Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-12-08

a young Hercules in strength, with
heavy under jaws and the low, peculiar
brow Of the prize-fghter. He had been .
mloshlpman In Smiths service, and was
good and active sailor very nimble aloft,
and expert IN his work about the ship, but
OF sullens morose disposition, and heavy
drlnker whenever the Opportunity to get
drink presented ITSELF 1 think he was re-
garded by all hands as little touched, but
| L was TOO young to remark in him any
oddities which might strike an older OBJ
server. DE was given to delivering himself
OF certain DARK wild faneies. 1 remember
he once told me that If he owed man .
grudge, ne would not scruple to plant him
sell alongsloe OF hlm on yard on black
him when his hands were busv and 40 LET
him go overheard. But this sort of talk I
/ would put down to mere boasting. and. in
deed, I thought nothing of IL
We were in the Indian Ocean and ona
evening I sat at supper (as tea. the last meal
on board ship is always ealled) along with
this man ana the fourth mate. We fell into
some sort OF nautical argument, and in the
heat of the discussion said something that
caused the third mate to look AZ me fixedIv
for little, while he muttered under his
breath, in kind Of halEstifed waY, fas
though his teeth were set. 1 did not catch
the words, but am quite certain from the
fourth mates manner that he had heard
them, and that he knew what wa. in the
others mind. I say this because 1 recoIIect
that very shortly afterward the fellow rose
and walked out on deck with an air abouk
him as if he was willing to give the third
mate chance Of being alone with me.
A MEAN TRICK.
It was q mean trick, but then he was =
cowardly rogue, and when afterward heard
that he had been dismissed from the service
he had formerly entered for robbing his
shipmates Of money and tobacco and the
humble trifles which sailors carry about
with them in their sea chests I was wicked
enough, recalling how he had walked out
Of that deekhouse, leaving me, little boy,
alone with a strong, brutal, crazy third
mate, to hope that he might yet prove guilty
Of larger sins still, for I could not but re-
gard him as a creature that deserved to be
hanged. The instant this man stepped
through the door the third mate jumped up
and closed it, 1t travelled in grooves, and
he whipped it to with a temper which
caused the whole structure to echo again to
the blow.
Now, you Young -" he exclaimed.
turning his bulldog face, white with rage,
upon me, yet speaking in a cold voice that
was more terrifying TO listen to than if he
had roared out, 81 have you and Imean to
punish you, and with that he unclasped
his heavy belt, and then clasped it again 50
as to make double thong Of the leather,
and grasped me by the collar
What my feelings were am unable to
state at this distance of time. 1 believe I
was Eore astonished than frightened. I
could not imagine that this huge creature
was in earnest in Offering to beat me for
what had said, and yet was sensible, too,
of an unnatural fire in his eyes-a glow that
put an expression Of savage exultation into
them; and this look of his somehow held me
motionless and speechless. He half raised
his arm, but sudden irresolution possessed
him, as though my passiVity was a check
upon his intentions.
mo, MOI" he exclaimed, after a little,
III manage better than this;' and still
grasping me by the collar of my Jacket he
dropped his belt and ran me to the fore end
of the compartment; threw me on my back
and knelt upon me. Within reach of his
arm, kneeling as he was, were three shelves,
on which we kept such erockery and cutlery
as we owned, along with our slender stores
of sugar and -four and the cold remains of
previous repasts. He felt for knife; I
could hear the blades rattle as his fingers
groped past his curved wrist for one of them,
and then hourishing the black-handled
weapon in front Of my eyes, he exclaimed:
snow I'm going to murder you.
IN A MANIAc's POWER.
lay stock still. never uttered word;I
scarcely breathed. indeed. Again, say
that do not know that was terrified. nv
was one of semi-stupefaction. I
think, with Just enough sense left in me 70
comprehend that if 1 uttered the least cry
or struggled, no matter how family. i \
should transform him into wild beast.
Nothing but my lying corpse-like under the
pressure of his knee saved me, 1 am certain,
Ny gaze was fixed upon his face, and
see him now staring at me with his
little eyes on fire, and the knife poised
ready to plunge. This posture, may be, he
retained for two or three minutes; it ran into
long hours to me. Then on a sudden
he threw the knife away backward over his
shoulder, rose and went to the door, Where
he stood little staring at me intently.
continued to lie motionless. He opened the
door and passed out, on which sprang to
my feet and fled as nimbly as my legs
would carry me to the poop where found
the chief mate. He was a little Welshman
of the name of Thomas, brother Of Ap
Thomas, the celebrated harpist, and if he be
still alive and these lines should meet his
eyes let him be pleased to know that my
holds him in cordial respect as the
kindest officer and the smartest seaman
ever had the fortune to be shipmates with.
To him Irelated what had happened.
"O-ho," cried he, attempted murder,
hey? Our friend must be taught that We
don't allow this sort of thing to happen
aboard us"
He gave certain orders and shortly after.
ward the third mate was seized and locked
up in spare cabin just under the break Of
the poop. Two powerful seamen were told
off to keen him company. How much the
unfortunate man needed this sort of control
I could not have imagined but for nv hear
ing that he was locked up and my going to
he cabin window tLSt looked on to the
quarter deck to take peep at him if he was
visible. He saw me and bounded to the
window, bringing his leg of mutton fist
against il with q blow that crashed the
whole plate Of glass into splinters.
His face was purple, his eyes
lalf out of their sockets. There was
roth upon his lips, with such a general dis
ortion of features that it would be impossi-
Die to figure more horrible illustration of
madness than his eountenanee. bolted a.
t the devil had been after me, catching Just
glimpse of the powerful creature wrestling
n the grasp of the two seamen who were
lragging him backward into the gloom Of
he cabin.
A NIGHTMARE PRODUCER.
Such an escape as this 1 regard as dis
inctly more eventful, if not more romantic,
han falling overheard and being rescued
Fhen almost spent, or being picked up after
fortnights exposure in an open boat Ny
most sleep-murdering Nightmares nearly
lways include the phantom form Of that
'urly, crazed, third mate kneeling upon my
little figure, and feeling for
'nite as one Of the shelves just over my
lead.