The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-02-01


We found the thread and attached our
note of reply, first putting out our lights
to avoid discovery. Softly pulling the
thread, we felt a gentle strain in reply,
and the note was pulled up, to reach, we
prayed. the hands of her who so anXiOuSly
awaited it, On our return to the gate 1t
was Immediately opened when we had
knocked and the guard had recognized our
English voices.
Our letter to the lady contained the fol-
lowing:
'"The fifth night, counting from to-mor-
row, we will rescue you by rope ladder.
At l o'clock we will attach strong line
to the end of your cord. Pull this until
the ladder reaches you. The line will be
sufficiently strong to bear your weight.
Place the line over a hook or post, but do
not make it fast We will hold the end,
so fear not The line will be withdrawn
after your descent, so that no one will dis
cover the manner of your escape. There
will be no moon. Before daybreak you
will be on a vessel under way for Eng
land. If you can devise any other means
or have any suggestions to make you can
communicate as before; we will pass
nightly until we have some token from
you We are two who have sworn tC
save you. One of us will ascend to assist
in your descent if you desire it, May
God, to whom you have prayed, nerve you
Ia vour task -
The next night we received the follow
ing answer:
EI will provide the ladder, which you
viii pull toward you by the cord. have
a trusted eunuch who will assist me, as his
life belongs to me. Think well of the
danger. L have no right to place you in
jeopardy In case of discovery, a rope
ladder upon you would prove your guilt:
you would be seized and disposed of, none
would know how except the headSman.
Your crime and mine are punishable by
death. My life is nothing, nor would be
missed, but you have loved ones at home.
Should you change your mind on the night
appointed, God have mercy upon me!
will not live to see the light of another
day. l have often meditated this act. /
have felt that God, to whom have always
prayed, would deliver me, and that | would
be allowed to thank him in his sanctuary
If you do not find the cord, you may know
that l have been betrayed. If all is safe,
the cord will be weighted with q silken
purse containing jewels to reward you and
to assist me in my escape. Should you
not find this token, it will be because
have been discovered. Then be on your
guard against assassination. / shall not
look for you until the hour named. "
Mr.. friend, Capt H, had fallen most
desperately in love. 1 say desperately, be-
cause he neither slept, ate nor drank, nor
would he give me any rest. 1t was re-
assuring to me to see a fellow so far gone;
l had thought myself the only one who
could be so 'cracked." He was always at
my heels and had become my shadow.
learned his whole history. The cause Of
his going to sea was the removal of a
flaXen haired, blue eyed schoolmate, who
had been his beloved little friend from his
earliest memory. Her parents had moved
to Moscow, and thence, as he was in
formed, to Odessa, from which port he
had last sailed, with a cargo of grain for
Falmouth for orders. At Odessa he had
made the most searching inquiries, and
learned that a family Of the same name
had gone to Alexandria about six years
previous. He had been until our present
adventure, remarkably quiet and diffident.
He had told me that his diffidence arose
from the fact that he was almost a woman |
halter, and that he never expected to be |
happy until he found lis early love, whom !
he last saw when she was II and he 10 |
years of age. His interest in the fair |
captive was doubtless aroused by the fact |
that she strongly reSembled his early love. |
The eventful night arrived. i gave a
supper at the hotel to allay any suspicion. |
Supper was order for twenty, and was
night spree. Wine flowed freely, and had |
its effect upon our friends. At 10 o'clock,
by a precOncerted arrangement q note
was handed to me by a servant. I pre-
tended that it had been sent by my second |
officer, and that it announced that my |
chief officer had killed one Of the crew.
.ApOlOgizing for my sudden departure,
promised to return as soon as possible and
finish the night. Ny friend, Capt. H,
insisted nnOT1 CrniTr with I nrOf1StpH
but he was obstinate, and finally, as the
company insisted that it was not safe to
90 alone we two left IL COMPANY.
We arrived at the gate IN our usual ap
parently drunken condition, feed the guard
and passed through. A few min
utes later we returned and had our cigars
and lanterns lighted pretending that the
latter had been put out accidentally. They
were so ready in assisting us that we
gave them another handful of piasters, and
made them understand not to allow any
one to follow US. They earnestly promised
and we started again, our hearts almost
bursting with rapid pulsatiOn. We found
the cord; purse was at the end of it.. So
far all was safe.
Running TO the farther gate as quickly
as possible, we repeated our former STRAIT
egy of brides, and the guards promised tbs
that while we were in the street nobody
Should pass them. Thus we had the field
to ourselves, with guards on either hand
tn protect us from interference.
We returned to the SPOT where the purse
Icy. 1t was readily discovered by reason
of its brillianCy, being worked in gold and
silver threads. A stout cord was attached
To it. We pulled gently upon the cord
and drew down a ladder made of silk.
The night was dark, not star visible.
Thus far everything favored us. We put
a strain upon the ladder with both our
weights to keep it from swaying, when
we felt a heavy burden upon it,
and in an instant man in a white TUNE
sprang from the ladder and seized me by
both arms, muttering something I could
not understand. Letting go his iron grip
upon me, he took the captain in the same
manner. Then he sprang up the ladder
and diSaDreared