Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1897-1902, 1899-03-03
DICK RODNEY; ;
Or, The Adventures of 5
An Eton Boy.
by JAMES GRANT.

ny JAMES GRANT.

! were IUuHu III tUtlT DcIluS, one Oh the
starboard and the other on the port
side of the cabin But what of that?
| buried them off the point of Santa
/ Cruz. and there they sleep sound
/ enough. believe me. each with couple
/ of cold shot at his heels. Here is the
/ key CT the companion hatch, and take
/ ny revolver with You. for picaros are
I pretty common hereabOr s
Thanks, Hislop sale l; but how
/ am | 10 get on board?'
ScUll over to her in the punt nat
+ is mOOred beside the quay. When on
/ board make yourself quite at home. for
the agent and left plenty o. grog. beef,
/ biscuits and tobacco il the cabin. On
/ the morrow I'll overhaul you. in the
forenoon watch. Till then. goOd-by;'
and before | could say anything more
| old Jack was gone. and | found my
/ self alone on the stone mole. with the
! key of the polacca's companion in my
/ hand
There seemed nothing fer re but
I to accept the temporary home thus Of
/ fered: so. in the hope that il might lead
I ~ SOtutiIilfs Dtlicl SitDDtu tnlO llt
| light punt. cast loose the painter. and
/ after a few minutes vigorous sculling
found myself on the lonely deck of the
silent polacca
Her canvass was unbent; most of
/ the running rigging had also been
taken off her and slowed away-so her
tall and taper spars stood markedly up
] bo oh x.-itI n
! sharp rake aft
Thick banks OF dark-blue clouds
! were coming heavily up from the Gulf
| Of Florida. The air was hot and sui
/ phurOus; some drops of rain. warm
/ and broad as dCubloons, began to
splash upon the deck and TO make
+ circles on the sea: while at the far
4 bright moonlight, against which the
waves were seen chasing each other.
/ Slittered through the flying scud. the
| bottom Of which was uplifted in the
/ of.ing like a dark curtain that was bat
/ tered and rent
Then a flash Of red lightning. tip
/ ping the waves with fire. shone, but to
became black chaos TO seward. save
where pale-green beacon burned
steadily at Santa Cruz. on the western
I side of the bay.
These signs progEOs:icatcd a rough
+ night, but | wGs glad to perceive that
the po!acca was we'll moOred at stem
and stern; so | unlocked the compan
! ION door and descended not without
shudder. into the dark and cold cabin.
where the dead men had been found,
and where all was silence and gloom.
81 struck a lucifer match; my teeth
/ chartered; and while cropping about for
/ a candle, to make myself comfortable
for the night. began to wish had re-
manned on shore.
Il found a ship-lantern with the fag-
1 end of a candle in it. and this, when
lighted, enabled me to take a survey
/ of the cabin: which stood on the table
/ and when looking about, found my
! eyes wander so necessarily TO the side
| berths in which the dead Spaniards
had been found. that at last | almost
fancied their pale sharp profiles and
rigid figures were visible in the flick
ering light of the candle.
Come. said l, Sam Weston-this
will never do. Are you man. or have
you become 4 child again.
Another application-a long one,
TOTO the rum jar, and | wrapped
some bunting. a rug. and a pea-jacket
that lay On the locker, round me. and
lay down on the cabin floor to sleep;
and scarcely had | stretched myself
there when the candle fared up, and,
after casting some strange kaleido-
/ scOpic figures on the beams overhead
through the perforated lantern-top--
went out,
Il was in total darkness now, but
more awake than ever.
Il felt as if in great floating coffin,
but heard no sound except the gurgle
of the sea under the counter. or the
splash of the stern warp, as it whip
ped the water occasionally.
Il kept my eyes closed resolutely.
and determined. perforce, to sleep, and
not TO wake till morning; but still
could not help thinking of the two poor
fellows who had died in the berths
of that cold. dark, and silent cabin, and
had been tossed TO and fro so long
upon the sea before they received
Christian burial
Which had died frst-the man in
the larboard, or he in the starbOard
berth? Why were they thus aban-
doned? What had they said to each
other? What messages had they sent
to wife, to father, or mother? What
tale of love to repeat-of guilt to re-
veal-messages given by the dead to
the dead. and never delivered,
These thoughts crowded upon me
till / almost imagined the dead men
lay there still, and that they might
rise up and give their last messages to
me-
Then | heard sound in the forehold
1t made my blood curdle, Was it
caused by rats? Perhaps they had fed
on the dead Spaniards and now were
come to take nibble at me- Rats
were bad enough. but ghosts were
worse. l took third and last pull at
the Jamaica jar; said my prayers over