Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-16
ICE BOUN D.
By W. CLARK RUsSELI4
Author Of "The Wreck Of the GrosrenoeLs
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''Never concern yourself about my humor,
Mr.. Tanard,r said I, preserving my deter.
mined cir and coming close to him again.
How 10 1t 10 stand between usi I leave
the choice 10 you. II you will treat me
civflly you'll not find me wanting in svery
disposition to render our miserable state tol>
erable; but " you insult me, use me inju-
riously, and act the pirate over me, who am
On honest man, BY God, Mr.. Tassard, will
Kill your
He stopped away from me and raised his
hand in posture a. II to fend me on, and
cried, in whining manner: ~ lost my head
this gunpowder business hath been . he'll
hsh disappointment--looky you, Mr.. Rodney.
Comei We will drink . can to our future
amityr,
Ianswered coldly that I wanted no more
wine, and bade him beware Of me; that be
had gone far enough; that our hideous con-
dition had filed my soul with desperation
and misery, and that would not have my
life on this frozen schooner made more abom-
Unable than IL was by his swagger, lies and
insults; and added, In loud voice and in q
menacing manner, that death had no terrors
for mo, and that would dispatch him with
as little fear as I should meet nv doom,
whatever shape il took.
marched on deck, not Q little astounded
by the cowardice Of the old rascal, and very
well pleased with the marked impression my
bearing and language had produced on him
Not that ! supposed for a moment that nv
bold compartment would save me from his
knife or his pistol when he should think
proper to make away with me. No. All 1
reckoned upon was cowing him into q civiler
posture Of mind, and checking his agresSions
and insolence
I stayed but minute or two on deck.
Such was the cold that do not know had
ever felt IL more biting and bitter.
I returned below and sat down Tho
Frenchman asked me no questions. He had
his can In the oven and his deaths head in
his great hand, and pulled out clouds Of
smoke Of the color Of bis beard, and indeed
In the candle and fire light looked like q
hgure Of old Time, with his long nose and
bald head. addressed ono or two civil re-
marks to him. which he answered in sub
dued manner, discovering no resentment
whatever that could trace in his eyes or tho
expression Of his countenance; and being
wishful to show that I bore no malice l
talked Of pirates and their usages, and asked
II tho Booa del Dragon fought under the red
or black flag.
"Why, the black flag, certainly" said he;
"but II We met with resistance il was our
custom to haul 1t down and hoist the red
nag, to let our opponents know we should
give no quarter"
"Where is your flag lockerr' said l.
''In my berth, he answered. e.,
II should like TO sec tho black flag" ex-
claimed; "tis the one piece Of bunting, be-
heve, have never viewed"
'Tll fetch II" /" said he, and taking the Ian
torn went aft very quietly, but with Ger
tain stagger In his walk, which should have
put down TO the wine II It was not that his
behavior was free from all symptoms Of
inebriation. The change in him surprised
me, but not 80 greatly a. you might suppose;
indeed, it excited my suspicious rather than
my wonder. Fear worked in him unques-
tionably; but what seemed to see best was
some malignant design which he hoped to
conceal by an air of conciiiation and o
quality Of respectful bon homie.
He came back with a flag in his hand, and
We spread it between US; 1t was black, with
q yellow skull grinning in the middle; over
this an hour glass, and beneath cross bones
"What CONSERVATION has this signal caused
and does still causel" said /, surveying IL,
while . hundred fancies Of the barbarous
scenes 1t had flown over, the miserable cries
for mercy that had swept up past it to the
ear Of God, crowded into my mind. II
think, Mr.. Tassard, )" said I, "that our first
step, should we ever find ourselves afioat in
this ship, must be to commit this and all
other flags Of q like kind on board TO the
deep. There Is evidence In this piece Of
drapery to hang an angel"
He let fall bis end Of the flag, and sat down
suddenly.
"Yes," he answered, sending curious roll
ing glance around the cook room, and at the
same time bringing his hand to the back Of
his head, "this Is evidence to dangle oven an
honester man than you, sir All flags but
the ensign we resolve to sail under must go
all flags, and all the wearing apparel, and
and-but"-here he muttered a curse-"ws
are fixed; there is to be no sailing"
He shook his head and covered his eyes.
His manner was strange, and the stranger
for his ouietude.
! said to him, "Are you ill.,"
II he heard he did not heed me, but fell a.
muttering and crying to himself. And now
did certainly remark quality In his voice
that was new to my ear; it was not, as he
had said, a labor or thickness Of utterance,
bnt dryness and parchedness Of old age,
with many breaks from high to low notes,
and lean noise Of dribbling threading every
word. He sweated and talked and muttered
but this was from sheer terror; he did not
swoon, but sat with a stoop, often pressing
his brows and gazing about him like one
whose senses are all abroad.
! "Gracious mother Of all angels" he ex-
claimed, crossing himself several times, but
with feeble, most agitated hand, and speak
ing in French and English, and sometimes
interjecting an invocation In Italian or
Spanish, though give you what he said in
my own tongue--"surely am dying. Oh
Lord, how frightful to die Oh holy Virgin,
Be merciful to mel shall 60 to hell. Oh
Jesu, am past forgivenessi For the love Of
heaven, Mr.. Rodney, some brandy Oh,
that some saint would interposs for mel
Only few years longer-grant me q few
years longer-I beseech for that time that
may repent" and he extended one quivering
hand for the brandy (of which a draught
stood melted in the oven), and made the sign
Of the cross upon his breast with the other,
while he continued to whine out in his
cracked pipes the widest appeals for mercy,
saying vast deal that drrst not venture
TO set down, SO plentiful and awful were his
clamors for time that he might repent,
though he never iapsed into blasphemy, but
on the contrary discovered an agony Of
religious horror.
was much astonished and puzzled by this
illness that had come upon him; for, though
he talked Of darkness and faintness and OF
dying, he continued to sit up on his bench
and to take pulls at the can Of brandy had
handed to him. 1t might be, indeed, that a
sudden faintness had terrified him nearly out
Of his senses with prospect Of approaching
death; but that would not account for the
peculiar note and appearance Of age that had
entered his figure, face and voice. Then an
extraordinary fancy occurred to me: Had
the whole weight Of the unhappy wretch's
years suddenly descended upon himi Or, II
not wholly arrived, might not these indi-
cations In him mark the first stage Of a
gradually increasing pressurel The heat, the
vivscity, the herceness, spirits and temper Of
the life had been instrumental In restoring
TO him probably illustrated his character as
II was eight and forty years since they had
Aourished artificially from the moment Of his