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VOL. XIV.
THE TIMES.
Kn Independent Family Newspnper,
IB PUBLISHED BTERT TUESDAY BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
1 N VARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
1.30 PER YEAR, POSTAGE FREE.
SO CTS. FOR B MONTHS " "
To subscribers residing In this county, where
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Hon.
Beledt Poetry.
. MOTHER'S WAY.
Oft within our little cottage,
As the shadows gently fall,
While the sunlight touches softly,
One sweet face upon the wall,
Do we gather close together,
And In hushed and tender tone,
Ask each other's full forgiveness,
For the wrong that each has done.
Bhould you wonder why this custom
At the ending of the day,
Eye and voice would quickly answer,
It was once our mother's way 1
If our home be bright and cheery,
If It hold a welcome true,
Opening wide lis doors of greotlng
To the many, not the few i
If we share our Father's bounty
With the needy day by day,
'Tls because our hearts remember
This was ever mother's way.
Sometimes, when our hands grew weary,
Or our tasks seem very long,
When our burdens look too heavy,
And we deem the right all wrong,
Then we gain a new, fresh courage,
As we rise tp proudly say :
" Let us do our duty bravely,
This was our dear mother's way."
Thus we keep her memory precious,
While we never cease to pray
That at last, when lengthening shadows
Mark the evening of our day,
They may find us watting calmly,
To go home our mother's way.
MURDER WILL OUT.
THERE were fourteen of us from the
schooner Vandal, hibernating at
Kurd's Island, in Indian Ocean, which
at the time I write this, had been recent
ly opened to the enterprise of ubiquitous
Yankee whalemen. Lying some degrees
southward and eastward from Kergue
len's Land, out of the track of merchant
vessels, and in a part of the ocean little
frequented, this island had remained for
ages unknown, and the sea-elephants
had fattened and multiplied upon its
shores, so that the whalers who visited
there saw what appeared to their eyes
an inexhaustible mine of wealth spread
out before them. But two or three
seasons of indiscriminate slaughter had
been sufflolent to "work out" the lee
side of the island ; the animals had be
come shy and wary as well as' greatly
reduced in numbers, and we found it
necessary to keep a patrol of one or
more men on the lookout night and day
to watch for single elephants, as they
same up out of the sea. With infinite
labor we were obliged to skin and collect
the fat from these prizes at different
points, distributed over many miles of
rock and beach, so that our progress in
making up a cargo was not as rapid and
easy as would be desired.
During the summer there had been
several other beach-gangs from different
vessels, working on shore, and the com
petition was lively, but on the approach
of winter the vessels all left, either for
home or for the safer harbors of Kergue
len, not daring to remain at the dan
gerous anchorage of Hurd's Island. Only
three gangs remained on shore for the
winter, reducing the population of the
island to forty-four souls. In addition
to our own party there were twelve men
from the schooner Hydra of Bag Har
bor, and eighteen from a British brig
called the Eettona, fitted out at Hobart
Town. Each party, as might be sup
posed, had their own house, and we
were all well supplied with provisions
and other necessaries for the winter,
which in that latitude is perhaps not
more severe than in our New England
NEW BLOOMFIELD, !P.A.M TtJE8DA.Y,
climate, though the weather is very
boisterous, aud high winds are the rule.
These forty-four men were about an
average of seamen as they run, and on
the whole the different gangs fraternized
very well, although there was now and
then a conflict of Interest. The two
American chiefs, or beach-headers, PreB
ton and Comstock, had been shipmates
on a former voyage, and were sworn
friends, although working in different
employs. The crew included men of
various nationalities and varieties of
character, and of course it was not easy
to preserve the same exact discipline as
on ship-board, yet both the young lead
ers carried matters with a very steady
hand, and were generally obeyed and
respected by their subordinates.
But matters did not run so smoothly
at the English headquarters. Warwick,
the officer in charge of the Bellona'e
party, was hardly a suitable man to be
placed in a position to command, as he
hd little control either of his crew or
Indeed of himself. There was too much
liquor among the Englishman's winter
stores, and at times it was used too
indiscriminately. Atkins, the lieuten
ant or second in command, was drunk
no small portion of the time, and War
wick himself was not always sober. We
need not have troubled ourselves about
all this, as such a state of things would
only operate against their own interest,
and make them less formidable compet
itors in the fishery. But it soon became
evident that Warwick was quite devoid
of moral principal, and was not to be
controlled by the laws of honor as estab
lished and understood among seamen,
to make up for the lack of industry and
efficiency in his own party he would
not hesitate to resort to what we consid
ered plraoy.
