San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-02-21

The girl caught Boldock's eye ana
looked up with seeming carelessness at
the little skylight at the moment the
commander replied, eff you can give
me that information, shall feel very
much obliged to you.
"Will you describe the bark?" said
Captain Congreve.
Boldock did SO.
eff fall in with her, shall board
her." said the Yankee. "and if find
those ten men in her I'll hang 'ein."
Justice will be better served by your
clapping them in irons and carrying
the ship to Sydney. said the command
er.
The Yankee skipper, with dark,
scowling face, drank half a cupful Of
coffee and, lying back, began to talk to
himself. Miss Mansel heard him mum
bling in establishment over her story.
He mouthed it and turned it about on
his tongue like dreamer, pulling at his
long streamer Of beard, now eying her
and now Boldock He then exclaimed:
81 may have the luck to fall in with
her. They'll not be bound down this
road. You'll find 'em travelling north
and west. About "a hours ahead air
they?" he muttered. "Sorry, now this
chance has come along, that parted
with prime navigator"
''How did that happen?" said the
commander, drumming on the table
with one hand. He had finished his
breakfast and had not eaten much.
'Let me see, said the Yankee, curl
ing turn of his goatee around his fist.
sit will have been last Friday morn
ing; a fine day. pleasant air of wind
out of the east. the vessel under all
plain sail. So. wal, at about half past
we made out suthing On the weather
bow. She looked to be crippled. She
lay sort,r helpless. put the glass to
my eye and found her small brigan-
tine with her mizzen topmast gone and
an English flag of distress at her fore
royal masthead. l luffed and went for
her and hailed and found her the colo
NAL brigantine Rival, so many days
from Sydney, but how many l must
look at my log to tell you"
Commander Boldock was eying him
strenuously. Miss Mansel's gaze was
rooted in his face. The Yankee seemed
gratified by the interest he excited and
proceeded:
''Three men were ON board. One hail
ed me from the fox sic deck and in
most lamentable voice asked me to help
them, as they d been washing about the
sea for some days and didn't know
where they were. l sent my mate and
crew to see what the matter was with
the vessel, and when they came back the
hate gave me this yarn: He said that
the brigantine belonged to Sydney and
was bound to Chatham island to meet q
ship to receive certain com modities out
of her, with which they were to proceed
to Valparaiso. The masters name wns
Saunders.
Miss Mansel violently started. Com
mander Boldock grasped the edge of the
table with both hands. His face was as
crimson as blood with excitement and
interest. He glared with impassioned
and devouring anxiety to hear moro
The Yankee captain was now noticing
the effect his story was producing ard
paused-a pause of distraction to the
lady and the commander-while he
turned his long, handsome, forbidding
face from one to the other. He then
said to Boldock, might you be &C.
quainted with this brigantineg"
mo, sir" answered Boldock.
"What was the matter with her?'
said Miss Msnsel
"Why," answered the Yankee, lit
seems that few days before my fall
ing in with her her master, whose name
was Saunders, here he looked suspi-
ciously at Boldock, "while standing be-
side the helm talking to the man at the
wheel tumbled down. They picked him
up and carried him below. They didn't
know, what was wrong. only that he I
lost his voice, and all motion was gone
out of his left side. /"
"Hump' said Boldock, swaying his
form unconsciously in a succession OF
agitated bows.
"I went on board to look at him. He
couldn't speak and was scarcely able to
see, but with his right hand he man.
aged to scrawl on paper request tn t
/ would send some one to carry him to
Sydney that be might die there and be
buried alongside his child. / couldn't
spare my mate, but luckily for this
here Saunders I'd got a man in my
fok'sle that had been second of coast
er. He understood all about the sun, nigh
the same as you and me. So l put him
into the brigantine along with few
comforts for the sick man, and we part
ed"
Miss Mansel, darting looks of min
gled amazement and pleasure at the
commander, left her seat and, slightly
bowling to the American, entered her
cabin.
81 hope" said the American cap
fai,, rising Uthat have said uOthiDO