Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1897-11-06
CHE Stury Teller.
From the Youths Companion.
AN INDUSTRIOUS REFUGEE.
The Purser's Mysterious Passenger

AN INDUSTRIOUS REFUGEE.
The Purser's Mysterious Passenger.
Purser Sands was about to turn
away from the night scene of Tampico
bay and return to his stateroom. Its
all over with Diaz before this time, "
he muttered to himself. "There's
nothing more can do. Poor fellow
poor fellow |" and these last words he
uttered aloud with something like q
groan for the brave spirit displayed
by the man whose life had been en-
trusted to his care had quite won his
heart.
Scarcely had he uttered these words
when, to his astonishment, he thought
he heard his own name, "senor
Sands;" called from the water direct
ly under the side of the vessel.
He glanced down, but the obscurity
was too great to see anything there.
Then he listened attentively.
"It was nothing" he thought. ut
could have been nothing" Then
again, more distinctly, he heard the
words, "Senor Sands, for the love OF
heaven, help me on board again |"
During that long, terrible hour in
the water the exiled patriot had en-
countered dire perils. Successfully
breasting the rough waves of the har-
Dor, and unmolested by the sharks, he
had approached the line of quays only
to find them literally lined with senti-
nels. Far around the port on both
sides soldiers were posted scarce 20
PAGES apart. To land and pass them
was 80 clearly impossible, that the in
trepid fugitive, after swimming fully a
mile along the waterfront, had to re-
turn to the steamship, guided by her
lights. =,
He had reached the anchor-cable,
where he was supporting himself, now
terribly fatigued, when, looking toward
the ship and against the sky, he saw
the head and shoulders of man lean.
ing on the rail. He hardly dared hope
it could be the purser, thinking it far
more likely to be one of the Mexican
sentries. 1t was then, when nearly
despairing of succor, that the tones OF
the purser's voice fell on his ear. But
not till the purser had heard his name
spoken the second time could he quite
believe it was uttered by his brother
Mason, Diaz.
Instantly alive then to the peril from
the deck sentries, he leaned far over
and putting his hands to his mouth
called, as low as he could call and be
heard, Don't speak again. I'll get a
line down to you"
He dared not throw a line from the
deck but he fastened below, and
going forward between decks, succeed
ed with some difficulty in opening a
freight port near the bow, and from
there throwing line to the now near
lly exhausted swimmer, who clung to
the cable.
Some little noise which he had un-
avoidably occasioned in opening the
port caused two of the sentries and
one of the crew to approach Sands
just as he was assisting his dripping
protege in at the aperture. Had the
two Mexican soldiers caught but one
glimpse of General Diaz's face all
would have been lost.
With great presence Of mind, the
purser instantly caught the generals
head under his left arm, thus turning
his face downward, and then began
pommeling his head with his free fist,
shouting: "You Internal lunatic! 1! So
you want to drown yourself, do you
Didn't tell you not to leave your
bunk I'll thump some sense into
you"
He dragged him away, still batter
ing him with bis right fist; and to the
astonished sentries who stood staring
at this strange scrimmage, he said in
Spanish, as he hustled the general
past them: "It is a crazy malone
of the stokers that was taken insane
on the voyage down. He has tried
twice to drown himself-and l hope to
heaven he will finish the job next time
he gets looser'
He hammered the generals head
again, and still berating him, drew
him in the direction of the firemen's s
berth, thus getting him out of sight of
the soldiers.
Hurriedly then the two conferred as
to what course should next be adopted ;
for the purser dared not leave Diaz
among the crew. At that time most
of them were asleep, but by morning
the presence of the distinguished stran-
ger would attract attention. 1t was
agreed therefore that the purser should
keep watch, and that Diaz should
leave the bunk as soon as everything
had grown quiet again, come quickly
on deck and enter his former hiding
place in the wardrobe of the purser's
stateroom. Toward morning he was
able to accomplish this. One can i'm
agine the astonishment and chagrin of
the Mexican officers and soldiers de-
tailed to search and watch on board the
steamship when they afterward learn
ed what had occurred on board that
night
The ship was in port at Tampico
for four or five days, and was then