| Show STORY OF A SLAYER its mates Roff rots and self con granulations helas leaning against of binm lie sunshine dropping its warm blessings upon iliin and alic breezes of the bay kiting his ruddy face which was fringed with silver whiskers he was an ancient tar too old now for work lilt not too aged for reminiscent reverie II 11 n keen eyes were fixed upon alio dancing waters before libin upon alie leyy ship eliat luy at anchor lacre and there and upon the distant hill sides he was a perfect picture of contentment and it was quite obvious that like all old men alio have passed a life of hard work and usefulness ho waa living noir in ho pit it seemed almost a sacrilege to disturb him but lie pleasant features which shone from beneath the tarpaulin which lie still insisted upon wearing ns n s if out of respect for days gone by ism ed alio reporter that lie old man would not resent an abrupt intrusion upon his icle so lie advanced and minted liim with good daiy diy and lie to you young man to you this is a fine day fir and I 1 allers love to creep down by the water alio sun shines like it docs today to day and alie winds come in brisk and chipper I 1 dont mind alio bit 0 chill that B in cm cither for old as I 1 am I 1 dont feel alic cold gigli as much as do alie young ains dhove been outside 0 californi Cali forny after chatting tha la tl tea timer noticed thai ho kept his gabo almost constantly on 1 ship thai was riding at anchor not far distant finally curiosity prompted alic question as to why no seemed so particularly interested in the vessel which resul tl in alio recital of 1 story that proved to be deeply interesting te well my boy lie began that here ship recalls ninny bilings that 1 love to of now I 1 made three ej around alio horn in her and crossed from new york to liverpool twice on lier decks but it particularly ticul arly of the voyages Ith inkot when I 1 look at her although llroy had their apa and their downs their sunshine and their shadow but lookin on shtil makes mo think 0 one 0 the best musters eliat ever walked 1 quarter arck and one 0 alie bailers bailors that gave n command ho was allers a stickler for but lie never bullird i nailor man nor turned aisi anick on him whenever ho had anything to say I 1 dont think there was anything in liis life lie regretted save ono tiling and what was eliat inquired tho reporter well alfi a long yarn but if you want to lirar it ill tell it it was away bick in CO just before the war broke out I 1 aboard 1 little craft that was billeted for the indies alic skippers namo was gordon si dapper little fellow full of pluck and nerve and 1 arst rato sailor ills liml males name I 1 cliant tell be caime af you will fcc I 1 took an catli to myself hat I 1 hut ho was the man who afterward commanded that there ship out there that you me lookin at well wo cleared from new york in eluo lime on alio I 1 wm Bp cakin about jal now but instead 0 goin to the indies we for the coat 0 africa though 1 was n young I 1 well enough what that meant but 0 coi iroe we acro all in for it I 1 eay anything and yo dropped anchor in lie quiet little bay 01 some town w hose name I 1 forgot it bunh 0 a for there was nol liln tharo but a lot 0 thatched biggers li ingia around cm there wim one eliut that was tho rot that alio governor of alio place in it alio day we anchored skipper gonlon went inshore was gone three days leaving alio drat mate in chargo of alic vessel ono day while I 1 was conlin aal trying to catch a breath 0 frosli air for it was hot tern 0 furnace on eliat coast hie along and aya to nio tom liow ilo you liko the jn alicd was a on his M lio saoko BO isaal 0 O pretty well aej 1 abc libin a wink ho ty more but walked forward as it hanl about 1 cl ino to too for I 1 wo ati lake on a cargo ot alp anil I 1 about what bluight it we fact overhauled by a united cutter on the eiph buas coin back bai tharo wa no uso keckin agaSi ial things then or about ahn future matters be and to I 1 quit copin aud to take alio llio chancia chanc ca on the ilay skipper gonlon caino on board shortly atter wo seen a whole lot 0 como down to the sl iorii alicy liia all ait black aa iceal and tanch 0 on to cover olivir pretty noon n lot 0 email boat loaded with put out and caina thi they were unloaded and dumped below everything waa to em acil lo 10 make along story short when they pot through wo had nearly tit hundred biggers below hatches alicy was all stowed away like herrins in a box we trimmed ship and sailed away our conrao lay or several days duo cast and skipper kept a sharp lookout all the time I 1 can tell you I 1 dont exactly remember what latitude wo was in when wo sighted n sail far astern bull know it sent skipper gordon aloft his glass in h md iio been up in alic cros treo for nearly an hour and durin all aliat time lie never once shifted eliat glass from alio llio little speck on tho distant sea when ho did conio down ho called hi males and hurried into his cabin they w is all in there an liona when they orders to set