The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-03-29

RACES on taste and decency, he was capable
of achieving.
The captain, as the chief parsonage on
board, was naturally the most conspicuous
example of the ridiculous. He was elab-
orately arrayed in steeple beaver. strongly
suggestive of the defunct missionary i'm
spite Of its jaunty ostrich plume and tar
nished silver band; a coarse woolen shirt,
smeared like a hog In autumn; a leathern
girdle, from which depended n sword, n
brace Of pistols and a crooked dagger full
of significant purple stains; Turkish trou-
sers that had originally been crimson, but
were now of more hues than the maker of
Joseph's coat ever dreamed of pair of
red boots that must once have shed their
splendor on state assemblies and gather
ings of grandees. aud sashes enough of va
rious colors TO furnish aregiment of sheiks.
The decorations were thickest in the rear.
Indeed when the gallant captain turned
his back it might seem he was clad in por-
GUS plasters patched with canvas stepped
I'm PITCH so heavy were the incrustations OF
tar, grease, paint and other adhesive sub
stances. No sense of absurdity, however,
disturbed his serene self consequence. He
paced the deck with as proud as step, as high
and keen look, as if he were an admiral of
the feet in faultless uniform and the evil
dence of hundred victories blazing on his
breast seldom condescending to any famil-
iarity with those about him, never with
me, huddled in my corner.
We tore along at an incredible rate and
were soon beyond sight Of land, though for
a good while the smoke of the burning
brig showed our starting point. Whittier
we were bound could not guess and durst
not ask. ] was free TO conjecture. IL
pleased, that our course was for some happy
haven not far off,, though appearances
rather suggested we were securing the sea
for prey.
By and by we hauled our wind and began
TO fetch in backward direction. But we
had not gone n league when we bounded off
on another tack. and for the next hour or
two we tackled and changed so frequen<y,
running close hauled as IL forour lives and
dropping off as II IN sheer perversity, that
completely lost my reckoning.
1t was wonderful how that strangely
built ship behaved, how sensitive she was
10 the gentlest pressure of the helm, how
clean, quick and graceful were all her
movements aud how she rushed on her
course when she got her head. In spite of
rather rough seamanship, only once did
she make mistake. Through too hasty
luff she happened TO come dead into the
winds eye. and for the space of second
she hung in irons with loose sails. She
seemed to shake herself with vexation, like
n highly spirited horse thrown on its
launches without reason, turned quickly
half round. cnnght the wind again, and
then, with her yellow wings spread 20 their
utmost, went skimming along like sea
bird.
IL was now well on in the afternoon The
sun, though scorchingly hot, was near our
level. and the water was deepening i'm pur-
pie and crimson. ] was beginning TO think
we were 20 have night at sea, when the
captain gave the order TO put the helm
hard down We swung round and sped on
a landward course, sailing free and very
swift
I'VE shall make land good hour ere
sundown," said the captain TO his chief Of
fcer, giving me the first authentic informa-
tion OF the day.
BY this time my faculty OF curiosity had
lost it's edge. but at the mention OF land I
sat up TO keep lookout. and In less than
an hour we sighted the shore Its general
character rcsembled that Of the part we
had left earlier in the day, though soon
saw we were not returning 10 the death