Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1876-07-27

exclaimed, ut is all over" She was
Immediately conveyed back to her late
place of security, and q few days after
Like lilly drooping,,
Bowed her head and died.
4 Remarkable Dream.
Some few years ago l was resident
in Hong Kong, and there became &C.
quainted with the following circum-
stances. The story itself was related
one winters evening-for even in
China there is winter-around Il
glowing fire that put one in a mind of
home. The conversation during din.
ner had turned upon dreams, and some
very curious theories were advanced
in support Of the interpretation Ct
them. Our number consisted of eight
persons and after 4 prOtracted dis
cussion. in which the number for and
against there being any truth in
dreams stood equal, Captain Topham
proposed to settle the question by tell.
ing us a story of what actually hap.
pened to him few years previously.
! The cloth was removed, and at the in
| vitation of our host we each drew our
chairs round the fire, lit our cigar or
pipe and after mixing for himself a
glass of punch, the captain related the
GLOWING tale as nearly as can re-
member:
''lt is now, gentlemen, some ten
years ago since / WAS first mate of the
opium schooner Wild Dayrell. We
were lying in Hong Kong harbor at the
time, preparatory to sailing the next
morning for FormOsa. Then-and, for
the matter of that, nowhere was a
great deal of smuggling done in that
beautiful island of the Chinese. Our
cargo consisted of $50, 900 in syce, $50
chests of Patna and POO chests of Nal.
wah opium, besides few sundries,
which could be bought cheap enough
in Hong Kong or Shanghae, but upon
which we returned good sum. Capt.
Wilkes-whom think you all know,
gentlemen-command her, and had
made many voyage, and run many a
risk for his owners to the same place.
At about four in the afternoon the
captain left me to go on shore but
just rs he was stepping into the boat
he cried out:
"'Topham! Upon second thoughts,
I shan't stay OH shore tonight; as |
intended. am going to old Douglass
to dine; and as, in all probability, it
will be i noisy party, shall slip away
early; so you can look for me about
| eleven
":Very well, SIR I answered; and
| then turned to see that everything was
all right for the morning.
"At six o'clock and the seconu Of
ficer had tea !; and after tea he and
had quite a confidential chat about our
voyage, the value of our cargo and the
immense risk that was run in not ship.
ping Englishmen in place OF the mon
grel crew we then had. Our crew con.
sisted, by the way, of fourteen per-
sons, including the captain. myself,
second officer and two sailors wer Eng
| lishmen; 4 LaScar, two Manila men,
| two AIalays and two Cinnamon, as sea-
| men: Chinese cook and Chinese
stewartl-in all, fourteen souls. At
about eight o'clock the second-oflicer
had retired for the night, and had left
me alone on the poop. we'll remem-
Der how my thoughts then ran. l re.
volved in my mind the conversation
that had had with Mr.. Spencer, the
| second officer, respecting the immense
| value Of our cargo, and the risk that
| we ran, both from our own crew,
should they turn traitors, and also
from the hordes of pirates that contin-
nually infest the China seas, notwith-
standing our gunboats, and the havoc
| they make Of them whenever they
come within range.
swell, gentlemen, upon that even.
ing my thoughts were especially turn
ed upon home, and to dear mother
! from whom had received Il letter by
the last mail, and who was then in a
| very delicate state of health. l had
answered her letter only that morning.
81 must have been on the poop
about three.quarters of an hour after
Mr.. Spencer had left me, and was
thinking of returning to the cabin to
look over some papers connected with
the ship, when observed sanlpan,
or Chinese boat, lowering round the
stern. called out to the men in tie
boat, and inquired what they wanted
there but their only answer, when
they found they were observed, was
to pull away from the ship in the direc-
ton of the middle of the harbor. Their
movements I did not at all like, and
leaning Oh the tatfrail, watched them
until they were lost in the darkness.
suppose must have remained in this
positlon-that is, with my arms on the
tratfrail about ten minutes, when,
without warning felt myself lifted
off my legs, and some one behind me
endeavoring to throw me overheard.
l am by no means light weight,
gentlemen, as you can see, weighing,
I should say, then sixteen stone but
the person evidently depended upon
, the suddenness of the attack to accom-.
plish his purpose. struggled violent.
ly, holding on by my hands to the rail,
and letting fly right and left with my
feet; and in the end was successful.
The Chinaman tripped, and lay upon
the deck in my power. Withou. a
thought, without moments hesita-
ton, l laid hold of him by the trousers
with on hand, and took a couple of
turns Of his pigtail by the other, and
threw him overheard. After had &C.
complished this, I made for the cuddy.
! Arrived there, l at once went to Mr..
Spencer's cabin; but upon trying the
door found it locked! 1 gave one or
two kicks, ut the same time calling
out to him to open the door. He
sprang from his berth, and called out
in reply that it was locked from the
outside. I told him to stand clear, and
with a good one, two, three, from the
shoulder, burst the door in. There
is no doubt l must have looked very
pale and very excited, as his first ques.
ton to me was:
"'Why, Mr.. Topham, what in the
name of goodness is the matter! You
look as pale as DEATH
II told him all that had happened,
and likewise my suspicious that we
had not seen the end of the affair, and
that our best plan would be at once to
arm ourselves. l told him to dress
himself, whilst went ON deck to rouse
our two English. sailors, whom we
could depend upon, and bring them aft
to the cabin. had planted one foot
! IN the Sa1OOn the other heinp still in