Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-06

He waved his hand, bawling: "Put your helm down-you're forging ahead!' aud so saying dismounted.
 I immediately cast the tiller adrift, put it hard over, and secured it, then jumped on to the bulwarks again to watch them. She Yankee beyond doubt; had rather met my own countrymen; but, next to British, I would nave chosen an American ship to meet. Somehow, despite the Frenchman, 1 felt my self to have been alone throughout my ad- | 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. I 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 I 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 grooming blocks and creaking parrals steal ing from her. Such Q fountain of joy broke out of my heart that my whole being was flooded with it, and had that mood lasted believe 1 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 a biscuit; but when there the master, as supposed him to be, who was steering, sang out, "'Vast row 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 a fiend. It 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 a face as long as wet hammock, and it was heightened yet to the eye by a beard like a goats hanging at the extremity of his chin.
 He stood up-a tall, lank figure, with legs like pair of compasses-and hailed me afresh; but the high swell, regular as the swing of a pendulum, interposed its brow between him and me, so that at one moment he was 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 schooner's name isa'
 ''The Boca del Dragon" I replied. "And who are you, mateyr'
 "An English sailor, who has been cast away on island of ice," I answered, talk | ing very shortly, that the replies might fol- | low the questions before the swell sank him. "Ay, ay," says he, "that's very we'll, but when was you cast away, bully9" I gave him the date.
 "That's not month ago." cried he. | ''It's long enough, whatever the time" said I.
 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.
 l "See here, master" sung out the long man, eff you ha'n't been cast away more'n a month, how come you clothed as men went dressed a century sin, hey?"
 1 The reason of their misgivings flashed upon me. It 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 met with in the cabin, keeping my legs warm with jack boots, and had become so used to the garb that forgot I had it on. You will | judge, then, that I must have presented a l figure very nicely calculated to excite the wonder and apprehension of a body of men | whose superstitious instincts were already sufficiently futtered by the appearance of the schooner, when tell you that, in addi- tion to the jack boots and great fur cap, my costume was formed of a red plush waistcoat laced with silver, purple brooches, 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, sirl" Here had to wait till he reappeared. My story is an extraordi- nary one You have nothing to fear. am plain English sailor; my ship was the
 Laughing Mary, bound in ballast from Cal lao to the cape" Here had to wait again,
 "Pray, sir, come aboard; there is nothing to to. fear. am alone, in grievous distress and
 in want of help. Pray come, sirl"