Middletown transcript., 1877-07-07

that we had been running to the east
ward, and I supposed that we were
not very far from the Western Isles.
As / surveyed the bodies Of my COM
panions, it occurred to me that they
ought to fetch a high price in Italy as
specimens Of art, and / resolved to dis
pose of them as the work of men. Hay
ing no other employment, drought up
the spareplanks from below, and made
paeking-cases for them all. Itwas with
some difficulty that l contrived, by
means Of tackles, to lower them to the
hold, which I succeeded in accomplish
ing with safety, excepting in one in
stance, when, from the tackle-falI Civ
ing way, the image fell to the bottom
Of the vessel, and being very brittle,
was broken to pieces. As it was no
longer of any value as a statue broke
it up to examine it, and it was wonder
ful to witness how ever part Of the hu-
man body was changed into flint of a
color corresponding with that which it
had been when living. The heart was
red, and on my arrival in Italy I had
several seals made from it, which were
pronounced by the lapidaries who cut
them to be of the finest blood-red cor
nelian. ! have now a piece of the dark
stone Of which the liver was composed,
which keep for striking light. As
it aterward proved, almost all Of it
was valuable, for the alternate fat and
lean formed variety Of beautiful
onyxes and sardonyx, which I disposed
of very advantageously to the cameo
engrayers. l was several days en-
ployed in packing up, but I had plenty
of provisions and water, and had no
doubt that should be seen by some
vessel before they were expended.
Three weeks had elapsed, when one
morning | went on deck ,-and saw land
on both sides of me. l Immediately
recognized the rock of Gibraltar, and
the Straits, through which / was drift
ing. | was boarded by a Spanish gun
boat from Algesiras, and having stated
that all my crew had died two months
before Of the yellow fever, I was towed
in, put in quarantine for forty days,
and then permitted to equip my vessel
and procure sailors. This was ena-
bled to do by selling two of the TASKS
which held the water, and which, like
all other utensils of the island from
which / had escaped, were ofpuregold.
I did not think it prudent to 90 to
Leghorn, where not only the vessel
might be recognized, and the widow
give me some trouble, but the statues
also might have been identified as the
men who had sailed in the vessel, and
my being burnt as NEGRO
mancer by the Inquisition. directed
NY course for Naples, where l arrived
n safety. Having disembarked my
netamorphorsed crew, hired a room
o exhibit them and expected to real
re considerable sum; but as could
lot name the artist, and the figures had
lot the grace which the Italians ad-
nire, theyremained on my hands, and
we're even found fault with as not be-
ng well executed. I sold two OF the
east progressing to a Sicilian noble
nan, who, I understood had a large
ountry seat decorated with monstros-
hes; and then determined as I had
eceived high price for the pieces of
he one which had been broken up, to
etail the others in the same way. It
nswered admirably, and l received for
le fragments more money than I had
sked for the images in anunmutilated an
ate. The remainder of the golden
asks also realized large sum. I
reduced them one by one, and dis
osed of them to English collectors, as
aving been purlOined by the excava-
RS from the ruins of Pompeu. I had
ow plenty of money and going to
ngland dwelt happily and comforta-
y in the society of the many epigres
ON my country.
n,,o--,--- O.. m