San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-03-28

:-sre uwlsueo up TO MS eyes. These were the
only occupants of the cabin, which their
presence rendered terribly CHASTITY and
strange
The interior was extremely plain; the bulk
heads of mahogany color, the decks bare,
and nothing in the form of an ornament saw
ing a silver crucifix hanging by nail to the
trunk Of the mainmast, and q cage with a
frozen bird of gorgeous plumage, suspended
to the bulkhead near the hatch. A small
lantern of an old pattern dangled over the
table, and | noticed that it contained two or
three inches of candle. Abaft the hatchway
was door on the starboard side, which I
opened, and found narrow, dark passage.
could not pierce it with my eye beyond a few
feet; but perceiving within this range the out
line ola little door, concluded that here
were the berths in which the master and his
mates slept. There was nothing to De done
in the dark, and bitterly lamented that
had left my finder box and flint in the boat
for then could have lighted the candle in
the lantern.
''Perhaps," thought l, Zone of those figures
may have finder box upon him"
Custom was now somewhat hardening me;
moreover, was spurred on by a mortal anx-
iety to discover if there was any kind of
food to be met with in the vessel So 1
stepped up to the figure whose face l had
touched, and felt in his pockets; but neither
on him nor on the other did / find what
wanted, though was not little astonished
to discover in the pockets Of the occupants Of
so small and humble ship as this schooner q
fine gold watch, as rich as the one l had
brought away from the man on the rocks,
and more elegant in shape, gold snuffbox
set with diamonds, several rings of beauty
and value lying loose in the breeches pocket
of the man whose face was hidden, handful
of Spanish pieces in gold, handkerchief Of
fine silk, and other articles, as if indeed
these fellows had been overhauling parcel
of booty, and then carelessly returned the
contents to their pockets.
But what needed was the means Of OBJ
| tanning light; so, after casting about,
thought l would search the body on deck,
and went to it, and to my great satisfaction
| discovered what wanted in the first pocket
dipped my hand into, though l had to rip
open the mouth of it away from the snow
| with the hanger.
| I returned to the cabin and lighted the
candle, and carried the lantern into the black
passage or corridor. There were four small
I doors, belonging to. as many berths.
opened the first, and entered compartment
| that smelled so intolerably stale and fusty
that had to come into the passage again
| and fetch few breaths to humor my nose
| to the odor. AS in the cabin, however, so
| here found this nervousness of air was not
| caused by putrefaction or any tainting quail
| ties of a vegetable or animal kind, but by
the deafness of the pent up air itself, as the
| foulness of bilge water is owing to its being
| imprisoned from air in the bottom Of the
| hold.
held up the lantern and looked about me.
A glance or two satisfied me that was in q
room that had been appropriated by the
| steward and his mates. A number of dark
| objects, which on inspection l found to be
hams, were slowed snugly away in battens
under the ceiling or upper deck; a cask half
full of flour stood in corner; near it lay q
large coarse sack in which was a quantity of
biscuit piece Of which l bit and found it
as hard as flint and tasteleSs, but not in the
least degree moldy. There were four shelves
running athwartships full of glass, knives
| and forks, dishes and so forth, some Of the
| glass very choice and elegant, and many Of
the dishes and plates also very fine, fit for
the greatest nobleman's table. Under the
lower shelf, on the deck, lay sack of what
/
ing one or two Of them about, it came upon
me that they were or had been, should say,
| potatoes. 4.
Not to tease you with too many particulars
under this head, let me briefly say that in
| this larder, or stewards room, found among
| other things several cheeses, a quantity Of
candles, a great earthenware pot full Of
peas, several pounds of tobacco, about thirty
lemons, along with two small casks and
three or four jars, manifestly of spirits, but
| of what kind could not tell took stout
sharp knife from one of the shelves, and
| pulling down one of the hams tried to cut it,
but l might as well have striven to slice q
| piece of marble. I attempted next to cut q
cheese, but this was frozen as hard as the
ham. The lemons, candles and tobacco had
the same astonishing quality of stoniness,
and nothing yielded to the touch but the
-four. l laid hold of one of the jars, and
thought to pull the stopper out, but it was
frozen hard in the hole it fitted, and was
five minutes hammering it loose. When it
was out inserted a steel-used for the sharp
ening of knives-and found the contents solid
ice; nor was there the fainteSt smell to tell
me what the spirit or wine was.
Never before did plenty offer itself in so
hooking shape. 1t was the very irony of
abundance-substantial ghostliness and a
Barmecide's feast to my aching stomach,