The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-12-29


Il was somewhat taken aback by
the question, aud stammered out that
| had no occasion for guns, almost
before | was aware Of it,
Well, well, captain, there can
be 90 use for them here; but slavers,
you know, generally go well equip
ped IN that respect But, adieu, cap
tain; | shall expect you and the
charming lady, your wife, this even
ing. In the meanwhile, be on the
lookout for the load of water at dusk,
and, with parting salute, Don Man
uel decended the side. His canoe
darted rapidly through the wa .er, and
was soon lost in view amid the reedy
shores ofthe river.
"Once more we were alone, and,
young man, my wife agreed with me
that our visitor had the stamp of
bold, bad man.
"If | had not been pressed for wa
ter-actually compelled to have it
should have badc adieu TO the Pongo
at once, so great was the dislike |
had taken to my late visitor.
81 did not suffer myself to long re-
main idle, however, As | would be
compelled to pass another night in
the river. | prepared the vessel at
all points for an attack should one
be made Several times the ewes of
the Portuguese had been fastened on
my wife with an expression that
made my fingers tingle to clutch his
throat, hut / restrained myself
''fhe vessels sides were thorough
ly slushed, the anchor hove up, and
a light ke6ge run far ahead. Stout
lines were rove fore and aft in addi-
tion to the nettings, and the arms re-
primed once more
Young mae, you may depend !
watched the sun set that day with
more than common interest, until.
worn cut and exhausted, went be-
low for few minutes to get some
rest. Throwing wide the stern win
dows to admit the air, | laid on the
transOm 10 half doze, from which |
was aroused by the gruf voice of the
mate, who reported a large canoe
dropping down under the bows.
''ln at Instant / was on deck, aud
my glass revealed canoe full forty
feet in length, evidently GIled with
water casks, but carefully covered
with mattings The Portuguese
stood in the stern guiding the craft;
bY bis side was half-naked Degro,
while four brawny fellows tugged at
oars.
II passed the word for all hands to
stand by their arms, while I cooked
ny double-barreled rife and loosened
the sharp cutlass in the scabbard
which / wore buckled around nv
waist. Sallie | directed to retire be
low, and under no circumstances to
come on deck
THE small, feet canoe of the Port
guese noticed towing astern of the
larger craft, but the next instant |
was hailing the Don, who waived his
hat in token of salutation.
How much water have you?' I
shouted.
About one thousand gallons,
Captain
Why are you so particular about
covering it up?' demanded.
Would you have me poison you,
Captain, and your beauteous lady?
Do you think l would allow the roses
of Der cheeks to pale by drinking
malaria which quickly taints the
water here? Oh, no, Captain, l am
more considerate than that. Throw
US line. please, and we will swing
round with the tide, alongside
The rope was thrown, and hear
ing the voice Of the Portuguese con-
versing in low tone with the negro.
jumped on the rail to ascertain the
meaning Of the conference.
Like magic the mating was jerk
ed forcibly aside; full two score wool
ly heads leaped suddenly into view,
and as their barbarous veil, there
hinge clubs were brought heavily
down on the tough boarding net
tings.
THE exultaat yell of Don Manuel
reused all the evil blood in my body,
and | gave the word to fire in a voice
thick with passion.
"A shout of defiance burst from
the throats of my little crew as they
rallied to the rescue, while the sharp
reports of the muskets, followed by
means and screams, proved that the
Ere was not altogether Intellectual.
a few of the sooty rascals sue
cfeded in gaining our deck, but a
stroke from my cutlass stretched one
of them lifeless, and the remainder
sought safety in flight. | looked
about on all sides for the willy Port
uguese and his sOoty companion, but
they we're nowhere to be seen, and
was forced to forgo the pleasure of
giving them the contents of my rifle
which had been reserved for the pur-
pose.
The slush on the schooner's sides
had aided us materiallyTin impeding
the efforts of the darkies to board,
and while they were holding a bur-
ried consultation as to the best
course to pursue, | assisted their
dull brains by ordering a number of
the men standing by to heave the
shot overheard; for, do you see,
young man. was averse to shedding
the blood of the 'niggers' whom
looked upon as mere tools ofthe Port
uguese.
The mate carried the order out
to he letter, and as the solid globes
of iron went crashing through the
frail timbers Of the canoe, the darkies
disappeared as if by magic.
AT that moment | heard q low
moan from the cabin. which | Fecog-
nized at once as Sallie's and | can
tell YOU my heart was in my mouth
as / sprang forward the companion
way, closely followed by the mate
The first thing | saw, through
the gloom of the room, was the form
of my wife, struggling in the brawny
embrace of a negro, and as my cutlass