The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1888-05-19
A STOWAWAY.
The Boy Who Proved Himself 9
"True Englishman."

cay. ay, sir; they re smart sea"e"
enough, no doubt, them Dalmatians,
and reason good. too, SEEM they man
half the Austrian navy; but they amt
got the seasonin' of an Englishman,
put it how yer will!' i
/ am 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 ne
phrases it) shas been about a 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
scrape."
"Can no one but an Englishman have
any pluck, then?" asked /. laughing.
..Well. won't just gofor to say that;
o. course a man as is man 'ull have
pluck in him all the world over. I've
seed Frencher tackle shark to save
his messmate; and I've seed Rooshan
stand to gun arter every man in the
battery, barrin' himself had been
blowed all to smash. But if yer come
to that, the pluckicst Teller as ever l
seed warn't man at alp
.'What was he. then--a womanP'
mo, nor that neither; though, mark
We, don't go for to say as how women
amt got pluck enough, too, some on
'em, at least. But this un as I'm a
talkin' on was little lad, not much
bigger N Tom Thumb, only with a
sperrit of his own as 'ud ha' blowed up
a man-o'-war Almost. Would you like
to hear about itp''
Ieagerly assent; and the narrator,
knocking the ashes out OF his pipe.
folds his brawny arms upon the top OF
the rail. and commences as follows:
"'Bout three years ago, afore l got
this berth rs I'm in now, / was second
engineer aboard q 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
Job stowin' it away. and that ran us
late o. startin'; 50 that altogether. as
you may think. the cap'n warn't alto
gether in the sweetest temper in the
world, nor the mate neither. As fol
the chief engineer, he was an easy
goin' sort o. chap as nothin' on eartt
could put ont But on the mornin' o.
the third day out from Liverpool, h
cum down to me in precious hurry
lookin' as if somethin' had put him ou
pretty considerably.
"sTom,' says he, what dye think
Blest if we amt found stowaway.
Chats the name. you know, sir. as w
gives to chaps as hides theirselve
aboard outbound vessels, and get
carried out unbeknown to everybody
II didn't wait to hear mo more. bu
mp on deck like sky-rocket; and Their
/ did see a sight. and no mistake
Every man-Jack o. the crew and wha
few passengers we had aboard was a
in ring on the fo'castle. and in tn
middle stood the first mate lookin' a
black as thunder. Right in front {
him, lookin' regular mite among a
them big fellers was little bit O. a la
not ten years Outraged as scar
crow. but with bright, curly hair and
bonnie little face o. his own, il it hadn
been so woeful thin and pale. Blu
bless yer soul! to see the way that lit
chap held his head up and looked abol
him, you'd hs' thought the whole shi
belonged to him. The mate was
great. hulkin'. black-bearded felle
with look that 'ud ha' frightened
horse, and voice fit to make one jun
through keyhole; but the young I
warn't bit afeard-he stood straig
up, and looked him full in the IA
with them bright, clear, eyes, o. his
for all the world rs if he was Prin
Hatred himself. Folk did say afte
ward Towering his voice to whispe
as how he'd come o. better blood n
what he ought and. for my part. I
rayther O. that way O. thinkin' myse
for Inever yet seed common sire
Harab Gas they calls 'em now carry
off like him. You might ha' heard
pin drop as the mate spoke.
".Well. you young whelp.' said
in his grimmest voice, what broug
you hereg
".lt was my step-father as done
SAYS the boy in weak little voice,
as steady as could be. Fathers DEF
and mothers dead again, and my n
father says as how he won't have
brats about eatin' up his wages; and
slowed me away whom nobody war
lookin'. and guve me some grub to k
me goin' fQr day OF Two al go