Gilpin observer., 1899-05-11
An Eton Boy.

might perhaps have come into the boat
again."
Likely enough" muttered one of
our men.
You could have knocked it over
with an oar" said Hislop; "but did
your dog wear this?" he added, fish
ing up with the boat-hook cap that
lay in the bilge water under the stern
sheets of the skiff.
THAT cap is mine," said the Span
lard, in husky voice, while closing
his eyes, as if wearied or appalled,.
Have you two heads?" asked His
lop, sternly.
mo, senior; but-but-"
What, them"
"a man may have two caps, for all
that"
Perceiving that he was on the point
of sinking again, Tom Lambourne
poured some more of the rum into his
mouth. and we dragged him into our
boat, setting the skiff, which was quite
useless to us, adrift once more.
What was your ship?" asked His
lop, who spoke Spanish f1uently.
THE Marshal Serrano-a Spanish
brig from Cadiz."
From the Canaries last?" l inquired
hastily.
Yes; bound to Costa Rica."
Tom Lambourne gave me a rapid
glance, as he spat on his hands and
pushed his oar through the rowlock.
"She foundered and went down with
all hands on board" continued the
famished Spaniard, in broken voice
and with quivering lips.
"All?" reiterated Hislop, sternly and
dubiously.
"All save myself. senor," replied the
other, hesitatingly, and lowering his
hollow eyes. II escaped in the skiff."
with your dog?"
Isl, senor."
I'm what latitude did this take
place?"
without a moments hesitation, the
Spaniard gave us the latitude and
longitude.
Il can't make out this fellows story
in any way" said Hislop in English.
by the theory and law Of storms, we
should have had touch of the same
gale which foundered his brig-if such
gale existed. He has deserted, or
been marooned. don't believe word
he says. What is your name?" he
asked in Spanish.
Antonio"
1 started on hearing it, for my sus-
picions were becoming more and more
confirmed.
Antonio? What more?"
"El Cubano, or the Cuban; for so
my shipmates termed me, and l have
no other name"
Quick, my lads!" said Hislop. Lay
out on your oars
We were soon alongside the Eugene.
and had our castaway hoisted on
board, when, for a time, an end was
put to our queries but not to our
surmises. by his becoming insensible.
We had questioned him already per-
haps too much. considering the weak
ess of his condition
He adhered to his original story in
every particular when examined by
Weston and Hislop a day or two aft
er-that he belonged to the Spanish
merchant brig Marshal Serrano, the
same craft which had worked with us
out of the roadstead of Santa Cruz:
that she had foundered In storm be-
ing overmasted and overladen, and
that he alone escaped of all the crew;
that when his dog became mad he had
slain the animal and cast the car
cass into the sea. and that he had
been floating about in an open boat.
without food and without aught to
cool his parched tongue, save the
heavy tropical dew of heaven. where
we found him; and to the truth of all
this he was ready to swear over two
crossed knives, in the fashion of his
country.
In short, we were obliged to con-
tent ourselves with his narrative. which
Hislop duly engrossed in the ships
log, while expressing great disbelief as
to its authenticity.
In the first place. our mate denied
that any such storm as that in which
the Cuban alleged his brig had per-
ished had ever existed; and he de-
duced from his favorite theory that
we were. and had been. In the direct
track of such storm. and must have
felt its influence long ere this.
Hence we thought 1t more probable
that the man had deserted In the night
perhaps in consequence of committing
some crime, or for the same reason he
had been marooned and set adrift.
The crew were divided in opinion.
and Tom Lambourne openly expressed
his disbelief that the blood which COW
cred the clothes OF the Cuban and the
thwart Of the boat ever came from the
veins of dog, and others asserted that
he must have quarreled with an un-
fortunate shipmate and killed him, or
had. perhaps. assassinated him In his
sleep for the horrible purpose of pro-
longing his own assistance.
Amid these unpleasant surmises as