Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1882-09-18

to them is like an open door to a
tramp"
AS he spoke. his keen eye wander
ed with a troubled look along the
endless line of the African coast, one
impenetrable mass of dark thicket as
far as the eye could reach, except at
one single point. Just opposite the
becalmed vessel a long, low reef of
brown rock, masking the mouth of
small river, broke the interminable
perspective of clustering leaves; and
it was to this point that the Captains
watchful look was most often and
most anxiously directed.
His uneasiness seemed to have in
fected the officers and the crew like
wise. Just absft the foremost a tall
wiry Portlander was turning a grind
stone, upon which another sailor was
sharpening in turn five or six rusty
cutlasses; while gaunt, keen-look-
ing fellow from Maine was hard at
work cleaning the Captains double
barrelled shotgun = unluckily the
only fire-arm on board.
But there was one on board who
seemed to trouble himself very little
about the matter. This was the cab
in boy-a brown-faced, curly-haired,
bright-eyed little fellow, active as a
leopard and fearless as a lion. The
way in which he was employed amid
all this hustle and anxiety, would
have rather astonished a stranger.
With piece of raw meat in his hand,
he dived down the fore-hatchway,
ran along the low narrow passage
that led between-decks, and opening
the door of a small dark recess just
abaft the storeroom, called out
"Tom %
A very strange sound answered
him, partly like the squall of a cat,
and partly like the growl of wild
beast.
"He's hungry, poor old boy!" said
the lad, stepping forward and hold
ing the meat to the bars of a cage in
the farther corner, through which
was dimly visible the gaunt outline
of young tiger, bought cheap in
Southern India by the Captain, who
expected to make profit by selling
it to some menager1e when he got
home. For tiger, it was tame
enough; but the only one of the crew
for whom it showed any liking was
the little cabin-boy, who had named
it Tom, after his favorite brother
and never lost chance of talking tx
it always insisting that it understood
him perfectly.
"You see, Tom," said he, as th
tiger seized the meat, 'sthere aim
, much for you, cause aUe're gettin
}, short ourselves; but you'll have plen
), ty by-and-by, never fear"
The beast rubbed its huge yello'
g head caressingly against the han
which Jack thrust into the cage q
unconcernedly as if he were only PEI
ting a kitten, and lifted in obedienc
to the familiar call of ''Shake hands
Tom," the mighty forepaw, one strok
of which would have crushed the bo
like an egg-shell.
But just as the two strangely a
sorted playmates were in the heigl
of sport, a sudden clamor of voice
from above startled them both.
"Can't stop now, Tom," said Il
boy, as gravely as if he were excu
ing himself to one of his messmate
> ''There's something up, and the Ca
n tamil want me to help him mana;
: the ship, you know. By by
And up he went like rocket.
n When he reached the deck, t
erv cause of the tumuit at once beca1
. apparent. From behind the low re
five rudely built native boats, ca
with ten or twelve men on boar
were creeping out toward the doom
vessel.
"They're coming now, sure enough
J muttered the Captain through his
+! teeth "but [ guess they won't
q here for another twenty minutes y
for them boats O their'n are too he:
lily and lubberly built to 60 fast. S.
boys, we must fight for it now,
them black sarpints won't leave
man of us livin' if they git the b
r;,. Of it. You that hain't got cutlass
18th take boathooks OF capstan bars; {
rful
,us- jist break q few bottles, and scat
inc the glass around the deck; it'll
SCI tonish their bare feet some, reck
yer
, so Hickman, lay that grindstone on
and gunnel, and be ready to rip it G
lis,, on to the first boat that comes alo
les, side. If these black-muzzled m
OFFS,
rm, keys want our scalps, they've go
ak pay for 'em."
!sEGiee' The men obeyed his orders
ty. they did so with subdued air WI
Illes showed how little hope they had
nge- anything beyond selling their live
yenS
and dearly as possible.
1 the In truth, the bravest man m
dis dis have been pardoned for despairln
ER's such situation. Even including
,,or officers, the ships company (alrt
rails, thinned by storm and sickness) C
more muster only sixteen men, while