The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1900-03-13
CHAPTER V.-(Continued !

chaht seamen we appealed to the man
o-War Tor protection, and wanted an !
ailneu Doats crew Thank heaven
such an appeal is never made in vain
Dy poor Jack of any country to !
British man-o'-war, but the lubberlv |
opaniards never noticed the signal or
II SO, never needed it,"
laugh. "''oe
Douse that shirt and come down.
you SIR he Numbered out; down in
stantly, or will shoot you like
COON"
But, desperate with fear the moor
Fellow now stood upon the yard, and
while one hand grasped the topping
lit, with the other he waved his shirt
TO the Spaniards. I heard the crack
OF a pistol, and next moment he fen
a quiyering mass upon the deck. stone
DEAD, shot by the revolver.
That will teach you to make sig
hais from my ship, you varmint. sni-
velled the merciless skipper. giving the
body kick, and as for YOU he CON
tinued, addressing me, and ramminp
nome his words with an oath: but he
fore he could get further I leveled him
on the deck by 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 bell was unshipped and our can
vas unbent by party of Spanish ma
rlnes; but the captain crossed the Al
calde's hand with silver or gold. and
there was an end Of it. 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 7
first went to sea, and then turned me
out Of the ship.
so with nothing except a Mexican
dollar in my pocket, but followed by
my Newfoundland dog Hector. I 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 alguazils, or
dered about by red-cappped and black
bearded Spanish seutries. who we're
/ 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.
THE sun had set behind clouds as
red as blood. The bay was all Of a deep
brown tint, and the shores were black
or purple. l was very sad at heart,
and 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 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 a bed. I lost or missed
my Newfoundland dog Hector, and il
the bitterness of my heart banned the
poor animal for ingratitude in leaving
me. Just as l was looking about fol
a humble posada, where a moiety OF
my dollar might procure me a bed, q
man stumbled against me.
look alive, cucumber shanks, said
he, angrily, in English.
"'Do you take me for negro?
asked, fercely.
"'You are grimy enough for any
thing said he; and after being a night
in the Alcaldes lookup house, l GER
tainly was not the cleanest Of men;
but now it seemed as if the voice OF
the stranger was familiar to me. ex-
amined his features.
what I exclaimed, 'Hislop-Jacb
Hislop, is this your
"''Tis l, Jack Hislop, certainly re-
plied the other, who proved to be my
old friend, Mares father; but who the
deuce are your
"'Your old shipmate, Sam Weston
who sailed with you for many day
in the Good Intent of Port Glasgow
For a moment his tongue seeme'
absent without leave"
"'What, you Sam Weston-EngllS1
Sam. as we called you-adrift here a.
Matanzas among these Spanish land
crabs?
"'Aye. adrift sure enough, said l. al
we shook hands heartily, and then al
iourned to a taberna, when l told MN
ali about my quarrel with the yam
kee and my present hopeless CONDITION
over a glass of nor'-nor'-west. -,
"T have brig here on the CRU.
iron repairing, for we lost some OF mel
copper in scraping a rock near 'n'
Tortugas shoal. All my crew are o
course ashore. and at present | an
residing with a friend said Hlslopi
hut can find permanent quarters lol
YOU till you get berth. DO you Se'
that craft out there in the bayT $50
"'The polacca brig, about a li,ie - ~ -,
aYes Well, she is consigned to my
owner hut was found adrift, abandon v.
NV ali her crew except two, about nl's
miles off. half way between TINS an !,
the Salt Key Bank. have cnaIso ~ y,
her now. and there you may s,eep GOV ~