The morning call., 1893-03-05

eyes shut that I might not see the blackness
and tried to figure the interior OF the prison
ship. What sort of quarters had
the convicts? Should | ever have a
chance of viewing the 'tweendecks? !?
| recOllected that VIII had told
me the prisOn-by which l understood the
cell in which the convicts would be confined
for punishment-was just the other side Of
the bulkneed or partition. | strained my
ears thinking might catch sound of the
felOns talking The fancy seized me to
draw close to the partition; I got out OF the
sail and felt along it, knowing that the ex-
tremity would bring me to the bulkhead :;
putting out my hands l felt the bulkhead,
pressed my ear to the solid wooden wall
and listened, but heard nolhing-nothing,
that is. assembling the human voice. But
| caught sort Of seuffiing sound. very dim
and weak, as though OF many feet in mo-
tiOn; ii was "A wild, strange noise to listen
to in that blackness.
] groped my way back to where the sail
was loose. aud lay down aud covered N.Y.
self as before. had thought TO find the at
mOsphere lce-llke. yet L was not cold, being
warmly clad, with plenty of sail cloth to
cover me besides. l kept my eyes closed TO
tighten the weight OF the blackBess upon
the brain. My thoughts were with Tom,
with our visit TO this ship In the docks,
with my home in Stepney. Ii was like tax
ing bruising load off my heart TO think of
my sweetheart as having left the grim and
horrible hulk for good. as having turned his
back forever upon the killing labor Of the
dockyRTd. 1t was as though he had taken
one long step toward freedom | shuddered
and my soul was sick with loathng when
l thought of the hulk, OF the 400 or 500
wretches imprisoned throughout the long
winters night IN her, OF tine sQualid rows of
houses and dismantled craft alongshore,
of the mud and the driZzie. and the fogs
upon the fiat and reeking lands and the
hlaab snirit n the c inc vaIi n NJ
in all things, soaking chill 10 the core Of
whatever the eye rested upon, giving a
sterner significance even to mans deepest
intent of degradation.
And then l wondered what would happen
when l showed myself or was discovered?
What kind OF work will they put me to?
Would they force me to reveal my sex? |
hoped not, | prayed not; for the discovery
might lead to their finding out that | was
cODvict's sweetheart, and they would land
me at the first port the ship touched at and
ruin my scheme and separate me, perhaps,
eternally from Tom.
l fell asleep. l could not name the hour,
Time had no being IN that blackness. A
noise awakened me. Instinct was alert
even in my sumber. for the instant
awoke | pulled the canvas over my head.
leaving one corner for my eye, and lay still
as a corpse. The hatch was open and a
figure stood under it.
Hand the blooming shovel down." the
fellow called out. "Never keep poor con-
YIcts awaiting for their breakfsses Time
enough to sarve 'em so when they becomes
Dious and turn Spectacle sailor men.
Blowed if this ere hatch amt froZe LENS
hand to lift the cover"
A second figure dropped below. The light
was so dim in the hatch above that l could
distinguish nothing but the shadow shapes
of the two fellows. The hatch in the deck
Of the stOrerOom was lifted, one man climbed
out and handed down shovel and lam
tern, and the other descended with them
into the fOrepeak. A bucket was let down
and | heard shoveling of coal in the bowels
below. Presently faint cry sounded. The
bucket was drawn up, emptied into some
noisy receptacle above and lowered again.
This business lasted nearly half an hour.
The fellow below uprose with the shovel
and lantern and put the lower hatch oil.
swearing to himself. He then climbed
through the second hatch, which he also
closed, and my hiding-pIace was plunged
afresh into blackness.
l gathered from their speaking OF the
convicts' breakfast, and from their pro-
curing coal, no doubt for the galleys. that il
was early morning and that | had slept
through the night A long, dreamless
death-lke sleep II must have been In that
black and silent place. The moment sat
up was sensible that the shIp was in mo-
tion. seemed TO feel that she was being
strained as though dragged. Subdued
uulooo Dlbho nun fhllous pdTl5 OIL her, tne
creak of timber and of bulkhead; but the
ship flOated without the least motion; in
deed / was sure she could not long have left
her berth alongside the hulk.
/ lighted candle, drank from a bottle OF
the water, and having helped myself TO
some meat and biscuit, l eXtinguished the
candle and broke my fast in blackness [
did not now find this blackness the great
oppression il had first proved. | have heard
that the governor of jail considered three
days OF confinement IN black cell a trihing
punishment until he tried it. He caused
himself to be locked up for twenty-four
hours; at the end OF that Time he could
stand the blaekness no longer, and he was
ever after of the opinion that that twenty
iour hours was as long as It was safe to
keep man locked up In blackness at one
stretch.
This may be true Of prison blackness:
speaking for myself [ ceased TO suffer after
time from priyatiOn of light though under
that ships forecastIe with the hatch on, the
olackness was as intense, while the silence
had been as profound as ever human inge-
nulty could cODtrlve with bricks and mortar
ashore. But then / had moral support
which the prisoner would be without.
was animated with the strongest OF human
passions: 1t gladdened me moreover to feel
tnat was sharing IN my sweethearts SUE
ierlng ana exile, and then again what / was
enduring was of my own seeking, long
awaited with impassioned eagerness.
by and by the sensation as If the shin be-
Ing strained or dragged ceased and the
noises made by the tim bers and in the hold
were siienced. l guessed by this we had
brought up at Gravesend. and roughly
supposing that We had started from