, 1876-11-12

| WIZ WIS QEufETEu UT luz E4LseI4SQ Government
| into the hands Ut the Belgium officials OH Friday
last, aud who murdered the officer III charge Of
him the journey to Brussels and effected his
| escape, has been again arrested at Lille.
A TALE OF TAHITI.
EcinS the Experiences of an Amateur Savage.
stn<v Dickinson in the nQned Ndss Republican,
| Tie man who related to me the following
facts WAS quartermaster on board one of tile
Pacific Mail Steamship Company's vessels, who
was known to the officers and sailors Us Nic, y
and had, So far as I could discover, no other
name. He was CAilian BY birth, q short, thick
set, and muscular fellow, with swa:thy skin and
black hair, and was q lnan OF quiet language
and manner. He was little shy, withal, and
for some time evaded my attempts to cultivate
his acquaintance, which desired to make from
one. Finally, one calm, star-lit night, when d
number of US we're sitting around the edge OF
the fore-hatct, enjoying the cool breeze. Nick,
whose spirits we're tempered into complacency
by the gift Of prime cigar, unfolded the roll Of
his experiences, and spun the following yarn:
He was born in Valparaiso some thirty years
ago OF parents in humble life, who gained q
scauty subsistence by catching fish and gather
Nick grew UP to boyhood hc was impressed into
the service Of the family and made tocontributc
to its support by selling the fish which his father
caught and the fruit which his mother gathered.
This was dull business, indeed, and, though an
occasional fishing trip in his fathers old boat
was allowed him, It was quite insufficient to
satisfy his love Of the sea, and he looked long
jngly at the huge ships which folded
their wings in the harbor after o long
hs 81 Stteap sprdSsd id S natsh sne fo
the shore as they melted away in the distance,
and wish that taking thought could not only
add one but several cubits to his stature, that
he might at once become man, and embark for
nfa pr++ nto NJ %}n:.4
ing this glorious estate looked remote enough,
for Nick was only ~ years old, and the 10 or II
years more which lay between him and the point
where the thorny foot-path Of youth broaIcns
into the smooth highway OF maturity looked
almost interminable to him, as to all OF us at
his age, though after we have passed them they
look brief enough. Such projects and visions
naturally incapacitated Nick for business, SO
| much 50, indeed, that aoggipgs were bis daily
experiences.
One day, after particularly sonna castiga-
tion, Nick made desperate resolve. There
was French frisate in the harbor, bound for
Tahiti, and aboard OF her was man tattooed
all over with beautiful blue aud red anchors
tails, and nuraber1ess other designs which were
as sealed mystery to Nick, but which he sup
posed voyage would make him quite familiar
with. This living panorama Of marine wonders
and he had done ali IN lis power, by presents Of
fruit, etc, to win his friendship. So well did
he succeed that the sailor offer
ed to smuggle him aboard of the vessel,
secrete him till she sailed and then, when it WIS
too late to do ANYTHING about it, INTRODUCE him
to the captain. This functionary, the sailor in
ti1nated would be likely to give him logging
which would quite eclipse any OF his previous
experience in that line, but he was convinced
that all would thereafter be serene: Nick
lying in a particularly incouycnicnt corner OF
the hold, in utter darkness, and in the midst OF
an Notwithstanding cargo. Nobody dis
covered him though the search for him
he was hidden, and his friend, the poly
chromatic sailor. kept him we'll supplied
with food ana water. In day or two the
frigatc sailed, and as soon as she was out Of
sight OF land Nick was brought on deck by his
patron, who presented him to the, Captain as q
stowaway. That worthy at once knocked Nick
down, then hauled him up By the collar with an
enthusiasm which segregated it from the rest Of
his coat, and beat him til his afm ached.
Then he Swo5e At At Nick for III hali l. .a' a.
oaths were all in French they didn't hurt:
He was then ordered into the main-top to cool
of, and, as he sat there above the pitching
deck and began to be sea-sick, he wondered
wave" had not been little exaggerated After
day or two. which he passed rs much ont Of
the Captains range OF vision as possible, Nick
was installed as cabfn-boy, and gained his first
nautical knowledge in polishing the Captains
shoes, securing up his epaulcts and sword, and
carrying his spittoon around, getting an occa~
:sionai fo9ging from his patron,-who had
pleasant vein Of hu,nor, and logged Nick in
accordance with his stated idea that the rope
wouldn't do him any hurt, and might do him
good, aud that ii he wasn't at the time doing
ANYTHING worthy Of stripes it was prob
able that he soon would be, and 1t might
not then be convenient to chastise q! e
him. Besides these 6ts Of philosophy, Sick ,dn
guage, and, b the time be reached Tahiti,
French possession, he could converse in 1t with
considerable fluen:y. H made great many
friends among the sailors, too, aud, on the
rather sorrythe voyage vas at an end, an4 look
cd with pleasure to the long journey to France
which the frigate was soon to make. But this
experience Nick was destined never TO enjoy,
for when they reached TIC shore na the caRsa,n,
minds gave him over to the care OF Fsench |
merchant in the town, representing himself TO |
be the boys guardian, and pocketing the money
which the trader offered in consideration OF
having Nick bound out to him ior a term oil
years.
Thus Nick found himself in reality slave to
this man, who, though calling himself mcr-
chant, was onlya little, dricd-up old French
storekeePer ho so'a .1m and 9tne, sneh 1ee
notable part in the degradation and almost com
plctc annihilation OF the people which these 1ery
1iquors and their consequent vices have caused.
Such man Was, OF COURSE hard master, and
Nick soon found that bis escape from service at
home and bis settlement in Tahiti had been mere
II q 1eisurely change from The frying into
the fire. Besides compelling the boy to wait on
customers and do all the drudgery Of tine prem.
fses, in process OF time his master installed him
in the cuisine md Initiated him in all the mys-
tertes OF cooking, which, while they afterward
stood him In good stead, were irksome enough
at the time, principally on account Of the blows
and malellctions which attended the instruction.
Now, among the native patrons Of his masters
groggery, there we're several white people, one
Of whom, gray-haired and yenerable-iooking
Frenchman, had apparently taken quite liking
to Nick, and used often to converse With him.
When drunk,-which was frequent occurrence,
he was particularly afIable, and 1t WIS prac-
tice OF his to burst into tears and seizing Nicks
hand, swear that he was lad after hls own
heart, who reminded him OF son buried IN
Ia be1e France, and for whom he would shed his
best blood, II need be- The constant recurrence