San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-06
BOUN D.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL,
Author of "7he VrecE of the Grosuenor, a."
sacks Courtship," My Watch Be-
ko,U, ""Ihe Lady Maud Etc.
tents down his beard.

tents down his beard.
With some small idea of rallying the old
villain, | mixed him very stiff bumper of
brandy, which he supped down out of my
hand with the utmost avidity The draught
soon worked in him, and he began to move
his head about, seeking me in his blind way,
and then cried, in his broken notes, Il have
lost the use Of my legs, and cannot walk
Mother of God, what shall | do! Oh, holy
st. Antonio, what is to become of mel"
Iguessed from this that impelled by habit
or some small spur of reason, he had risen to
go on deck, and had fallen. He went on va
porting pitifully, gazing with sufficient stead
fastness to let me understand that his vision
received something of my outline, though he
would fix his eyes either to the left or right
of me, as though he was not able to see if he
looked straight and this, and his mournful
cackle, and his nodding head bowed form,
propped hands and diminished face, made
him as distressful and melancholy picture
of Time as ever mortal man viewed He
broke off in his rambling to ask for more
brandy taking it for granted that | was still
in the cook room, for l never spoke: and
filled can for him, and as before held it to
his mouth, which he opened wide-a piece of
behavior which went to snow that some of
his wits still hung loose upon him. This
was strong dose, and, cooperating with the
other, soon seized hold on his head and pres
emily he began to laugh to himself and talk,
and even broke into Stave or two-some
French song, which he delivered in a voice
like the squeaking of rat, alternating with
the growing of terrier.
guess his stumbling upon this old French
catch (which | took it to be from seeing him
feebly flourish one of his sticks, as if inviting
a chorus) put him upon speaking his own
tongue altogether; for though he continued
to chatter with all the volubility his breath
would permit during the whole time l sat
eating, not one word of English did he speak.
and not one word, therefore, did l under
stand. Seeing how it must be with him pres
emily, brought his mattress and rugs from
his cabin, and had scarce laid them down
when he let fall one Of his sticks and dropped
over 1 grasped him, and, partly lifting,
partly hauling, got him ON his back and
covered him up. In few minutes he was
asleep.
l trust shall not be deemed inhuman if I
confess that heartily wished his end would
come Ii he went on living he promised to
be an intolerable burden to me, being quite
helpless. Besides, he was much too old for
this world, in which a man who reaches the
age OF 10 is pointed to as a sort of wonder.
Nothing worth recording happened that
day. The wind slackened, and the ice trav-
eled so slow that at shutdown could not dis
cover that we had made more than quarter
of mile of progress to the north since noon,
though we had settled by half as much again
that distance westward.
I had not closed my eyes on the previous
night, and was tired out when the evening
arrived; and as no good could come of my
keeping watch, for the simple reason that
1t was not in my power to avert anything
that might happen, l tumbled some further
covering over the Frenchman, who had lain
on the deck all the afternoon, sometimes
DOING, sometimes waking and talking to
himself, and appearing on the whole very
easy and comfortable and went to my cabin
slept sound the whole night through, and
on waking went on deck before going to the
cook house and lighting the furnace las was
my custom) so impatient was to observe our
state, and to hear such news as the ocean
had for me. 1t was after S-a very curious
day, somewhat darksome, and dead calm,
with large, long swell out of the southeast.
The sky was full of clouds, with a STOPPING
appearance in the hang of them that re-
minded you of the belly of hammock :;
they were of a sallow brown, very uncom-
mon; some of them round about slipped the
sea line, and their shadows, obliterating
thoSe narfs of tho ciucty,ra ,ybiob 4l,axr ,1xzar