The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-22
"Remember-this must be q dead

tLaG MdllCy, huUul oil VIC tloW hoOPS
clear of in broad daylight? Whisper
ing with him in the dark-that's the
pint, cir. Baldwin swears that the fel-
ler's q murderer, sir"
"I'Il have no plotting and whisper
ing in the dark on board my ship p
cried the captain, suddenly and unac.
countably breaking forth into a tower
ing passion. "Now I recollect that
this johnson has once or twice shown a
rebellious temper when Mr.. Pease has
ordered him to scrape topmasts or slush
them down, or tar rigging; but I
thought it was only because he'd never
been used to such dirty work"
"If we don't look out he'll be en-
gagged in dirtier work than slushing top
masts or tarring down rigging" said
the nate.
"Cutting our threats, ell
"It's unaccountable, sir, this plotting
and having secrets with Mauley; it's so
much like the way that Smith says the
mutiny begun aboard the Globe"
"That's true" answered the captain;
"I've a great mind to put them both in
irons"
"Mebby we'd better wait a little, and
see" returned the mate; "andI I'll keep
a sharp lookout on both on EN-"
The captain was silent, but he shook
his head threateningly, and the mate
went on deck to stand out the remain
der of his watch.
Before morning there was a "gale of
wind" Sail was shortened, and we lay
to under c~lose-reefed m~ain-topsail and
storm-staysail. But, in spite of wind or
weather, the first mate was observed all
day running bullets in the cooks ca.
boose, greatly to the surprise of the
crew, some of whom asked:
"Have there been any pirates heard
of on this coast?
In the meantime there was something
about this johnson, especially his voice,
which reminded me of somebody I had
seen before. I noticed that the captain
sharply at him, and observed all
his movements attentively, as if he, also,
had some recollection Of him. I knew
nothing Of his conversation with Maui
lev, and the mates surmises. All these
matters were related to me afterward.
Up to this time Johnson's ignorance
of seamanship had been regarded with
much leniency, and the mates had taken
some pains to instruct him; but after
his consultation with Mauley, under
cover of the darkness, a suspicion was
harbored by the captain and mate that
his awkwardness in handling a marline-
spike and rolling up a top-gallantsail
assumed, and that he pretended to
be a green hand only to divert attention
from his schemes.
Accordingly, when johnson made a
mistake, or bungled in the performance
any duty, the officers or the captain
reprimanded him sharply. He showed
surprise at this chang: in their depert-
ment toward him, and at length he mani
tested feelings of resentment.
IT do the best I can, and I am only
working my passage home," said he; 81
expect no pay"
"Do you answer back, you rascal?"
the captain, who had overheard
the words of johnson, which were adj
dressed to the mate. "Mr. Russell,
can't you preserve better order among
your men2"
CT am no rascal" said johnson,
throwing down the rope which he had
been trying to splice, and confronting
the captain.
Several OF the crew-Mauley among
them-were standing near johnson at
that moment, and all but Marley turned
pale. The latter looked steadfastly at
the captain.
"You, too, I suppose" said the cap
tain, between his teeth, and with q coun-
tenance turning pale and red by turns.
Mauley fell back, but johnson smiled
CONTEMPORARY at the captains boiling
wrath.
Have you not heard" said the lat
ter to johnson, "that only a few
months before you came on board l
triced a hand up in the rigging and
gave him two dozen lashes for only
looking at me as you are doing pow?"
"Neyer heard of it until now" an
swered johnson, COMPRISING his lips
and shaking his head. "It is a useful
piece of information"
"Tbe mans a fool" said the captain.
turning away. "Mr. Russell, put
him in irons, and feed him on bread and
water for the present."
johnson submitted quietly to be
handcuffed, and was fed on bread and
water for several days. by which time
We had approached Cape Horn, and his
services were needed in working the
ship. He was set at liberty. His Or
derby couduct puzzled the officers, who
began to be curious about his antece-
dents. He told them that he fell down
from Jupiter at the same time with the
great goddess Diana, of the Ephesians. "
"He's crazy" said the mates to each
other.
Soon after, I limited to him that / be-
lieyed he was the same man whom I had
seen one evening, in a far different rig,
among the hills, in the rear of Valpa.
raise.
"What if you did? You don't know
my name, I suppose ?" demanded he,
rather impatiently.
Nothing important occurred after We
doubled the cape until we reached the
e~quinoctial line, when our captain
Knocked the cook down with a hand
spike fer some trihing offense.
"Captain Bunker, you'll be sorry fol-
that" remarked Johnson, who was
standing lea at the time.
"I'll serve you the same way, you
mutinous rascal |" cried the captain,
with flashing eyes.
But he didn't. He ordered the mates
to put johnson in irons again, and to
diet him as before.
We reached Nantucket, and anchored
outside the Ear on q fine afternoon in
July. The anchor was scarcely down
when the owner OF the Endymion
stepped on board. Seeing johnson sit
ting on the windlass, the merchant gave
an exclamation Of surprise, rushed to-
ward him, and grasping his manacled
hands, cried:
"Why, Edward, my son, what does
this meant"
"Oh, this is a trihe, father" replied
the son of the owner (known among us
by the name of Johnson); "this is
nothing compared with knocking down
men with handspikes, Selling them uE
in the rigging and fogging them fol
looking at the captain, with many Other
pleasant performances of the like ma
ture."
"It is true, then, what T have heard
cold tho m MARKHAM urninp 70 The can