The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-30

Aaron burst ont a-laughing. ! felt and
was amazed TO feel Toms influence over
this powerful ruffian.
Your little fred's got the SUNK. Butler.v
saio ne; "a hug-iull of il wouldn't hurt that
Lad there" lie continued, nodding at VIII.
lie is nv cousin" said /. don't Ques-
tlon his courage. He is fresh from seeing
men butchPred ana thrown alive overheard
40u are the greatest fighter in all England,
with the finest endurance and pluck Of any
man that ever entered ring; therefore, Mr.
aaron, you have soft heart. Courage and
kindness 60 hand in hand. Bear with that
lad. He Is hOrror-stricken."
DO deed for such sedsadi0ds by war-
bier, said the prize-fghteT, Prinning with
| qualification and stepping up To VIII. Give
us your arb. I'll sake your, Bates. Dow
let's step cd deck. l wadt air al a drink"
CHAPTER XXXIL
SHE DESCRIBES THE BEHAVIOR OF TIE
CoNVICTs
On their going ont Tom shut tie door and
| locked it. Then catching me in his arms,
called me by twenty caressing words and
kissed and blessed me for my love and de-
votion. | cried and lost my self-contrOl, and
some time elapsed before we we're composed
enough to talk. He then spoke of the Arab
| Chief. and told me again how the cons piracy
against him had been coutrved. His face
! blackened and he turned mntiOnless with
| wrath when he mentioned Rotch and the
| other. | see him now after he had said,
Marian, l swear by aud before the great
| aud just and mercfui God of heaven that
| | am as guiltleSs of the crime for which
| am here as you, and tat ROtch and Nod
| der" then he stOppe1 he stood without
| a stir, his face blackened and his eyes
| became enlarged and fixed; nothing moved
| but his lips, " hich eOnVulsively opened and
shut. His expression was one of horror
and dreadful rage.
l was terrified and threw my arms round
| his neck and kissed him. He fetched two
! or three deep signs, and picked his convict
| cap out of the upper bunk and famed him
self with if. He then quickly rallied, bnt
! turned as deadly pale as his looks had be-
| fore been black and TERRIBLE and held me by
| tie hand a minute, watching me with
smile Of heart moving sadness but God
Will not suffer il but God will not sutferit,"
| he muttered, brokenly, and minute later,
| in q collected voice. he talked to me OF his
sufferings In The London jdils. of what he
had endured on board the hulk and in the
dorkyard.
1 strove to bring him away from these
maddenipg memories by Speaking OF myself,
but presently saw il did him good to let
/ loose his Thoughts.
| Meanwhile a second mob OF convlcts, al
! tracted by tile noise below. had come down
| into the steerage and were swelling the
chorus of wells and oaths which the felns
! were roaring out | heard frequent spliu-
| tering of wood as though drawers and doors
and lockers were being forced and smashed.
! The Tufiians' object, unless il were djabo ic
! wantonneSs, | could notimagine the cabins
| here were few; one was full Of some kind
| OF stores; then there was the pantry; the
| other herths we're empty; may be the vii
! laCs beat and splintered the woodwork and
did what injury they could with the tools
| they handled out of rage and spite at being
| baked in their hunt for booty.
"DO they mean TO wreck the ship"
said l. Are they men or beasts? Listen
| to themH
They're beasts. Don't l know! But
| why do they shout and roar? After the
long discipline of silence, could roar my
| self. II has made a devil of me-"
what You are, [ am" said /.
He shook his head passOnateiy and said:
my business will be TO get out OF this snip
with you quickly. They trust me and their
| trust will be my opportunity. How long
| should | keep yOu In this ship Of demons?
! There's Bates and there's young JohnstoEe.
have scheme. The three of us are
sailors"
Are the convicts without any chiefs.
| without any head they are willing to own?
| II there's no discipline, what must happen?
| They'll get at the liquor; they'll eat aud
waste the provisions; they'll knock the ship
to pieces and sink her. Is that the wretches'
| idea of liberty?"
There are heads; AarOn's one. There
are others needn't name. Pm supposed
to be one. as taking charge of the ship.
| They'll fall into some sort of order by ard
by. Many Of them are not wholly beasts,
| II
what's wanted and what must be done
| Marian. | had no hand in this business.
| They asked me ii I'd navigate the ship il
| the prisoners seized Eer? said yes, and that
| that would be my share in the outbreak
| I'd do no more; I'd have no mai's blood
upon my head. II they seized tile ship,
| good and well; I'd navigate her to any
| agreed part of the world. Understand me,
Marian, l am accountable for no life that
| has been lost to-day. . What is
| In that bUndie?"
! explained.
The clothes may prove useful" said he
he pointed to the convict,' mattress on the
floor and said, Has that been your bed ?"
Yes, dear"
He tossed his hands and looked at me
with face of sorrow and love; then put
the parcel into my bunk aud the mattress
on top OF it.
They'll give me the captains cabr, "sad
he, "and you must be near me. couldn't
rest to think Of YOU slee ing down there
The men'll be filling these caDins-they'n
| sleep in bowlines over the side sooner than
| of themll have to live down there all the
| same. Come with me on deck. l must SEQ
what's doing"
BE careful how you address me. Tom l
must be thought boy while I'm in this
ship"
We went out and he locked the door after
him. and gave me the key. He shouted to
the c0nVcts, some of whom seemed TO be
dancing. others playing at leap-frog, while
| others again ran in and out of the pantry
and cabins halloing like madmeu. LET no
man enter mat berth. My friend occupies
| 1t and that's enough ~ BE then passed his
arm through mine and we walked to the
steps OF the hatch thatled into the cuddy.
never could have imagined such a scene
as this interior presented. Most Of the tall
| thin sheets of looking-glass had been
shivered. The doors of the cabins lay open
and the decks were covered with the tossed
| 1ra1 FrnT.. hi ~ ,Nn-,s a
lockers ana boxes. The cenvicts had found
| good booty IN these cabins; here had slept
| the captain, the two mates, the military
officers and the surgeon superintendent, and
one or two spare berths aft had been filed
| with certain valuable consignments to
| Sydney, to which port the ship was to have
| proceeded after discharging her cargo of
criminals at Hobart Town.
The place was crowded with the felOns
| They stood two and three deep at the
table, which, as you will remember, | and
| my associate had prepared for breakfast
| One of the aftermost herths had been used
as cabin Iarder; here the prisoners had
| found plenty to eat and drink The table
was sirewn with tins of meat pots of pre-
serves, bottles of beer, biscuits, bones of
ham, etc. The fellows bawled 10 one an
| other to pass this and that; TO hand the
| ale along; TO sling that bottle of sherry
across. They knocked the heads off the
bottles and after emptyinR them threw
| them on the deck.
The drink had mounted into the heads OF
many and the din OF their shouts, songs and
laughter, their filthy language aud bideous
| rallery would have drowned the noise of a
thunderstorm. Here and there lay portions
Of eonvlcts' clothes torn into shreds. Many
| of the felons we're dressed in plundered ap-
| parel. A man at the foot of the tuble wore
| the doctors naval coat; others clothes which
had belonged to Lieutenant Chimmo and
| Captain Barrett. few had attired them
| selves in the uniforms of those officers, one
| in tunic, another in the trousers, third
! in a military cloak. One fellow who ran
mast Us had the subatern's sword strapped
| TO his hip.
(which was the captains cabnP" said
| Tom.
We looked into it; it had been sacked like
| the rest; the lockers opened ana the con-
| tents looted; the lid of large sea-chest was
| smashed as though by a chopper; but they
| had left the nautical Instruments alone
| perhaps guessing their imnnrtanca The