Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-04-26
CHAPTER xxx.

OUR PROGRESS TO THE CHANNEL.
When started to relate my adventure
never designed to write an account Of tho
journey home at large. On the contrary,
foresaw that, by the time had arrived at
this part, you would have had enough Of the
sea. Let me now, then, be as brief as pos
sible.
The melting of the ice and the slowly m
creasing power of the sun were ipexpressibly
consoling to me, who had had SO much of the
cold that d protest il Elysium were bleak,
no matter how radiant, and the abode of the
flends as hot as it is pictured, would choose
to turn my hack upon the angels. I cannot
say, however, that the sooner was properly
thawed until we were hard upon the parallels
Of the Falkland Islands; she then showed her
timbers naked to the sun, and exposed q
brown solid deck rendered ugly by several
dark patches, which, scrape as we might, we
could not obliterate. We struck the guns
into the hold for the better ballasting Of the
vessel, got studdingsail booms aloft, over
hauled her suits Of canvas, and found great
square sail which proved Of inestimabls i'm
portance in light winds and in running.
After the ice was wholly melted out Of her
frame she made a little water, yet not so
much t that a half7hour's spell at the pump
twice day easily freed her. But, curiously
enough, at the end of fortnight she became
tight again, which attribute to the swelling
Of her timbers by their direct contact with
the water.
We were slender company, but we man
aged extraordinarily we'll The men were
wonderfully content; never heard so much
as a murmur escape from ono of them; they
never exceeded their rations nor asked for
. drop more Of liquor then we had agreed
among us should he served out. But, as had
anticipated, our security lay in our alender-
ness. We were too few for disafRection. Tho
negroes were as simple as children, Wilkinson
looked to find his account in happy arrival;
and IL l was not strictly speaking, their cap
tain, / was their navigator, without whom
their case would have been as perilous a.
mine was on the ice.
1t was on the 5th of December that We
sighted the Scilly Isles. guessed what that
land was, but SO vague had been my naviga-
tion that burst not be sure, until, spying q
smack with her nets over, steered for her
and got the information needed from her
people They answered us with an air Of
fear, and, in truth, the fellows had reason, for,
besides the singular appearance Of the ship,
the four Of us We're appareled in odds and
ends Of the antique clothes, and have little
doubt they considered us lunatics Of another
country, who had run away with ship be-
longing to parts where the tastes and fashions
were behind the age.
B Now, as You may suppose, by this time
had settlcl my plans; and as we sailed up
channel unfOlded them to my companions
i pointed out that before we entered the
'I;ver it would te necessary to discharge our
ladiny INTO some little vessel that would
smuggle the booty ashore for us. The figure
the schooner made was SO peculiar that she
would inevitably attract attention; she would
instantly be boarded in the Thanes on our
coming to anchor and if told the truth she
would be seized as a pirate, and ourselves
dismissed with a small reward, and perhaps
with nothing.
"My scheme, said I, "is this: have rel
ative In London to whom l shall commune
cate the news Of my arrival and tell him my
story. You, Wilkinson, must be the bearer
Of this letter. He is a shrewd, active man,
and will leave it to him to engage the help
we want. There is no lack of the right kind
Of serviceable men at Deal; and il they are
promised substantial interest in smuggling
our lading ashore, they will run the goods
successfully, do not fear. As there is sure
to be man-of-war stationed in the Downs,
We aiuol httP VI tudI ouNhSio6S.
will land you at Lydd, whence you will
make your way to Dover and thence to Lon
don. Cromwell and Pitt will return and
help me to keep cruising. My letter to my
relative will tell him where to seek me, and
shall know his boat by her flying a jack.
When We have discharged our lading we
viii sail to the Thames, and then let who will
come aboard, for we shall have a clean hold.
This" continued I, sis the best scheme
can devise. The risks Of smuggling attend
IL, TO be sure; but against those risks We
have to put the certainty Of our forfeiting
our Just claims to the property If We carry
the schooner TO the Thames Even suppose,
when there, that We should not be immedi-
ately visited, and SO be provided with an OPP
portuity to land our stuff, whom have We to
trustl The Thames abounds with river
thieves, with Jumpers, scuftie hunters, mud
larks, glutmen, rogues Of all sorts, 20 hire
whom would mean 70 bribe them with the
value Of half the lading, and to risk their
stealing the Other half. But this Is the lesser
6iniculty; the main oas lies N thu; ghsrs