El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-02

Delay now" said Tom: you must
get some Themes water from the brig
before you take more Of this
''Muchos gracias-many, many
thanks" said the Spaniard, in tones of
thankfulness.
Enough O. that-stow your slack,
and come on board if you can," said
Tom, testify, as he had sulky recol-
lections of our adventures at the
Grand Canary.
Restored ~ the mouthfuI of alco-
hol, the Spa lard staggered up, bit
with difficulty; and then we perceived
that gouts of blood. dried and encrust-
ed by the sun, were on his person and
on the inside of the boat, especially on
one Of the thwarts.
What is this-blood?" asked His
lop, with an imperceptible shudder.
The Spaniard started and became, if
possible, paler at the question, as he
nervously clutched the gunwale of his
boat with both hands, and said, in
broken accents:
| my dog, Senores; I killed a dog that
was with me, because it went mad in
| the hot sunshine, and being without
water"
"Why did you not throw it into the
sea?'
1T would have bitten me, senior, and
might perhaps have come into the boat
again." 49,.
| Likely enough" muttered one of
our men.
You could have knocked it over
| with an oar" said Hislop; "but did
your dog wear this?' he added, fish
| ing up with the boat-hook a cap that
lay in the bi1ge water under the stern
sheets of the skif.
"That cap is m1ne,'' said the Span
! lard, in a husky voice, while closing
his eyes, as If wearied or appalled,.
Have you two heads?" asked His
lop, sternly.
mo, senior; but-but-"
What, then?''
"a man may have two caps, for all
that"
Perceiving that he was on the point
of sinking again, Tom Lambourne
poured some more Of the rum into his
boat, setting the skiff, which was quite
useless to us, adrift once more.
What was your shfp?" asked His
1op, who spoke Spanish fluently.
1.-The Marshal Serrano-a Spanish
brig from Cadiz."
From the Canaries last?" inquired
hastily.
Eyes; bound to Costa Rica."
Tom Lambourne gave me a rapid
glance, as he spat on his hands and
pushed his oar through the rowlock.
She foundered and went down with
all hands on board" continued the
famished Spaniard, in broken voice
and with quivering lips.
"All?" reiterated Hislop, sternly and
obviously.
"An save myself, senor," replied the
other, hesitattngly, and lowering his
hollow eyes. IT escaped in the skin"
with your dog?"
Isl, senor." ~
I'm what latitude did this take
placer"
Without a moments hesitation, the
Spaniard gave us the latitude and
longitude.
81 can't make out this fellows story
in any way" said Hislop in English.
by the theory and law Of storms, we
should have had a touch OF the same
gale which foundered his brig-if such
a gale existed. He has deserted, or
been marooned. 1 don't believe word
he says. What is your name?" he
asked in Spanish.
"Antonio.''
1 started on hearing it, for my sus-
picions were becoming more and more
confirmed.
Antonio? What more?"
'El Cubano, or the Cuban; for so
my shipmates termed me, and have
no other name.''
Quick, my lads!' said Hislop. Lay
out on your oars"
We were soon alongside the Eugene,
and had our castaway hoisted on |
board, when, for a time, an end was |
put to our queries but not to our
surmises, by his becoming insensible |
We had questioned him already per-
haps too much, considering the weak |
ess Of his condition
He adhered to his original story in |
every particular when examined by |
Weston and Hislop a day or two aft
he belonged to the Spanish
merchant brig Marshal Serrano, the
same craft which mad worked with us
out Of the roadstead of Santa Cruz;
that she had foundered in a storm. be-
ing overmasted and overladen, and
that he alone escaped of all the crew;
that when his dog became mad he had
slain the animal and cast the car
cass into the sea- and that he had
been floating about in an open boat,
without food and without aught to
cool his parched tongue, save the
heavy tropical dew of heaven, where
we found him; and to the truth of all
this he was ready to swear over two
crossed knives, in the fashion of his
country.
In short, we were obliged to con-
tent ourselves with his narrative, which
Hislop duly engroSSed in the Sims
Mhila aYnracSino l