Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1880-11-11
LOVE ON THE HIGH SEAS.

'iNow,n said the captain, 1--WE shan't see
any more land for week, aud you young
ladies'n have nothing TO do hut let some
of these Young fellows fall in love with
you"
Fall in love-" cried Hetty, her tip
tilted nose curling with incredulity and
disgust, "who could fall in love Mt sea,
I'd like to know"
"Who oould?" asked the captain, in |
innocent surprise. why, everybody |
does. Why not?"
Hetty smiled in evident unbehef, but
glanced furtiveiy across the deck toward
the handsome young officer where he
leans on the rail blowing rings of smoke
into the deep blue, blue sky.
Mischievous Deb and the quick sighted
captain detect both, and laugh unmerci-
fully. Hetty bushes, and the first officer
unoompromisingly turns deaf ear TO the
captains outlaws.
1t is evening on shipboard, dinner is
over, the days work IL done. and ali are
assembled on deck.
The sun, which has hung all day like
copper gong upon brass ceiling, is now
meroifully disappearing. The mountains
of Lower California shine in his fast
fading rays like "the golden hills OF
heaven" while one little hummock of an
island, long and high and narrow, rises
out of the sea like the grave-mound of
some ocean god.
For once the water is smooth nothing
breaks its stiffness but the steamers trail,
and the sea-gulls now and then brushing
its surface. Far, far away-far as the eye
can reach-is nothing but the same ex-
panse OF deep blue waters, broken only by
those yellow hills, now fast vanishing into
distance and night.
Overhead, only another and wider ex-
panse still deeply, darby, beautifully
blue" and behind q cloud the new moon
Just beginning TO look forth upon the
boisterous world below.
Prigsby, from London, explains to a
gaping audience how the scenery now
before them suffers from comparison with
that of the RHINE. Sam Boland of San
Francisco careiessly replies to an inquirer
that he is going prospecting for gold in
Guatemala, acknowledges il to be pretty
risky business, admits the country TO be
full of road agents and bushwhackers but
''reckons he'll pull through" Meantime
Hetty and Deb, seeing that the captain
had a story in reserve, settled themselves
to hear it.
''Didn't tell you how my first officer
pot married. No? Well, nobody could
been sicker'n his wife was when he
courted her. I'll just tell you all about, il
you like.
"Well, you sec, haven't always been
captain of ilrst.clsss steamer-no, stree
/ ran away to sea when was ~ years old,
and I've worked my way from the bottom
of the ladder. Well, when l was 80 was
captain of large sailing vessel that was in
the South American trade.
81 sailed from the port of Callao, Ssr
Francisco being my destination. My
second officer was an Englishman, but my
first was an American, only two or tire,
years younger than las good-looking {
young fellow as ever | saw; tall ant
straight and handsome, with eyes like blu
china. He was right good fellow, too
brave and honest, but risky ss kitten
and up to all sorts Of larks.
swell, we erept up the coast, stopping
at every ninth door, as our orders obliget
us to do, taking in all sorts of things, al
booked for San Francisco. Finally W
came to San Jose de Guatemala-that liei
80 miles inland-and there we hove to, an
waited for chance to go ashore.
Ibid you ever hear of the surf on tina
~,
Is or 20 feet high, and good part of til
time no boat can live in it. Sorry weir
not going to stop this trip or you migh
see it. You see, there's really no harbor-
nothing but an open roadstead-and, e.
cept in the bay of Fundy, this place show
the highest and lowest tide in the worlt
The people here tried to build breal
water out beyond the surf, but it breal
yulna
it knocks it to pieces. Sometime yesse
have to ride at anchor for week befol
they can put boat ashore.
"We'd only just hove to when l notice
that ship at anchor, not far off, WI
making signals off distress, and that
boat was putting off in our direction. {
course, we were anchored far out beyoI
the surf, and it was comparatively easy 4
the boat to reach us SO it was soon alon
side, and one of the men came up Il
ships side and told me what was wante
ut appears that the ship was a coff
ship from San Francisco, and had come
San Jose for cargo. 1t was only hi
loaded when one of the boats capsized
the surf, drowning the captain and I'll
officer. The second officer was very Il
with fever, and they had nobody
navigate the VESSEL so they'd had to W
in port till some other ship came alo
and could lend EN- an officer or somebc
who understood navigation.
"Well, called up my first officer, and I
him aboard the coffee ship and in a d
or two we both sailed. We were goi
over just the same ground-or sea, ratl
and Rs the two vessels were equally ia
we kept each other in sight most of
time. We'd been out about 10 days, q
were in American waters again, when
of q sudden the ship hove to, and signal
us to stop. We ran as close to them
we could then we hove to-, and presen
through glass l saw boat being lowel
and there was woman in it.
II was surprised, as you may imagi
for did not know there were any pass
gers on the coffee ship though there "
half dozen on my own. In a
minutes up the side came my first Off
more than half carrying tho prettiest Ii
Spanish girl / ever saw. Oh, ladies
was beauty Eyes like the stars in
flag, and the sweetest little face-ki,
Just sticking out all over it? But wa
she the sickest little mortal that ever
foot on deck? l tell you, she was
green and yellow, and looked half starry
DO not believe she'd kept down qua
of dinner for month past.
''Hullo, Jack 50 said I ''whals
matter - And gave the young lad
seat on the lounge in my cabin The !
little thing couldn't sit up straight,
Just hoisted her feet up and made
comfortable among the pillows
"'Osptain, said he L want yor
marry me to this young lady.
MARRY you:' said |. What do
mean? She's too sick to be MARI
man She can't stand up II you
she want to be married, why don't
wait till you get ashoreY
"You see, ladies', we talked out
before her, for she couldn't understa
word of English. IN.
aft we wait till then, said he,
and I'll be going to her funeral instea
her wedding, We've got to be mar
and right away and you have 60
marry u.s.
''You see again, ladies', we were
great friends outside the ship, and '
we were alone together We droppe
ceremony"
"What in thunder are you in 81
hurry forE said l. why can't you
till you're ashore? Where are the Il
friends ?
"'Her steptather's aboard my ship
said.
81 thought So said l, and W
have anything TO do with it,
''He Just turned and winked at me
of the tail of his eye and then rel