Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-24
SETTING A BROTHER FREE.
AY0LD SAILORS QUEER FARM
4, u,s,srleus cruise whose object was Final
~ Rsvsaied-A Plan Wei Carried Out
Rtseulpg Convict
gN.xs XnFb T.rl1,ftua

Nv
Rt.suipG Convict.
New York Tribune.l
al suppose you have had many
strange experiences and adventures "
said Tribune reporter TO an old sailor
who sat on q spar whiting a model
from a piece of soft wood. The man
addressed took his pipe from his mouth
and replied;
"Yes, but the strangest Of them hap
pcned just twenty years ago this month.
| was standin' down. on the Battery,
and wondcrin' where was goin' to get
my next meal, when some one puts
their hand on my shoulder and says
Hullo, my man, do you want to ship?'
| turned round and touched my hat TO
the man and says; Yes, SIR without
asking any questions, for you see was
dead broke, and glad of the chance to
ship on anything from canal-boat to a
clipper ship. Where's your kit? says
be. up here on West street, sir, says
I. We'll, go get it and meet me here
in half an hour. BE lively, now, and
without another word he turned on his
heel and walked off. | watched him
till h. was out OF sight an then went
and got my bag, and, takin' 1t on my
back, carried it down to the Battery.
When | got there the man was waiting
for me, and as soon as me saw he comm
he went TO the edge Of the water an gave
a low whistle, an almost afore knew it
boat with two men in it, which had
been lying somewhere off Castle Gar
den, shot in alongside the wharf.
Jump in says he. So | threw
my bag down into the bows
and climbed down after it, ex-
pectin' he was a goin' to follow me ;
but instead Of that he says, All right,
shove off, and afore | had a chance to
say anything we was good cables
length from the shore and headed down
toward the Narrows. / tried to talk
with the men in the boat, but | might
as well a saved my breath for all the
good it done me, an I'd just made up
my mind to take to the water an try to
swim ashore when we run alongside
little schooner that lay off the south end
of Bedloe's island. with her fore an
mansalls set an her Jjibs loose.
\ MYSTERIOUS VOYAGE.
"Well, now, you see, hadn't an
idea where we was bound, an seem the
mate standin' in the waist, went up
to him, an, touching my hat, said
Where are we sgOin,' sir: You're
gon' to get forty dollars q month, an
that's twice what you're worth, says
he. an turned on his heel an went ait,
| looked at him till he was as far aft as
the main riggin', an, thinks | to
myself. Well, you're nice sort Of a
chap. but if you didn't lie about the
pay guess ! can get along with you
for awhile asked one OF the men
for'srd where be was bound, but he
didn't know any more'n ! did about it,
an said that all the men were new
hands and had come on board the day
before. The next mornin' at sunrise
we was out of sight Of land, an headin'
southeast by south an crackin' on sail
as though we was sailin' race. Things
run on in the same way for about
three weeks, the old man keepin' a
sharp lookout for sails, and seemin'
uneasy when he saw one. One MORN
in one Of the men who was aloft
O,erhaulin the fore-topsail sheet sang
out. Land no = Where away?'
saws the mate. Dead ahead, sir says
the man. The mate went an called the
captain. an in few minutes the old
man was on deck, an although I'd
been about all over the world, |
couldn't make out where we was.
After the old man had taken good
look at the land the helm was put up,
an Tor two days we ran down the coast
with the wind over our quarter an the
land in sight most of the time.
"On the third day after we sighted
the land, when | turned out in the
mornin' | took a look round, an it
seemed to me that things looked kind
Of familiar. | knew we was on the
South American coast. but where |
couldn't make out. About six bells
went aloft to stow the ioretopsail, an
after 10 made it up | took another look
round before layin' down from aloft,
an made up my mind we was some
where to the or'ard of Cape st.
ROGUE. That night durin' my watch
below we shifted our course, an
when came on deck we was
headin' about east-southeast, with
only our mainsail an jib set. just
before sunrise we got the foresail on
her. an about O'Clock we sighted two
small islands over the weather bow.
There seemed to be kind of fort on
one of 'em an few houses, an on the
other about half dozen long sheds.
Just as soon as | seen those two islands
| knew where we was; for ! had been
close to 'em before in the ship Eagle,
an had been told such tough yarns
about 'em that ! made up my mind |
shouldn't forget 'em in hurry. They
belonged to Brazil, an if the Govern
ment wanted to get rid Of a man an
didn't dare to kill him right out, they
sent him out there an starved him to
death.
REsCUING A CONVICT.
81 wondered what we was a-crusin'
off here for, an was just a-goin' to tell
my shipmates where we was when the
mate sings out: LAY aft here, all
hands, We all went aft to the quar-
ter-deck, an the passenger who'd come
off in the boat with the captain the
night we left New York stepped for'ard
an says: Boys, do you know where
you're goin'?' We all said No, sir :
an one man said he didn't care so long
as he got his pay for it. Well,
says the passenger, IN tell you where
you are and what you're here for.
Those islands you see there are the
Brazilian convict islands, an we're here
to rescue my brother, who's been sent
there for some political oflence-it
don't matter what to you. If we sue
coed I'll give you all sl00 besides your
pay; an il we don't, why you're
no worse off than you was before.
That's all. You may 60 forward ,
an, turning to the captain, he talked