News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-07-20
The Captains Tale.
FROM GA SUMMER IN THE AZORES" BY
G. ALICE BAKER.

''One day in March, 1869, while w
WAS layin' in port off Bunbury, in West
ern Australia, was ashore; and 1 Sc,
a nice lookin' young fellow, about TWEEN
ty-four years old, eyein' me pretty sharp
He was at work on chain-gang. Watch
in his chance, ne says to me, Are yor
the mate of that whaler?'
"'Yes,' says I.
'Then said ne, Has the priest sale
anything to you about me p
"'No, says 7.
"'Well, he's goin' to- says he, and
passed on quick.
"The priest follered right along, and
asked me If I'd ever seen that vouno
man before.
Never, to my knowledge says /.
''Ihen he told me it was --, a
Fenlan prisoner that he had been con-
fined IN Dartmoor prison in England
for seven months, and then sent to
Australia for life; that he'd ben there
goin' on 'leven months, and wanted to
get of. And the up-shot of it was the
priest offered me five hundred dollars
to get him off.
81 told him didn't want the money.
If he'd ben thief or murderer I
wouldn't have tried to help him any
way but L couldn't make out that he'd
committed any crime ; so the priest and
L, we fixed 1t that the next day, when
my ship got under way, should pick
him up in the yawI-and L did.
|" 1t beat all how quick erybody on
board took to that fellow-he was so
pleasant, and such handsome young
chap.
/" Well, come August, we had to put
into Rodrigues for water. 1t WAS that.
or die of thirst. Thab's not far from
Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.
"By this time the news of IS es-
cape had got ahead of us and was known
all over the world. 1t was just before
sunset when boat from shore come
alongside, and her officer boarded US.
s'- was standin' just as near me as
1 be to you, when the captain up and
says to me: Have you got man
aboard by the name OF -?
"I kind of thought a minute-it
seemed if twas about an hour and
then says No. says I, very quiet;
we did have a fellow aboard by the
name of Brown, but he died two months
ago at JAVA
"He looked at me a minute then
says he, well, you've got some ticket
of-leave men aboard, haven't you?'
81 was mighty glad he asked me that;
for 1 thought it would take up his at
tentlon and give me little time to
think.
" Il can't say as to that says I.
"'Well, says he, 'calI your men mp
from forrard and we1l soon find out
"'No,' says [: 1 don't want nothin'
to do with that kind of business. You
can look for yourselves if you like
$50 he andhis gang went forrard and
hauled out the stowaways, and put 'em
aboard their boat, and pulled ashore,
appearin' to be satisfied.
Gas soon as they were gone, -,
half crazy, says to me: My God it's
all up with me What can L do?
They'll come back for me, but I'll never
be taken alive =
'I knew he meant what he said for
the priest had told me he'd tried to
commit suicide, and, if he couldn't
escape, had determined to kill himself.
I calmed him down told him to go be-
low and keep out of sight, and I'd try
to think up something but, says I,
You shan't be taken as long as I can
stand by your
81 knew very well that as soon as
they got ashore those ticket-of-leave
men would blow on HIM and really
didn't know what to do. Things looked
/ black.
"By this time it got to be dark, and
sat down by myself to think. Then
remembered kind of locker under the
stairs, where the steward sometimes
KEEP the dishes he wasn't usin'. It was
shut by pushin' one of the stairs right
over If. knew they'd never find him
there. Then I went to - and told
him to go and find little grindstone
there was on the ship, while kept the
men busy forrard When 1 come back
I'd stop spell and talk with steward
and when he heard me talkin' he must
throw the grindstone and bis hat over
board, give shrek and then run and
stow himself in the locker.
When 1 come along back I stopped
and says to the steward, Il don't
know what will happen when
those fellows come aboard to-mor-
row morning. - will never be taken
alive. He'll kill some of 'em and kill
himself; he threatened to do it in Aus
tralis.'
"Just then we heard a great splash
and a scream. whats that p says l.
"It's -, says the steward hes
thrown himself overheard
" Everybody heard it. The captain
was off that day. ] rushed aft, told the
other officers and ordered out the boats.
The men felt terribly. Every one oi
EN- was fond of him. We got out fouI
boats and swept that harbor for hours.
was the last boat in. When ] got
aboard / found the second mate Ieanin
over the ships side, cryin' bitterly.
He's gone, poor fellow here's his bat,
the men have just picked it up. W
never shall see him again.