San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-09-18
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"But isn't it dreadfully monotonous-thC
same thing, day after day" inquired Jennie
Dear, mol" said the matron. IF you are
not mere passenger impatient TO be at YOU
journeys end, you can have as much hom'
life on shipboard as anywhere. AS to mo
notony, the sea is the most variable thing II
the world, hardly alike two days in success
| SION"
didn't you ever meet any nice pirates OF
have any mutinies on board or anything OF
that sort, you know" Alice remarked per-
suasively,
| Mrs. Jones laughed mot exactly" she
said; 'but we had a bit of scare on one
voyage Perhaps you would like to hear
about thatp
We gathered around, and she began:
"My husband was captain Of the Bonanza,
| a ship running between Melbourne and Liver
| pool, some twenty-five years ago l shall
newer forget the first voyage | made with
| ships before the mast is, Have you any
weaponsP
There was silence among the men when
the captain ceased. We could hear the soft
Tapping of the sails overhead, and the occa-
sional scraping of heel as some one eaSed
his muscles by shifting his weight from one
foot to the other. Twas standing by the main
shrouds and remember counting the ratlines
over and over to help keep my self control.
It seemed brief lifetime to me, but | sup
pose it was hardly thirty seconds before four
men came forward and laid down horse
pistols Not another man stirred | saw my
husbands face redden and his eyes fash an.
grily.
SIS no one else true" he shouted.
81 began to tremble lest he should lose his
self control.
HE called for some chalk. Chalk is al
ways kept on board for whitening spots
when ship comes into port. He stopped
down and began to draw two lines across the
deck in front of him. Suddenly there was
sharp click. Ny husband had drawn a
pistol and cooked it'll An instant after he
rose to his feet and cried in a voice like
thunder, You may walk up to that first line
and lay down your arms, but if any man
crosses the second line I'll shoot him deadH
II closed my eyes, but when | looked
again could hardly see the top of the cap
stan for the bowie knives and pistols that
covered It'll
"The captain called the sailmaker and
whispered a word in his ear. He went be-
low and came up with the irons The pas
sengers lent a hand, and in few minutes
we had the ringleaders provided for.
"Then the captain thought of Arnie. He
said, 4 understand you have got Arnie in
tow. Bring him up He was brought up,
pale as death.
"'Now, says the captain, you've got to
tell all you know about this business
THE childs lips quivered. If l do they
will kill me- he said.
"'You shan't be touched, said the captain
Still Arnold was afraid to speak. He was
trembling in every limb. He was such q
little fellow his head did not reach up to my
shoulder. 1t was the hardest work to make
him tell what he knew. David had to prom
Use that he should stay IN the cabin all the
way, and at last he told the whole story and
we found everything to be just as be said
He had heard it all while lying in his bunk,
and the men bound him BY dreadful oath
to secrecy, and swore they would murder
him and throw his body overheard if be
should betray them. He believed they would,
but he felt that he must warn us. He tried
to let the captain know in some way without
breaking his oath, but could not make him
understand, and had given me the scrap of
paper as a last resort.
1.-THE convicts had large supply of weap-
ons, and had bribed the steersman to turn
the ship from her course little by little, In
tending TO mutiny and take possession of her.
They wished to take her to some strange port
and then scuttle her, going ashore in the boats
and leaving us to our fate.
"Arnold told which men had weapons in
their lockers and where the keys were, and
the captain sent and seized the arms. He
told u.s. also, that the ships cutlasses, which
had seemed in good condition at the last in
spection, had been deprived of their blades,
so that, as we found, only the sheaths and
handles remained, and we could not have
used them for our defense.
THE boy also told us that two or three at
temptS had been made to cut through the
gold tank, and, on examining, we discovered
several places at the side where some sharp
instrument had been used This explained
the filing sound had heard twice.
''Arnie saved our lives, and you may be
sure we did not forget it.
I'VE reached England in safety, and be-
fore landing the passengers made up hand
some purse for the boy. He was sent to a
good school and we'll educated, and today
Arnold Mcintyre is an officer in the royal
navy and one of the finest men in her ma
jesty's service. Frances Stoughton Bailey
in st. Nirhoids.