Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1899-05-19
- man may have two. caps, for I.
An Eto !! | /. |. Boy.

~ man may nave Two CAPS, Ior al
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 skin, which was quite
useless to US, adrift once more.
What was your ship" asked His
lop. who spoke Spanish fluently.
"The Marshal serranoT-7a Spanish
brig from Cadiz"
From the Canaries last?" inquired
hastily.
Eyes; bound to Costa Rica. 2
Tom Lambourne gave me 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 q broken voice
and with quivering lips.
" "All!" reiterated Hislop. sternly and
obviously. u 5,5
+ IAN save myself, senor," replied the
other, hesitatingly, and lowering his
hollow eyes. II escaped in the skin. :"
with your dog?"
y ISL, senior" .s.5
I'm what latitude did this take
place r. q
without 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 q touch Of the same
gale which foundered his brig-if such
q gale existed. He has deserted, or
been marooned. / don't believe word
he says. What is your name?" he
asked in Spanish.
L Antonio" $.z
/ started on hearing it, for my sus-
picions were becoming more and more
confirmed. .s .s s.s
Antonio? What more?"
lei Cubano, or the Cuban; for SO
my shipmates termed me, and I have
no other name. q
"Quick. my lads!' said Hislop. Lay.
out on your oars"
y We were soon alongside the Eugene,
and had our castaway hoisted on
board, when, for 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 J 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 a 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 IVES ready to swear over two
crossed k.lives, in the fashion Of his
country. 49,
In short, we were obliged to con-
tent ourselves with his narrative, witch
Hislop duly engrossed in the ships
log. while expressing gres.t disbelief as
to its authenticity.
g 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 it 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
ereA the clothes OF the Cuban and the
rt of the boat ever came from the
81 a dog, and others asserted that
he must have quarreled with an un-f
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
to his character and position, in a few
days the Spaniard Joined the crew in
working the ship, and proved himself
to be steady. industrious and able
seaman, and as three Of our hands were
on the sick list, his services were the
more valuable. I'll NV
on remarking this to Tom Lam
bourne: Il.
1T is all very true, sir" he replied;
"but don't like seaman who can
not look his shipmate right in the
face.
''You are a physiognomist,'' sug-
gested.
Don't know what kind OF mist
that may be, Master, Rodney; but this
l know-there is always something
and dangerous in fellow who
looks over your shoulder, as that Span
lard does, when he should look al ,our
eyes, .. i
Antonio had an excessive dislik or
deck duty by night. He exhibited
strange dread OF being left alone, q
could scarcely be prevailed upon to
look over the vessels side, always
shrinking back as II he expected to see
something hideous rise out of the sea-
Weston suggested that perhaps his re-
cent suffering had unnamed and rem
dered him nervous, but the crew