Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1890-01-17

sible the man u.rlu, ,,.., a..Icc Lue LraI
ers had carried him away, not likely. Ii wa
possible he might still die of his wound; bus
it was also possible he might not. And in
this latter case was determined to have the
means of some defense.
One after another | carried his portman-
teaus to n loft in the top Of the house
which we kept locked; went to my
own room for my keys, and, returning
to the loft, had the qualification to
find two that fitted pretty well. In one of
the portmanteaus there was shagreen letter
case, which l cut open with my knife, and
thenceforth $50 far as any credit VENT the
man was at my mercy. Here was vast deal
of gallant correspondence, chiefly Of his
Paris days; and what was more to the pur-
pose, here were the copies of his own reports
to the English secretary, and the originals of
the secretary's answers-a most damning
seres-such as to publish would be to wreck
the masters honor and to set price upon
his life.
chuckled to myself as l ran through the
documents; rubbed my hands, l sung aloud
in my glee Day found me at the pleasing
task; nor did l then remit my diligence, ex-
| cept in so far as went to the window-looked
| out for moment, to see the frost quite gone,
| the world turned black again, and the rain
| and the wind driving in the bay-and to
| assure myself that the lugger was gone from
| its anchorage, and the master whether dead
or alive now tumbling on the Irish Sea.
1t is proper ! should add in this place the
very little l have subsequently angled out
upon the doings of that night. 1t took me
long while to gather it; for we dared not
| openly ask, and the free traders regarded me
with enmty, if not with scorn. 1t was near
six months before we even knew for certainty
that the man survived; and it was years be-
| fore learned from one of Crail's men, turned
publican on his i'll gotten gain, some particu
| lars which smack to me of truth. II seems
| the traders found the master struggled on one
elbow, and now staring round him, and now
gazing at the candle or at his hand which was
| all blooded, like man stupid. Upon their
coming, he would seem to have found his
mind, babe them carry him aboard and hold
their tongues; and on the captain asking how
he had come In such pickle, replied with a
burst of passionate swearing, and inconti.
nently tainted.
They held some debate, but they were mo-
incnty looking for q wind, they were highly
paid to smuggle him to France, and did not
care to DELAY Besides which, he was well
enough liked by these abominable wretches:
they supposed him under capital sentence,
knew not in what mischief he might have got
his wound, and judged it piece of good ma
lure to remove him out Of the way of danger.
SO he was taken aboard, recovered on the
passage over, and was set ashore a GONZALES
cent at the Havre de Grace. What is truly
notable: he said not word to any one of the
duel and not a trader knows to this day in
what quarrel, or by the hand of what adver
sary, be fell. With any other man l should
have set this down to natural decency; with
him, to pride. He could not bear to avow
perhaps even to himself, that he had beer
yanquished by one whom he had so much in
suited and whom he so cruelty despised.
To Jc continued in February Supplement-