The Portland daily press., 1892-06-20

let them get ashore If that dago has
not drank too much water, he may give
us some trouble about this matter yet"
In few moments the last package to
be smuggled was passed into the boats,
the patron" who had made the purchase
counted out the pay in doubloons, the
canoes pushed off and soon vanished up
the river In few moments our matches
were replaced, the deck cleared up as be-
fore and the crew retired to their berths
with orders to be sound asleep and not
to wake up on any account.
All this was scarcely arranged, when
the dash of oars coming hastily up the
river was heard, and in another moment
an armed boat from the guarda costa
was alongside. At the first sound of the
approaching boat Captain Martin had
laid down where he first pretended to
go to sleep and he was now snoring
louder than ever Even the curses,
many, loud and deep, of the Mexicans
Der.
The officer who had been thrown over
board, still dripping from his involun-
tary bath, rushed aft and with no gem
tie means tried to arouse the sleeper.
At last he yawned and scratched his
head and coolly asked what was the
matter and what was wanted. Then
came scene!
All the Mexicans, cursing and swear
ing and threatening and carradooing at
once, pointing to the officer who had
been taking midnight swim all alone
to himself, who, with voice louder
than all the rest, swore that he would
have drowned if st. Antonio hadn't
made the sentinel hear his voice aboard
the guarda costa and caused them to
send him boat.
The captain could not be made to I'M
derstand what was the matter, and when
he was charged with having thrown the
revenue officer overheard and with hay
ing smuggled boats alongside, he raised
his hands in holy horror toward the stars
aud Indignantly replied:
''It's all contrived lie. Why" said
he to the other officers of the guarda
costa, "that gentleman dined with me;
we drank pretty freely, and then came
up from the cabin, when both of us lay
down here to sleep. did not wake up
until now; he must have been dreaming
and have fallen overheard in his sleep!
You all saw that | was sound asleep
when you came aboard, how then could
have thrown him overheard? The idea
is absurd, nonsensical, the whole story
inlprobable-yes, impossible-see, my
matches are all battened down, just as
they were when you were on board
when l came in from sea today; moth
ing has been moved; my crew are all
asleep. He must have been dreaming,
and while he dreamed of smugglers and
the like of such he must have fallen
overheard. He knows very well that he
was 'as drunk as a lord"
The story of the captain was well con-
ceived, and told with better effect among
all the revenue officers, save the victim
himself, who called upon every saint in
the calendar to come down and swear
that his story was true. But the perfect
order and quietude of our vessel; the
crew all sound asleep; the matches all
battened down, just rs they were in the
morning; the honest indignation of our
sleepy captain, and the acknowledg-
ment of the victim that he had been
very drunk, compared badly with his
own story, and the yarn of Captain Mar.
tin was believed. The soaked official
was taken back to his own vessel, to be
tried and punished for sleeping on his
watch, while another officer was left in
his place to keep US from smuggling.
When daylight came we weighed an
Choir and sailed up to the town, where
we honestly discharged the cargo pc,
manifest, paying honorably all charges
and duties thereon.--Ned Buntline in
New York News.