Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-05-14
CHAPTER XIV.

watch for Jenny's return.
 CHAPTER XIV. THE EAST INDIAMAN.
 An hour before sunset an East Indiaman. of the build and beauty familiar to students of sea pieces painted seventy years ago, was some leagues to the southward of the Start, under pressure of full and towering canvas. She was one of five vessels, and carried the commodore's pennant; for here was little squadron of peaceful merchantmen under taking long and perilous voyage, with nothing better to protect them against an uprush of enemy's ships than their own carronades and the stout hearts that filled the forecastle.
 The four ships, which had no need to check their weather braces to let the conn Eaodore hold the van, were scattered to right and left upon the dark surface of the water, yet not so far but that half hours sailing would enable them all to close. Such q majestical object as the foremost vessel looked, frothing the blue at her bow, and sweeping her stately spaces of white against the heavens, no pen could express.
 At this moment some sailors, furling the awning long the tall poop, left to the naked ness of the sky a numerous company of
 
 deck, brilliant with coloring of female ap- parel the gold and white of uniforms, the sheen of brass catching the ruby glitter of sunlight. the flash of glazed skylights, the trim coils of salt-white rope.
 Conspicuous among the passengers was a black man, clothed with mighty turban, in the midst of which flashed a jewel He sat in state near the wheel, scar cely deigning to bend his red-brown eyes on the commander of the ship who was addressing him. At either elbow of this potentate stood two black attendants, inf1exible figures of ebony. The rest of the passengers occupied parts of the poop at respectful distances from his high ness, yielding him, with proper modesty, that regal environment of space which is one kind of sustenance of majesty.
 "If you shall look dar," said the Indian, with naughty nod of the head in the direc- tion of the sea to the left, "you will see black ting"
 Captain Turbulent, full-faced man, with legs curving outward to as true an oval as the outline of an egg, looked hard at the water, but protested that he could see nothing.
 "Mr. Mattocks," called the captain, "get the glass and sweep the sea to leeward on the port bow, and tell mo if there is anything to be seen there, will you!"
 The officer thus directed took up a tele- scope from the skyight, and began to work away with it.
 "There's a ships boat, sir, down there, about four points on the port bow," he sang out presently. "I don't see anybody in her, sir. It's job to fix her."
 "What tell you?" said the prince.
 "Let her go off a couple of points, ex- claimed the captain, motioning with his hand to the man at the wheel "Weu run down and see what it's like. Your highness has good eyes,"
 Now, whether 'his highness" was the cor rect term to apply to the Indian, Captain Turbulent did not positively know; it sounded well and felt safe, and that was the merit of it. The black man was prince of some terri tory to the northward of the Sautpoora mountains, and was now returning to his subjects after voyage to London, where he had been enlarging his mind by visiting King George, the Tower, Change alley and more harmful places of curiosity.
 The boat was soon a visible object to ths right of the crimson fall of sunshine on the sea, and one by one the passengers left their seats on the deck and went to the poop rail to look at her. Even his highness sunk his dig nifty for the sake of his curiosity, and com- manded his servants to carry his char to the other side of the deck, where he had the boat clear in his sight, while the attendants sa- laamed to their slippers. NIL 44dGGOOAS, ScCOuu OAuCoA O1 Guo 1LnZc- beth, had ascended the rigging to the height of a dozen ratlines, and was covering the boat with his telescope.
 @What do you make of her2" called Captain Turbulent
 ''Why, she looks like man-of- f-war's dingey gone adrift. don't see any one in her, sir. Then a moment after, "Hellol there's some- thing dark in the bottom of her. caught sight of it as she rolled this way. There again, sir!"
 "Stand by to man the weather main l bracesl" shouted the captain. "Let her go off another point, and pass her close-d'ye don't run her down. Put us that we may see l into her.n
 Some of the hands came tumbling aft to the braces, and then silence fell, for expec- tation was strong enough to keep even the ladies silent. No object that ship can en- counter excites more curiosity than a boat fallen in with leagues away from the land, for rarely does it fail to prove witness to some tragedy, freighted, being ofttimes hor- rible with death or madness or the gaunt agony of thirst, and empty, almost always q memorial of some great disaster, and pathetic | In twenty minutes time the boat was close ahead.
 The ships way was stopped; down splashed the cutter full of men; the oars cheeped mer- rily, and with fine smartness the boat was laid in tow and brought alongside.
 In the bottom of her two men, one atop of the other, under the thwarts, and a third in the stern sheets, his head back and his half-closed eyes fixed upon the sky. The wo. men sent up cry when they saw them; but not the horror but the pity of it went to the hearts of the men, for the dress of one ot the lonely dead was an English naval officers, and no more was needed to make feeling deep.
 The doctor, who had been reused by the steward from q nap. which he had been taking over book in his cot, came bustlins through the crowd, and treading on the slip pers of royalty with little concern, and even jeopardizing the delicate amoer or the be
 Mechanics Hotel.
 149 so. MAIN ST.