The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-09-07

the buiwarks again 10 watch them. She
was Yankee beyond doubt; ! had rather met
my W countrymen; but, next to q British, ]
would have chosen an American ship 10 meet.
Somehow, despite the Frenchman, ! felt my
self TO have been alone throughout my adj
venture, and so sore was the effect OF that
solitude upon my spirits that 1t seemed twenty
years since ! had seen a ship, and since l had
held communion with my own species. / was
terribly agitated, and shook in every limb.
Life must have been precious always, but
never before had 1t appeared 50 precious as
now, while I gazed at that homely ship,
with her maintopsail to the mast, swinging
stately upon the swell, the faces Of the sea-
men plain, the smoke Of her galley fire
breaking from the chimney, the sounds Of
grooming blocks and creaking parrals steal
ing from her. Such q fountain of joy broke
out Of my heart that my whole being was
flooded with it, and had that mood lasted !
believe l should have exposed the treasure in
the run, and invited all the men Of the whaler
to share in it with me.
They stare ixedly-little wonder that they
should be astounded by such an appearance
as my ship exhibited One Of the several
boats which hung at her davits was lowered,
the oars flashed, and presently she was near
enough to be hit with q biscuit; but when
there the master, as I supposed him to be,
h was steering, sang out, WAS row.
ingl" the boat came to a stand, and her peo-
pie to a man stared at me with their chins
upon their shoulders as IL I had been a f1end.
1t was plain as q pikestaff that they were
frightened, M that the superstitions OF the
forecastle were hard at work in them while
| they viewed me. They looked q queer COM
pany; two were negroes, the others pale
faced, bearded man, wrapped up in clothes to
the aspect of scarecrows. The fellow who
steered had q face as long as a wet hammock,
and it was heightened yet to the eye by
beard like a goats hanging at the extremity
of his chin.
He stood up-at tall, lank figure, with Leg
like a pair of compasses-and hailed m
afresh; but the high swell, regular as the
swing Of a pendulum, i~nterposed its brow
between him and me, so that at one moment
he was a sharply lined figure against the sky
of the horizon, and the next he and his boat
and crew were sheer gone out of sight, and
this made an exchange Of sentences slow ana
troublesome.
"Say, MASTER he sung out, "what d,yt
say the schooner's name isF'
"The Boca del Dragon" ! replied.
"And who are you, mateyf'
San English sailor, who has been cas-
away on an island of ice" / answered, talk
ing very shortly, that the replies might fol
low the questions before the swell sank him
"Ay, ay," says he, ''that's very well, bu
when was you cast away, bullyF'
Igave him the date.
"That's not a month ago." cried he.
sits long enough, whatever the time,
said I.
Here the crew fell a~-talking, turning from
one another to stare at me, and the negroes
eyes showed as big as saucers in the disma,
of their regard.
"See here, MASTER sung out the lonl
man, elf you ha'n't been cast away moren
month, how come you clothed as men wen
dressed a century sin, heyr
The reason of their ~misgivings fashe.
upon me-. It was not 50 much the schoone
as my appearance. The truth was, m.
clothes having been wetted, I had ever sine
been wearing such thick garments as ] me
with In the cabin, keeping my legs warn
with jack boots, and l had become so used t
the garb that / forgot l had it on. You vii
judge, then, that / must nave presented
figure very nicely calculated to excite til
wonder and apprehension of a body of me-
whose superstitious instincts were alread.
sufficiently luttered by the appearance O
the schooner, when l tell you that, in add
tion to the jack boots and a great fur COZ
my costume was formed of a red plus
waistcoat lacd with silver, purple breeche:
a coat of frieze with yellow braiding an
huge cuffs, and the cloak that l had take
from the body of Mendoza
To be Continued.