San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-10
ICE BOUN D.
BY w. CLARK RUSSELL,
Author of 1.-THE Wreck of the GroSuenor, "
sacks Courtship," My Watch Be-
lou, ""1he Lady Maud Etc.

luuo the noIu IOr the DeUJc .~JallaSJ-ilg OF the
vessel, got studdingsail bOomS aloft, over
hauled her suits of canvas, and found a great
square sail which proved of ineStimable i'm
portance in light winds and in running
After the ice was wholly melted out of her
frame she made little water, yet not so
much but that half hOur'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 tmberS by their direct contact with
the water.
We were a slender company, but we man
aged extraordinarily well. The men were
wonderfully content; never heard so much
as murmur escape from one of them; they
never exceeded their rations nor asked for
drop more of liquor then we had agreed
among us should be served out. But, as had
anticipated, our security lay in our slender
ness We were too few for disaffecton. The
negroes were as simple as children, Wilkinson
looked to find his account i'll happy arrival;
and if was not strictly speaking, their cap
tain, | was their navigator, without whom
their case would have been as perilouS as
mine was on the ice.
1t was on the 9TH of December that we
sighted the Scilly Isles. l guessed what that
land was, but SO vague had been my naviga-
ton that | burst not be sure, until, spying a
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 were 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 a ship be-
longing to parts where the tastes and fashions
were behind the age.
Now, as you may suppose, by this time
had settled my plans; and as we sailed up
channel l unfolded them to my companions.
| pointed out that before we entered the
river it would be necessary to discharge our
ladng into some little vessel that would
Smuggle the booty ashore for u.s. The figure
the schooner made was so peculiar that she
would inevitably attract attention; she would
instantly be boarded in the Tharles on our
coming to anchor, and if told the truth she
would be seized as pirate, and ourselves
dismissed with a small reward, and perhaps
with nothing.
"My scheme said l, sis this: have a rel
ative in London to whom l shall communi
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 if they are
promised a 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 must keep clear of that anchorage. l
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
will sail to the Thames, and then let who will
come aboard, for we shall have a clean hold.
This" continued l, sis the best scheme
can devise. The risks of smuggling attend
it, to be sure; but against those risks we
have to put the certainty of our FORGETTING
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
trust! The Thames abounds with river
thieves, with Jumpers scuffle hunters, mud
larks glutmen, rOgues of all sorts, to hire
whom would mean to bride them with the
value of half the lading, and to risk their
stealing the other half. But this is the lesser
difficulty; the main one lies in this: There