The morning call., 1893-05-28
CHAPTER XXXYII-[Continued.

thick with the stupehed brutes who,
seated, lay upon from their waists in every
sort of drunken posture, most of which not
man among them could have put himself
into had he been sober. a score and more
lay without life or motion on the cabin
deck, but numbers were awake and pan
nikins IF grog were being handed along.
The haze of tobacco smoke hung dark as
a river fog.
/ walked TO the break of the poop and
counted some twenty or twenty-five dark
figures lying helplessly insensible in vari-
Gus parts of the main and quarter deck;
men reeled out of the cuddy as | looked.
fell down with their hands Outstretched
and never moved. 1t was as Tom said.
The wretches had not tasted liquor for
months, aud many of them for years, and
now they had been swallowing fiery ships
rum l know not now many degrees above
proof.
q once in Mr.. Stiles time put my tongue
to "nea" dram or "tot" as it is called,
and was burnt as though with a fame.l
Numbers doubted not had swallowed
the burning poison undiluted. The spec
tacle of the quarterback, above all the
sight of the figures lurchng out ana then
and frightful.
went back to Tom; as passed the sky
light Aaron began TO sing, but his voice
was full of drink, very hldeously thick,
and his delivery tuneesS. l was sure after
pauSing all instant 10 listen that he would
speedilyicount among those who were laid
low.
II shall make for that brig" said Tom.
when we get away"
: m
tinguiShed the vessel in the ObScurity some
distance from the edge of the flood of
mOOnsbine.
ITS a dead calm" | said.
TT matters not" he answered.
Shouldn't we first conIrive to roll those
fellows off the poOp?" said viii at the
wheel, meaning the two figures upon the
deck.
It'll take them all night to sleep off
what they've GOT" answered Tom. #
hope Bates won't allow them 10 make him
drunk. He's afraid of Aaron"
'Where are the rest who came up with
the prize fighter?' | said.
Gone below for more drink
We stood conVersing in whispers.
Aaron's singing had subdGed, bus only
Subdued, the noise in the cabin, vet we
could hear one another when we whis.
perrd. After twenty minutes, Mr.. Bates
came up. regarded him anxiously. His
lace shone in the moonlight as though he
he had just lifted his head cut of a bucket
oil oil.
The heat below! Oh, the heat below !!
It's wonderful they're not all dead men !'
he exclaimed
He told us that he lad managed to
empty his pannikln on the deck before put
ting II to his lips. They had handed him
pure rum To drink; ha0 be swallowed the
dose be must have fallen down insens BILE.
The people close 10 him were too drunk to
n hs 20 Inn h. -
Ing TO wa en- Aaron, as though 10 catch his
eye to drink his health, poured out the con-
tents OF the pannikIn, and did not
know that the rum had splashed
over mans face until he looked
down. The man, lying like one dead
upon the deck, received the discharge
without a STIR 1t seems, however, that
Mr.. Bates need not have put himself to
any trouble to feign drinking; Aaron got
on TO the double chair and began 10 sing
without taking any notice of the mate in
the midst of his song be stopped to lift a
annikin to his lips which he emptied.
and was then proceeding when the upper
chair gave away ana he fell. After the
prize-i1hter had lain lew moments
grooming in sickness, he clawed his way
to one of the cabins and Bates came on
deck.
Soon after II o'clock tipsy figure ap-
preaching Tom. stood lurchlng and back
ing and filling. The man was sailor. He
asked with n drunken, broken laugh if he
should take the wheel.
Get away to your hammock" shouted
Tom. We'll see to the ship. Off you go,
and tell the rest of you to turn in till
you've slept the drink off,
The man went reeling forward, and in a
maudlin voice broke into a song as he
worked his way off the poop.
But nothing could be done till the silen ce
OF drunken sleep was upon the Ship L
never could have dreamed that of 220 odd
convlcts all would have OverpOWered them
selves with liquor. There were gray
haired men and men of education, PEOPLE
who had filled good positions ashore; one,
as have said, was surgeon and anothe r
had been an officer in the army There
were several clerks and young fellows who
Dau Deen apprentlced to respectable call
lngs. OBe had been harbOr missionary .
no need to lengthen the dismal cataloge A
few, at least, | had thought would have
held alOOf from the heliish revelries of the
cuddy. have CONE on deck and breathed
the fresh night air ana watched the beau
tlful moonlight after a moderate sup @
two from Aaron's and the hare-lipped
mans buckets. Such persons bad look ed
for and wondered how we should be able
TO get away wthnut their needing or OBJ
serving US. But it seems that there was
not convict in the whole living mas of
wretcbes, counting $50 souls, less Tom and
the fellows that had lost their lives in the
morning, who had not entered heart and
soul into this hideons merry making
Tom found that out by going down the
companion steps and taking a view of the
interior. The hour then was about a
quarter to twelve. About half score of
the felons we're still awake, but drinking
always; they were too drunk TO make
much noise, and happily too oyertaken in
liquor to be able to light their pipes. The
heat was killing, Tom said he should not
be surprised if several Of the people were
found dead.
Bates" said he, "get YOU down with
VIII and overhaul the slop chest and bring
up what YOU know is needfuI. They'll
take no notice Of you in the cuddy.
They're nearly blind drunk; they're Al
the aitermost end where Aaron was and
the atmosphere is black with tobac o. and
the cabin lights burn pale tombstone I
DOM want Marion to leave NV side.
Here's the key of my cabin door. Bring
up the clothes"
Bates and my cousin went away held
the wheel, but the sea lay dead in the calm
that had fallen, and / grasped the spokes
That might seem employed should a con.
Wet Wi any wits approach. Tom now
said he would go the round of the snip.
I'VE must see all the lights out before
we leavesher," said he. Think of a fire
with the people in the state they're IMP
He walked to the lfeless figures on the
poop and moved them with his foot; they
lay as senseless as the plank they rested
on. He then passed down the steps and
lost sight of him. / guessed that the con-
victs had been too drunk to climb the poop
ladder. or to attempt the POOP by the CON-
IgaWar So.