The morning call., 1893-05-21
CHAPTER XXXVI.
SHE sUPs WITH HER SWEETHEART.

now Smartiy oDeyeQ the new captain. A
few convicts roamed about the ouddy,
staring as though out of curiosity into the
plundered berths and at the decorations
and lamps and needlessly crushing the
broken glass into the carpet as they
walked. l stepped warily and got to my
berth, unlocked the door and found all
right within. l could not help rejecting
upon what had passed since was last
here; 1t seemed week since | was in this
berth, so violent. hurried and numerous
had been the incidents of that day.
l made one bundle Of my woman's at
tire, the other clothes and few toilet
things and went to the captains cabin.
Then, thought l, shall want a mattress to
lie on, so | fetched the convict's mattress,
pillow and blanket and shut the door anG
sat down to wait for Tom, no one during
these journeys having taken the least no.
tice of me.
1t was horribly hot and | opened the
large circular port and leaned with my
head in the orfce. l now heard a noise
of the ripping of water and saw the sea
of deep shade of blue to about mile
away. where it then cleaned white and
polished, the calm being still unbrushed
there. The ship had caught little air of
wind; ropes were flung down overhead; ;
the soft patter of naked, the sharp beat of
shod, feet actively running about sounded
through the plsnks. The silence upon
the water was now broken by the voices
of men singing out as they hauled. and
presently at a pistol-shot distance | saw
what might have been a piece of green
timber, feathered with weed. slowly slide
past.
looked around me and my heart was
full of pity when l thought Of Captain
Sutherland. I ptied him, l say. and /
grieyed for the women and little children.
but the soldiers aud the others did not
appeal to me. l took no interest in the
fate OF the doctor and Captain Barrett,
and l never could forget that one of the
soldiers had shot the poor madmaD, and
that all would have slaughtered every
convict al the word OF command with less
compunctiOn than the c0nVicts themselves
had sent them adrift.
The captains cabin was wrecked; he had
slept in handsome mahogany bunk, and
its mattress was ripped open as though the
beasts VINO did it hoped to find money or
some sort of booty hidden in the hair. Two
little miniatures had been left to hang upon
the bulkhead; one was the captain, the
other a lady, doubtless his wife, rather
pretty, grave-lOokiug woman. | thought
of how Tom and | had sat for our minia-
lures, and wondered, if the captains wife
were alive. whether she would ever see her
husband again. Should l ever have seen
Tom again but for My resolution to hide
in the ship that was to transport him
This reflection made me mad.
While | sat or walked about, lost in en-
flaming thoughts, | heard a great noise in
the euddy and peeping GU. spied some
fifteen or twenty convicts hard at work
brushing and tidying up the interior.
Aaron just then came in with little COM
pany OF the riDgleaders. l may tell you
that there were perhaps twelve to fifteen
heads In this uprsal. not counting Tom.
whom | never would name as having had
share in 1t.
On hearing Aaron speak l held the door
open by about an inch. The prizefignter
and his crew stood close against my cabin
talking and looking on at the eonvicts at
work. They were arranging Tor their own
accommodation.
Butler takes the captid's cabd; that's
fair" said Aaron. Ibis yug fred shares
1t. That's Buffers business. Bates ad
adother wud's provided for yodder You
ad be-" he continued. addressing one OF
the convicts, will take the cabd dext to
the captid's. Right aft d0te SCOT be; the
bottom there bakes be Ill. The rest of you
will fide plendy of roob. l recobbed that
the better order abo0gst Us tosses or
draws for the accommodated downstairs.
We dOte wadt to be suffocated by dumbers
in this part of the ship; tie old quarters
will be thid Ghinned) by those who cub
aft; with the hatch oped, the widsails
dOwd. and the barricade id shivers, they'll
be airy edaugh; ad thed theirs the soldiers
quarters"
A few minutes later Tom came in. He
shut the door and took me by the hand
and kissed me, sat down ana made me sit
beside him, still holding my band, while
he gazed at me with the full affection of his
dear. noble heart. He was pale with the
heat, his eyelids dropped with the weari-
hot n
throughout the day. In his convict shirt
aud trousers.
There is little breeze, and we are
under way again." said he. Il wish it
may hold. There is no telling what ship
may fail In with the boats, and the quicker
can push the vessel out of these parts
the better; though l must keep the tropic
latltudes aboard to get away in," said he,
softening his voice. I'VE shall need
smooth water and fine weather, dear one
and Gods care. 1t may be done tonight !;
IL may be done Tomorrow night; all must
be in readiness"
l told him what l had just overheard
LET them do what they like" said he
This cabins ours. ana by that / mean
that it's yours. l can rest anywhere
while You sleep, and can take nap here
II you like when you are out of it,
was about to speak. He smiled and
silenced me with his hand
Don't you remember the lectures / used
to give you? Let all things be as | wish.
Will and poor Bates will be safely lodged.
1t cannot be for long. A night or two
nay. a week if you will. But long it must
not be-" he added, with note of passion.
Gould keep you in this shipP What
have you already heard and seen9 Oh. if
is not ht-it is not fit Such scum as thew
are-such foul m0uthed hogs. When |
think OF what L used to suffer at night in
the hulk-forced to listen, lying sleepless,
though nearly dead with the awful toll of
the dayw
Our talk then softly and swiftly ran on
matters which / will not tease YOU with.
such as what we should do if we came off
with our lives in the gig; the surest and
yet most convenient places in the world
for Engllshmen to hide themselves in; nv
plans as to the disposal of my house in
London the drawing of my money secretly
so that the law should not be able to get
at him by finding out where [ was These
things and the like we talked of while we
sat hand in hand, and sometimes ne would
break of to kiss me, and thank me for my
love and loyalty and to admire me-
l asked him how tie gig was to be secret
ly provisioned and got ready for lowering
Il have arranged for that" said he. 81
told Aaron awhile ago on the poop. and
SONS dozens besides heard me, that it was
my practice at sea to keap ny boats pro-
viSioued and watered. [ then ratified about
our having but three boats, talked of The
big number Of sons aboard, and said that
in a daY or Two. when things had settled
down a bit, Ia hunt out the carrenters
and handy workhen among the people