The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-09-19
THE FOUR SPANIAHpS.

In1S2S / was second mate of the brig
Isabel. We had been treighting for six
or eight months among the West India
Il Islands, and picked up a good deal
OF money. At last the hot weather came
on, ireights grew dull, and we made
ready to sail for home. In the meantime
/ there came on board four Spafi1ards, who
wished to engage passage TO the North,
and being abe TO accommodate just that
\ humber, we accepted them. They were
all sinister-looking fellows, and one In
particular was so much so, that Won
dered why Captain Hillman entertained
SO little distrust of him.
Neither myself nor. the chief mate
liked the earFangement; for in those days
J every sailor. had the dread of pirates
i pretty deeply impressed upon his mind.
And. indeed, we had onlyia Jew months
previous been. chased by the mufdereus
scouudres off the Isle OF Pines.
I We set sail, and must con fess .thatI
passed the first night in some uneasi-
ness. The passengers spoke but little
English, and their conversation was,
therefore, mostly between themselves.
| During such 'colloquies, it seemed to me
that could deteetin them the manner
! of guilty men-a con is stant look or distrust
and watchfulness; but as the second
| day wore on, and i became accustomed
| to the appearance OF their well-dressed
| figures at my side, my anxiety abated.
| Toward tie evening of this day, how
| ever, my attention was drawn to slight
! alteration between the COOK and the
| Spanlards BaealaFdo, the man whom L
mad remarked as the. most vlllahous-
\ .oOking of the four! Drawing near them,
4 | asked what had happened
"Why, sar," replied the negro cook,
l gGXAJl1i | IA T.. n JQInV.
sh gemman sprinEled something aon de
Il meat. scrape it oil de best Wayl could
Il doesn't want no interference in de
: fairs OBJ my galley" .....
i The faitnlur old negro looked angry;
4 nor was this all-hiS glance ana tone
i told me that a grim and dreadful sus-
picion had entered his mind. The Span
lard, however, remarked that he haa
merely intended TO season the meat with
"a a kind OF. pepper highly esteemed IN
i Cuba; but, upon my expressing a icuff-
psiJy TO see it, he regretted that he had
NJ none remlining.n L was about TO- order
II The COOK not TO produce the meat atSsHp-
per, when the aptaih, approaching ps,
made Eight Of the affair, laughing'atNthe
lJ OLD negro's jealousy 'ofi ehtroachhent
: upon his petuiiuro province; and as fhe
i MYSTERIOUS distance seemed TO have
a BEEN wholly remDvedo by the cooks
Eni Q, hoped thatAoi harm might result.
Toe capJain ate freely of, the meat;
the mate was eVfd9nuytatf3cteda at what
mad. trauspiIed, yet his appetite pre-
vailed. i ayoided it entirely; and asto
n The Spaniards, The circumstance OF their
leaving, it untasted seemed notremark-
able, as we bad learned on the day pre-.
ylous that they were not in the habit OF
: | eating animal food at supper.
IL Shortly afterWard the captain, mate
and three OF the crew became dread
ully sick. | felt a terrible presentimenl
/ of the worst, yet what was L to do!
:, The captain was helpless i'll his berth
The maze lay in agony upon the tran
som; the ouly fOrema,t hand able. 10
come on deck was at the wheel; the
, cook was paralyzed with fear; and my
IDEAS of what could or ought to be done
were confused by the suddenness and
appalling difficulty OF my position.
9 Should arm and attack the villains
ri Whom should i arm, and how com.
meuce? We're the heFhfslnan to stll
Il from his station u knife would be athis
e ueurt; and were the cook to, leave his
}. | LaAey, he would not walk to- the enc
!. If it.
went to the cabin, where the captain
u and mate were vomiting in great dis
Q | ress: and whrle 'OYeThauling the medi
T..
, ness which we allrfegl in the ppes enct
ot sickness, tuan trDmany hope of afford
S ing relief, the companion doors we've
J. shut upon me, aud the slide showed. u
II It's place. At the same moment there
Wasla slight struggle on deck, groaI
and a fail; and next came aheaYy SplaSl
's1 ia the Wal ep under the stern1 had fel
Il Lbat.l could as easily defend my selt il
the cabin as else where, for upon deck I
u mad been entirely at the mercy Of thep pI
d ates, momantarily. expecting them t,
i strike; but treason for thelrinotu doing 81
n suun became evident!
BacalardO came to the slide and tor
= dered me'to come deck l refused
n uud expressed andeteEMination to de
II lend myself.
:. 1--WE mo kill .you," he -said;' ''we wan
10 you Tor navigate"
10 "What have yuu done with the cook 7
ri then asked.
,r "We7stap him; he is oYerboard; sol
. other mau!. All. men in the forecast VI
i dead; we stab them ALL"
II Then kHeWiLhat the three villain
had ktled the three men whom th
POISON had rendered helpless, and jtha
only myself and the two fearful sie
20 officers remaiued.i The latter were al
e ne aay at theipoint of death.
Y | told Basaidrdo that would come oil
- 1 decx when the captain and mate shout
:, have passed all suffering, It, SCENE,
W dread sul that the impatient iwretche
n suOuld murder, them with knives; ant
az hence l could otbear to Leave them
II My refusal to do SO, however aValle,
~ nothing, ion rowdingdnteuhee cabin, th
y pirates ut once dispatched their VIC inns
m and passsd the bodies out, ofl!the WIN
N uows.
The pirates dividedthe money-abou
= ten Thousand dollars; anu thenI in
l. formed me that must navigate the YES
a. SCI to South America. They were a.
- sailors, and the. brig being easi
handled The task would not ibeV cry diff
is cult. But to- think of heading TOR, dll
ID lant seas, with that sickenng horro
4. upon my heart! There were b1oot
status upon ahe'deekJ inthe ncabIn, an
10 in the iioreeastle--and ,how5 could IL rt
'ei main in such vessel? But al no, on
d knows what he can do until sHtferin
n has taught himiu
II We were now becalmed, ,,and with til
e' full strength Of the Gull Stream Wen
nj driitingr northerlyf at the rate ofsfon
.e males san hour. The ignorant pirates
whose, operations had newer bgough
themmuchtot,t the northwardo of Cuba