Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-03-30

/ DICK RODNEY; !
Or. The Adventures of
An Eton Boy.
RY JAMES GRANT.
Observation-Disclosures sssesssseessssssssssssssess
BY JAMES GRANT.

Seai poaiu, anu tht othtI Oh tnt pOit
side OF the cabin. But what OF that?
l buried them off the point of Santa
Cruz, and there they sleep sound
enough. believe me. each with n 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 l; but how
am l 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, good-by;'
and before l 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 for me but
to accept the temporary home thus Of
fered; so, in the hope that 1t might lead
to something better. l stepped into the
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 unbcnt: most OF
the running rigging had also been
taken off her and slowed away-so her
tall and taper spars stood nakedly up
from the straight flush deck, with a
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 6oubloons. began to
splash upon the deck and to make
circles on the sea: while at the far
edge OF the horizon n 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 n dark curtain that was bat
tered and rent.
"Thcn a fash OF red lightning, tip
ping the waves with fire, shone, but to
be replaced by instant darkness. and all
became black chaos to seaward save
where a pale-green beacon burned
steadily at Santa Cruz, on the western
side of the bay.
"Thesc signs proEnosticatod a rough
night. but | was glad to perceive that
the polacca was well moored at stem
and stern; so | unlocked the compan-
ion door and descended, not without a
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
candle. 20 make myself comfortable
for the night. began to wish l had re-
mained on shore.
81 found n ship-lantern with the fag-
end of candle in it. and this. when
lighted. enabled me to take survey
of the cabin; which stood on the table
and when looking about. found my
eyes wander so incessantly TO the side
berths in which the dead Spaniards
had been found, that at last | almost
fancicd their pale sharp Drofiles and
rigid figures were visible in the flick
cring light CT the candle.
Come said l. Sam Weston-this
will never do! Are you man, or have
you become child again?'
Another applicGtion-a long one.
too-to the rum jar. and l wrapped
some bunting, rug. and 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 fiared up, and,
after casting some strange kaleido-
scopic figures on the beams overhead,
through the perforated lantern-top-
went out!
II was in total darkness now, but
more awake than ever.
81 felt as if in a 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.
81 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 first-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 I 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