The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1891-06-21

Being Some Account If the Brave
and Skilliul Conduct Of Nar-
lock the New Zealander.

the JOnan anu let MN SWIM ashore tor
his lifet'
Words like these broke from many of
the foremost hands, mostly Portuguese
and Spaniards aboard the ship Canton
one moonlight night while she lay be-
Gained of q small reef girt island III the
! Pacific ocean.
The person who had been unfortunate
enough to awaken Jacks superstitious
notion that he was a s'Jonahr-one who
would bring bad luck to the vessel-was
tall. long haired New Zealander, with
big brass rings in his ears, with black
eyes as round as cats, and q broad,
square face, the latter grotesquely COW
cred with tattoo marks, which certainly
/ gave a sort of weird, nendish aspect to
his visage.
He had been picked up weeks before,
from q canoe, which had evidently been
blown out to sea, and which, containing
line and a harpoon, showed that the oc-
cupant had been hunting for whales or
creatures Of that kind Not word of
English could he speak, and it was his
strange way of talking to himself and
gesticulating, with other peculiarities,
which had impressed his shipmates with
the foolish belief already mentioned.
Now, All they rushed toward him to
carry out their design Of throwing him
overheard, the ships captain, George
Wilkins, a fine young fellow Of twenty
Eve, whose right leg had recently been
injured by his falling from the rigging,
came lmping forward and sharply or
dered them back
lie is Jonah, captainr' cried one.
Nonsense! Don't modest him again.
Il viii be rnsltiny If You do, az its
! against my ORDERS
'.But, str, begin your pardon, he'll
bring bad luck to us, /" said an old sailor.
AS spokesman for the rest, ask you to
/ put him ashore"
II cannot think of it. AS you all
know, he has so far proved himself
I COOL sailor You viii leave him alone
in future.
So saying tho captain walked aft, to
find his wife ldary, handsome young
woman of twenty, just come upon deck.
/ "What was the matter, George" she
inquired.
He told her, when she said:
.sOf course don't believe in that abb
surd notion about Jonah, but must
own that Warlock, as you call your New
Zealand savage there, Is strange, fierce
looking fellow, and frightens me every
time look at him"
He is not handsome, I'll own, but he
is as strong as horse and good sea-
man.''
Yes; Int are you not afraid that he
may do mischief some time-may take
a notion to kill us all in the cabin, set
the ship on fire, orr -
The captain interrupted her with a
laugh.
1T is his dark skin and tattoo marks
that brighten you. You look only at the
outside. look deeper, and can tell you
that this Warlock has good heart"
But Mary shook her head, saying she
could not feel easy until the native was
out Of the ship, and she then tried to in
duee her husband to send him ashore
The captain shook his head
81 cannot consent to that he said.
I'VE are short Of hands and Warlock is
a good man.
Next morning Mary, who had come on
4. deck with ner husband, again preached
the subject of the night before. She
tried to coax the captain to send War
lock ashore, but in vain.
''Well, one thing is certain, she said
sI will not take h m with me in the
/ dingey, as you proposed, when go to
the reef to look for coral. =
Whom, then, will you take?'
'sTom, the little cabin boy"
"Better take Warlock."
/ But Mary shuddered, saying she would
rather not go at all than have that fierce
| native in the boat with her.
/ The visit to the reef, which was about
q mile distant, had been proposed by
Mrs. Wilkins on the day before, and,
thinking that she would enjoy the trip,
the captain offered no objection to her
taking the cabin boy with her. True,
he was not very strong, nor was he skill
! full with an car, but the calm, clear
weather would apparently hold for many
hours longer. so that there seemed to be
no danger, even if the boat was poorly
! handled
AS the young skipper had some work
In store for his men on this day, he could
not afford to send any of them with his
wife except Warlock, who, not UNDER
standing English, could be better spared
than one of his shipmates.
Still adhering to her resolution not to
take him, Mary finally set out with the
cabin boy in the dingey, which had been
lowered for her, and ere long she reached
! the reef.
Through his glass, the captain had
now and then watched his wife, as the
boy with his Ratchet knocked of pieces
of coral for her. when. all at once, with
out the slightest warning, .'cat-squalp'
struck the sea. A mist, which had
been gathering round tim hills Of the
island, had been blown about the reef,
now hiding Mary and Tom from the
watchers gaze, as the ship tore along
before the blast, with the men aloft
taking in sail.
| Like all squalls of the kind, this one
was of brief duration, and ten minutes
after it burst upon the vessel ii had died
away, leaving light breeze, by which
the ship, close hauled, was headed up
toward the reef. The captain anxiously
watched for his wife, but seeing no sign