The Republican journal., 1876-12-07


When we got into the broad swell of the
Atlantic | had q weeks seasckness, dur
ing which MacNab had the best OF NE at
chess. and alter | was well began to
have some trouble with the convicts What
schemers they were! Their one great OBJ
ject was to get glass of grog or wine,
which could only be done by my order,
and they regularly studied the complaints
Tor which prescribed such medical com
forts, and either simulated or managed to
produce them artiticially
Greenhorn as | was they imposed upon
me rarely at first and Just as | was getting
up to their lodges we passed the Equator,
and there was n good deal Of real sickness
which gave them the advantage again.
As time went on / became tamiliarized
with the rogues, and learned to look upon
them as telow-men who had gone wrong
rather than as wild beasts / talked to
them freely learned many of their histo-
| ries-at least their own versions CT them
aud took considerable interest in some of
the narrators. Most OF them are ignorant
debased creatures, either born and bred to
prey on tt il fellow creatures, OF recruit
ed from the most neglected ranks oil So
I clety but there were one or two eXeep-
tioho iltlabll q lilttU W no ptSStt uIltItl
the name Of Williams, who was gifted
with rare abilities, and had the manners
and address OF a gentleman His face
would have afforded an interesting study
to physiogomist the upper part being
highly intellectual, the lower part betoken-
ing unbounded sensuality. His crime was
forgery OF bank notes. This man never
condescended to try and trick me, as the
others did neither did he sulE like some
OF the better class OF conyicts, nor protest
his innocence, which was the almost uni
yersal custom. He was civil, somewhat
| subdued i'll manner, and glad OF my con-
versation. He had yielded 10 the tempta-
tlon OF trying to make his fortune III too
great hurry, had tailed, and was content
to pay the penalty, lie SAID Though a
| ''lller, lie Us 10 means despaired OF hi3
| future. lie was Informed that with good
conduct he would soon be a free man with
in the limits OF the colony, and had per
feet confidence in his ability to earn It com
Portable livelihood if he mad that chance
And what would the country matter? Life
could be made as enjoyable in one place
as another. He would not 60 back to Eng
! land to be cnt by all his relations and tor-
mer friends II he could
| Plausbly as Williams always talked,
mlstrusted him. noticed that he had es-
tablished a considerable influence over the
other convcts and constantly surprised
him in speaking in corners to groups eli
five or six of them. On my appearance all
these conferences broke up, and in spite
OF all at1ectation OF Indifference | was GER
tam on more than one occasion that ;nXi-
ETY. was felt lest should have caught some
word in passing And | knew, without
being able to prove it, that secret signs
We're exchanged between Williams and at
least a score whom | could have pointed
out habitually.
Another convict who evidently had some
power with his fellows was Lloyd "A Welsh
sailor, who had stabbed another in Il quar-
rel and narrowly escaped the galloWs.
But it was natural enough that an ex-
perienced sailor should obtain the hearing
otlandsmen doing voyage Of such length,
and never suspected him of striving to
Influence others with any sinister designs,
as | certainly did Williams.
But soon had no time for idle specu-
lations and suspicious; the sickness, a te-
unfamiliar to me, increased Soon there
NtlC Il obplt Vi t'llN ilIo, 9CN Cl al SttttiitH,
and one Of the marines down With it,
A man died, was sown up in his ham
mock and launched from the gangway
with Shot at his feet. MacNab reading
the service over him During the ceremo-
nv one Of those phenomena which make
sailors ST. snperslitious. occurred. As the
body touched the water, the wind sank
and in half an hour there was q perfect
calm. In many minds a calm at sea IS as
sociated with all that is peaceful and beau
titul in mine it is :, horrible nightmare.
For Il week we lay on the broad, smooth
sheet Of glass without a speck in sight to
break the mo1OtonY. Glass Molten sill
yer, rather, tor the heat was so fearful that
| sometimes imagined it could seelhe. The
sun seemed like a mass of White-hot iron
| close above ns, and the pitch ooZed and
boiled between the planks. Poor Phpp5
| could not go on with his sketching, tor the
per5pirati0n dropping from his forehead
blotted his work. and even MacNab's ar
dor for chess relaxed But i had little
time to play with hm-under such aggra-
waiting conditions the fever ragged. Deaths
were of daily, sometimes of hourly occur
renee; we often had to cast the bodies
overheard without ceremony.
On the fourth day the captain aud one
OF his mates sickened, and the shattered
constitution ol the former caused him TO
sink at once. Then Phipps took the fever,
and though it was a mild attack, he was
so feeble as 10 De unfit for duty.
Such Of the convicts as escaped the e-
yer began to hold their heads erect and
look you full in the eye rs they passed, as
Z bor hat b,.;,,
us all to an equality.
The sixth day was the most oppressive
of all--it was literally difficult to draw a
breath. and though ] escaped the fever,
was knocked up for the first time To do
my work amongst the dying and the dead
was Il phy steal inpossibility for me; |
| threw myself down under the awning on
the quarterback and lost all conscious
ness, probably remaining in :, state OF tor
por tor hours
| | was reused by the most tremendous
| crash have ever heard and found myself
| in darkness but only for a moment; the
next, sea. sky and ship were lit up by a
violent glare. while IL ZgZag line Of fire.
SO intense that the eyes ached at it, flashed,
and lett the gloom more profound than
ever And again came that awful thunder,
| com }hleu With WHICH lHe lOtiueSt ever
heard in Europe is Il whisper, That mo-
ment of fierce light revealed to me men
in the rigging, taking in sail which had
been spread to catch the slightest breeze;
and spar hanging awkward and all awry
| also MacNab and the mate, who now act
ed as captain standing near me.
| I'VE shall never be able to manage with
out help,we are so terribly handed"
said the latter
"Weel, then, replied MacNab, I'VE will
pick half a dozen Of the devils nae more.
One | ken has been sailor, and
Another flash and deafening roar, which
drowned his voice
''Eh, Mr.. Glover, lad" he said, when
the lull came, are ye there? Ye had bet
ter just go below Your work is done and
ours is beginning. There will be breeze
enow to blaw the fever away presently,
and ye will be in the way.
had often determined, if there was Il
storm to remain on deck and see it; the