Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1909-10-15


hold the women and children, with two
men to man the oars.
1--WE were standing by, waiting fol
the best time to put the people in anc
get this boat off, when all at once
heard something louder than anything
we had heard from the passengers, anc
down through that pile of scared people
came Gerome, pistol in hand, yelling
for everybody to make way.
"We didn't know what tack he was
taking, and so didn't try to do anything
until he was right up with us at the rail.
Then Farley, seeing he was clean crazy
with whiskey, caught him by the arm.
He laid Farley over the head with that
big pistol and jumped into the boat.
Then he covered me and ordered to cast
off.
81 don't think am exactly a coward,
but knew the kind of man l was deal
ing with, and I thought had steered
my last trick, sure. Damn you, shoot 7
| said. But he didn't. He reached
down into his pocket, got out knife
and slashed the ropes. The boat drop
ped into the water, stern down, with
him climbing up on the seats toward the
bow, and that was the last we saw Of il
as boat.
Strange things happen. From that
time on, the wind seemed to let down,
and our leak didn't gain on US. As soon
a. ho o11nxrraI La "a
bags and stuff over the port side, got
some down to the leak and choked it,
so that we were finally able to patch
the hole.
1--WE had gone ashore with the tide
almost at full ebb, and had slid up
against q sort of shelf of the reef, and
that was why we did not beat in q great
deal after we struck. When the tide
ran to food the next morning, we backed
off without much trouble by tightening
up little forward. Our stern was we'll
off in deep water and the rrdder and
screw weren't hurt at all. About an
hour after day the weather had cleared
up, and we could see plainly that we
had been blown up against little island.
1t wasn't a new island either, for there
was pretty good growth of trees on
it. The wreckage of our boats and
RATS was scattered all along the shore,
which was. should say, about thous-
and yards from where we had struck
the reef. There wasn't sign of the
captain.
"We thought there might be soma
chance of his being washed ashore with
the wreck of the boat. so after we
pulled off, we put the Cecilia out well
and, going slowly. and sounding all the
time, we went entirely around the little
island, searching the shores with our
glasses. 1t was only about half mile
around. There wasn't anything living
in sight except lot of sea-fowl. We
didn't have a boat to send ashore. so we
held little council with some of the
passengers, decided we had done our
duty, and sailed on-getting into port
two days late but without any further
mishap.
''But that isn't all of my story, gen.
| tlemen. This is the strange part. Fifteen
years afterwards, / was master of a
ship sailing on the Atlantic coast from
Halifax to the Gulf. and put in one May
at Metaghan, little place on the shore
of St. Mary's Bay, Nova Scotia. / had
been there once before and knew some
of the sea-faring folks. l was walking
around with old Captain Murray down
near the water front when he said Well,
the silent man is still watching The
silent man?' said /, not knowing what
he was talking about.
eyes said he, pointing down the
beach. don't you know about him?'
Then he told me that this man was the
curiosity of the town. Years before,
he said, early one morning some of the
townspeople found this old man dressed
in rags and mats made of grass. with
long hair and beard, huddled up on the
sand, with just spark of life in him.
while not far away was q sort of Robin
son Crusoe boat built of all kinds of
timber. He had only one whole leg.
the other being off up to the knee. They
got him into a house and thinking he
was dying, sent for priest. All the
priest ever got from him in the way of
information was his name. But as he got
stronger, he wouldn't tell even that
wouldn't say a word, in fact. Folks
there thought he understood what was
said to him and could talk, but for some
reason wouldn't. People speaking diff
ferent languages talked to him-a lot
of summer people get around to that
little bay every year. you know, but if
he ever understood any of them, he
didn't give any sign. He was an in
telligent looking fellow, was neat and
didn't give much trouble-knew how to
take care of himself. but he just wouldn't
talk. When any one tried to make him.
he moaned, and if they kept on he
would throw himself about like young
ster. He had lived there about eight
lyears at that time and was sort of
public charge. Once they talked of
sending him to the almshouse, but the
people that were taking care of him
finally concluded that they wouldn't send
him away. You know how folks are
around little seaport towns. They said
he showed that he had been brought up
as a gentleman and they thought it