LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2569, 1 July 1882, Page 4

LITERATURE.

ATrACKBO BY STOWAWAYS. 'Ay, ny, shk'Uiates, I know it is my_ trim now bo bold up while I get wind,' said olc Jaok Caswell, as we lay becalmed off St Verne one fuicry dny in August, and to v&it i away the time that hung rather heavily o>. our hands, we engaged in Biory.tolling. 'Let's see,' he began, after a moment's 1 reflection, ' is was iu season of '56 th -.t 1 hired under old Capt, Warrenton, who run a schoontr on the cosst of the Gulf. Sh» was a smaU craft, of not more than a humlte ; and fifty tons burden, and on the trip 1 am epeakir.g of was loaded at Mobile whh a cargo for New Orleans. 1 Besides the skipoer and myself, then a lad of fifteen, there was but one hand. As the craft was easily handled, and the runs short, Capt. Worranton seldom ever chipped more than lour; and on this time, when we got ready to sail, and one of the men couldn't bo fo'ind, he conclnded to start with me and the other one, a sailor named Ned Allen, for there was a prospaot of a quicK and easy passage. §

' There was great excitement in Mobile at the time over tho escape of a couple of villains from the jail, who had been recently captured and were waiting trial for murder. I don't believe a tougher pair of rascals were ever found in Alabama thaa Knell Victor and Dennis Lome. They had killed as many as half-a-dozen persons, to say nothing of other crimes without number of whioh they were guilty. ' You may that their escape created no littlo disturbance, and they were more dreaded than ever, • Tho authorities did their best to recapture them, but no trace of the desoradoes could be found, and tho day we left port three thousand dollars reward was offered for them, one half the sum for either of them.

' Well, we had a fair wind for a start, and ran down the bay standing cff between the Dauphin and the Point about six.

' .* bout that time I had oocaaion to go into the fore-peak to get some rope-yarn. !Sow, we had no forecaatle parted off from the hold, as there was room enough for all In the cabin, and we had th'.s stowaway In between the bowa, where wo chucked away our old trampery. ' I was hard at work unlaying a pieoe o rope from the yarns, when I thought I heard a noise among the boxes In the hold. Listening a moment' with my ear close to the bulkhead* I knew some one was in there. As the captain and Allen were above, I wondered who !«• oould be, and kept perfectly still, to see if I cou'd find out.

' I was not kept la suspense long, for pretty eoon I heard a man speak, and then another answered him.

' STou may believe I was all attention then, and soon leirned that our passengers were none others than Ruell Victor and Dennis T.orno. the desperadoes who had escaped from the Mobile jail! « From what they said, I found that they had crawler! into the hold and stowed themselves away ao well that we had not seen them when we hod finished loading. Ihey had got provisions enough to live on a day or two, and were planning to oome on deck at dark, overpower us and put to sea. They were armed, and, what frightened me the most (for you mußt remember I wm only a boy, though nearly as le.rge as I am now) they had hired Ned Allen to help them! This would make them three against the captain and mysolf. 'Aa they had been further aft when I first came down, and were getting baok to their old corner, I fait that they had not heard me, ao 1 crept back to the deck as quietly a? possible. ' We were then leaving the light-hoose out of sight and it would soon be dark, so that I was anxious to tell the skipper what I had discovered.

* As I came up from the fore-peak, he was at tho helm, while Allen was at the main sheet. I guess I must have looked a little startled, though I tried to appear calm, for as I went aft he asked me what was up; but I only shook my head, oaying I didn't feel vory well, not d»r*ng to say any more for fear of iviousing Allen. 'I saw Capt. Warrentou mistrusted something for he seemed unsasy ; and pretty soon ho sent Allen into the cabin for something, and anked me again what the trouble was, when I tcld him all, ' The captain wss a big, brave man, but he trembled when I told my story. 'lf we should put baok to port it would arouse the villains and they wou':d make short work of us, and, as it was, our Bhow was a small one.

' In a moment, however, the captain asked If I canld oarry a steady hand in a tight fix ; and telling him I could, for I know our lives were depending on it, his eyes flashed as he said :

' Sood, my boy ! If you don't fail me, we will fix the Ecoundrels, or my name ian't Joe Warrentou. Keep up your courage, do aa I say, and fifteen hundred dollars are yours.' ' The oaptain was a powerful man, and now that he understood the game I know the desperadoes would have a hard fight to carry out their purpose. If Allen only had been all right, we should have stood an even ohanoe, though we had no firearms aboard. ' Seeing Allen coming up the companionway at that moment, Warrenton motioned for me to take the helm, and hurried to meet the sailor just as he gained the deck. ' Before the traitor saw what was coming the captain seized him by the throat and bore the wretch to tho deck, just as if he had been a child, without any outcry escaping bis lips. ' Getting a piece of tarred rope and some bunting, we gagged and bound the ruffian in a few moments.

" 'There,' said Captain Warrenton, triumphantly, ' oar way is clear. Bat these other scamps will he moving Boon, so we must be ready for them. * ' While the hatches were on we knsw the villains' only way of escape waa *,hroagh tho fore-peak, and as the boards of the bulkhead were thin, they could easily force a way through. The cargo was so stowed that they could not reach the cabin bulk-head, au'i they could not force tho hatches, so that we felt confident that that would bo their course.

' Ae it was then time that they might be moving, and the wind was so that we had is on our beam, thus leaving but little to do for the sails, tho captain got a ceuple of heavy hand-spikes for our weapons, and we were ready for action on the part of onr foes.

* Soon after dark the skipper said ho heard them removing a board from the bulkhead. 'Capt. Warieaton had cautiously crawled forward behind the bitta by tha bowsprit, weapou in hand, and now motioned to me to leave the helm and join him. The tiller was lashed, 10 that all was safe in that quarter. * Xhe night was starlight, and juet light enough for our purpose. ' I had barely time to reach the bitta, which I had done in silence, wben the pcoundreh wore moving in the rubbish in the Itore-peak. ' Pretty soon a couple of human heads came into sight, and then the villlans stood upon deck not four feet from where we were.

* The captain touched me, and I knew the time for action had come.

' While the rasoals stood for an Instant as if trying to see where we were, we sprang upon them. ' I seemed to possess ten times my ordinary strength, I had-nerved myself so, and you may believe I put p'l my power into a blow. However, the vidian saw me in season to partially dodge it, so that It fed upon his shoulder, and the next I knew he had sprung upon me. ' But my second clip, which I was not long in dealing, f etchod him ; and as we fell, Warrenton turned to help me, he having fixed his man at a single stroke. ' It was a good while before I could realize that we had really overcome the burly desperadoes; but there they were, securely bound, and In spite of their threats and entreaties, we put back to port and gave them up to the authorities, receiving the reward of three thousand dollars, which the captain generously shared with me. Aller* received his just punishment, ;ht- era *f*v -ward expatiated fctfchsgia.'lov.-^-couiie cf new sea, non-3 (he w*rse for our