The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1893-07-08
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rhgaioh hI9536qiea wSf17tasl19 9vho was
rAedsF so eTRfsdhtdiSas sotttfn Of mind,
and SO the two little boys decided to en-
observation-disclosures TO take no bag
earebS htarida4kwlantern and a large
RefkaRS oi,tgRswiches and cake which
they begged from the cook
So early did they start that it was not
much after o'clock when they appeared
on the dock and looked about them for
a vessel suitable for the proposed trip.
'Iwish, " said Tommy, "that there was
a good pirate ship in the hsrbor now
one of those long, low, ralSish looking
craft such as we read about in The Pi-
rates Bride and which are always rae
ing up and down along the coast Of China
on the lookout for rich merchantmen"
81 don't believe there's a pirate ship
here, said Charley, "but there's brig
antine that sails for Cuba today for
cargo Of oranges and bananas. If we
were to ship aboard her, we'd get lots of
good things to eat and have no end of
fun"
"Of course we would" chimed in
Tommy approvingly. 81 am glad to see
YOU coming round to my ideas. Why,
Fatty, there's not only oranges and ba-
nanas and cocoanuts down there, but
there's guava jelly and yams and sugar
cane and pineapples and an elegant
beach to go swimming on and monkeys
and parrots in the trees and everything
else till you can't rest. Now, I'll tell you
what wen do. If we like the looks of
the captain and INDEPENDENTLY the
mate-for he's the one, don't you know,
who is always cruel to the sailor boys in
the stories, and if we like the ship her
self Wen just slil in her today. Maybe
we could find place in the cargo that
we could fit up for ourselves, as that boy
in the Mayne Reid story did, bring In
food enough to last through the voyage
and not show ourselves till we felt like
It,"
Fatty had always had a weakness for
sweet things, and the prospect of going
to a land productive of every known
delicacy fired his imagination and drove
out from his mind for the moment all
thoughts of the brilliant career of ad-
venture that he had often planned for
himself as a scout and slayer of Indians.
Aboard the br1gantine, which was called
the Mary Jane, they found themselves
In the midst of the hustle and excite
ment incident to the lading Of large
cargo. The sailors were hoisting a nun.
ber of boxes from the dock and lowering
them into the vessels hold by means Of
an apparatus rugged to the mainmast
while the officers of the ship were sc
busy that they paid no attention to the
two well dressed little boys who werC
roaming about the ship, now peeping
into the cooks galley and now appear
ing in the forecastle, running about the
deck and making themselves thoroughly
at home after the fashion of young Amer
lean boys generally.
1t was not long before they contrivet
to slip away into the vessels hold, where
the sailors were slowing away the boxei
and barrels as fast as they were lowered
from the deck. They grouped arounC
among the different casks and big case
until at once they came upon an opeI
space between two enormous boxes
which was just big enough to accom-
modate them both and reminded then
instantly of the place in which the stow
away In Mayne Reid's romance had mad,
his famous voyage.
"Eurekaw cried Fatty, who knew tn
Greek alphabet and was proud of hi
classical attainments, "all we have to d.
now is to hide here until the ship is wei
out to sea and then show ourselves o.
deck
And so it happened that when the lad
ing of the cargo was finished two smal
boys with no other equipment but darl
lantern and package of sandwiche
were snugly slowed away in a little opel
space among the big cases and hogsheadE
1t was not cold down in the ship
hold, and there was smell Of sugar
which was not at all disagreeable. The
could hear the water dashing against tn
dock outside, and then something shu
out the few rays Of light that had pent
trated their hiding place. The capital
ordered the cover put over the hold an
fastened down. Whether it would b
reopened the next morning or whethe
they would be kept there until the shi
reached Havana they did not know. A
awful fear came over Fatty Wines, an
he said in a voice that trembled in spit
Of himself:
"We're in for it now, Tommy, sur
popP
"Well," said Tommy, 1--WE might Q
well make the best Of it here, and not Ii
these rats frighten us to death. We
have to keep stiff upper lip now thl
we are out for life Of adventure"
They We're "in for it, and no mistake
but they did not lose heart For awhi
they lay listening to the scampering
rats and the sound Of waves dashin
against the vessels side. Before Ion
their eyes began to droop, and they fe
into a dead sleep, from which they wei
awakened by the jolting of the shil
which told them that they had started O
their way Ii was pitch dark when the
awoke, Snd as neither boy had a watc
they could not tell whether they Ia
been asleep six hours or "a. But tbel
was no mistake about the motion of Il
ship. She was fairly under way an
very likely out Of sight Of land.
Tommy put good face on the matte
but Fatty was very quiet. Hewas thinl
ing Of his home and wondering whetht
he would ever see his father and moth,
again. just as he was on the point
turning upon his companion with TO
rent of reproaches for having induce
him TO run away he heard a suddt
noise, and a moment later the GOVERN
Of the hatchway was removed, and Il
captains voice was heard telling one
the sailors to go down in the hold an
see if a certain box was there. 1t w
pleasant TO see the light of day on
more and feel the rush of fresh air fro
above.
I'VE must be mt of sight of Ian
now, said Tommy, $50 we might as W,
60 and show ourselves ON deck"
The boys accordingly left their pla
Of concealmeut. clambered swiftly ov
the boxes and came upon the sailor wi
a suddenness that caused him TO rush
deck screaming out that there were e'
spirits chasing him about the ship. I
boys followed him as fast as they cOul
and as they clamhered out of the hC
they found the captain, the mate al
nearly all the crew gathered in amai
ment about the hatchway. Their cloti
were torn aud covered with dust, tn
faces were grimy, and their uncomh
locks hung down over their eyes.
was several moments before it dawn
on the mate that they were the sal
well dressed, polite little fellows VIII,
he had seen playing about the ship a f
hours before.
"Why, captainr he exclaimed, 9Th,