Year: 1861

Michael Conway is an eccentric old man
who about three summers since made his
first appearance in our neighborhood.-
Whence be came nobody knows. He seems
to be without kith or kin, and equally des
titute of property, with the exception of s
quaint-looking old FUssEE, for which he
exhibitsa most singular attachment. Think.
ing there might be tale hanging thereby
l one evening got Michael into my Office
and thawed his reserve with old mononga
hela; when, sure enough tale he did un
fold in this wise:


That old fussee, Doctor, has memories
connected with it, said Michael, and I'll
spin you yarn out of 'em. 10 my young
er days I became a sailor; and indeed for
the greater part of my life I have followed
the sea- The sailors life was but new to
me, when I shipped at Liverpool, on board
the brig Admiral Byron, for a voyage to
Trinidad. We had rich cargo of Eng
lish goods, but neither vessel nor cargo
ever reached their destination. A little to
the windward of Tobago, We were over
hauled by Yankee privateer, and carried
into Margarita, on the Spanish Main, where
the goods were sold, and the brig burnt ;
while our crew consisting of eleven men,
besides the captain, were sent on board
Margarita smuggling craft, toSpanish Town,
the capital of Trinidad.


Here, after few days, shipped again
on board another merchant vessel, for Eu'
rope. But bad luck again followed me, for
scarcely had we sunk the land under ouI
lee quarter, than a strange craft was dis
covered standing down upon US. AS she
neared US, she fred gun, and running up
the blood red flag of the Buccaneers, or
dered US to send a boat on board. We did
so and when the boat returned, we learn
ed that resistance would be worse than use.
less, and we became her prize. Everything
but our lives was taken from US ; and turned
adrift in our long beat, we were permitted
to return to the land at our leisure. AS
We neared the coast again, we were receiv'
ed on board schooner bound from Marga'
rita, which soon landed US on the coasta few
miles to the west of Scar borough, on the
island of Tobago.


This was one of the points on the coast,
where the smuggler was accustomed to land
her Spanish freight, previous to running
into the harbor to receive such English
goods as she smuggled in return to the
Spanish island.


While on board this craft, the skipper,
who spoke English, although he was Flor,
idian Spaniard, proposed that l should join
his crew; and to discourage my return to
the English Marine, assured me that now
the war had commenced, l should certain
ly be overhauled by the press gangs of the
island, if ventured to the port. This ar
gument was enough to decide me, for
though Twas willing enough to fight for my
country, while it was a matter of choice, l
was greatly opposed to being forced into
measures; and the next day found me en-
rolled among the smugglers.


This I found very pleasant sort of life
at first; for neither the Spanish nor Eng
lish authorities of the islands took very
active measures to prevent the coutraband
trade We were engagedin. Our greatest dan
ger was from the Buccaneers, whose good
will we sometimes had to pay dearly for.
Indeed, so extravagant was their demands
at times that they stripped US almost entire
ly of our cargoes, leaving us scarcely enough
for ballast.


At length the contrabandistas determined
to pay black mail 70 longer, increased their
crews, and armed for defence against the
pirates, and many were the deadly encoun-
ters that occurred between them.


One day about year and half after !
became smuggler, We were running to the
South end of the Testigos; when couple
of boats loaded with men, put off from one
of the islands, and laid across our course,
with the intention of boarding US. We
knew they we're pirates; and Captain Pan
cho, our skipper, determined to give them
fight, rather than submit to their exhorbi-
tant demands. But as is frequently the
case on this coast, the breeze suddenly failed
US, and We found it impossible to escape
the approaching boats


A hot engagement now took place, in
which we lost most of our men, and at last
were forced to yield to the pirates was
taken on shore to their rendezvous badly
wounded, and it was many weeks before
was able to leave my hammock. The pi,
rates treated me with great kindness and
after my recovery, finding | was young
man and good sailor, pressed me into theil
service.


Repugnant to me as was the thought ol
becoming pirate, l must confess that be-
came at length attached to the dangers and
excitement of this new life !; and before three
months had passed l was on the fair road tc
promotion. But unfortunately, about this
time, while cruising on the South side Of
Cuba, We fell in with disguised English
privateer, and were taken. The Spaniards
of our crew were stretched at the yard arm,
but claiming to be an English seaman, my
self with three others of the crew were
taken into Kingston for trial, where we
were condemned to be hung.


But my time had not yet come and three
days previous to that pointed for my execu'
tion, through the assistance of our sentinel
who was countryman of mine, succeeded
in escaping from the prison, and found shell
ter in the house of another countryman
I al q ra deS haC