Year: 1877

Hoiu w uISpldy, ao JdCh uau hOhe,
the heroism and pluck which he
supposed that he possessed. Un-
fortunately, his father had no in
fuence with the Board of Adlni-
rality, or the boy might have gone


into the navy and found a legiti-
mate channel in which to develop


his adventurous longings. AS it


was, Richard determined to run


away and 60 to sea. Tying up the


customary bundle the little fellow


slipped away from school and went


to Liverpool. Here he found it


impossible to ship in any capacity,


but, determined to go TO sea at all


hazards, he slowed away in the


hold of a Mediterranean fruit brig


bound to Messina. He was soon


discovered, and after undergoing


no end of abuse from the captain,


was set to the dirtiest kind of work,


swabbing the decks, scraping the
masts and tarring down the rig


ging, and on every calm was put


over the side to scrub copper. Be


fore arriving at Messina, he was


one day tarring down the jib stay,


swung In boatswain's chair, when


the man who was attending to the


hosting rope carelessly lost his


hold, and Dick was precipitated to


the deck, falling on the anchor


stock and on the rail. His arm


and leg were broken, and he bound


ed into the water. lie was rescued,


however, and after being freely


cursed by the captain for the de-


tention Of the vessel which the ac-


cident had caused, he was passed


below, where, without any medical


treatment, he was permitted 10


stay till the vessel arrived at port,


fortunately only twenty-four hours


afterward. He then went to the


hospital where incompetent ply


sicians dressed his limbs. and after


three months he was discharged,


penniless and without friends, and


cripple. All the British Consul
could do was to get him q berth
which, owing to the fact Of tie
boys cripple limb, was difficult


thing TO do, but was finally ac-


complished, and Richard sailed as


cabin boy in an American bark for


Rio. His situation in this vessel
was more tolerable, hut on arriving
; at Rio the bark was condemned as
! unseaworthy, and Richard was a
, second time cast adrift in a foreign
land. He finally shipped as cook


in West India trading schooner


where he got more kicks thar
ha'pence, and in this vessel came
to Halifax, where he shipped il
: schooner that afterwards came
to Baltimore with potatoes. Pre-
vious to sailing he wrote to hi.
mother, telling her the name of hi,
vessel. His father cabled to Hall
fax and ascertained his destination
and then cabled to friend in Bal.
timore to look out for Richard or
his arrival. Dick came here in the
; schooner Bertha Ellen, after q
thirty days tempestuous voyage


His fathers agent met him, tele-


graphed his father, provided him
with new outfit of clothes and a
passage to Liverpool by the White
Star line steamer sailing to-day
And last evening Richard left for
New York to take the steamer, a
wiser boy, cripple for life, and
one not likely to again be filed with
glowing enthusiasm at the stories
of writers of melodramatic fiction.


The gentleman who acted for yonng


Fielding here can be found daily


not a thousand miles from the


Merchants Exchange, and will


vouch for the truth of this story.