Litchfield enquirer., 1881-08-18
l saw that he did not wish to be followed,
 Q l staid where was and watched the gray

iqulckly succeed to it. Not cloud had been fln the sky all the day long, and as the dark ness increased the stars came out. until the whole heavens were studded with glittering gems.
 Suddenly, low down, close to the sea, a point of light fickered and disappeared, shone agaln for a moment, wavered, and went out, only to reappear and shine steadily. "A steamers masthead light" I thought, and ran to the house to give the news; but Jack son had already seen the light, and pronounc- ed it to be that of mail steamer, and shortly we saw her side lights, and the sound of gun announced that she had anchored until the morning. At daybreak there she was, dip rolled beneath her. It was my duty to go off to her in one of the surf>boats belonging to the factory; and sol scrambled down the cliff to the little strip of smooth beach that served us tor a landing place.
 When I arrived there I found that the White-c crested breakers were heavier than 1 had thought they would be. However, there was the boat lying on the beach with it's prov toward the waves, and round it were the boat boys with their loin-cloths girded, ready to start; so 1 clambered into the stern. OF rather flor the boat was shaped alike at stem and stern-the end from which the steersman, or
 
 boys laid hold of the sides of the boat. and the next. moment it was dancing on the spent waves next to the beach. The pGtra0 kept his head steady, and the boys jumped in and seized the oars, and began pulling with will, standing up to their stroke Slowly the heavy craft gathered way, and approached a dark and unbroken roller that hastened to- wards the beach. Then the patrGo shouted to the crew and they lay on their oars, ard the wave with roar burst in front of the boat sending the spray of it's crest high above our heads
 's4lenaG rens0 torca /" Crow strongly) now shouted the patrGo. speaking Portuguese as mostly all African coast natives do-and the crew gave way. The next roller we had to meet in its strength; and, save for the steady force of the patrao's oar, 1 believe it would have tossed us aside and we would have been swept under it's curving wall of water. As it was, the good boat gave 8 mighty bound as it felt it's force, and it's stem pitched high into the air as it slid down>its broad back into the deep.
 Another and yet another wave were prssed, and we could now see them breaking behind us, shutting out the beach from view. Then the last roller was overcome, and there was nothing but the long heaves of the deep sea to contend against Presently we arrived at the steamer, whose side lowered above us, an iron wall.
 A shout came to me, pitching and lurching with the boat far below. Come on board ai once." But to come on board was only to be done by watching chance as the boat rose on top of a roller Taking such a one, seized the side ropes, swung moment in mid air, and the next was on the steamers clean, white deck. Before me steod tall man with hInotZ hofp and vxh1 nd dnr v.Sn oiuu eyes, who asked me if was the agent foi Flint Brothers. I answered that the agent was on shore, and that was his assistant Whereupon he infnr,,.e-i --- siIse fIo nau peer -rr.ssl6 " re.s%b By the firm to lquidate all thei1 stations and businesses on the coast, and ''he would be obliged by my getting his luggage into the boat" Thls was said in peremp. tory sort of way, as if he had spoken to ser. vant and very much against the grain obey. ed his orders. =.
 That the man was new to the coast was evi dent, and my coqsolation was that he would be very soon sick of it and pretty we'll fright. ened before he even got on shore, for the weather was freshening rapidly, a fact of which he appeared to take no heed. Not SC the boat boys, who were anxious to be off. At last we started, and soon had my re- venge. As we drew near the shore the roll CTS rolled higher and higher, and perceived that my gentleman clutched the gunwale of the boat very tightly. and when the first wave that showed signs of breaking overlook us he grew very white in the face until 1t had pass ed
 The next one or two breakers were small, much to his relief could see, though he said nothing. Before he had we'll recovered his equanimity, however, tremendous wave ap- preached us somewhat suddenly. Appalled, thra0tnninp ha seat and seized the arm of the p0trG0, who roughly shook him off.
 My God" he cried, five are swamped !" and for the moment it really looked like it j; but the p0trGO, with dexterous sweep of his long oar, turned the boats head towards the roller. It broke just as it reached us and gave us the benefit of its crest, which came in over the top sides of the boat as it passed by, and deluged every one of us
 laughed, though it was no laughing mat ter, at the plight the liquidator was now in. He was changed in moment from a spruce and natty parsonage into a miserable and draggled being. From every part of him the salt water was streaming, and the curl was completely taken out of his whiskers He could not speak from terror, which the boat boys soon saw, for none are quicker than ne- groes to detect signs of fear in those whom they are accustomed to consider superior to themselves Familiar with the surf and full of mischevous fun, they began to shout and gesticulate with the settled purpose of making matters appear worse than they were and of enjoying the white mans discomfture-all but the pGtrdO. who was an old hand. and on whom depended the safety of us all. He kept steady lookout seaward, and stood up- right and firm, grasping his oar with both hands. With him it was point of honor to h~e. kh<x ly through the surf. 3@
 We waited for more than half an hour, bow on, meeting each roller as it came to us; and by the end of that time the unfortunate liqui- dator had evidently given up all hope of ever reaching the shore. Luckily, the worst was soon to pass. After one last tremendous wave there was Hull for few moments, and the pGtrao. who had watched for such chance swiftly turned the boat round, and giving the word to the crew they pulled Justify toward the shore. In few minutes we were again in safety. The boat grounded on the beach the oars were tossed into the sea; the crew sprang overheard; some of them seized the new arrival; clambered on the back of the patrao; a crowd ot negroes who had been waiting on the beach, laid hold of the tow rope of the boat, and it and we were landed simultaneously on the dry sand
 Once on shore MT. Branseme, for that was the new mans name,. rapidly recovered his presence of mind and manner, and, by way of covering his past confusion, remarked that he. supposed the surf was seldom so bad as it then was. l replied Tn an hand way, meaning to make fun of him, that what he had passed through was nothing, and appealed to the pdtrG0 to confirm what had said. That ne- gro. seeing the joke grinned all over his black face; and Mir. Bransome, perceiving that he was being laughed at, snatched good sized stick from native standing near, and struck the p0trG0 repeatedly over the back
 h vain Soeka, for that was the pGtrGo's name, protested and demanded to know what wrong thing he had done. The agent was fu- rions, and showered his blows upon the black. Equally in vain shouted that Sooka had done well by us, and that he, MT. Bransome. was making an enemy of man who would have him now and then in his power At length Sooka took to his heels, and, sure enough, when he got a little way of. he began to threaten vengeance for what he had received. lsympathized with him. for knew what loss to his dignity it was to be beaten without