San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1888-04-07

"Tnl the only man aboard"
He waved his hand, bawling: "Put your
helm down-youre forging ahead!" and so
saying dsmounted.
Immediately cast the tiller adrift, put it
hard over, and secured it, then jumped on to
the bulwarks again to watch them She
was Yankee beyond doubt; | had rather met
my own countrymen; but, next to a British,
would have chosen an American ship to meet.
Somehow, despite the Frenchman, l felt my
self to have been alone throughout my adj
venture. and so sore was the effect of that
solitude upon my spirits that it seemed twenty
years since had seen ship, and since had
held communion with my own species. l was
terribly agitated and shook in every limb.
Life must have been precious always, but
never before had it appeared so precious as
now, while l 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
groaning blocks and creaking parrals steal
ing from her. Such fountain of joy broke
out of my heart that my whole being was
flooded with it, and had that mood lasted l
believe | should have exposed the treasure in
the run, and invited all the men of the whaler
to share in it with me.
They stare fixedly-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 biscuit; but when
there the master, as l supposed him to be,
rph Staarinm ont sEIVoSt
ing!" the boat came to a stand, and her peo-
pie to a man stared at me with their chins
upon their shoulders as if ! had been fiend.
1t was plain as a pikestaff that they were
frightened and that the superstitions of the
forecastle were hard at work in them while
they viewed me. They looked 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 face as long as a wet hammock,
and it was heightened yet to the eye by a
beard like goats hanging at the extremity
of his chin.
He stood up-a tall, lank figure, with legs
like pair of compassionate hailed me
afresh; but the high swell, regular as the
swing of pendulum, interposed 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 and
troublesome.
Say, MASTER" he sung out, "what dye
say the schooners name iS2"
The Boca del Dragon" replied.
And who are you, matey"
IAN English sailor, who has been cast
IL ~
ing very shortly, that the replies might fol-
low the questions before the swell sank him.
"Ay, ay," says he, chats very well, but
when was you cast away, bully"
gave him the date
That's not month ago." cried he.
'It's long enough, whatever the time"
said l.
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 dismay
of their regard.
''See here, MASTER" sung out the long
man, IF you ha'nt been cast away more'n
month, how come you clothed as men went
dressed century sim, hey"
The reason of their misgiyings flashed
upon me- 1t was not so much the schooner
as my appearance. The truth was, my
clothes having been wetted, had ever since
been wearing such thick garments as l met
with in the cabin, keeping my legs warm
with jack boots, and had become so used to
the garb that forgot had it on. You will
judge, then, that l must have presented a
figure very nicely calculated to excite the
wonder and apprehension of a body of men
whose superstitious instincts were already
sufficiently fluttered by the appearance of
the schooner, when tell you that, in addi-
ton to the jack boots and a great fur cap,
my costume was formed of a red plush
waistcoat laced with silver, purple breeches,
a coat of frieze with yellow braiding and
huge cuffs, and the cloak that had taken
from the body Of Mendoza
Captain" cried l, eff so be you are the
captain, in the name of God and humanity
come aboard, STRIP Here had to wait till
he reappeared. "My 81 tory is an extraordi-
nary one. You have nothing to fear am
a plain English sailor; my ship was the
Laughing Mary, bound in ballast from Cal
lao to the cape" Here had to wait again.
''Pray. cir, come aboard; there is nothing to