The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-12-20
R@a By WILKIE COLLINS
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ulations, which we didn't at all like,
relative to smoking our pipes and light
ing our lanterns, and, as usual in such
cases, the captain, who made the reg
ulations, preached what he didn't prac-
tice. Not man of us was allowed to
have a bit Of lighted candle in his
hand when he went below except the
skipper and he used his light when he
turned in or when he looked over his
charts on the cabin table just as usual.
This light was a common kitchen
candle or dip" and it stood In an old
battered fat candlestick, with all the
Japan worn and melted off, and all the
tin showing through. 1t would have
been more seamanlike and suitable in
every respect II he had had lamp or
a lantern, but he stuck to his old can
dlestick, and that same old candlestick
has ever afterward stuck to me. That's
another joke, If you please, and bet
ter one than the first, in my opinion.
WE'LL said "well' before. but it's a
word that helps a man on like-we
sailed in the brig and shaped our
course first for the Virgin islands, in
the West Indies, and after sighting
them we made for the Leeward is
lands next and then stood on due
south till the lookout at the masthead
hailed the deck and said he saw land.
That land was the coast Of South
America. We had had a wonderful
voyage SO far. We had lost none of
our spars or sails, and not man OF
us had been harassed to death at the
pumps 1t wasn't often the Good In
tent made such voyage as that, l can
tell you.
1 was sent aloft to make sure about
the land, and I did make sure of it.
When 1 reported the same to the
skipper, he went below and had look
at his letter of instructions and the
chart. When he came on deck again,
he altered our course a trifle to the
eastward. 1 forget the point on the
compass, but that doesn't matter.
What / do remember is that it was
dark before we closed in with the
land We kept the lead going and
hove the brig to in from four to five
fathoms water, or it might be six,
can't say for certain. l kept sharp
eve to the drift of the vessel, none OF
us knowing how the currents ran or
that coast. We all wondered why the
, skipper didn't anchor, but he. said no
he must first show a light at the fore
= top masthead and wait for an answer
8 ing light on shore. We did wait, an
f nothing of the sort appeared. 1t wa
starlight and calm. What little win
: there was came in puffs off the LAND
e l suppose we waited, drifting littl
: to the westward, as I made it out, bes
3 part of an hour before anything hap
;, pened, and then instead of seeing tn
/ light on shore we saw boat comm,
4 toward US, rowed by two men only.
b We hailed them, and they answered
"Friends!" and hailed us by our name
g They came on board. One of them wa
J. an Irishman, and the other was cot
r fee colored native pilot, who jabbere'
8 a little English.
v The Irishman handed note to GU
v skipper, who showed it to me. 1t IL
It formed us that the part OF the coas
l. we were off was not oyersafe FOR Oils
s charging our cargo, seeing that sple
J. of the enemy-that is to say, of tn
n old government-had been taken an
9 shot in the neighborhood the day be
e fore. We might trust me brig to tn
If native pilot, and he had his instrut
l. lions to take us to another part Of tn
n coast The note was signed by tn
k proper parties, so we let the lrishma
1t go back alone in the boat and above
O. the pilot to exercise his lawful al
st thority over the brig He kept |
n stretching off from the land till noe
ct the next day. his instructions seeming
lv ordering him to keep us well out
re sight of the shore. We only altere
an orr course in the afternoon so as
n close in with the land again a lit
before midnight
no This same pilot was about as Ill 100
ch ing a vagabond as ever | saw, ski
ly nv, cowardly, quarrelsome mongr'
ar who swore at the men in the vie
oh broken English till they were eve
m one of them ready to pitch him owe
er board. The skipper kept them qui'
IN and I kept them quiet, for the Pill
nut being given us by our instructions,
Ak were bound to make the best OF hi
alf Near nightfall, however, with the be
NV will in the world to avoid it, was L
ad lucky enough to quarrel with him.
rel He wanted to go below with his pil
nor and I stopped him, of course, becar
the it was contrary to orders. Upon IL
,ou he tried to hustle by me, ana
18th him away with my hand ne'
,lu- meant to push him down, but someh'
lar l did. He picked himself up as gu
as lightning and pulled out his KIN
you I snatched it out Of his hand, slapl
t his murderous face for him and thr
old his weapon overheard. He gave
in one ugly look and walked aft. dlu
cts. think much of the look then, but
for membered il a little too well ar
yht, ward.
we We were close in with the Il
orl, again lust as the wind failed u.s.
and tween IL and IL that night.
had dropped our anchor by the pilots
Jun rections.