Year: 1875

it.


went to the cabin, where the captain
aud mate were vomiting in great dis
tress and while overhauling the medi-
cine, more from that sense of restless
ness which we all feel in the presence of
sickness, than from any hope Of afford
ing relief, the companion doors were
shut upon me, and the slide showed in
its place. At the same moment there
was q slight struggle on deck, q groan
and fall and next came heavy splash
in the water under the stern, I had
felt that could as easily defend myself
in the cabin as elsewhere, for upon deck
I had been entirely at the mercy of the
pirates, momentarily expecting them to
strike; but reason for their not doing
so soon became evident.


Bacalardo came to the slide, and
ordered me to come on deck. 1 refused,
and expressed determination to defend
myself. H-h a8


"We no kill you" he said; eve want
you for navigate.


"What have you done with the cook 2"
L then asked. '-.l


"We stab him he is overheard so
is other man. All men in the forecastle
dead we stab them all.


Then 1 knew that the three villains
had killed the three men whom the
poison had rendered helpless, and that
only myself and the two fearfully sick
officers remained. The latter were al
ready at the point of death.


1 told Bacalardo that 1 would come
on deck when the captain and mate
should have passed all suffering. 1t
seemed dreadful that the impatient
wretches should murder them with
knives and hence [ could not bear to
leave them. My refusal to do so, how
ever, availed nothing; for crowding in
to the cabin, the pirates at once dis
patched their victims, and passed the
bodies out of the windows.


The pirates divided the money-about
ten thousand dollars-and they then in
formed me that l must navigate the ves-
sci to South America. They were all
sailors, and the brig being easily
handled, the task would not be very
difficult. But to think of heading for
distant seas, with that sickening horror
upon my heart There were blood
stains upon the deck, in the cabin, and
in the forecastle-and how could [ re-
main in such q vessel? But no one
knows what he can do until suffering has
taught Linn.


We were now becalmed, and with the
full strength of the Gulf stream were
drifting northerly at the rate of four
miles an hour. The ignorant pirates,


whose operations had never brought
them much to the northward Of Cuba,


had no idea that the current was thus
j bearing us along, while it was upon this
! fact that | built almost my only hope.


In high spirits at the success of their
enterprise, they laughed over their gold,
and were continually boasting of the
, murders they had at one or another time


committed. Bacalardo remarked that


he had probable sent more persons into
, eternity than any other man living; and
L had little doubt of my being added
to the list, whenever my services should
} bo no longer required.


: Three days were passed in this man


ner; and in the meantime I had as.
? sured the Spaniards that it would be


madness to proceed on the South Ameri
: can voyage without further supply oI
t water. l had, at q favorable oppor.
3 tunity, let out the contents of two casks
[ in the hold. At the end of this time
: the wind sprang up, and it was decided
+ to enter an inlet which L described o.


upon wild portion of the southern
@ coast, with which they were entirely
b unacquainted, and there obtain thu
e needed supply.
I Though it was the month of August
n the weather now, fortunately for m


purpose, became tempestuous, wit
squalls and heavy gales from the sout
d and west. We were obliged to shorte
n sails, and sometimes to lie too and a
|, the while managed to keep the brig i
y the Gulf stream, so that even while lyin
d with her head to the westward, she ha
F.; strong northerly drift. The pirate
% kept me almost all the time at the hell
> I dared not let them suspect that th
k was the very thing could have wishe
n and two or three times 1 wedged I'll
1T compass SO that it could not play. 1 WI
s afraid they would discover that we wei
E. making too much northing, and thoue
Is their ignorance of the lay of the Goa
ly was most hopeful circumstance in th
ID connection, / dared not wholly trust


it.


!; At last / ran ont Of the Gulf strear
at and, just after had taken an Observable
e. of the sun, which till then had not shov
to itself for several days, leaving me to
,ir guided by the gulf weed and the waite,
k temperature-the wind came out mort
e. east, piping in right good earnest. \
of heart beat quickly, for the quadrant h


shown me that my hour had come.
10, Our water casks were almost empt
lly and the pirates, who had all this til
of supposed me to be beating and bangi