Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-28

''why, the black fiag certainly, !" said he;
"but if we met with resistance it was our
custom to haul II down and hoist the red
flag, to let our opponents know wo should
give no quarter
''Where is your flag lockerf said /.
sin my berth, /" he answered.
s'I should like TO see the black flag" ex-
claimed; "tis the one pieoc Of bunting, be-
leve, hayo never viewed
"T'll fetch itn said he, and taking tho Ian
t.rn won't aft very quietly, but with GER
tain stagger in his walk, which should have
put down to the wine il it was not shat his
behavior was free from all symptoms OF
inebriation. The change in him surprised
me, but not so greatly MS you might suppose
indeed, it excited my suspicious rather than
my wonder. Fear worked in him unques-
tionably: but what seemed to soc best was
some malignant design which be hoped to
conceal by an cir OF Cancellation and q
quality of respectful bon homie.
He came back with a flag In his hand, and
we spread it between US; Il was black, with
yellow skull grinning in the middle; over
this an hour glass, and beneath a cross bones
"What CONSERVATION has this signal caused
and does still causem said l. surveying 10,
while q hundred fancies of the barbarous
scenes it had flown over, the miserable cries
for mercy that had swept up past 1t 70 the
ear a. God, crowded into my mind II
think, Mr. Tassard,r said /, shat our first
step. should we ever find ourselves nnoat in
this ship, must be to commit this and all
other flags OF like kind on board TO the
deep. There Is evidence In this piece OF
drapery to hang an ANGEL"
He lat fall his end of the flag. ana sat down
suddenly.
"Yes," he answered, sending curious roll
ing glance around the cook room, and at she
same time bringing his hand to the back Of
his head "this is evidence to danglo oven an
honeSter man thar you, SIR. All flags but
the ensign we resolve 70 sail under must GO
oil flags, and all the wearing apparel, and
and-but'-hcr0 he muttered . curse-''wo
arc fixed; there IS to be no sailing
He shook his head and covered HIS eyes
His manner was strange, and tho strange
for his quetudo
said 10 him, "Arc you illn
II he heard he did not heed me, but fell n
muttering and crying TO himself. And now
did certainly remark quality In his voice
that was new to my ear; II was not, rs no
had said, q labor or thickness Of utterance,
but dryness and parchedness Of old age,
with many breaks from high TO low notes,
and lean noise Of drSbbling threading every
word. He sweated and talked and muttered
but this was from sheer terror; ne did not
swoon, but sat with stoop, often pressing
his brows and gazing about him like ona
whose senses are all abroad.
Gracious mother Of all angslsl" be en-
claimed, crossing himself several times, but
with feeble, most agitated hand, and speak
ing in French and English, and sometimes
interfering an invocation In italian or
Spanish, though give you what ho said In
my own tongue-''surely am dying. Oh
Lord, how frightful to diei Oh holy Virgin.
DO mercifm to mel l shall go TO hell. Oh
Jesu, ! am past forgivenessl For the love OF
heaven, Mr.. Rodney, some brandy Oh,
that some saint would interpose Tor mel
Only few years longer-grant mo few
years longer-I beseech for that time that I
may repentm and he extended one quiverinR
hand for the brandy (of which draught
stood melted In the oven), and made the sign
Of the cross upon his breast with the other,
while he continued to whine out In his
cracked pipes the widest appeals for mercy,
saying vast deal that l dCrst not venture
to set down, so plentiful and awful were his
clamors for timo that he might repent,
though he never lapsed into blasphcmy, but
on the contrary discovered an agony Of
religious horror.
Twas much astonished and puzzled by this
Illness that had como upon him; for, though
he talked Of darkness and faintneeS and OF
dying he continued to sit up on his bench
and to take pulls at the can Of brandy l had
handed to him. 1t might be, indeed, that
sudden faintnesS had terrified him nearly out
Of his senses with prospect of approaching
DEATH but that would not account for the
peculiar note and appearance OF age that had
entered his figure face and voice. Then an
extraordinary fancy occurred to me; Had
the whole weight OF the unhappy wretch's
years suddenly descended upon hint Or, IL
not wholly arrived, might not these indi-
cations in him mark the first stage Of a
| gradually increasing pressurel The heat, the
vivacity, the fierceness, spirits and temper OF
! the life had been instrumental In restoring
TO him probably illustrated his character as
it was eight and forty years since; they had
| Hourished artihcially from the moment Of his
awakening down to the present hour, but
now the hand OF Time was upon this man,
whose age was above 100 fIo might DO do.
| caying and wasting, even rs no sat there, into
such an intellectual condition and physical
aspect as he would possess and submit to had
he como without break into his present ogei