brats about, eat
in up his wages; and be slowed me away
when nobody warn't lookin', and suv me
some grub to keep me goin for day OF
two till l got to sea He says I'm to go
to Aunt Jane, at Halifax and here's her
address," And with that he slips bis
hand into the breast of his shirt,and out
with scrap O. paper, awfully dirty and
crumpled up, but with the address on il
right enough,
We all believed every word ont, even
without the paper; for his look and his
voice, an6 the way he spoke,wa enough
to show that there warn't a ha'porth O
lyin' in his whole skin. But the mate
didn't seem to swallow the yarn at all I;
he only shrugged his shoulders wih. 8
kind O. grin,as much as 20 say, "Fm toe
old bird to be caught with that kind o
chaff;" and then he says TO him: "Look
| here, my lad, that's all very fine, but it
won't do here-some o. these men o
mine are in the secret, and / mean to
have it out of 'em. Now YOU just poin,
out the man as slowed you away and fed
you. this very minute; if you don't it'll
be tine worse for your
The boy looked up in his bright, fear
less way, (it did my heart good to look
at him, the brave little chap J and says,
quite quietly, "I've told you the truth
l amt 90, no more to saw"
The mate says nothin', but looks al
him for a minute as if he'd see clean
through him; and then he faced round
to the men; lookin' blacker than ever
"Reeve a rope to the yard!" he sings
out, loud enough to raise the dead ;
'smart, now"
The men all looked at each other, as
much as to say, "What on earth's COM
in now9" But aboard ship, O. course,
when you're told to do a thing, you've
got to do it; so the rope was rove in a
Ijify
"Now, my ,ad," says the mate, in a
hard, square kind o voice, that made
every word seem like fittin' a stone into
wall, you see that ere ropeP Well,
I'll give you ten minutes to confess; and
if you don't tell the truth afore the
times up, I'll hang you like dog!"
The crew all stared at one another as
if they couldn't believe their ears. Il
didn't believe mine, | can tell ye, and
then low growl went among 'em, like
wild beast awakin' out of nap.
"Silence there" shouts The mate, in a
voice like the roar of nor'easter.-
"Stand by to run for'ardr' as he held
the moose ready to put it round the boy's
neck The little feller never finched a
bit; but there were some among the sal
lors, (big strong chaps as could ha' fell
ed an OK, as shook like leaves in the
wind. AS for MEL bethought myself of
my little, curly-haired lad at home, and
how it nd be if any one was to go for
to hang him; and at the very thought
ont tingled all over, and my fingers
clinched themselves as if they was agrip.
| pin somebody's throat. clutched hold
o handspike, and held it behind my
back, ~ ready.
"Tom," whispers the chief engineer to
me, "d'ye think he really means to do
| ?"
IL don't know" says I through my
teeth "but if he does, he shall 60 first,
If swings for it!'
I've been in many an ugly scrape in
my time, but / never felt alf as bad as
did then. Every minute seemed ss long
as dozen; and the tick of the mates
watch reg'lar pricked my ears like a pin.
The men were very quiet, but there was
precious ugly look on some of their
| faces ;and l noticed that three or four o
'em kept edgin' forward to where the
mate was, in way that meant mischief
AS for me, I'd made mp my mind that i.
he did 60 for to hang the little chap, I'd
kill him on the spot and take my chance
"Eight minutes!' says the mate, his
great deep voice breaking in upon thu
silence like the toll of fureral bell =
''If you've got anything to confess, m,
lad, you'd best out with it. for yer times
nearly up
"rve told you the TRUTH" answers th'
boy as firm as ever. "May I,say my
prayers, please?''
The mate nodded, and down goes tn
poor little chap on his knees and put "
his hands to pray. couldn't make GU