The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-04-05
A STOWAWAY.
The Boy Who Proved Himself g
"True Epglishman."

aAv, ay, sir; they re smart seamen
epough, no doubt, them Dalmatians.
and reason good. too, seein' they man
half the Austrian navy; but they amt
got the seasonin' of an Englishman,
put it how yer will!'
lam standing on the upper deck of
the Aurtrian Lloyd steamer, and beside
me, with his elbow on the hand-rail
and his short pipe between his teeth,
lounges the chief engineer, delighted
to get hold of listener who Gas he
phrases it) '.has been about bit.
mo, they amt got an Englishman's
seasonin'," he continues, land, what's
more. they amt got an Englishman's
pluck neither, when it comes to real
srape"
'Can no one but an Englishman have
any pluck, thenp" asked I, laughing.
"Well, won't Just go for to say that;
o course man as is a man 'ull have
pluck in him all the world over. I've
seed Frencher tackle shark to save
bis messmate; and I've seed a Rooshan
stand to gun arter every man in the
battery, barrin' himself had been
bowed all to smash. But. if yer come
to that, the pluckiest feller as ever l
seed warn't a man at ALP"
"Whatwas he. then-a woman?"
"No. nor that neither; though, mark
ge, don't go for to say as how women
amt got pluck enough, too, some on
en-, at least. But this un as I'm q
talkin on was a little lad, not much
bigger n Tom Thumb, only with a
sperrit of his own as 'ud ha' blowed up
aman-o'-war Almost. Would you like
10 hear about it?''
4 leagerly assent; and the narrator.
knocking the ashes out of his pipe,
folds his brawny arms upon the top of
therail. and commences as follows:
Bout three years ago, afore I got
this berth as I'm in now. I was second
engineer aboard Liverpool steamer
bound for New York. There'd been a
lot OF extra cargo sent down just at the
last minute, and we'd had no end of a
pb stowin' it away. and that ran us
late o startin'; so that altogether. as
you may think, the cap'n warn't alto
selher in the sweetest temper in the
world, nor the mate neither. As for
the chief engineer, he was an easy
soln' sort o chap as nothin' on earth
could put out. But on the mornin' OF
me third day out from Liverpool, he
cum down to me in precious hurry
o0kln' as if somethin' had put him out
pretty considerably.
Tom, says he, what dye Think
nlest il we amt found a stowaway.
t.hats the name. you know, sir, as we
gives to chaps as hides themselves
ABOARD. outbound vessels, and gets
'sfrled out unbeknown to everybody.
u didn't wait to hear no more, but
up on deck like sky-rocket; and there
va see sight and no mistake
every man-Jack o. the crew and what
WV passengers we had aboard was al
y = ring on the fo' castle. and in tht
aaaie stood the first mate lookin' al
'.aek as thunder. Right in front O.
aa' iookin' regular mite among al
.ae'a olgfellers was q little bit O a lac
a0' ten years old-ragged as a scare
.'oW, bat with bright. curly hair and {
s0ahie little face O. his own, if it hadn'
sea SO woeful thin and pale. But
ess yer soul! to see the way that littl,
saap neld his head up and looked abou
s'a4 you'd ha' thought the whole shil
Si'aged to him. The mate was !.
s,sat' hulkin', black-bearded feller
s'sa a look that nd ha' frightened
ap'se' and voice fit to make one juml
trough a keyhole; but the young III
ss'h a bit afeard-he stood straigh
ss and looked him full in the fac
~ .aem bright. clear, eyes. O. his'n
D. ali the world as if he was Primo
saaeed himself. Folk did say after
u towering his voice to a whisper
aow he'd come o. better blood no
naa aa. ne ought, and, for my part. rr
s'aer O. that way o. thinkin' myseli
/, never yet seed common stree
- ao ~ tas they calls 'em now carry
aSe him. You might ha' heard
ra arop as the mate spoke.
!, ven. yonlyoung whelp.' said hs
nus grimniest voice, what brough