Year: 1878

| "A''A
squalls and heavy gales from
the south and west. We were
obliged to shorten sail, and
sometimes to lie to; and all
the while [ maEaged to keep
the brig in the Gulf Stream,
so that even while lying with
her head to the westward, she
had strong northerly drift,
The pirates kept me almost
all the time at the helm-I
dared not let them suspect
that this was tho very thing
I could have wished-and
two or three times | wedged
the compass so that it could
not play. l was afraid they
would discover that we were
making too much northlng,
and though their ignorance
of the lay of the coast was a
most hopeful circumstance in
this connection, | dared not
wholly trust to it.


At last l ran out of the
Gulf Stream, and, just after
l had taken an observation
of the sun, which till then
had not shown itself for sew
eral days, leaving me to be
guided by the gulf weed and
the waters telnperature-the
wind came out northeast, pip
ing in right good earnest
My heart beat quickly, for
the quadrant had shown me
that my hour had come. |
was in latitude thirty six, ter;
longitude seventy four, eight.





Our water casks were al
most empty, and the pirates,
who had all tins time sup
posed me to be beating and
banging about to gain the
southern inlet, were very
glad when | told them we
should reach the coast in a
few lt nrS, And You can
not imagine my sensations.
Oh, if the wind should die
out-if it should head Us off
IL morning should dawn,
and my plan be only half ac-
complished! Often had the
villains drawn their knives
across my throat, in insignif-
ication of what would come
should Iplay them false ; and
now it was success or death.
Headed west-north>west,
the little brig bounded along,
and You may well believe
that L watched every varia-
ton of the breeze, and the
drawing of every sail, as [
have never watched before,
over and over | revolved my
previous ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
terday | struck out for the
Gulf Stream last night |
headed thus andthus; to day
| was sure of my figures. 1t
must be sol have made no
mistake. Yet, how, if l can
not manage at last? a sin
gle error, a shadow of suspic-
ion, and a knife will end all.
Thus [ mentally conversed
with myself.


Here and there were YES
sells sailing upon various cour
ses, but l dared not approach ch, j.,
dared hardly look at them.
AS evening approached, l
saw the land. 1t would be
dark ere we should reach it;
and thus far all went hopes
fully. Yet never had the
blood stains upon the briggs
deck looked more hideous
than now. Hope had IN a mea
sure broken the nightmare Of
horror, and more fully than
before / realized the awful
ness of thetragedy which had
been perpetrated.


Strongly the north-easter
piped-it would not fail me
now-and the clouds were
thick land the night would be
very dark. Then upon the
lee bow cleaned Il light, and
presently away off the wealth
er bow shone family another.
Oh, the anxiety of that mo-
ment! | was right. There
they were, the two beautiful
lights-ves. beautiful indeed
to me. But the hour of great
est peril was at hand; and,
like a dramatic author who
fears for his last act,I / studied
again and again the various
contingencies that might
cross my plans,and reveal my
intentions to the murderous
Spaniards.


W. ,>,acaI h,t,poo. fIc