Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-06-12
The Stnrp Tellet.:
AM UNLUCKY; SHOT.

AN UNLUCKY SHOT.
"Well, here we are at last, anyhow; and
now we will be able to get things ship-shape
q bit" s,...,..
as her anchor splashed into the smooth
water of Port of Spain roadstead, in the West
Indian island of Trinidad; and the first
smile that had been seen upon his hard old
face for nearly week broke over it as ne
looked around him. -..--q ...
The view was certainly beautiful enough
to have drawn smile from any man hv-
ing. The first rays of sunrise We're just
streaming through the gorges of the Mara
cas- mountains, and lighting up the stately
palms and dark-green orange groves that
clothed them almost to the summit. -
Below them lay the broad plain dotted
with trim, white houses, half buried IN
clustering trees of green, feathery sugar
cane, while in the foreground the quaint,
half Spanish streets and gardens OF the
town struggled along the curving shore OF
the bright, blue sea. l.,rJ.f...
But the finest landscape in the tropics
would have had little effect upon Mr.. John
Jawley-whom the crew were wont to call
his hearing them-and if he smiled, it was
not from any admiration of the scenery, but
simply because he was glad to find himself
snugly at anchor again. 80. 'i.H
And we'll he might be. All the way
across the Gulf of Mexico the poor old
Britannia had had the wind as dead against
her as if $50 the boatswain muttered savage
Ivy somebody had got up early every
morning and turned the wind round the
wrong Way.' With the wind had come
floods of rain, as if that was not enough,
the sea had beat in the skylight SHUTTLE, and
come pouring down below, washing hall
of the passengers out of their berths and
setting whole feet of carpet bags and
portmanteaus afoat in the saloon.
AS for the officers staterooms, they were
was bit of wag in his way, had propos-
ed to paste up a notice in the companion
way, offering handsome reward for the
discovery of pair of dry pants.
Altogether, the first officer had good cause
to be out of temper. First and foremost,
the captain was i'll, and Mr.. Jawley had to
take the whole charge of the Snip himself.
Then the salt water had spoiled his new
uniform, and had damaged box OF hand
somely bound books, which had just been
sent him from home. Thirdly, he had Civ.
en- his nose tremendous knock, which had
made it swell up as big as pear from all
VAIN
old quarter-master remarked with grin,
nbout as happy as skinned rat in pickle
barrel" ....
'What on earth are these creeping fel-
lows on shore about?" growled Jawing
Jack. "They must have seen us, and yet
there's no sign of any boats coming off.
We'd better fire our gun and wake 'em up a
bit. Where's that signal gun ?"
''Down in the after-hold, sir" answered
a sailor. "You told us to put it there t'toth-
er night, to be out of harms way"
"And did I tell you to keep it there TOR
ever after, you lubber ?" roared the officer,
turning fercely upon him. "Up with it,
smart, or there'll be a row."
The gun was sung, and hoisted up in
twinkling, for the men knew by experience
that Jawing Jack was not to be trltied with.
But when he attempted to load it, it proved
to be half choked with something which,
whatever it might be, would plainly have
to be got out before the charge could be
got in.
Again and again did Mr.. Jawley thrust
in the rammer as fercely as if he was stab
bing an enemy, but the obstruction would
not yield. -, o.,
tiger about to spring.
There was dead silence, and all the sail
ors seemed trying hard to look as if they
were somewhere else, while the purser, who
was always the first to be suspected when
any trick had been played, prudently drew
back out of sight, knowing well, that Mr..
Jawley, when fairly aroused, would have
thought nothing of knocking down an adj
miraI on his own quarterback.
Receiving no answer, the first officer
thought he might as we'll clear the gun first,
nd GftQr-
ward.
"Hand up the powder horn, sharp ~ cried
he, and he was instantly Obeyed.
Scraping the touch-hole clear with his
knife, he dropped in some powder and
flashed it off, hoping to burn away the OBJ
struction from without if he could not rake
it out from within. Instantly there arose a
smell so horrible that all the officers jumped
back as if they had been shot, and even the
roughest sailors made wry faces.
But Mr.. Jawley, whose iron visage
changed no more than if the scent had been
rose water, dropped in pinch after pinch OF
powder, tin he thought he had burned away
enough of the guns contents-whatever
they might be to make room for charge
which should blow away the obstruction
matter altogether.
"Wheel il to the side and point it down
into the water" ordered he, pouring good
quarter of pound of powder through the
touch-hole.
So completely had every one been occu-
pied with the gun that nobody noticed a
small boat putting off to them from the
shore. Pulled by four stout negroes, it
came briskly on, and ran alongside just as
the gun was fired. The report was followed
bya yell so terrific that it startled the whole
ship.
Mr.. Jawley sprang upon the bulwarks
and saw, to his horror, three men lying
in the boat, covered with blood and seem
ingiy dead, while the fourth, wiping a
great splash of crimson from his black face,
was screaming out that he was "blowed all
to bits"
The boat was at once hoisted on board,
and the four victims were taken down to
the doctor, who came up few minutes
later with very puzzled face.
II don't know what to think of those
fellows" said he. "There's not the least
sign Of a wound anywhere about them, and
I cannot imagine where on earth all that
blood can have come FROM"
81 think I can," chuckeled the second
officer, holding up the crushed body of
vounp rat which he had lust found in the