The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-22
THE NEW HAND.

Fl NEW HAND.
had been ashore on liberty at VAL
kiso. Our ship, the EndymioD, of
htucket, was nearly filed with sper-
ketioil, and, as the ere had in pros
IA good swag at the end of the voy-
there was little fear of desertion.
It peril had been encountered earlier
be voyage, and several OF the crew
made good their retreat, though
Prously hunted, at the islands and at
ii.
he moon was up, and I was walking
1rely on the margin of the wooded
eyssback Of the town, indulging in
b reveries and glowing anticipations
The future as the moonbeams and
bows of foliage engender in the
Bginations of those who r still too
ng to realize that "all is vanity"
{ length I began to fancy that I was
aloae. It seemed to me that I could
eeive a dark body-which might be
or animal - moving stealthily
bng the trees and underwood at sore
Fance below.
came to a halt, not caring to be
On by surprise, and endeavored to
citrate the gloom and ascertain
ether I was followed or not ; for I
heard many stories of robbery and
estimation in that neighborhood.
had scarcely come to a stand when a
e came up from the deep, dark hol-
, which sounded like "halloo |"
wing to the multitudinols echoes
Oh seemed to accompany the hail, it
impossible to determine whether
language was English or Oholar.
had in my hand a stout cudgel,
ich T fancied might do me good ser
b. I waited long for the appearance
the speaker, expecting to see him
ne crawling up from the thick um-
Rge of the valley : but I saw nothing
I was startled by a brisk slap on the
builder, and as I turned to see who
a so Familiarity saluted me, my ears
re greeted with a hearty laugh.
"Ha | ha ! you are not 80 well &C.
kainted with these dingle and noun
IN passes as I am" said the stranger.
have come upon you unawares. Ill
d been a robber I would have had
IN foul"
And a precious little you would
We got for your rains" replied, feel
b treasured by the gentlemanly ap-
sarance of my i~nterlocutor and by his
ode of address.
aYou belong to the Endymion ?"
leried he.
"That you may be sure Of. My
babby appearance -
.Testifes that you are near the end
i a long voyage. What usage do you
1--we on board that ship"
I will only say" answered I, "that
Fe are short-handed, the best part of
be crew having deserted. We shipped
few beach-combers at Oahu, but they
eft long ago."
All that implies that your men are
with their treatment"
ST cannot deny the business of your
The young gentleman became
I wondered at the interest
Fhich he took in tue subject of our dis
As we walked along toward the
tghts in the shops Of Valparaiso, he
le became lost in his reflections. At
lot he seemed to remepber that he was
alone. and tzfnihg briskly toward
Fer a1einterest in that ship of
Efs. - do you sail ?"
/. confessed my Ignorance, but told
e young man that it was not probable
8 would stay long, as port expenses
fere heavy, and the owners OF whale
hips were stingy fellows.
He turned again toward me, surveyed
be closely, and I thought there was q
|ueer smile on his visage.
HYou think so, do you? ?" said he, at
bst.
st have always heard So"
Swell, I've not time to investigate
he matter, as I turn off here, by the
|alaboose. Goodnight"
We parted.
A~few days after this event the cap
bin of our ship brought on board a
|ouple of men whom he had shipped for
he remainder of the voyage. One of
hem wore a neat blue iackeS and pants;
he other looked as if he had slept with
bis clothes on among the ~shavings and
hwdust of a carpenters shop, or he
hight have been hidden in an oven, like
tatherina Alexowna, before she became
Impress of Russia.
as the plight of the latter was what
hight reasonably have been expected, I
box no further notice of him than to
erceive that he had a very large and
looked nose; but the spruce appear
bee of the former led to the suspicion
lat he was some officer of a merchant
Ian who had quarreled with his cap
ain and deserted. Our mates seemed
o be of that opinion, for they eyed him
,losely, and for several days treated him
With more respect than is generally
to a common sailor.
But after we had put to sea an event
occurred which shook their faith in his
.espeotability. In the morning watch,
iust after daylight, a raft was discovered
leeward with some live object upon
{. The captain was called, and, after
it through his glass, he gave
to port the helm.
"There is q man there-from some
likely enough" he said.
Accordingly we squared the yards and
ran down to the raft. It proved to be a
man wearing nothing but q ragged pair
~ canvas trousers and something that
for a shirt-that is, fragments Of
green baize futtering in the wind. He
wore no hat, but his thickly.matted hair
answered all the purposes of one, except
That he could not have lifted it in re.
Bpectful salute to q mermaid if one had
to cross his prov. A few
Mother Carey's chickens followed in his
and two huge albatrosses wheeled
aye his head as if half inclined to
ance!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
IS Mauley!"
The lone voyager was taken on board,
and said that he had been cast away in
brig.
Baldwin smiled, and afterward told
our second mate that this man Mauley
was o noted b~each-comber of Callao,
whom no captain would ship, and who,
having visited the frigate to which Bald
vim belonged, had been ANONYMOUSLY
on shore, and forbidden ever
aasin to set foot on board that vessel.