St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1893-01-21

nara upon tno table.
All Of sudden he put out his hand to
take the bottle; and at that Mr.. Riach
started forward and caught it away
from him, rather by surprise than vio-
lence, crying out with an oath that
there had been too much of this work
altogether, and that Judgment would
fall upon the ship. And as he spoke (the
weather sliding doors standing open) ne
tossed the bottle into the sea.
Mr.. Shuan was on his feet in trice.
He still looked dazed, but hdAneant MUIR
der, aye, and would have done it for
the second time that night had not the
captain stepped in between him and his
/ victim.
"Sit down." roars the captain. .sYe
sot and swine, do ye know what ye've
done? Ye've murdered the boyf'
Mr.. Shuan seemed to understand, for
ne sat down again and put up his hand
! to his brow.
! well" he said, che brought me d
dirty pannikin."
| AT that word Che captain and and
Mr.. Riach all looked at each other for q
second with kind OF frightened lock,
and then Hoseason walked up to his
chief officer, took him by the shoulder,
led him across to his bunk and bade him
lie down and 60 to sleep, as you might
speak to a bad child. The murderer
cried little, but he took off his sea
boots and obeyed.
"Ahr' cried Mr.. Riach with dread
full voice, ''ye should have interfered
long syne It's too late now
'sMr. Riach," said the captain, .this
nights work must never be kermit in
Dysart. The boy went overheard, sir;
that's what the story is, and / would
give five pounds out Of my pocket it was
truep He turned to the table. What
made ye throw the good bottle away?'
he added. "There was nae sense In that
sir. Here, David, draw me another.
They're in the bottom locker" and he
tossed me a key. "YeIl need q glass
yourself, sir he added to Riach. You
was an ugly thing to see"
So the pair sat down and hobnobbed,
and while they did SO the murderer, who
had been lying and whimpering In his
berth, raised himself upon his elbow and
looked at them and at me.
That was the first night OF my new
duties, and in the course of the next day
had got well into the run of them.
had to serve at the meals which the cap
tain took at regular hours, sitting down
with the officer who was OFF duty; all
the day through ] would be running
with dram to one or the other Of my
three masters, and at night slept on d
blanket thrown on the deck boards at
the aftermost end of the roundhouse
and right in the draft OF the two doors.
1t was a hard and cold bed, nor was
suffered to sleep without interruption,
for some one would be always coming in
from deck to get q dram, and when !.
fresh watch was to be set two and sone-
times all three would sit down and brew
bowl together. How they kept their
health know not, any more than how
kept my own.
And yet in other ways it was an easy
service. There was no cloth to lay; the
meals were either Of oatmeal porridge
or salt junk, except twice week, when
there was duff, and though I was
clumsy enough, and (not being firm on
my sea legs) sometimes fell with what
was bringing them. both Mr.. Riacl and
the captain were singularly patient. I
could not but fancy they were making
up leeway with their consciences, and
that they would scarce have been 40
good with me IL they had NOT been
worse with Ransome.
was as well fed as the best Of them.
even their pickles, which were the great
dainty, / was allowed nv share Of. and
had / liked might have been drunk
from morning to night, like Mr.. Shuan.
I had company, too. and good comnanv
of its sort. Mr.. Riach. who had been 4,
the college. smoke To ma Iika : fr;ard
many curious things. and some that
were informing, and even the captain.
though he kept me at the sticks end the
most part Of the time, would sometimes
unbuckle bit and tell me Of the fine
countries he had visited.
The shadow Of poor Ransome. TO be
sure, lay on all four of us, and ON me
and Mr.. Shuan In particular most l1eay-
lily. And then ] had another trouble of
my own. Here was, doing dirty work
for three men that / Ilookedsdown upon,
and one Of whom at least should have
hung upon galloWs that was for the
present. and as for the future, could
only see myself shaving alongside Of me-
groes in the tobacco fields. Mr.. Riach,
perhaps from caution, would never suf-