The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-03-06
CHAPTER v.-(continued.)

This meant, Mr.. Rodney, that as mer-
chant seamen we appealed to the man
o'war for protection, and wanted an
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 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
lift, with the other he waved his shirt
to the Spaniards l heard the crack
of a pistol, and next moment he fell
a quivering mass upon the deck, stone
dead, shot by the revolver.
THAT will teach you to make sig
nails from my ship, you varmint sni-
yelled the merciless skipper giving the
body kick, and as for YOU he con-
tinued addressing me, and ramming
home his words with an oath; but be-
fore he could get further leveled him
on the deck by blow from hand
spike, and tossed his knife and revolver
overheard.
His right arm was broken. There
was great row about all this before
the Alcalde when we got into harbor;
our bell was unshipped and our can
vas unbent by a party Of Spanish ma
rines; but the captain crossed the AL
caldes hand with silver or gold, and
there was an end of 1t. There was an
end OF my engagement, too; for the
Yankee 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 |
first went to sea, and then turned me
out of the ship
30 with nothing except a Mexican
dollar in my pocket, but followed by
my Newfoundland dog Hector found
myself on wet and dusty evening on
the great quay of Matanzas, which
faces the bay that opens into the Gulf
of Florida.
Low alike in spirits and funds. I
had to endure being jostled by negro
porters. scowled at by alguazlls. or
dered about by red-cappped and black
bearded Spanish sentries, who were
shirtless and tattered, and whose
brown uniforms and red worsted epau-
lettes tainted the very sea breeze with
the odor of garlic and coarse tobacco.
1.-THE sun had set behind clouds as
red as blood. The bay was all of deep
brown tint, and the shores were black
or purple. l was very sad at heart,
and thought 1t hard that /, a 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 flag 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
a humble posada, where a moiety of
my dollar might procure me a bed,
man stumbled against me.
Look alive, cucumber shanks,' said
he. angrily. in English.
Do you take me for a negro?
asked, fiercely.
you are grimy enough for any
thing, 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. | ex-
amined his features.
What exclaimed. 'Hislop-Jack
Hislop. is this your
"''Tis l, Jack Hislop. certainly re-
piled the other, who proved to be my
old friend. Mares father; but who the
deuce are your
Your old shipnate, Sam Weston,
who sailed with you for many a day
in the Good Intent of Port Glasgow
For moment his tongue seemed
absent without leave"
What, you Sam Weston-English
Sam. as we called you-adrift here at
Matanzas among these Spanish land
crabs?'
Aye, adrlft sure enough, said /. as
we shook hands heartily, and then adj
iourned to a taberna, when / told him
all about my quarrel with the Yam
kee and my present hopeless condition,
over glass of nor -nor'-west.
81 have brig here on the grid
iron, repairing, for we lost some of her
copper in scraping 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 berth. Do you see
that craft out there in the bay?
The polacca brig, about a mile of 2
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. l have charge of
her now, and there you may sleep ev-
cry night If you choose. What say