The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-03-10
LOVE ON TIE high SEAS.

| with you
''Fall in love-" cried Hetty, her til
tilted nose curling with incredulity an
disgust ssWho could fall in love a
sea, I'd like to know"
"Who could? ?" asked the captain, i
innocent surprise. "Why, everybod
does. Why not p
Hetty smiled in evident unbelief, bu
glanced furtively across the deck towar
the handsome young officer where b
leans ON the rail blowing rings of smok
into the deep blue, blue sky.
Mischievous Deb and the quick-sighte'
captain detected both, and laughed un
mercifully. Hetty bushes, and tn
first officer uncompromisingly turns I
deaf ear to the captains OUTLAWS.
1t is evening on shipboard, dinner i
over, the days work is done, and al
are assembled on deck.
The sun, which has hung all day lik'
copper gong upon a brass ceiling, il
now mercifully disappearing. The noun
tains of Lower California shine in hi
fast fading rays like 1.-THE golden hilli
of heaven" while one little hammock
of an island, long and high and narrow
mound of some ocean god,
For once the water is smooth; moth
ing breaks its stiffness but the steamer:
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 expanse 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, darkly, beautifully
blue" and behind a 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 carelessly replies to an
inquirer that he is going prospecting for
gold in Guatemala, acknowledges it 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 story in
reserve, settled themselves to hear it.
Didn't tell you how my first officer
got married? No? Well, nobody could
been sicker'n his wife was when he
courted her. I'll just tell you all about
it, if you like"
'Well, you see, haven't always been
captain of a frst-class steamer-no,
stree / ran away to sea when [ was
twelve years old, and I've worked my
way from the bottom of the ladder.
Well, when | was thirty was captain
of large sailing vessel that was in the
South American trade.
81 sailed from the port of Caltao, San
Francisco being my destination. Ny
second officer was an Englishman, but
my first was an American, only two or
three years younger than las good
looking young fellow as ever saw
tall and straight and handsome, with
eyes like blue china. He was a right
good fellow, too; brave and honest, but
frisky as kitten, and up to all sorts of
larks
"Well, we crept up the coast, stop
ping at every ninth door, as our officers
obliged us to do, taking in all sorts of
things, all booked for San Francisco.
Finally we came to San Jose de Guate-
mala-that lies 80 miles inland-and
there hove to, and waited for chance
to 60 ashore.
'FDid you ever hear of the surf on
that coast, ladies No? ''Well, it
often rolls Is or 20 feet high, and
good part of the time no boat can live
in it. Sorry we're not going to stop
this trip or you might see it. You see,
there's really no harbor-nothing but
an open roadstead-and, except in the
bay of Fundy, this place shows the
highest and lowest tide in the world.
The people here tried to build break
water out beyond the surf, but it breaks
over it half the time, and when it
doesn't it knocks it to pieces. Some
time vessels have to ride at anchor for
a week before they can put boat
ashore.
owed only just hove to when [ no
ticed that ship at anchor, not far off,
was making signals of distress, and that
"a boat was putting off in our direction.
Of course, we were anchored far out
beyond the surf, and it was compare
lively easy or the boat to reach us so
it was soon alongside, and one of the
men came up the ships side and told
me what was wanted.
cit appears that the ship was coffee
ship from San Francisco, and had come
to San Jose for cargo 1t was only
half loaded when one of the boats cap
sized in the surf, drowning the captain
and first officer. The second officer was
very low with fever, and they had no
body to navigate the vessel; so they'd
had to wait in port till some other ship
came along and could lend 'em an officer
or somebody who understood naviga-
ton.
"Well, / called up my first officer,
and put him aboard the coffee ship, and
in day or two we both sailed. We
were going over just the same ground
or sea, rather-and as the two vessels
were equally fast, we kept each other in
sight most of the time. We'd been out
about 10 days, and were in American
waters again, when all of sudden the
ship hove to, and signaied US to stop.
We ran as close to them as we could
then we hove to, and presently through
glass / saw boat being lowered and
there was woman Ia al.
II was surprised, as you may imagine,
for I did not know there were any pas
seHgers on the coffee ship, though there
were half a dozen on my own. In q
few minutes up the side came my first
officer more than half carrying the
prettiest little Spanish girl I ever saw.
Oh, ladies she was a beauty Eyes
ike the stars in the flag, and the sweet
little face-kisses just sticking out all
over it +? But wasn't she the sickest
little mortal that ever set foot on deck !?
tell you, she was all green and yellow
and looked half starved. do not be.
lieve she'd kept down a quarter of q
dinner for month past.
"Hullo, Jack !" said sswhat's the
matter ?" And gave the young lady
seat on the lounge in my cabin. The
poor little thing couldn't sit up straight,
so just hoisted her feet up and made
j ho, cam En,tn tIe or,nor,c. III. riIIorrs