St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-01-21

OF concern to nobody but yourself, !" re-
turned the captain, ssbut I can tell ye
that which is to be. Here he is; here he
shall bide."
Admitting that you have been paid
in proportion . said the other, 81 will
crave leave humbly to say that I have
not Paid am, and none too much to
be the second officer of this old tub, and
you ken very well if do my best to
earn it. But was paid for nothing
more"
IF ye could hold back your hand
from the tin pan, Mr.. Riach, / would
have no complaint to make of ye,'' re-
turned the skipper, sand instead of ask
ing riddles make bold to say that ye
would keep your breath to cool your
porridge. Well be required on deck, !"
he added in sharper note, and set one
foot upon the ladder.
But Mr.. Riach caught him by the
sleeve.
Admitting that you have been paid
to do murder he began.
Hoseason turned upon him with q
flash.
What's thatp he cried. ssWhat kind
of talk is that?'
1T seems it is talk that you can un-
derstand, said Mr.. Riach, looking him
steadily in the face.
MIR. Riach, ! have sailed with ye
three cruises, !" replied the captain. 4sIn
all that time. sir, ye should have learned
to know me; I'm a stiff man and dour
man, but for what ye say the now-fy,
fy-lt comes from bad heart and a
black conscience. If ye say the lad will
die"-
Aye, will her said Mr.. Riach.
We'll, sir, is not that enough?'' said
Hoseason. "Flit him where you pleasei"
Thereupon the captain ascended the
ladder, and l, who had lain silent
throughout this strange conversation,
beheld Mr.. Riach turn after him and
bow as low as to his knees in what was
plainly spirit Of derision. Even in my
then state of sickness / perceived two
things-that the mate was touched with
liquor, as the captain limited, and that,
drunk or sober, he was like to prove q
valuable friend.
Five minutes afterward my bonds
were cut, was hoisted on mans back,
carried up to the forecastle and laid in
"a bunk on some sea blankets, where the
first thing did was to lose my senses.
1t was blessed thing indeed to open
my eyes again upon the daylight and to
find myself in the society of men. The
forecastle was a roony place enough,
set all about with berths, in which the
men of the watch below were seated
smoking or lying down asleep. The
day being calm and the wind fair. the
scuttle was open, and not only the good
daylight, but from time to time (as the
ship rolled) dusty beam of sunlight
shone in and dazzled and delighted me.
| had no sooner moved, moreover, than
one of the men brought me drink of
something healing which Mr.. Riach had
prepared, and bade me lie still and /
should COON be well again. There were |
no bones broken, he exclaimed: "a clour
on the head was naething. Man." said
he, .'it was me that gave it vel"
Here lay for the space of many days
a close prisoner, and not only got my
health again, but came to know my COM
panions. They were a rough lot indeed,
as sailors mostly are, being men rooted
out of all the kindly parts of life, and
condemned to toss together on the rough
seas, with masters no less cruel. There
were some among them that had sailed
with the pirates and seen things it would
be shame even to speak of. Some
were aen that had run from the kings
ships, and went with halter round
their necks, of which they made no
secret, and all, as the saying goes, were
'sat word and blow with their best
friends. Yet had not been many days
shut up with them before began to be
of my first judgment.
Among other good deeds that they did /
they returned my money, which had |
been .red among them, and though it
was about a third short was very glad
20 get it, and hoped great good from it
n the land was going to. The ship
vas bound for the Carolinas, and you
must not suppose that was going to
hat place merely as an exile. The trade
vas even then much depressed; since
hat, and with the rebellion of the colo
lies and the formation of the United
,tates, it has of course come to an end:
,ut in these days Of my youth white
men were still sold into slavery on the
,lantations, and that was the destiny to
which my wicked uncle had condemned
ne. f
The cabin boy, Ransome (from whom
had first heard of these atrocities).
anne in at times from the roundhouse,
where he berthed and served, now nurs-
ng bruised limb in silent agony, now
aving against the cruelty of Mr. Shuan.
t made my heart bleed, but the men
ad Il great respect for the chief mate,
rho was, as they said, s'the only sea-
nan of the whole jingbang, and none
uch bad man when he was sober"
did my best in the small time al
owed me to something like man,
r rather should say something like a
oy, of the poor creature, Ransome. /
tut his mind was scarcely truly human /
[e could remember nothing Of the time i
efore he came to sea; only that his
ather had made clocks, and had a star /
ng in the parlor which could whistle !
The North Countries" all else had been ,
Iotted out in these years of hardship /
nd cruelties. He had a strange notion /
{ the dry land, picked up from sailors &
it was a place where lads 6
ere put to some kind of slavery called 4
trade, and where apprentices were /
lashed and clapped into foul
risons. In town, he thought every
.cond person a decoy, and every third i