The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1899-12-14
DICK RODNEY;
Or, The Adventures of
An Eton Boy.
BY JAMES GRANT.
CHAPTER v.-(Continued.)
by JAMES GRANT.

o'-war for protection, and wanted an
I armed boats crew. Thank heaven,
such an appeal is never made in vain
by poor Jack OF any country to a
British man-o'-war. but the lubberly
spaniards never noticed the signal. or
II so, never needed it"
The Yankee skipper uttered a fierce
laugh
"Douse that shirt and come down,
you sir he Numbered out; down in
stantly. or l will shoot you like a
coon"
But, desperate with fear. the poor
fellow now stood upon the yard. and
while one hand grasped the topping
llft, with the other he waved his shirt
20 the Spaniards. | heard the crack
OF a pistol, and next moment he fell
quivering mass upon the deck, stone
dead. shot by the revolver.
That will teach you to make sig
nats from my ship. you varmint. sni-
yelled the merciless skipper, giving the
body a kick, and as for YOU he CON-
tinued, addressing me, and ramming
nome his words with an oath; but be-
lore he could get further leveled him
on the deck by a blow from a hand
spike, and tossed his knife and revolver
overheard.
his right arm was broken. There
was a great row about all this before
the Alcalde when We got into harbor:
our DELL was unshipped and our can
vas unoent by party Of Spanish ma
rhesi but the captain crossed the AL
ealde's hand with silver or gold. and
there was an end of it. There was an
END OF my engagement, too; for the
fanKee Weathered me about my salary,
seized my chest, my quadrant, even an
OLD silver watch which my mother gave
me TO make me comfortable, when 7
nrst went to sea, and then turned me
out of the ship.
80 with nothing except a Mexican
dollar In my pocket, but followed by
my Newfoundland dog Hector, l found
myself on wet and dusty evening on
the great quay of Matanzas which
races the bay that opens into the Gulf
Of Florida.
Low alike in spirits and funds. 7
mad to endure being jostled by negro
porters, scowled at by alguazils or
dered about by red-cappped and black
bearded Spanish sentries, who were
shirtless and tattered, and whose
Drown uniforms and red worsted epau-
lettes tainted the very sea breeze with
the odor of garlic and coarse tobacco
The sun had set behind clouds as
red as blood. The bay was all of a deem
brown tint, and the shores were black
or purple. l was very sad at heart
ana thought it hard that I. British
seaman, should be there an outcast.
and all my kit reduced to the clothes on
my BACK, In the very place where the
same nag that Pococke and Albemarle
hoisted on Havana, and brought all
the Don Spaniards on their knees in
old King Georges time
However, that would neither find
me supper or bed. | lost or missed
my Newfoundland dog Hector, and in
the bitterness of my heart | banned the
poor animal for ingratitude in leaving
me. Just as | was looking about for
humble posada, where a moietv NJ
my dollar might procure me a bed, a
man stumbled against me,
Look alive, cucumber shanks, said
he, angrily, in English.
DO you take me for a negro? 7
asked, fiercely.
You are grimy enough for any,
thlng' said he; and after being a night
In the Alcalde's lookup house. | GER
tainly was not the cleanest of men.
but now 1t seemed as if the voice Of
the stranger was familiar to me. I ex-
amined his features.
What l exclaimed, 'Hislop-,Jack
Hislop, Is this your
It's |, Jack Hislop, certainly re-
piled the other, who proved to be nv
old friend, Mares father; but who the
deuce are your
Your old shipmate, Sam Weston
who sailed with you for MANY d,y
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 al
Matanzas among these Spanish land
crabs?'
Aye, adrift sure enough. said |. as
we shook hands heartily. and then adj
journed to a taberna, when | told him
all about my quarrel with the Yam
kee and my present hopeless condition,
over glass of nor west.
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 | am
residing with friend, said Hislop;
but | can find permanent quarters for
you till you get a 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 fifty
miles off, half way between this and
the Salt Key Bank. have charge of
her now, and there you may sleep ey-
cry night If you choose What say
you to that?'
That | thank you, old shipmate,
with all my heart, but-but-'
'What?'
i have heard of that polacca, and
that two of her crew who remained
on board
Were dead; yes, true enough. They
were found in their berths. one on the
starooard, and the other on the port
side OF the cabin. But what of that?
buried them off the point of Santa
Cruz, and there they sleep sound
enough, believe me, each with a couple
@. OF cold shot at his heels. Here is the