Year: 1871

The yarn / am to about spin is con-
nected with the time when ] was a
common sailor. / am a merchant
captain now; but that has nothing to
do with the present story. My prop
er name is Shorthand; but when "be-
fore the mast,n l was always called
Shorty.


Many year ago, being in Austria
liza, Ishipped at Sydney in brig call
ed the Sea-Shell. She was bound on
kind of pickup voyage, after SAN
dalwood, shells, and other things.
We ran down to the Marshall islands;
among the Ralick Chain, and anchor
ed in the coral lagoon at Ebon. 1t is
commonly known as CovelPs Island.
The natives came off to us with lots OF
English sovereigns, which they were
ready to barter for bits of tobacco. In
ans Wer to questions as to where they
got the gold, we could extort nothing
but evasive grunts from them. But,
of course, we bought all we could
get.


| We didn't dare to go ashore among
| them, but carried on all our trade oD
board the brig. We had but sixteen
men all told, which was not very
large force. But we had plenty of
| firearms for what men we had, and
while trading, we always kept aguard
| on the alert. Now and then we fired
off the nine-pounders with blank car
fridge, just to show them our power;
for they were terribly frightened of
guns then. AT such times they
would all push for the shore, jumping
overheard without waiting for canoes
and hide themselves for awhile. Then
some of the boldest would venture out
to look at us, and the rest would grad
ually get over thier terror. We had no
doubt that they had found the gold
on board some vessel which they had
cut off. Most likely they had MUIR
| dered all hands; not for the sake of the
| gold, which was of no value in their
| eyes, but for the cloth, tobacco and
trinkets. They would not be slow to
| serve us out in the same manner, if
We gave them the opportunity; so we
were obliged to be continually on our
| guard. The guns were always load
ed at night, and we stood regular half
| watches, starboard and larboard, the
same as we would have done at sea.
You may well suppose that, after
we found they had gold to sell, it was
of more consequence to us than the
sandal-woOd or shells We lay at
anchor as long as any sovereigns were
brought on board by the savages, and
used every persuatiOn to make them
part with the last one they had. The
captain naturally got the lions share
of them; for as soon as the savages
found that he was able TO bid the
highest price for them, the rest of us
were all in the background.


suppose that the captain must
have had in hand more tEan three
thousand pounds i'll gold when they
stopped bringing it off to US. There
couldn't have been more than four
hundred among all the rest of us. |
had about forty myself, and the cap
tain gave me ten more; indeed he gave
the same sum to every man. Fifty
pounds was large sum for a fore
mast man to have all at one time.
But we had some hard cases among
our crew-some who would stab a
man for single sovereign, or throw
him over board for his tobacco or
clothes. | didn't feel safe q minute
among these fellows; so | tied up my
fifty sovereigns in bag and took
them aft, and asked the captain to
keep them for me. He ereadily agreed
to do so, and gave me receipt.


But this act -of mine was Snan Is,
DilIy DUituOOd, the master spirit of
these ws-Dark Bill, as he de-
lighted to be called-and he was down
on me from that hour. This Bill had
been a convict in the colony, and
had served out his time. don't know
what his crime was, but he was capa-
bic of anything. l can't think of any
villainy that would be too bad for
him to turn his hand to, and he took
as much delight in the sight Of blood
as the tiger is said to. rve seen him
and an Irishman, who was called
ugly Barney, 20 into the back yard Of
public" in Sydney, and batter each
others faces all to pieces for pot of
beer. They seemed to do i: in sheer
enjoyment of the thing itself.


"Well," Dark Bill says to me, with
look that was meant TO bully me,
so you thought you couldn't trust
your shipmates, eh, Shorty? Or did
you think you'd curry (; Vor with the
captain, by trusting him with your
gold?'


It's true,' said /, looking him
square in the eye, there's some of my
nmates that don't like to trust


DO you mean that for me?' said he
clustering.


Never mind. / didn't mention any
names; but, if the jacket fits, you can
put it on


I'D smash your head for five bob"
said he, clustering again.


Il don't doubt you would, If you
dared answered him, very coolly,
for l didn't fear him single-handed.
Il don't doubt you'd do worse by me
for fifty sovereigns; and / don't want
TO throw temptation in your way


He glared at me, and ground his
teeth; but he didn't offer to "smash
my head" Perhaps twas because
nobody offered him five bob to do it;
but 'twould have been a dear job to
him at twice the money.


That night saw him and ugly Bar
ney go out on the bowsprit with their
pipes, and sit down on the staysail
that was slowed in the netting. They
smoked away, and talked together
very earnestly, and thought all the
time some mischief was brewing. /
said as much to my chum, Dave
Kent; but Dave thought L was over
nervous and suspicious. Perhaps i
was; but couldn't help thinking g all
the time about our having SO much
money in the brig, and these fellows
knowing it. We were in an out-of.
the-way part of the world, too, where
| tcr1,f ont xytl1oinN rI
escape justice-fOr years, if not for
ever. | wanted all the while TO tel
the captain of my suspicious, and put
him on his guard; but, somehow,
was ashamed to do that; for, after all
had nothing particular to tell him
So l said nothing about it to anybody
but Dave Kent. he promised to keel
his weather-eye lifting and his ear'
open.


After the precious pair came in from


the staysail net, | noticed they die


not keep together, but each one was
! button holing some one else all tht


watch, and it was always some one o
. their own ruffian gang; for there wer'
C four or five other fellows among III


who were nearly as bad as Dark Bill


himself, only they were more ignor
7 ant, and not so fit to lead in matte


ofthis kind. / really believe they
+ meant to rise upon us that same nigh
y and take the brig there in the lagoon


only they didn't see their opportunit.


clear. The next morning We got un
S der way from Ebon, and started on
c cruise among the other islands of tn


chain. We didn't find any gold a


any other place, and the trade il


shells was nothing alarming. hear


the captain say he should shove he
off soon, and run down among tn
Caroline islands, and thence to China


Dark Bill overheard him, too; an'


that night there were more secre