The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-01-06

things-that the mate was touched with
liquor, as tho captain limited. and that,
drunk or sober, he was like to prove a
valuable friend.
Five minutes afterward my bonds
were cut, was hoisted on mans back,
carried up to the forecastle and laid in
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 roomy 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 las the
ship rolledD 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 babe me lie still and l
should soon be well again. There were
no bones broken, he exclaimed: ga clour
on the head was naething. Man." said
he, sit was me that gave it YETI
Here lay for the space of many days
o close prisoner, and not only got my
health again, but came to know my COM
panions. They were 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 men that had run from the kings
ships, and went with q halter round
their necks, of which they made no
secret, and all, as the saying goes, were
cat word and q blow" with their best
friends. Yet l had not been many days
shut up with them before I began to be
ashamed of my first Judgment.
Among other good deeds that they did
they returned my money, which had
been shared among them, and though it
was about third short l was very glad
to get it, and hoped great good from it
in the land l was going to. The ship
must not suppose that l was going to
that place merely as an exile. The trade
was even then much depressed; since
that, and with the rebellion of the colo
MES and the formation Of the United
States, it has of course come to an end:
but in these days of my youth white
men were still sold into slavery Oh the
plantations, and that was the destiny to
which my wicked uncle had condemned
me.
The cabin boy, Ransome (from whom
/ had first heard of these atrocities.
came in at times from the roundhouse,
where he berthed and served, now nurs-
ing bruised limb in silent agony, now
raving against the cruelty Of Mr.. Shuan.
1t made my heart bleed, but the men
had a great respect for the chief mate,
who was, as they said, ''the only sea-
man of the whole jingbang, and none
such bad man when he was sober"
l did my best in the small time al
lowed me to make something Ike man,
or rather should say something like q
boy, of the poor creature, Ransome.
But his mind was scarcely truly human.
He could remember nothing Of the time
before he came to sea; only that his
father had made clocks, and had q star
ling in tho parlor which could whistle
'"The North Countries" all else had been
blotted ont in these years of hardship
and crueitics. He had q strange notion
Of tho dry land, picked up from sailors
stories--that it was place where lads
were put to some kind of slavery called
a trade, and where apprentices were
continually dashed and clapped into foul
prisons. In town, he thought every
second person decoy, and every third
house place i'll which seamen would be
drugged and murdered.
All this time, you should know, the
Covenant was meeting continual head
winds and tumbling up and down against
head seas, SO that the scuttle was almost
constantly shut and the forecastle light
cd only bv O. swinging lantern on a
beam. There was constant labor for all
hands; the sails had to be made and
shortened every hour; the strain told on
the mems temper; there was growl OF
quarreling all day long from berth to
berth, and as l was never allowed to set
my foot on deck you can picture to your
selves how weary OF my life grew to
be and how impatient for change.
And q change l was to get, as you
shall hear; but must first tell of o con-
versation had with Mr.. Riach, which
put a little heart in me to bear my trou-
bles. Getting him in q favorable stage
of drink for indeed he never looked
near me when he was sober) pledged
him to secrecy and told him my whole
story.
He declared it was like % ballad; that
he would do his best to help me; that
should have paper, pen and ink, ar
write one line to Mr.. Campbell and an.
other to Mr.. Rankeillor, and that if l
had told the truth ten to one he would
be able, with their help, to pull me
through and set me in my rights.
''And in the meantime" says he, "keep
your heart UP. You're not the only one,
I'll tell you that. There's many a man
hoeing tobacco over seas that should be
mounting his horse at his own door at