Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-02-05

snatched from her neck one of Captain
Sprouts white silk handkerchiefs, and
disappeared in the dark as he had en-
tered
/ The girl was too terrified to tell any
one what had happened; besides she did
not even know the mans name; and
FIVE minutes afterwards, when Captain
| SprOul entered the cabin, he found her
wiping up oil off the floor, and for the
first time spoke to her sharply for her
carelessness; and imagining that her
tears and trembling were occasioned by
his reprooi, returned on deck again.
But another event occurred which did
not pass off so smoothly. The next
evening, during the dog watch, Sholto
Shaw, the young seaman who had found
Helen in the hold, went boldly to the
cabin doors, and under the pretence of
asking for medicine, took the emporium
itv of presenting her with q dainty pair
of canvas shoes, which he said had been
made on purpose for her; and she was
questioning as to who was the sender;
but Captain Sproul was too sharp for
them, for at that moment he darted out
of his cabin, and Selling the shoes, re-
marked, "You asked for medicine, l
| think" when dragging Shaw on deck,
and taking up ropes end, he hogged
him for stealing the ships canvas; and
promising Kim a stronger dose if the Of
| him forward.
Entering the cabin, the captain called
Helen to him. you have broken my
orders, and l am disappointed; but as l
have punished the sailor I must also
punish you;" and producing d pair of
scissors, the captain deliberately cut off
all her hair, remarking that he might
not be so lenlent second time
AS for Helen, q nature less innocent
must have been blunted by such treat
ment: but she only shed a few tears,
and made much lighter Of the matter
than my friend Hawke who trembled
with indignation when he heard of the
occurrence. Black, on the contrary,
| laughed like a hyena at the fate of the
canvass shoes, and to our amazement,
put the white silk handkerchief around
his neck, which he said the English
miss had given him.
OF Hawkes. history, | know nothing;
| known seaman which showed that he
had come down greatly in social status;
in fact he admitted that he was in the
| forcastle through his own folly. He
was very reserved; but there was cool
self-possession and pride about him
which made the other seamen keep
alOOf from him and the officers dislike
him. Sharp words ensued between
these two men about the ownership of
the handkerchief, which would have
ended IN blows, but the weather being
stormy, we were piped away to reef the
! tOpsailS. The reef tackles of the main
topsail were hauled taut, and some of
us were upon the yard picking up the
points when Black came up on the
weather rigging, and getting on the foot
rope, seized Hawkes. points, and gave
/ him a shove which nearly sent us both
| off the yard, and caused us to let go the
sail; and the others were compelled to
do likewise. In an instant the sail bel
lied out; and Black, who was still hold
| ing on, was dragged over the yard, but
no human power could save him, for
what with the wind and rain, We were
almost blinded. Suddenly he gave a
| loud shrek, and as he did so he fell feet
| foremost, and with tremendous crash
went half through a life boat which was
| lying on the skids. He had been caught
In his own trap and when extricated bv
the carpenter was found to be dead.
| The foreigners left the yard and COM
menced screeching and screaming and
crossing themselves, and even the mate
could not get them alOft again that
night The captain seemed more sur
| prlsed at seeing one of his own hand
kerchiefs around the neck Of the corpse
than concerned at the mans untimely
end; but after recovering the article,
| fortunately made no further inquiries
about it.
After a voyage of ninety days we
| reached Calcutta, where, after seeing
his agents, the first thing that Captain
Sproul did was to take Helen on shore.
Then, driving to the diutant-general's
office, he made inquiries for her father,
and was told that Captain Muir had
sent in his papers three years previous
ly.
An advertisement elected the infor-
nation that Captain Muir, a widower at
the time when he was hopelessIy in
solvent, had married an East Indian
lady, and from getting in debt with the
banks, and struggling to get out of it,
had fallen into worse difficulties. result
ibg in his death at the Debtors jail. Cal
cutta; and his widow, much impover-
lshed, declined to increase her respon-
slbilities by receiving step-children
1t was when Helen thus found herself
without home and friendless, that Cap
tain Sproul came to her aid. He had
lately become gentle. and was less ab-
rupt in his manner of speaking to her;
and from treating her as child had, al
though he hardly knew it, commenced
to love her as a woman. But it was the
mendacious statement OF the disrated
steward in the police court that precip-
ltatec matters, and caused the captain
to thus address his ward:
Like myself, Helen, you have served
and are now entitled to command; and
If you will return on board La Belle Hell