every stitch of canvas all hands went to work and in a time the was darivin through the water willist uddin s ails sky sails royals anil sky scrapers all bellied out with the sti 11 breeze nut nil tho same alic vessel was gain iii on ns when alie skipper seed this lie whispered to his mates and the first we knew orders acro given to bring the biggers up from below they were brought up in squads ami chained together heavy cables when alio llio birst squad was skipper gordon ordered he crew to toss em overboard it went against alio llio better fcc lins 0 o alio men I 1 can tell you but it biad to bo done canso if wo d n refused wed likely as nol been shot down well sir squad after squad of tho poor nig gers was chucked overboard in tins way until there more alian a hundred left below wo seed that alio vessel astern was us rapidly alio was chasin ns pud I 1 alio was a revenue cutler jest then alio llio skipper had another talk with hii males and pretty soon alio latter camo aft and ordered alic small boats oan their dai its and us to tako tak o to them alic mates took 0 tho two boats after putting provisions and water in cm we pulled away I 1 lioard alio first inato beggin alic skipper to go liim but lie do it and eo alien wo pulled off in tho open sea there a soul aboard the slaver but skipper gordon and alio biggers below it was 1 good anny years after that before I 1 heard any tiling about alio into of skipper gordon and tho ship when wo pulled away wo could soo her until night set in but tho next luor nin she ans our small boats met a clipper ship on alie third day bound for liverpool and tho males told a yarn about us bein wrecked and wo acro taken on board at liverpool we all parted bait as J ini on a vessel choso whoso skipper was the first matlof he recognized mo and wo had a long talk about that voyage to tho zanzibar coast for nig gers then he told what had happened to skipper gordon it seems lie stayed aboard tho ship till sho was taken by the other vc stcl which proved to bo a government cutler the slaver was convoyed to bow york and alio war was goin on and bilings was hot gordon laid in that jail tor over two years iio was tried a compla 01 limes but the jury disagreed each limo they went to him and told him give him his liberty it hed tell who gilted lilted him out for the african boist hut lie kept liis lips closed anil tell anything wa was s aronio big men in ow york and boston bolwind the skipper and they in their boots for fear squeal tho skipper biad plenty 0 money when lie went to jail but ho had to buy carl ain favors and pay liis lawyers so eliat in two years lie wis broke iio had a difo and little boy over in brooklyn his wife never missed 1 day that alm go ocr to the jail and remain her husband always akin the child when the weather WAS right but go rain or she was 1 bravo liello woman anil fought liko a hero for her husband after awhile the skipper worked it soa thil th il a deputy sheriff used to take him over to liis awn couo on saturday nights and stay with him jut before daylight on monday mornin the awod go back to jail along toward the last after aliu jury disagreed alicy used to let him go home alone lie biad to pay heavily for tho privilege though several times while lie was out on his own lbook the backer of the slaver urged him to quit alio country of ferin him plenty 0 money ligo nut ho break his parole lie was in jail Lincol ns all tho biggers was made liis friends thought lied get off when ids third trial camo off ho was convicted and sentenced to bo hanged that was up to six weeks 0 alic time ho used to have liis freedom to go homo 0 saturday nights his poor wife went nearly crazy when alio sentence was pronounced they ot up a bho went to washington anil got down on tier to lincoln and him to pardon her husband hut lie do it so eha came back and alic day set for the lung iii it came lut whan they went into bai cell to take liim out to the gil lows they fondd him kicken on bunk the doctors came and they said alicd taken pumped him out but tho skipper never knew tind flioy liim out to tho pillows to han him before ho died well sir lio was lie never squealed on anybody but ho was ono those rich afraid tell jut up and left ats wife to shift tor herself sho a tincup and store in brooklyn anil made a bare livin at it ono day about a year after tharo came along a fine looking man alio called on her iio etolil cpr eliat liu was alic liesl rafala of tho slaver and that hod lican aliu diw havin n hard i it to get along iio told her thai skipper gordon was frascini of jsn and lie wound up by ol Terin to take caro ot glicr and her boy by marry iii her tho little woman consented and they got spliced iio was tho skipper of that very phlp byln out and I 1 sailed with him ou her what been lunkin lun kiu about today to day my by its n good many years ago but I 1 like to think about old times nowadays boin mato of alio slaver was the one thing tho skipper ailers regretted but ho got n wife by it though san francisco alia |
