El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-12

|
| "Look alive, cucumber shanks,' said
he, angrily, in English.
: edo you take me for q negro? /
asked. fercely.
You are grimy enough for any
thing, said he; and after being night
| in the Alcalde's lookup house, 1 GER
tainly was not the cleanest of men:
but now it seemed as if the voice OF
the stranger was familiar to me. 1 ex-
amined his features
What 1 exclaimed, 'Hislop-Jack
Hislop, is this your
It's I, Jack Hislop, certainly re-
piled the other, who proved to be my
old friend. Mares father; but who the
deuce are your
Your old shipmate, Sam Weston,
who sailed with you for many day
In the Good Intent of Port Glasgow.
For a moment his tongue seemed
absent without leave
What, you Sam Weston-English
Sam, as we called you-adrift here at
Matanzas among these Spanish land
crabs?'
"'Aye, adrift sure enough said I, as
we shook hands heartily, and then adj
journed to a taharna. when I told him
all about my quarrel with the Yam
kee and my present hopeless condition.
over a glass of nor'-nor'-west.
"I have a brig here on the grid
iron, repairing, for we lost some of her
copper in scraping a rock near the
Tortugas shoal. All my crew are of
course ashore, and at present I am
residing with a FRIEND said Hislop;
but I can find permanent quarters for
you till you get berth. Do you see
that craft out there in the bay?'
The polacca brig, about mile OFF,
Yes. Well, she is consigned to my
owner, but was found adrift, abandoned
by all her crew except two, about
miles off, half way between thi
the Salt Key Bank. I have chale- Of
her now, and there you may sleep ev-
cry night If you choose. What say
you to that?'
"'That 1 thank you. old shipmate.
with all my heart, but-but-'
"'What?'
"T have heard of that polacca, and
that two Of her crew who remained
on board
Were dead; yes, true enough. They
we're found in their berths, one on the
starboard, and the other on the port
side of the cabin. But what of that?
1 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 of the companion hatch, and take
my revolver with you, for picaros are
pretty common hereabouts.'
Thanks, Hislop,' said I; but how
am 1 to get on board?'
"'Scull over to her in the punt that
Is moored beside the quay. When on
board make yourself quite at home, for
the agent and left plenty Of grog, beef,
biscuits and tobacco in the cabin. On
the morrow I'll overhaul you, in the
forenoon watch. Till then, Goodbye;
and before 1 could say anything more
old Jack was gone, and I found my
self alone on the stone mole, with the
key of the polacca's companion in my
hand
There seemed nothing for me but
to accept the temporary home thus Of
fered; so, in the hope that it might lead
to something better, stepped into the
light punt, cast loose the painter, and
after 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
from the straight flush deck, with
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 doubloons, began to
splash upon the deck and to make
circles on the sea: while at the far
edge Of the horizon narrow streak of
bright moonlight, against which the
waves were seen chasing each other,
glittered through the flying scud, the
bottom Of which was uplifted in the
offing, like dark curtain that was bat
tered and rent.
''Then a flash of red lightning, tip
ping the waves with fire, shone, but to
be replaced by instant darkness, and all
became black chaos to seward, save
where a pale-green beacon burned
steadily at Santa Cruz, on the western
side of the bay.
These signs prognosticated a rough
night, but 1 was glad to perceive that
the polacca was we'll moored at stem
and stern; so 1 unlocked the compan-
ion door and descended, not without
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-
NAMED on shore.
81 found ship-lantern with the fag-
end of a candle in it. and this, when !
lighted, enabled me to take a survey |
of the cabin: which stood on the table |