The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-23
of daggers. But they were too suggest.

of daggers. But they were too suggest
i've and / declined the offer.
well, well, so be it, he remarked, put
ting back daggers and pistols into their
place. "Since you won't have a dagger, !
suppose it's no use Offering you sword.
No, thought so. Well. now for the cope
stone of the counsel" he continued, stand
ing erect and looking me straight in the
eyes. Don't let any one get too familiar.
The moment you smell trouble, draw and
blaze away. If you don't kill, you will be
respected; II you do kill. it's but justice
anyway. II you deliberate you're lost. And
now, lest they should suspect plot, let's
go out" saying which he opened the door
and we went on deck.
For the rest of that day was hot, nerv-
Gus, depressed and i'll at ease, yet with a
certain feeling of consequence. Firearms
give courage as the saddle confers author
ity. The touch of my pistol hilt thrilled
me, and many time did l surreptitiously
slip in my hand just to gain assurance by
grasping it.
kept, "a you may think, keen eve on
the crew, for though there was not whit
more danger now than there had been from
the beginning / detected treachery and a
murderous intent in every act and look of
the men. l expected bloodshed and tried
to convince myself was prepared for it.
But indeed it was to matter little to me
whether were armed or not. The feeling
of heat and depression grew upon me hour
by hour At first naturally referred IL to
my conversation with Mr.. Watson. But in
this was mistaken. / went TO bed deadly
sick, TO toss in feverish paroxysms through
the long night, and next morning was so
giddy that on attempting TO rise stag
gered and sank 20 the floor. When / gath
cred myself together, the room was whirl-
ing like huge spinning wheel, carrying
. me with il in its gyratons. Steadying my
self little, / managed TO crawl back to my
berth on hands and knees, my eyes well
nigh sightless and my brows throbbing as
If there were steam machinery inside. My
skin burned with a prickly heat, and my
throat and tongue We're parched, sore and
swollen.
II am In for It," groaned. "God in
heaven, and i'm such hole as thisp'
And presently when Mr.. Watson looked
I'm TO see why / was not getting up my
worst fears were confirmed.
"rm devilish sorry TO see this" he said
after examining me and hearing my symp-
toms. you've got the fever that Portu-
guese chap died Of You brought ii on
board with you. Itl was raging In some
quarters of the city. I'm devilish sorry,
we're so i'll of for medicine or indeed for
anything that sick body needs But we'll
do our best. I'll make you comfortable.
and then I'll send tho captain 20 see you"
In the course of half an hour or so the
captain came in, looked st me for mo-
ment as he would at sick beast, asked some
perfunctory questions and left me. A lit
tie later the mate, too, came in, and his
kindness was, IL possible. NOR cruel than
the captains callousness.
There's no saying how this may go, you
know, Mr.. Kilgour," be said, after lying In
his throat by saying he was sorry for me.
"Fevers ON board ship are bad at any time.
They're doubly bad on East India traders.
There's little room, evil smells, no re-
sources and the devil for physician. IL you
have any message you would like delivered
TO your friends or anything 20 return to
Scotland, am at your service"
A man may be dying, but IL hurts him TO
be brutally told so. For the first time In
my existence I appreciated the boon Of life,
Of the simple privilege Of continuing to be
and OF the sovereign balm Of sympatby. I
shook with fright and great beads broke
out on my brows. Yet neither. sickness nor