Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-07-20

face full of cruelty and terror.
1t was the last | saw. Already strong
hands had been plucking me back from
the ships side; and now a thunderbolt
seemed to strike me; | saw a great flash
of fire, and fell senseless.
CHAPTER VII.
GO TO SEA IN THE BRIG COVE
NANT'' OF DYSART.
/ came to myself in darkness, in great
pain bound hand and foot and deafened
by many unfamiliar noises. There sound
ed in my ears roaring Of water as of
a huge milldam; the thrashing of heavy
sprays, the laundering of the sails, and
the shrill cries of the seamen. The
whole world now heaved giddily up,
and now rushed giddily downward; and
so sick and hurt was [ in body, and my
mind so much COMPOUNDED, that it took
me a long while, chasing my thoughts
up and down, and ever stunned again
by fresh stab of pain, to realize that l
must be lying somewhere bound in the
belly of that unlucky ship, and that the
wind must have strengthened to a gale.
With the clear perception of my plight,
there fell upon me blackness OF de-
spair, a horror of remorse at my own
folly, and a passion of anger at my uncle,
that once more bereft me of my senses.
When | returned again to life, the
same uproar, the same confused and vio-
lent movements, shook and deafened me;
and presently, to my other pains and
distresses, there was added the sickness
of an unused landsman on the sea. In
that time of my adventurous youth l suf-
fered many hardshipS; but none that was
so crushing to my mind and body, or lit
by so few hopes, as these first hours on
board the brig.
| heard a gun fire, and supposed the
cfO ho6 cfrn
and we were firing signals of distress.
The thought of deliverance, even by
death IN the deep sea, was welcome to
me. Yet it was no such matter; but Gas
l was afterWard told a common habit
Of the captains, which | here set down
to show that even the worst man may
have his kindlier sides. We were then
passing, it appeared within some miles
Of Dysart, where the brig was built,
and where old Mrs. Hoseason, the cap
tain's mother, had come some years be-
fore to live; and whether outward or in
ward bound, the Covenant was never suf-
fered to go by that place by day with
out gun fred and colors shown.
| had no measure of time; day and
night were alike in that ill-smelling cav
ern of the ships bowels, where lay;
and the misery of my situation drew out
the hours to double. How long, there
fore, | lay waiting to hear the ship split
upon some rock. or to feel her reel head
foremost into the depths of the sea, /
have not the means of computation. But
sleep at length stole from me the con-
seriousness of sorrow.
| was Weakened by the light of hand
lantern shining in my face. A small
man of about thirty, with green eyes
and tangle of fair hair, stood looking
down at me.
WELL" said he, chow goes it?'
| q
then felt my pulse and temples, and set
himself to wash and dress the wound
upon my scalp.
.'Ay," said he, "a sore dunt. [Stroke.l
What, man? Cheer up! The worlds
no done; you've made a bad start of it,
but you'll make better. Have you had
any meat?"
| said l could not look at it; and there
upon he gave me some brandy and water
in a tin pannikin, and left me once more
to myself.
The next time he came to see me, I
was lying betwiXt sleep and waking, my
eyes wide open in the darkness, the sick
ness quite departed, but succeeded by
horrid giddiness and swimming that was
almost worse to bear. | ached, besides,
in every limb, and the cords that bound
me seemed to be of fire. The smell Of the
hole in which l lay seemed to have be-
come part of me; and during the long
fered fortunes of fear, now from the
scurrying of the ships rats that some
times battered on my very face, and
now from the dismal imaginings that
haunt the bed of fever.
The glimmer of the lantern, as a trap
opened, shone in like the heavens sun
light and though it only showed me the
strong, dark beams Of the ship that was
my prison, | could have cried aloud for
gladness. The man with the green eyes
was the first to descend the ladder. and
| noticed that he came somewhat I'M
steadily. He was followed by the cap
tain. Neither said word; but the first
wound as before, while HOseasOn looked
me in my face with an odd, black look.
Now, sir, you see for yourself" said
the first: "a high fever, no appetite, no
light, no meat; you see for yourself what.
that MEANS
Il am no conjurer, Mr.. Riach," said
the captain.
"Give me leave, sir" said Riach:
you've a good head upon your Shout
ders, and good Scotch tongue to ask
with; but | viii leave you no manner of
excuse: [ want that boy taken out of
this hole and put in the forecastle.''
What We may want, sir, is a matter
of concern to nobody but yourself, re-
turned the captain; ''but / can tell We
that which is to be. Here he is; here he
shall bide."
Admitting that you have been paid
in proportion said the other, Il
will crave leave humbly to say
that l have not Paid I am,
and none too much, to be the
second officer of this old tub; and you
ken very well if l do my very best to
earn it. But l was paid for nothing
more"
eff We could hold back your hand from
the tin pan, Mr.. Riach, would have no
complaint to make of ye," returned the
skipper; ''and instead of asking riddles,
| make bold to say that We would keep
your breath to cool your porridge Well
be required on deck" he added, in a
sharper note, and set one foot upon the
ladder.
But Mr.. Riach caught him by the
sleeve.
Admitting that you have been paid to
do murder" he began.
Hoseason turned upon him with a
flash.
What's that?" he cried "What kind