Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-03-18
In A LIVING TOMB.

L was once third mate of the Water
Nymph, a fine clipper ship, engaged in the
Australian trade.
One autumn she was di~scharging a gen
eral cargo at the railway pier, Williams,
town, Port Philip, and my duty chiefly
consisted in keeping a watchful eye upon
the stevedores at work in the hold.
Notwithstanding all my vigilance, casks
and cases were constantly sent on deck
void of contents, and | was recently CEN
sured by the chief officer for not keeping a
sharper lookout. This CALLED me much, for
| was confident the gang then at work
We're not the depredators.
At last l received a hint from the cook
that there was always plenty of grog
knocking about in the forecastle, and the
inference l naturally drew was that the
sailors had effected ingress to the hold by
forcing a passage through the bulkhead in
the forepeak, and made nightly incursions
upon the cargo, SO l resolved to sneak be-
low, after the matches had been closed at
sunset, and endeavor to catch some of the
crew in f1agrante delicto.
I told the first mate the suspicious l en-
tertained, and he considered my project d
good one; so shortly after nightfall he
Z 1IIO NoNh uilC U dt IL
self, carefully reclosing it.
| CROPPED my way forward for some dis
tance, ~clambering on hands and knees
over chests, bales and boxes, until at last I
found my progress impeded by several
huge cases of machinery, which barred up
the passage from one hatchway to the 9TH
er, on the starboard side.
On the port side and amidships small
cases of wine were slowed, and as l could
easily lift them l commenced removing
the top layer and crawling ahead as l did
SO.
At last on removing a good sized bale l
found empty space before me, and, con-
Guiding l had arrived at the main hatch
way, whence all the cargo had been re-
moved, l faced about and began lowering
myself by my hands and feet to the keel
son, but a case I grasped gave way, and l
was suddenly precipitated to the plank
flooring, the package falling upon my legs
and holding me down with its weight,
which was considerable.
The air was hot and sitting, and a Pc
culiar sickening odor hung upon it. Aft
er fumbling in my pocket for a match I
struck the last one l had against the iron
band of the case. Directly it ignited a
sheet of white flame, fitted around, and
in it's pale, weird light / saw a CHASTITY
skeleton crouched in close proximity to
where 1 lay.
l uttered wild screams for help, but only
the echoes of my own voice answered, and
no other sound broke through the dread
stiffness save the hurrying rush of many
feet, as swarms of rats fled over and away
from me.
I could see nothing in the intense dark
ness, but, as if lured by fascination, I
glanced in the direction of the CHASTITY fig
ure until my eyes were almost out of their
sockets. | was but a youngster, and 1
could bear the horrible fantasy no longer.
My overstrained nerves relaxed, and I
swooned.
How long I remained unconscious 1 can
not tell, but when my senses returned l
heard a noise q short distance ahead of
where l lay and saw a ray of yellow light
CLEAN through the interstices of some
loosely slowed packages on my right.
Then a sound Of a mans voice fell upon
my ear, and by the tone Of it T knew that
a sailor named Carstairs was in the vicin-
ity of where l lay.
cts a good thing for us the mate thinks
it's the Jumpers as breaches the cargo, or
we'd never get a drop of this good liquor.
Say, Bill, can't we smuggle off enough to
last the voyage homer" l heard him say.
"Carstairs!" 1 called, in a faint voice,
that sounded strangely unnatural even to
myself. "Helpl I'm jammed up in here"
'Bill, Bill, did you hear that" half
shrieked the terror stricken sailor.
80 mic 81, =, N :, ~ orrot'ro1 orvhcup Tnfsc
get out of this, Joe. KNEW nc good would
ever come Of this way of doing business"
replied his companion.
"For mercy's sake, don't leave me here
to die!" 1 cried.
''That's the third mates voice. for
sure, " said Carstairs. whats he arter
down here? Spying on us, I s'pose. But if
he's got hurt it's best we should go and
help him. He's not a bad sort, and perhaps
he won't split on u.s."
I was sorely bruised, but no bones were
broken. The sailors assisted me along un
til I got under the main hatchway, then
they went up on deck, via the %forecastle,
and told the mate they thought some Il
was down the hold. He, thinking 1 had
made a capture, opened the hatch, and l
was hoisted, moro dead than alive, from
the hold beneath.
1 explained all to the mate, except the
part relating to the two sailors, for I did
not wish to get them into trouble, as they
had aided Inc, and next day the remains
of the unfortunate stowaway were brought
up on deck.
From a paper found i'll the pocket Of
his coat we aSertained his name and fur-
mer residence, and afterward learned that
the unhappy nan had wished to join his
sweetheart in Australia, but having no
money to pay for a passage he had slowed
himself away in the pump well, whence no
sound could reach to the deck, and SO met
the terrible fate I have recorded.
There was no moro cargo preached at
night aboard the Water Nymph that trip
Exchange.