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


soon glad to resort to the use of wine
sails rugged down the open skylight
an awning over the quarterback fc
GOODNESS, and to skids for the prever
ton of blisters on the sides of the brig
but in the starry night the land-win
which comes off these fertile isle!
laden with the rich aroma of thei
sp~ice-growing savannas, Is beyond de
%scription grateful and delicious.
Without any incident worth record
ing, we ran through the, sea of tn
Windward Isles, thence along the coas
Of South America, and when we ap
preached the calm latitudes, as tina
tract of the ocean near the equator i
named, we became sensible of the over
towering increase Of heat, while tn,
breezes were but tanning ones," a.
the sailors term those which, under the
double influence Of the air and motion
of the hull, are just sufficient to make
the lighter canva collapse and swell
again.
We were o aware Of other an
noyances than mere heat, for now it
seemed as if there was an evil spirit
On board the Eugene, and that nothing
went right within Or about her.
h crew sulked and quarreled
among themselves as if the demon of
mischief lurked in the vessel, and daily
something unfortunate occurred. Hal
yards or braces gave way, by which the
yards were thrown aback land in one
instance the brig nearly lost her main
mast. Standing and running rigging
were found to be mysteriously fretted,
and even cut. as if by a knife; and
then the crew whispered together of
Antonio ell Cubano-that horrid, dark,
mysterious fellow, whose character
none of US could fathom.
Twice our compasses went wrong,
and remained so for days! and before
the u was discovered the Eugene
had drifted far from her course.
This varying was inexplicable, until
Hislop, who set himself to watch, and
saw Antonio lowering near
the pinnacle at night, unshipped the
compass box and found there were con-
cealed near it an iron marlinspike on
one i d and a lump Of tallow on the
other. either of which was sufficient
to affect the magnetic needle.
After their removal the compass
as well as before. The crew
we're strictly questioned; all vowed to-
al ignorance of the transaction, and
Antonio summoned every saint in the
calendar to attest his inno-
,ence. but none, however, appeared.
crew now felt convinced that, in
ipired by some emotion of malice or
he lion was the culprit; and
( not loud, their wrath was deep
eainst him.
nd in a day or two he declared that
Q had discovered a plan for prevent
ng the repetition of tricks so danger
us by Insulating the needle so as to
rotect the compass from attractions
alse or dangerous.
I am uncertain whether he perfected
his experiment, but Antonio o
vent to work another way; for one
when he was supposed to be busy
n the maintop, he shouted, STAND
ro-a underr" and ere Hislop. who was
Just beneath, could give the usual re-
sponse, Let go!" a heavy marlinspike,
same which had been found in the
pinnacle, slipped from the hand Of An
and fell crashing through the
The iron bar crashed into the deck
at the feet Of Hislop; whether this oc-
Cured by inadvertence or design we
knew not, but the Scotsman thought
the latter.
That rascally Spanish picaroon will
work us some serious mischief before
overhaul u ground-tackle or see
the Cape" said Weston, who was en-
ragged by this new incident, and the
narrow escape of Hislop, for whom he
had a great regard.
AYE, he has a hang-dog look about
him that 1 never liked" replied the
latter. HE seems to be always down
by the head, somehow. We should
lave left him in his skiff, just as we
found him, like a bear adrift on a graf
or a pig in a washing tub"
On another occasion ne injured Will
White, one of the crew, by letting the
topmaul fan from the foretop, where
it usually lay, for driving home the fd
Of the mast.
His dreams again became a source of
annoyance to all in the ~forecastle
hunks; and on being closely and Sc
questioned by Captain Weston
and the men as to whether he had
ever killed any one, by accident or
after being long badgered,
drew his ugly knife from its shark
skin sheath and replied sullenly:
'Only a Chinaman or so, when in
"Well, / wish you would clap a
on your mouth when you go
to sleep, or turn in out of earshot in
a topgallant studding sail-as far off
as you choose, and the further off the
better,' said old Roberts, sulkily, after
ravinpS Of the CubanO had kept
him awake for several nights.
"You seem to dream a great deal,
Antonio,' said Weston, with a keen
glance, beneath which the Spaniard
quailed.