Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-05-30

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New Orleans policeman has never yet been
known to hit anything that he actually
aimed at-gave in at the second shot, and
was walked off in triumph to the station
Captain Gilbert spends the evening with
his agent, and then returns to tho ship
about eleven o'clock.
Sorry to say, sir" begins the chief
officer, "that most of the men are on
shore.n
Without leave'
A shrug Of the shoulders is his answer.
Whose watch is it?"
"Mr. Andrews"
"Send him here. How's this Mr.. An
drewsP" asks the captain angrily.
It's not my fault, sir. They don't go
over the gangway. They crawl over the
side, and on the beams of the wharf. It's
impossible to stop them"
The captain knows New Orleans, and
being just man has no more to say. 1t is
very provoking. lie is going to sail to-
morrow, and these men will come on board
either drunk or stupid with the effects of
drink. Some of them, perhaps, won't
come at all.
The weather for the last few days has
been oppressively hot, and now there is
hope of rain. The sky is dark and low,
and the faint breeze has gone down. The
captain has gone to his cabin, which is on
deck, and tries to read, but the mosquitoes
won't let him, SO he gets into bed, tucks in
his bar, and sleeps the sleep of Il tired man,
Something makes him conscious that
two bells, Gone o'clock are striking. Then
he hears whisper, "Cap'm Cap'n"
close by his side. In an instant he has his
revolver ready, and is in the act of strik-
ing match, when the whisper says,
F." HuSM Us me, Dick. Don't say word
don't light match. Hushi Is there
man named Phil Wood in your crowd?n
Yes, Il fireman; but he deserted last
week" The captain whispers, too.
"Have you got specous aboard?"
"SpeciousP Oh, specie you mean"
"Wots that?"
"Moncy."
Il thought so. Well Capn, Phil Wood
and five more are after that there specious,
and they're aboard now."
Good God! Why didn't you tell me
before?" gasps the captain.
"P'liceman chevied me, COS I'd got Il
bundle that the lady gave me. Took it
away he did, and locked me up" explain
ed the rat; " but got out"
"On board now, do you say!" asks the
captain.
/" Yes, and at work. too. Liston'
What the captain hears sends him out
of his berth with spring.
Fire that" he says thrusting Il pistol
into Dicks hand, "and run forward shout
ing help us loud as you can scream" Then
he darts out on deck.
And no time to spare The thieves have
overpowered and gagged the man on
watch, have cut round the flstenings of
the hatch leading to the specie room, and
already two boxes are out and ready for
spiriting away.
Dick does as he is told, and then rushes
back. Four of the thieves are on deck,
firing at the captain, who has lodged be-
hind the skylight, and is shooting steadily.
Dick has five shots left, and these he dis
charges one after the other, with his eyes
shut, as fast as he can pull the trigger. 1t
is u brisk affair while it lasts; which is I'M
til the chief officer, doctor, steward, and
some others, (aroused by Dicks shouts
and the tiring) come upon the scene.
Then such of the thieves us can do so
Jump overboard-for their retreat forward
is cut off. Three remain: one, the leader
dead, another with his thigh splintered,
and third, with several balls in non-vital
parts of the body.
The first thing done is TO release poor
H. 49, ,.tl,n, tboNt find Ctil iDonpei
BILE from the blow on the head which had
put him horS dc combat. By this time the
police have come, and are searching the
ship, lest others of the thieves might be
hiding.
What's that in the wheel-house?" says
the chief-oflicer; "bring light here. All,
it's another of them; turn him over. Oh,
Lord! Captain look here! Here's graft
tude! If it isn't that id Rat that the
LADY,"
MY Godn' cries the captain; al for
rot ali about him. Is he hurt?"
Shot right through the body, and
serves him right" is Mansfeld's reply. 1t
struck the speaker "silly," us he after
wards said, TO see the skipper fall down
on his knees beside the Rat" lift his
head upon his shoulders, and in Il voice
hoarse with emotion say, Are you hurt.
Dick? Oh, Dick! Are you bad, my boy?
Don't start. I'm your friend, the captain,
Dick-speak to mel"
"Is the p'lice gomez" he means.
They shan't hurt you, Dick,-no one
shall. Oh, Doctor, come and attend this
poor, brave little fellow. Any drop of his
blood is worth more than the lives of those
scoundrels. Do your best for him, and
send for all the surgeons in the city if they
can help poor Dick Poor little, faithful
chap!"
The wounded thieves are carried off to
the charity hospital by the police. Dick is
taken to the captains cabin, and placed in
his bed The ships doctor does his very
best for him. The most famous surgeons
in the city comes and looks grave, Captain
Gilbert never leaves him.
"Say yw-Dck's voice has become very
low and tremulous-" was that there
money yourn?"
No; but it was in my charge"
=" You'd IL got hell If you'd a lost it,
ehP'
II should have been ruined"
"She wouldn't ha' liked that"
" She? Who do you mean, my boy?"
"The lady-hcr as you was good to-"
The captain turned aside, and tried hard
to swallow something which had never
passed his lips.
Was it for her sake" he asked, that
you did this?"
"She sed she'd hate to have anything
bad come to you,n replies the Rat, " cos
you was good to her when she was sick.
Two nights ago l heard Phil Wood and
his crowd talking about robbing a ship of
specious. They sed they were going to
'tice all the men ashore with drink, and
there'd be only one man forward besides
the cap'n. There was to ha bin one put
at the capns door to knock him on the
head if he came out didn't know for
sartin it was your ship, and l was a.com-
ing to ask you if you had specious, when
the p'liceman cheved me-
"Who was it that shot you?n
Don't know. When | zee the p'lice !
crawed away to where you found me- /
was skeard they'd think belonged to
tother crowd"
The Rat is skin and bone, and nervous
as cat. He has lost more blood than he
can spare, from that slight wound on his
arm. He has no constitution to fall back
upon, and to hold him up while nature
fights the shock and the fever which follow
his more orieyOus hurt Griavous in1and I