Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-10-11

ne Sprang up the stairs TO call the at
tention of one OF the officers.
Such, however, was the languor that
no one noticed the little episode, and
my watch was uninterrupted. Stand
ing thus over she register, already SO
heated tha. il burned through the
soles OF nay slippers, and breathing an
atmosphere of scorching heat, my very
heart grew cold as looked upon the
unconscious faces of the passengers
scattered about tue cabin in every atti-
tude OF langour and depression, for /
remembered the nature of the cargo.
In Liverpool we had been told that the
Arethusa was laden only with cannon
and calls, going out to the troops. But
three days before this, had overheard
the captain sharply Gliding the third
be carried into "hold full of brandy
and gunpowder." Now I was standing
directly over ball OF FIRE placed ce-
tainly in the hold with the gunpowder,
and perhaps on one of the very bar
rels which contained it. Probably I
did not keep my station more than
minute, but, to measure time by SEN
sations, it was long hours before my
heart grew warm enough to beat again;
and then | look about the cabin in s.
sort of stupid amaze to see the same
people In the same positions they had
filled SO long ago, and wondered in a
dazed way whether death mad not come
and chained us all In our places, in
stead of scattering our dismembered
bodies far and wide over the brazen
sea, as an explosion should have dene.
Miss Gordon PIT was little Nelly
pulling at my dress" Miss Gordon,
please come up stairs with me to look
for Joe."
Thus brought back TO consciousness,
and finding that no one was likely to
disturb the register, we assembled the
companionway Nelly to look for Joe,
and | too see if any one had gone into
the hold.
We were just in time to see Joe's
tiny figure flashing up from the hold,
grasping at rm's-length flaming
mass of something which he cast over
the ships side into the kissing sea. The
chief mate, running after the boy
caught him in his arms and extinguish-
ed the flames by pressing the brave lit
tie fellow against his own broad chest,
while sailor quickly threw q blanket
around the two. The poor boys hands
and arms and chest and one side of his
face and neck were found to be fear
fully burned, but for while his intense
excitemen t made him insensible to the
pain, and he declared he was not hurt
The sudden confusion on deck reused
even the most exhausted of the pas
sengers, and all came thronging up to
learn the cause, feeling no apprehen-
sions, but full of the aimless curiosity
which is the stlmulant of the idle The
ships officers and the middies, pale and
excited, gathered around poor little Joe,
eagerly questioning. The General, with
a sob, caught aud pressed his little
| daughter closely in his arms.
You see, sir,'' said Joe, touching his
cap with the piteous, ragged, brave
right hand, "when felt the iron SO hot
[ remembered all at once what was in
the hold, and how [ saw somebody
going down in there while ago with d
lighted candle in his hand. Sd Just
ran down and found the hold wasn't
locked, and the candlestick, all afire,
was on top or one of the queer barrels,
sir, close up under the cabin-foor.
The captain gave a startled glance
around to see if Joe's intimation of
something dangerous in the hold at
tracted attention; but all those who had
not previously known it were too inter
ested to heed the allusion.
There was nothing particular in the
hold, Joe, you know; nothing very par
ticular," said the captain, with an I'M
easy buster of unconcern. "But the
candlestick all afire! How was that :?
Candlesticks are not made of wood or
pasteboard."
don't know how it was, sir, but I
suppose it was SO hot in the hold that
the candle melted and ran down, for the
bottom of the cadlestick was full of fire,
and | just grabbed it and ran, and
that's" y
just here, poor brave little Joe be-
came conscious Of his pain, and turn
ing white, fell into the captains ready
arms.
The fearful surgeon-his eyes were
full of tears, though no one would have
dared to tell him so-pronounced the
boys burns to be very bad, but not of
themselves dangerous, if only the
weathe-: would cool and he could have
perfect quiet. The results of the nerv-
Gus shock, he said, were more to be
feared than even the injuries, bad as
| they were.
[ could not do much, but at least I
could give him more quiet resting
place than his own, and at my urgent
request he was carried to my stateroom
after his cruel burns had been dressed
on deck. He tainted twice during the
peration, but gave no groan or cry.
was glad when at last he lay untor-
mented in my berth, and quieted by
powerful opiate.
Very few of the passengers knew the
peculiar danger from which we had
been saved by the wonderful presence
Of mind and active courage of the
noble boy; but all knew that if the ship,
dry as it was from the long continued
rainless heat, had once taken fire, there
would have been hardly possibility of
extinguishing it, and that we should
then have had to make to the boats
That the cask, already charred by con-
tact with the intensely hot metal can