The Opelousas courier., 1898-08-06
"'Who is it thek9n6ws me?'

my hand in, but ths%sentinel inter
posed-a little, insignificant-lookin
Cholo, as the half-Spanish, h%alf-Indial
are called on the coast. I took hi
measure at a glan1e ; a few Spanish
words whispered, AID, yet, a few
silver realeo Displayed to his avari
cious gaze, and the coast was clear.
"He even limited to me that if
would pass round to another pigeon
hole on the other side I could tall
with the prisoner without being oh
served; and he himself would not b.
compromised with his superior officer
I was not slow to take the hint, ani
after a shake of the hand, in which
could feel half that I had to say, Ton
told me his sad story, peeping through
the little loop like a postofice clerk
"He had, it seems, waited anG
searched in vain for me after he got
over his revel, until he was satisfied
that l must have gone to sea in the
ship, when he took charge of the two
stocks of clothing, which were trans.
ferred to Scotch Jocks hands fol-
liquor and board.
ga few days were sufficient to wear
out his welcome there.
"He was forced, after all, to ship in
the Tres Amigos, man-of-war, and the
landlord got the lions share OF the adj
vanced doubloon. .~...
"Tom was soo convinced that the
Peruvian naval service was not what
it had been described; and he, as we'll
as several other English adventurous,
were heartily sick of their bargain,
and determined to back out of it at
the first opportunity.
$50, having been sent inshore on
some sort of spy service, under the
command of a young MILDLY, they took
charge of the boat themselves, put the
officer Oh the beach, and started down
the coast to leeward. But, not dar-
ing to show themselves at any town
on the main, they managed to get a
small stock Of provisions at an out-of-
the-way place, and headed her off for
the Galapagos Islands.
"After many strange adventures
and dreadful sufferings they landed
there; and, as might be expected,
they soon became scattered, Joining
different Sings. Tom had been in
half a dozen vessels during a years
time; and, feeling quite safe, had
come ashore in Payta, a few days be-
fore, from a coasting craft in which
he was employed. He had hardly
landed Which, he vas recognized by
one of the fotmer officers of the man
of-war. He was arrested and tried
by a hasty court martial, where the
little MILDLY himself was brought for
ward, and, glad enough for this
chance for revenge, swore to Toms
identity.
"He was at once found guilty of
having mutinied, deposed his superior
officer, laid violent hands upon him,
and turned him ashore in a hostile
territory. All this was true, of course;
but until then Tom had hardly under
stood the enormity of his offense,
which had seemed to him a mere
sailors freak. He was sentenced to
death.
Next Monday said he, Tam to
be led out at sunrise, stood up in the
corner there at the angle of the wall,
and shot by a platoon of these Cholo
scaracrows. Heaven have mercy
upon Lie, for I have had none upon
myself, and have found none at the
hands Of my iudges!'
"You may imagine how I congratu-
lated myself that I had been so sud-
led to think better of our mad
scheme, and to return to my duty on
board the Marion. But what could I
say to comfort my misguided ship
mate? In three days, for it was then
Friday morning, he would be put to
death; there was no hope of pardon or
reprieve.
"But the second mate, after hearing
my story, entered into the thing heart
and soul. It was too bad to see an
old shipmate made a target of, in that
manner, he said, by a crowd of human
monkeys, like these Cholos; and by a
little management and a few dollars
used in brides, he thought he might
save Tom from his fate and run him
off the beach. He went ashore with
me the same evening, and we managed
another interview with the prisoner at
his pigeon-hole, and cheered him up
with a hope Of deliverance, giving him
some idea, too. Of our plan of effect
it, that he might be prepared to
act in cooperation.
"We struggled a coil of rope ashore
on Sunday, and concealed it in a pile
Of rubbish, convenient to the place
where it was to be used. We were
stirring early on the morning ap-
pointed for the execution, and landed
a picked crew before daylight.
No particular notice was taken of our
movements. as We were supposed to
have been impelled by a natural curl
osity to see the man shot: and we
mingled with the other spectators
without suspicion, keeping always near
Bach other, however, and ready to
communicate by signals previously
agreed upon.
1--WE saw Tom led forth from the
guardAouse by a file of the soldiers,
md marched cross the yard to the
place of execution. Here he stood up
ike q man who had nerved himself to
meet his death without finching; and,
he hraced himself against the mud
wall in the corner, his calmness ex-
torted admiration from his ~jailers.
1--WE could hear what was said, for
had now rallied our whole force at
The same angle OF the wall, on the out
side, where we were making our pre-
partitions entirely unobseryed, the
az the attAntion Of tha 1nocta.