Putnam patriot., 1910-04-08
A Day Lest A Story of the International
 Bate Line.
 By CHESTER WILLIAMS. Copyright. lal0. by American Press
By CHESTER WILLIAMS.
Copyright. 1ai0. by American Press
 sssgeia3 ion.

An old salt told me this story while WAS waiting on the dock for an iu coming ship. He was a queer looking old chap with rings in his ears:
 We was a-drawin' nigh New Zea land. A year afore we'd h'isted an chor at Wellington-Welling a town in New Zealand. boss-and artei soin' clear round this ere globe a-ship Din cargees ill heather lands and a-selin' ,em in Christian lands we was a-gittin' back to where we'd started from 10 settle up with the owners.
 Our eap'n knowed well enough how to trade but he wasn't nowhere at navigation. He'd been one year afore the mast when his brother, in the soar boilin line. up and died and left him Sl0.00O. He put the lump in with the owners of the Polly Milford and got the command He warnt it to com. mand a yawl, boss, and all the men knowed it.
 They made plan to seize the yves sel and put the second officer Mir =. Vithers didn't have nethin to de with the mutiny fer he didn't know nothin at all about it. He was the best man ynu ever sailed under. boss-kind and considerin 10 the men and with head like q sperit level with the hub- bic always in the middle. That was jist the kind of man the eap'n nd nI,,.ae4 Eafa ors9 hn hata3I NFf. Xyfthatsq like pizen.
 Well. list afore the mine was ready to spring some of the men weakened and give away the hull thing. Now, if the cap'n had managed the sailin' of the ship as well as he managed wot he was a-gein' to do he wouldn't a had no trouble. He put Mir. With. CTS i'll irons and made q court out of the men wot give the plot away. and they understood well enough that if they didn't find Mark Withers guilty every mothers son of 'em ud have to stand trial when we made port.
 "They tried him, and they convicted him. He was sentenced to be hanged to the yardarm at noon on Friday, the Both day of June, till he was dead. and God have mercy on that poor soul of his'n
 Now. of all the men aboard that ship there wasn't none wot thunk more of MT. Withers than this mis'a' ble hulk wot stands afore you.
 .sWell, didn't sleep none that night. I jist laid awake and thunk-thunk wot could I do to stop the hangin'. You see. there wasn't no reason for 1t. We would reach port in day or two. and there'd be fair trial. But the cap'n knowed that we could prove his ignorance of navigation and that ud weaken his case. What he wanted was to git squar' with the man he hated afore it was too late.
 That night I goes on a-thinkin'. thunk and thunk till I reckoned tht top of my head ud split of. Mir With. CTS was to hang the next day but one at noon. What 1 was a-drivin' at was to delay the execution till we could make port. But there wasn't no way. opened my knowledge chist a hun dred times and shet 1t ag'in without gittin' nothin' out.
 "Jist afore mornin' fell asleep, aud dreamed-dreamed a sure enough dream this time. I ain't a-goin' to tell you wot I dreamed. boss. but that dream give an idee. I didn't think 1t was much of an idee at the time. but it was better'n nothin', and l saw that there was one small chance for MT. Withers I stayed in my ham mock long enough to think out plan to give the prisoner that one chance, and when turned out 1 knowed wha' was a-goin' for to do.
 When four bells in the mornin' was. a-strikin' I started aft at the head of seven men. They was the best men on the ship. and they was the only best men. All the rest was worst. Wo marched aft to the quarterdeck, where the cap'n was a-standin and We all drawed up In line afore him.
 We'll he said. a-snifIin' sonnethin in the wind
 ".Cap'n., says I. here's eight of us come to receymend pint of law
 .'Wot do you know about law, you lubbers? Git back forrardr
 'Cap'n.' says I. you have given Mir. Withers fair trial You see. l concluded to start in favorable and shift round arterward 'Cap'n, says l. 'seein' as you've given Mr. Withers a fair trial. don't you think you'd orter give him fair hangin'?'
 "'Wot do you meanT says he. chang in his talk by shiftin' to the left leg instead of the right.
 .1 mean, says I. that if you hang Mr. Withers tomorrer you'll do it agin marrytime law
 "'Marrytime law. wot do such fish IS you know about marrytime law
 T reckoned it was about time to shift the wind few points. so says. kind of bracin' myself AS cap'n Of this ere vessel if you permits an He gal execution you'll be liable to be tried fer murder jist as soon as we make port
 He changed his tack ag'in and give his quid grind knowed the matter didn't rest easy on his mind noway. IpE SAW Litu Wuittu- AAoWSeS'~@f he squared around and lit out on us:
 "'If this Is a plan on the part or munneers 70 nom on TO MT wrenen to make him master of this ere snip want you to understand that tnere ain't a-goin' to be no interference with justice. If necessary I'll hang eight more men, And he turned hls eye on us as if he was a-measurin' how much of the ships rope would be required