The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-07-05

Night was setting ina clear, star
/ light night-as q small armed brig
was working her way into a little
bay upon the western coast of Mexico
She was trim-5uilt craft, and not
too deeply laden to conceal the sym
metry Of her dark and exquisitely
modelled hull. The cleanness of her
run, the elegance of her lines, the
rake of her slender masts, and the
cut of her sails, showed her, at a
glance, to be a Baltimore built clip
per-at the time of which we speak,
some years ago, the fastest thing up
on the ocean. She was working to
windward against light breeze, and
hence was unable to exhibit any
thing Of her qualities, though q sea-
mans eve would have decided at a
glance that she could sail like q
witch. The Zanthe, for that was the
name inscribed in gilt letters on her
stern and sideboards, might have
been a dangerous customer in brush;
for her armament consisted of ten
brass eighteens, and her crew of six
~ picked seamen-an abundance Of
men to work the brig, and serve her
batteries with satisfaction and credit.
Not to keep the reader any longer
in suspense with regard to her char
acter and purpose, we will inform
him that the Ianthe was smuggler,
and for some years had been engaged
in the illegal game of defrauding the
revenue OF the Mexican republic.
She was commanded by a Scotch
man named Morris, and her first
mate was Yankee, answering to
the hail of Pardon n. Simpkins, as
gallant a fellow and as good sea-
man as ever trod plank. 1t was
her custom to land contraband goods
at different points upon the coast
where lighters we're kept concealed,
and where the merchandise was ta-
ken charge of by the shore gang a
numerous and well-appointed body
of picked men, mounted and armed
to the teeth, and provided with a
large number of mules for transporting
the goods into tie interior. The
merchandise, lightered off from the
brig, was hidden in the chapEGrrai,
if it came on shore before the mule
trains were ready, and it was
piled up with combustables, in such
a manner that, should the piJilGntes
surprise them in sufficient numbers
to effect seizure, and overcome re-
sistance, a match thrown among the
booty secured its destruction in a
few moments A smoke by day and
fire by night, upon the shore, was
the signal for the brig to approach
aud come TO anchor
The Ianthe, as we before said,
slowly worked her way to her an
chorage One by ope her white sails, |
on which the last flush of the sunse;
fires had just faded, were al. furled,
and, her anchors dropped, she swung
round with the tide, and rode safely. |
A Bengola light was displayed for a
moment from the foretop, and an-
swered by another from the shore.
"All right, cap'n," said the mate,
walking aft to where Morris was |
standing, near the wheel "The |
critters have seen us, and that are
frework means that there amt no
vigilantes round about l spose we
shall hev the lighters alongside airly
in the mornin'."
Yes" said the captain. 81 Won
der whether Don Martinez is with
the shore gang"
Not KNOWN, cant say" replied
the mate-"Most likely he is, how
somdeyer-'cause our cargo is valua-
BILE, and he'd be likely to look after
it,"
You know, Pardon" said the
captain, "this is to be our last voy-
age"
Exactly" answered the mate.
"And | hope it will turn out well
Tor the owEers. For my part, I'm
tired of this life. Circumstances in
iuced me to adopt it; but | can't say
that in my conscience l have ever
approved it. "
why, cap'n, you astonish me."
exclaimed the mate. "You don't
mean to say that you think it's any
harm to cheat the greasers."
Yes, | do" replied the captaia,
bis head "And | think the
aggravation of the offence is, that l
am an adopted citizen of the repub-
lie of the stars and stripes | am en-
gagged in defrauding the Government
Of a sister republic"
"A pretty sort er sister republic"
replied the mate disdainfully. "A
poor miserable set of thieyin' throat
cuttin', monte-playin', bean.eatin'
grifins If our Government had bad
spunk. we'd have pitched into 'em
long sDo And IL was only hacauea