Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-21


| saw how it was he supposed me de.
ranged-a notifying construction to place
upon the language of q man who had restored
him to life; yet few moments reflection
taught me to see the reasonableness of it. for
unless he thought me crazy he must conclude
| spoke the truth, and it was inconceivable
he should believe that he had lain in a frozen
condition for eight and forty years.
| have no doubt the disorder my mind was
in helped to persuade him that had not the
full possession of my senses. He ran his eve
over my figure and then round the cook
room, and said, II am impatient to learn
your story, SIR
"Why, sir" said l, ''my story is summed
up in what l have already told YOU" But
that he might not be at a loSs-for to be sure,
he had only very newly collected his intel
lect--I related my adventures at large. He
drew nearer to the furnace while / talked,
bringing his covering of clothes along with
him. and held out his great hands to toast at
the fire, all the time observing me with
scarce wink of the eye Arrived at the
end of my tale, told how only last night
had dragged his companion on deck, and
how he was to follow but for his posture.
'Har' cried he, "you might have caused
my flesh to mortify by laying me close to the
fire. 1t would have been better to rub me
with snow.m
He poked up one foot after the other to
count his toes, fearing some had come away
with his stockings, and then said: ''Well, and
how long should l have slept had you not
comet Another week. By st. Paul, might
have diedl Have you my stockings, sirP'
l gave them to him, and he pulled them
over his legs and then drew on his boots and
stood up, the coats and wraps tumbling off
him as he rose.
81 can stand" says he. "That is good.s
But i'll attempting to take step he reeled,
and would have fallen had not grasped his
arm
Patience, my friend, patiencel" he NUT
tered, as if to himself. II must lie a little
longer and with that he kneeled and then
lay along the mattress He breathed heavily
and pointed to the pannikin. asked him
whether he would have wine or brandy. He
answered "Wine,n so | melted draught,
which dose, thought, on top of what he had
already taken, would send him to sleep; but
instead it quickened his spirits, and with no
lack of life in his voice, he said: ''What is the
condition of the vessel"
l told him that she was still high and dry,
adding that during the night some sort of
change had happened, which | should pres
emily go on deck to remark.
"Think YOU" says he, shat there is any
chance of her ever being liberated@
l answered "Yes, but not yet; that is, if
the ice in breaking doesn't destroy her. The
summer season has yet to come, and we are
progressing north; but now that you are
with me, it will be question for us to settle
whether we are to wait for the ice to release
the schooner or endeavor to effect our escape
by other means"
A curious CLEAN of cunning satisfaction
shone in his eyes as he looked at me; he then
kept silence for some moments, lost in
thought.
pray" said |, breaking In upon him,
"what ship is this.n
He started, deliberated an instant, and an
swer9d, "The Boca del Dragon"
"a Spaniarda'
He nodded.
'She was pirate9n said /
SHOW do you know thatF" he cried, with
sudden fierceness.
s'Sir," said l. 81 am British sailor, who
has used the sea for some years, and knows
the difference between a handspike and
poop lantern. But what matters! She is q
pirate no longer"
He let his eyes fall from my face, and gazed
round him with the air of one who cannot
yet persuade his understanding of the reali-
ties of the scene he moves in.
"Tutm cried he, presently, addressing HIM
self, 'what matters the truth, as you say9
Yes" said he, ''the Boca del Dragon is a
pirate. You have Of course rummaged her,
and guessed her character by what you
foundg
II met with enough to excite my suspi-
cion," said l. 'The ships company of a
craft of this kind do not usually 60 clothed
in lace and rich cloaks, and carry watches of
this kind" tapping my breast, sin their fobs
and handfuls of gold in their pockets"
"Unless'- said he.
"Unless," l answered, "their flag is as black
as our prospects"
"You think them blackY cried he, the
look of resentment that was darkening his
face dying out of it. "The vessel is sound, is
she not!"
replied that she appeared So but it would
be impossible to be sure until she foated.
"The storesgn
"They are plentiful"
s"They should beln he cried; tive have the
liquor and stores of galleon and two caracks
in our hold, apart from what we originally
laid in for the cruise. Everything will have
been kept sweet by the cold"
MAY | ask your namep said /.
Jules TasSard, at your service said he,
"third in command of the Boca del Dragon,
but good as Mate Trentanove, and good
as Capt Mendoza, and good as the cabin
boy Fernando Prado-for we pirates are re-
publicans, sir; we know no social distinctions
save those we order for the convenience of
working ship. Now let me tell you the story
of our disaster. We had come out of the
Spanish Main into the South seas, partly to
escape some British and French cruisers
which were after us and others of our kind,
and partly because luck was against us, and
we could not find our account in those
waters. We sailed in December two years
ago.
Making the year9" interrupted.
He started, and then grinned again.
"Ah, to be surel" cried he, ''this is 1901;
but to keep my tale in countenance," he
went on in a satirical apologetic way, ''let
me call the year in which we sailed for the
South sea 1851. What matters forty or
fifty years to the shipwreckeda Is not one
day of an open boat, with no society but the
devils ~of memory, and no hope but the
silence at the bottom of the sea, an eternity9
Fill me that pannikin, my friend. / thank
you. To proceed: we cruised some months
in the South sea, and took a number of ships
| One was a privateer that had plundered a
British Indiaman in the Southern ocean, and
had entered the South sea by New Holland
This fellow was full of fine clothes, and had
some silver in her. We took what we
wanted, and let her go with her people under
matches, her yards square, her helm amid
ships, and her cabin on fire. Our maxim is:
No Witnesses That is the pirates philos-
-