Year: 1872




At the time OF which | write | was
engaged in the West India trade. run
ming 10 seaports on the Cuban coast.
sometimes from Portland. sometimes
from Boston. and sometimes from New
York. On the occasion To which | re-
Ter in the present sketch | was in com
mand Of the brig Bantam. and had
loaded at Portland with shocks and
lumber for Matanzas. The last item
Of our lading was taken on board to-
ward evening, on the fifth of Septem-
Der. and on the following morning We
were ready for sailing. We had haul
ell out into the stream on the evening
before, and the last man OF my crew 10
come of was Enoch Perlev, whose
family resided in the city, and with
whom he had spent the night Enoch
brought Off with him a copy OF the
Argus. in which we found an accoun,
of the escape from the city Jail of four
desperate rascals who had been com
mitied on charge Of burglary and he
also told ine Of the Efforts which were
being made by the police for their re-
capture. | had seen the scamps in
court, and remembered them rs hard,
tough, and ugly looking crew: and a,
1 folded up the paper | expressed the
hope that they might be caught and
properly punished. After this turn
ed my atteotion TO getting under way,
and the subject Of the burglars for a
time passed from my mind


Upon getting outside northwest
erly breeze gave US the wind upon our
quarter, and having arranged the
watches, ! hoped l might lie back for
an easy trip. But the pleasant wealth
er was not for long. At noon the wind
chopped around 10 the north'ard and
east'rd. and l looked for blow, though
l did not fear anything serious.


II was late in the afternoon that our
bov, Frank Willis, lost bucket over
board. A swift sea had caught it, and
jerked the rope from his hand. Our
spare buckets had been slowed in the
hold, on top Of the shocks, and having
told Frank TO be more careful next
tine sent him down after one. The
main hatch was kept closed, but not in
any way fastened. As we had often oc-
casion TO go down after things, like
this bucket, for instance. which were
easilv slowed there out Of the way
Frank went down, and was gone some
little time, and when he came back his
that se,ll
which betokens wonder and alarm.
But Frank was a shrewd boy-far more
shrewd and trustworthy under emer-
gency than most OF the men with whom
| have had to deal. He left his bucket
in the waist, and came directly to me.


Captain said he there's somebody
slowed away in the hold


What?


He repeated the assertion, and said
he had heard the voices Of two or three
men. They seemed to be wondering,
he added, whether there was going TO
be storm; and one Of them said #
there was, they'd be uncomfortable
down there


Ny first thought was Of poor wretches
who might have sought thus to steal a
passage; but another thought came
very quickly. l thought of the four
burglars who had escaped from Jail.
Jack Smith had been in charge of
the brig during our last night in Port
land harbor. called him, and told
him what Frank had heard, and then
asked him if he could account for it.
Jack was an honest, weli-meaning fel-
low, and had sailed with me several
years. He shut his eyes, and scratched
his head, and reflected. At length he
looked up with light upon his face.
'Captn' said he, you know we'd
been at work hard, and l was tired.
Afore midnight laid down in the bunt
Of the mains'l and went to sleep.
know l was woke up by noise Of
some sort, and l shook myself and
looked around, but could see nothing
on deck. By'm by went and looked
over the stern, and there saw a boat
just driftin' away into the darkness
She had no sail, and was pullin' no
oars, and could see nobody in her so
thought it was only boat adrift,
that had struck the brig in passin' +;
and as l couldn't well 90 after her
alone, let her slide


And then Jack remembered other
things which had at the time attracted
only passing notice, but which now
hinged very clearly with the men in
the hold, and with the drifting boat.
l enjoined strict silence upon him, and
then called Mr.. Crockett, my mate.
Csockett was . Kennebec man, strong
/ YA~nA III