Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1883-12-27

aAASh Why hbout - u OioCh IL tub hlbGI-
noon. My crew consisted of only myself
and my two sons, Stephen and John
Stephen was 90 years old and Jack IL, and
they were both of them stout, rugged
boys. Our runs were SO short that l
found this to be crew enough, though
very frequently l took one or two more
hands. But on this occasion we had
promise of quick, fair passage, and we
three concluded to run her through. We
had fair wind for start, and ran down
the bay at good rate, opening the
passages between the Dauphin and Mobile
Point little after G. We were Just pass
ing the lighthouse, and l had the helm,
when l sung out to the boys to stand by
the sheets. Stephen went to the main
sheet, but l didn't see Jack. / waited
few minutes, and then sang gu. again.
Presently the boy came up from the fore
peak, but instead of going to the sheet he
came aft, and was just going to tell him
to go back to the fore sheet when dis
covered that he looked real kind o.
startled and fearful.
"What is it2" says l, forgetting the
sheets for knew that when one of my
boys showed quivering lip there was
something more than ordinary to pay.
He put his fingers to his lips and told
me to speak. low. For" aaid he "we've
got passengers aboard"
"Ha-runaway negroes" said l..
Not quite SO SIMPLE" returned Jack
with dubious shake of the head. "We'Ye
| got two villains aboard.'
'Whst two ?"
Leroy and Yickers!',
Get OUT" said 1, thinking he must
be joking.
| Father" said he-and when he spoke
father" in that way l knew there wa.
nothing but sober seriousness i'll what was
10 come after til tell you they're
aboard this schooner They're in the
hold, chock for'rd; and, what's more, they
mean to come out when we get well out
side I've heard, it oil %
|. steered straight out and listened Il
Jack, for ] knew 1t must be as he said
We had no forecastle parted off from tn,
hold, as all of US that ever wanted passag,
had plenty of room in the cabin but ",
had forepeak parted off, chock in be
tween the bows, where we slowed all rig
glng and tar buckets aud such kind o
stuff. While we were running down, Jacl
had gone into this place TO pick out SOM
upon an old sail, he sat down there. witt
bis back against the bulkhead, and begal
to unlay piece of rope for the yarns
de had not been at work IA great Will
before he heard noise among the boxe
in the hold, and after listening few
minutes he knew that somebody was il
there. He knew it could not be either
or stephen, for he had heard us both Oh
deck 80 he thought it must be negro
Presently he heard voice and then al
answer. There were two of them-an,
they were white men, too. Jack sat a
still rs mouse, with his ear to the THU
bulkhead, and he could hear nearly o.
that was said. He soon discovered tina
that they We're two villains who ha
escaped from the lookup in Mobile, an
that they meant TO kill us and throw Il
overheard as soon as we got outside an
then make run ACROSS the gulf to Cuba
As soon as heard Jacks story kneS
it was all just so, for he could repeat tn
very words they had spoken. They ha
crawled into the hold two nights before
and as we had commenced to fill up for war
before that, they had not been disturbed
They had weapons with them, and ha
managed to get some bread and water
And they had kept the run of the tim
pretty well, for Jack heard them tell owe
how long it would be before night set in
and they had it TO a very few minutes
They knew that we should be outside b
dark, and then they meant to come o
deck. / asked Jack If he was sure the
hadn't heard him in the forepeak.
They couldn't" he said, for / neve
made bit OF noise after knew they wer
there. They had been further aft when
vent down, aud We're crawling back t
| their old nest when ! heard 'em. Nc
they don't suspect that they're dit
covered"
When ! first began to reflect on this
must confess that was more than boil
cred. WAS startled and fearful.
thought what notorious, blood-thirst
villains they were, and with what perfet
! readiness they would cut our threats an
toss us overheard.
stephen, ''said as l saw how though
! full he was, what do you think of it p
j why, - said he, raising bis head an
. speaking as coolly as though he had bee
) talking about ordinary business. II thin
| wen pocket that 81 0O0!"
1 "Ehf" said l.
We've got 'em hard and fsst,'' /
added, land we can lay low and tax
EN-. There amt but one way for 'em
get out of the hold while the matches al
t on, and that's through the forepeak an
8 / suppose they've already got a passaf
i marked out through the bulk head. III
8 boards are thin, and they can easily z,
: one or two of 'em out of the way.
Z rather calculate they'll find somethin
: falling about the time they show then
j selves on the deck"
q AS soon as Stephen began to speak
/ saw how simple and practical our adval
\ tage was; and when ] saw that Jack WI
cool and confident, / had no more fear
( but set about the work of preparation
a once, | knew that the cargo wBs |
1 slowed that the villains could not reac
the cabin bulkhead, and ] also knew tn
/, they could not force tine matches. {
course they could reach the deck in IL
# easiest way possible, and that would be
my boy had said. II was now past SUI
a down, aud we had left the Dauphin {
our quarter, be well outside. The wiz
\ was from the northwest so we had it
a our beam, and needed TO pay but lit
4 attention to the sails
q The little hatch or scuttle-way to Il
forepeak was Just abaft the heel of IL
bowsprit, and, las it had been left open {
day, We left it open now. We had pisto
aboard-good ones-ss we always carrie
. them with us when moving about Il
i crowded docks; and one of our first NOV
ments was to see that these were careful
/ loaded, for we might have to use them
3 a case of emergency. Then we arrang,
u that Stephen and 1 should conceal on
g selves behind the bits by the bowspri
, and that, upon a given signal, Jack shou
e leave the helm and conceal himself aba
3 the foremost, ready to render such assis
Il ance SIS might be necessary.
y AS soon as the night had fairly shut
d Stephen and crept noiselessly forwa
70 and took our stations by the bits. It W
n not very dark, for there were no clou
/, in the heavens, and the stars shone brig
Vt and clear still 1t was dark enough for O
purpose. We had not lain there