The morning call., 1893-02-12
CHAPTER XI-TCoNTINUEDl


We were still about mile from the hulk
when l observed a large ship In tow Of
tug coming up the river. She sat deep in
The water and was plainly fresh from long
voyage, rusty about the bows and weather
stained along the line of her painted ports,
but she carried the smartness Of a fTigate
alOft in the well-squared yards. from which
all canvas had been unbent, and in the per-
fecty stayed and lofty tOpgallantmasts.
whose royal yards had been sent down. l
seemed to recognize the large house flag she
few at the main.
what ship is that?" I asked. we'll aware
that Thames watermen know every ship out
of London.
BE turned his chin on his shoulder, and
viewed her leiSurely ana answered, The
Cbide Harold"
"Tns Chlde Haroldg' cried. and threw
up ny veil to look at her. Will JohnstOne's
shipI could scarcely credit my eyes. She
sided stately and slow in the wake of the
tug. Her home was at hand. the forest of
the East India Docks was in sight and the
paddles Of the little steamer were beating
the water slowly.
1 observed a crowd Of PEOPLE on the fore
castle and a number of men and women
walked the poop or afterdeck. The red flag
stTeamed brightly from the peak, the glass
and brass about her spRTkled, the little cir
GUAR windows in her side flashed like gems
as they took the sun, and the raiment Of the
ladies 1uttered In many tints Here and
there a sailor was trotting alOft, and man
standing high and c0nspicuOusly on the
forecastle was shouting with one hand
against his mouth TO the tug. As the noble
ship passed she made holiday picture Of
The water round about her and the land on
either hand. l stared hard. hoping might
catch a sight Of VIII, but the distance be-
tween was too wide TO enable NE to distin-
guish faces.
There's no finer ship out Of London"
said the waterman. "She's from Australey.
That's where the gents yah're agOiEg TO
visit are sent 10. If there's n0ught but net
ties to be bowed out Of dead convicts
there's blisterin' fine cities to be gr0wed out
Of live ones. I'm agoing to AustTaley N.Y.
self some Of these here days-iust to take
look r0uud-W0Ik my way out and home
again-a shilling q month 'ud dO-Pm no
sailor man"
He sank into silence. The Childe Harold
f1oated away sstern, and now right ahead Of
as and near loomed The giant figure Of the
prison hulk Warrior, her head pointed
toward London; another hulk lay mooTed
close by. All these hulks, those of the
arsenal as well as those of the doekvard,
were as familiar to me as The fingers Of my
hand. Over and over again had passed
them and looked at them during my lonely
pleasant jaunts upon the river, but always
with an injurious eye; but new. deep,
fearful significance had now TO my gaze
entered the grim and hdeOus fabric Of the
mountainous Warrior. l viewed the rows
OF ports savagely and massively grated ana
thought Of the many eyes OF crime and SUI
fering, Of guilt ana oh, my God! OF lnno-
cence toe. which might nave peered through
those metal meshes at the outside scene OF
flowing river with the spirit OF liberty
strong in the speeding craft in the flight OF
the cloud, in the feathering OF the Missing
ripple.
She was a hideous ship, horrible In her
suggestions Of human crime and despair.
Rows Of coarse convict linen huttered be-
twixt her pole masts, al the head OF the
foremost Of which stTe9med the long peunon
of the state. She was bulged up all about
the bows with rude bandbOX-ilke buildings,
coWled ventilatlDg shafts gaped about neT
decks; the dull CLEAN Of gilt and glass about
her vast quarter galleries and stern affected
the Imagination as faded memorial OF
times wneu her sides bTistied with the black
dogs Of var, when her copper sheathlng
4
when she lifted star searching spires TO the
sky, space upon space Of symmetric white
ness swelling soft as slfted snow TO the
RiitteriDg buttons Of her trucks.
There was al of gangway ladder With
warder standing like a sentinel the head
Of il. The cOnvcts were ashore, all OF
them. save few, silent al their trades un-
der deck. a singular hush lay upon the
big ship; though the morning was advanced
and vide and brilliant. and the river alive
with siesming baTges and rowboais and
craft Of all sorts. aud alive too on the banks
where the dOckyaTI was, and higher, where
were many low whaTYes and dlsmantled
hulks and riverside publlc-houses, and
higher yet, where the arsenal was, with IT'S
chimneys pouring smoke and featheTS OF
steam darting from great square buildings,
such was the stiffness upon this slumheTlng
mass Of prison hulk that as we drew along
side | could hear no sound but the sob OF
The stream Of tide washing along Inc bends,
and an occasional grOan OF aged timber as
the sweep Of the water strained the OLD
fabric upon its bed Of mud.
babe the waterman wait got upon the
ladder and ascended. The waTdeT or officer
at the gangWay inquired my business. /
told him ] WAS visitor come 70 see one OF
the conycts, Thomas Butler lie made me
pass on to the quarterback, where we're as
sembled TWO or three groups OF persons
who were also arrived 70 Visit friends. The
people might have come on board by way OF
a gallery, which connected the ship with
the shore on the port or left-hand SIDE; TINS
gallery was defended under he fOTecaste
by a huge iron palisade, with two strong
gates for padlOcking
The War1er at tie gangWay spoke to an
officer who stood within earsbot. DE
crossed the deck and the shore was hailed.
but | know not by whom nor heard what
was said. had lifted my veil to look at the
Chlde Harold and kept ii up, My pulse
throbbSd IN and | Euew I WAS VarV X lIte.
but my mood had become resolved by tenn
per. Nv heart turned sick at the sight Of
the vide decks with their grlmy lncum-
brances OF cOnyicts' ana officers galleys and
hammock houses and other beaped and
sordid and filthy looking structures. l
thought Of Tom as an innocent man doomed
10 soul killing work ashore and heart
breaking immurement IN his hulk, locked
up below al night with hundreds OF felons.
many IF whom had been fetched by the
hands Of justice out Of the cutters and
slums and rookeries of that city whose
atmosphere even in the far distance tinged
and tainted the blue Of the summer sky.
stood viewing the ship and wondering at
what part Of her my sweetheart would APP
pear. a man came from the forward end.
looking from right TO left with inspecting
eyes as he walked; he approached and
lightly surveyed me and the others who
were waiting. He was a strongly built
man. dressed in a sort Of uniform frock
coat decorated with a ribband and clasp;
on his head was large bell-shaped cap like
10 what 1 have seen in pictures Of German
and Russian officers. The expression of his
face was firm, but there was a coloring Of
kindness 10 il. glow OF Interest kindled
in his ball-like eyes, and saluting me with a
flourish of his hand TO the peak OF MS cap
he asked whom had come 20 see.
"One Of the conycts. Thomas Butler"
answered.
He stepped over to warden, then re-
turned
Are you his wife, madam"
Il am his sweetheart and engaged to be
married to hin" / said, coloring. and raised
my hand to my veil, though l left my face
exposed nevertheless.
Hal he exclaimed with sigh Of pity.