The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-02

escape me. He shall confess. or lie swings
for it by my hand as surely as Gods his
judge" 20 . as.0
Saying this he left the table and went
on deck. 20 SIS
"Mr. Bates" said 7. show is the man to
be brought to own his crime 2"
The mate looked at me earnestly and
slowly and shook his head.
He'll go out. of his mind" said he
'"Fhats often how Gnd furnishes the like
OF such wretches; He may confess as a
mailman, but never while his wits yield
light enough to hold his hate in sight
Hate! Why. with him the deadliest of
human passinns lives wrapped up pure
and unalloyed in flesh, staking.on two
legs. and calling itself Rotch."
He left me and for many minutes 1 stood
alone leaning with my hand upOn the
cabin table, lost in deep and diStracting
thought.
Ii so befell, however, that we were not
long to wait before this degrading. loath-
some and maddening business Of Rotch
was settled fer us, and this without any
demand upon our own ingenuity, though
the thing worked ont to its issue in strict
correspondence with the inhuman DEVILS
nature and with all that is base and
wretched in this narrative. Whether the
man had been little mad at the root all
through. whether he really feared that
YIN WbuHl cAcCuLe HIS IUreaG ana Da0R
him, whether he supposed that, taking il
that Tom did not hang him, he would be
fearfully punished for the conspiracy and
perjury which Nodder had deposed to, or
whether his conscience working like a
tiend grew too strong for him during his
long solitary b0urs of fmprls Onment-he
one day fulfilled the prediction of the mate
and went mad.
We were then in. the northern verge of
in q
smoothly toward the equator. l was asleep
In my cabin and was awakened by great
disturbance and shouts. The hour was
some time in the afternoon. BY the time
l had put on my dress and run out the
cries and sounds of scrffiing had ceased.
out on stepping few PAGES aft heard
strange noise of moaning and swapping
yells proceeding from Rotch's cabin. 1t
was such a noise as might be made by a
couple of dogs, who, though half dead with
worrying each other. still fight on.
ran to the wheel, where | found VIII,
who told me that while Bates was in
Rotch's cabin. whittier he had carried some
drinking water, ,Rotch, giving a loud shout.
whipped a table-knife out of his bunk. He
luneeG at Bates, who very nimbly tripped
him up. got the knife out of his hand and
lay wrestling on the deck with Rotch,
bawing for help. Tom and Collins rushed
TO his assistance ard among them dragged
Inc Villain 10 MS berth again.
While VIII Was telling me this Tom and
the others came out of Rotch's cabin. and
now L heard that the man had gone mad
and to prevent him doing himself rus a
mischief they had secured his legs and
bound his arms to his side.
This was very great calamity; had he
Jumped overheard or cut his throat all
would have been well, but here was,a mad
man to watch. Our little ships company
fp ha proy, re
OF the brig totally prohibited our telling off
any one Of us to luck after the lunatic
flend. Then again. being mad, his confess
sion twhatever might prove the deliriOus
gable he chose to regae Mr.. Bates WITH
could be OF no use to Tom, who would thus
be baked in his iron-hard resolve of carry
ing him TO some part of the seas where he
could hang him il he did not confess.
But 1t was not a thing to be mended by
lamentatloE; while madness ragged In the
unhappy wicked wretch he was to be kept
bound, and rendered as helpless by cords
and lines as Tom in his sanity
mad been by legirons and hand
looked in npun him, cut up his meat. fed
him and gave him drink. l never wentnear
the monsters cabin nor set eyes upon him.
Ii Tom looked in, Rotch spat at him.
howled, expressed by contortions and
grimaces hundred heIlish passions, and
struggled with fury and with the power
OF giant to liDerate himself that he
might get at him. The madman's cabin
door was in various ways strengthened to
provide against all possibility of his break
ing out Otherwise I've lay lodged as Sc
curelv as II his prison had been the
sentineled and barricaded 'tweendecks of
the Childe Harold.
This was his condition for about week.
dating from the hour of his going mad !:
: Bates then told us that the fellow was
cooling down and exhibiting some return
OF mind; smalllight OF Intelligence was
10 his eyes and the fire of insanity was