Connecticut western news., 1878-12-25

and for several days treated him with more respect than is generally shown to a common sailor.
 But, after we had put to sea an event occurred which shook their faith in his responsibility. In the morning watch, just after daylight, raft was discovered to leeward with some live object upon it. The captain was called, and, after exam ming it through his glass, he gave orders to port the helm.
 "There is a man there-from some wreck, likely enough" he said.
 Accordingly we squared the yards and ran down to the raft. It proved to be a man wearing nothing but 8 ragged pair of trowsers and something that passed for shirt-that is, fragments of green baize huttering in the wind. He wore no hat, but his thickly matted hair answered all the purposes of one, ex- cept that he could not have lifted it in respectful salute to 8 mermaid if one had chanced to cross his prov. A few Mother Carey's chickens followed in his wake, and two huge albatrosses wheeled above his head as if half inclined to bounce upon him.
 We had on board a sailmaker named Baldwin, who had belonged to the navy, and as soon as his eyes fell upon the stranger he pronounced the name of ' Mauley p
 The lone voyager was taken on board, and said that he had been cast away in a brig.
 Baldwin smiled, and afterwa1d told our second mate that this man Mauley was a noted beach comber of Callao, whom no captain would ship, and who, having visited the frigate to which Baldwin belonged, had been ignomin- iously driven on shore, and forbidden ever again to set foot on board that vessel.
 "Ee has very bad name," added the sa1lmaker, "and he is suspected of hay ing murdered the carpenter of our frigate at Valparaiso"
 In fact, the personal appearance oi MauIey was much against him, and no one believed that he had been wrecked. It was thought that in putting to Sea on his slight raft he had taken that desperate method to get on board some vessel.
 "Keep an eye on him." said our cap. tain to his first mate. S The mate did keep an eye on the desc. late wretch, and soon detected him in close and confidential conversation with Johnson, the spruce seaman whom we had shipped just before leaving port. It was the mates watch, while Johnson belonged to the watch of the second mate yet Johnson had come on deck for the special purpose of speaking te Mauley.
 The two men stood forward of tne windlass, under the shadow of the fore mast, apart from the rest of the watch and conversed together in low tone The mate got as near to them as he coult without being observed, but he caugh only the words:
 "Remember-this must be 8 deat secret between you and me.
 It was but year before that the ter rible mutiny on board the ship Globe had taken place, and when the mate heard the words which have quoted he passed softly down into the cabin, ant finding the captain awake, told him wha he had overheard.
 "That man Johnson ! Are you no mistaken?" demanded the captain
 "Why, Johnson seems quite a gentle !. man. It must have been somebod else."
 ) "Yes, sir" replied the mate sbu
 what secret should anybody have witt that loafer, whom all of the crew keep
 clear of in broad daylight? Whisperin with him in the dark-that's the pint
 sir. Baldwin swears that the feller's l murderer, sir" "I'll have no plotting andswhisperin
 in the dark on board my ship!' erie ; the captain, suddenly and unaccounts ) bly, breaking forth into towering pal . sion. "Now recollect that this Johr |
 temper when MT. Pease has ordered hil 3 to scrape topmasts or slush them dow1
 or tar rigging; but I thought it ws r only because he'd never been used f
 such dirty work.
 elf we don't look out he'll be CT l gagged in dirtier work than slushing tol masts or tarring rigging" said the mat' l "Cutting our threats, eh?" " It's unaccountable, sir, this p1ottin 9 and having secrets with that Mauley it's so much like the way that Shit
 says the mutiny begun aboard the Glob' f "That's true," answered the captain
 "I've great mind to put them both e irons."
 e "Mebby we'd better wait little, ar g see," returned the mate; and I'll kee 8 sharp lookout on both on 'em."
 The captain was silent, but he shoe his head threateningly, and the ma 8 went on deck to stand out the remaind
 of his watch.
 t Before morning there was "gale
 wind" Sail was shortened, and we ls
 to under close-reefed main-topsail a1 e storm -staysail. But, in spite of wind + weather, the frst-mate was observed 2
 day running bullets in the cooks c
 boose, greatly to the surprise of u n crew, some of whom asked: e "Have there been any pirates hea e of on this coast ?"
 n ID the meantime there was somethi1 e about this Johnson, especially his voic