' The invariable custom among the
hunters was for the man who had killed
a Bea-elephant to cut the mark of his
party in the animal's hide with the
sharp knife which every one who stirs
abroad alway carries in a sheath at his
waist. Having thus marked his prize,
the hunter passes on, feeling sure that
no one will touch It until the skinning
party from his own vessel comes along,
though it may be for some days after
ward. The mark may be a simple cross
or star, or an initial letter, or otherwise;
but the mark of each party is soon
known and recognized by all on the
beach, and so sacred Is it held that, as a
rule, an elephant would be suffered to
rot where he lies if his proper owner
does not appropriate him. To steal
another's property in disregard of his
knife mark Is justly regarded as the
most detestable meanness, and is held as
a flagrant crime, according to the hunt
er's code of honor. David Preston, our
leader, was in the highest sense of the
word an hoileet man, square and up
right in all his dealings, though with no
pretensions about It. A man so Imbued
with the sense of honor and right
that he would as soon have cut off his
own hand as steal the prize which
another had earned. Ills indignation
may hardly be Imagined when the evi
dence of dishonesty practiced by the
Englishman was brought home to him
so that be could no longer doubt it. We
had marked each elephant that we
killed with the letter " P." as the Initial
of his own name, and we were satisfied
that in several instances this had been
altered by an additional cut, so as to
represent a "B." whioh was the distinc
tive mark of the Bellona. Nothing can
be easier than to make such an altera
tion. Yet Preston at first was slow to
believe it, having never known suoh an
instance in all his former experience.
But the proofs accumulated until he
could no longer doubt, and he rose up
in his righteous Ire to seek an interview
with Warwick, which might have been
a stormy one, especially had he found
the Englishman half intoxicated, as was
likely to be the case at thai time on
Saturday evening.
"Perhaps," I suggested, "Warwick
himself may not be responsible for this
piracy. We know that the marks have
been altered in several instances, but we
don't know who has done it."
"That's true," be replied. " You
know that some of Warwick's men may
have aoted as pirates on their ' own
account, without the knowledge of the
skipper. That Is not very likely, but it
la possible, and is worth considering.
Of course, If that was the case, I shall
have to settle the matter with Warwick,
as it Is no use talking with irresponsi
ble fellows, and then I doubt If he has
control enough over them to set matters
right, if he were even so honest himself.
If he's knowing to it, he is certainly the
meanest pirate that I've ever met
with." And he reached for his monkey,
jacket preparatory to starting off for the
English shanty on Ills errand of expla
nation. As a boatsteerer, or petty officer of the
Vandal, I was Preston's right-hand
tuau and confidential friend, and I
ventured another suggestion.
" I don't think it would be a very
good time to talk this matter with
Warwick to-night," I said. " Why not
see him in the cool of the morning ?"
" You think, I suppose, that he may
be half drunk now," answered Preston.
" Well, I shouldn't wonder if he Is, and
perhaps it isn't wise to beard the Hon In '
hla den, though I don't fear him, and
all hiB crew of lime-juicers, if I get my
blood up. Still, I would rather, on '
second thoughts, not have any row with
a blackguard, such as I take him to be.
I have another idea whioh will avoid a
row, and also Bhow whether he is really
a thief or an honest man. We can alter
our mark, seeing that the letters 'P.
and 'B.' are too near alike."
"That's a happy thought," Bald I,
"and I wonder it had not occurred to us
before."
" It has occurred to me that the letters
were nearly alike, but then I never
thought that there was any man mean
enough to steal another one's elephant.
Let me see, our Bag-Harbor friend's
mark is an H.' for llgdra; but there is
no fear of them, for Ben Comstock is
the soul of honesty, and would be very
severe on any act of theft done by one of
his men. We can mark with a V.' fox
Vandal, and maybe that will prevent a
row, or at least postpone it. Pass the
word that from to-morrow morning
hereafter our mark Is a ' V.,' and let
every one understand It thoroughly
before they go on the beach if I am not
here to see them all myself."
Bo the new mark went into effect at
once, though Comstock took the liberty
to scold Preston for what he called de
serting his colors.
"A mark," said he, in his most logical
manner, "is something sacred, some
thing to fight for, and to live and die by.
I'm sorry you've allowed anybody,
much less a lime-juicer, to make you
back down. Now, stick to your new
mark, and fight for it if need be, and I'll
back you up, even as far as breaking
heads."
Thus matters went on quietly for a
few days, but before another Saturday
came round we heard that the Ecllona'a
men had been heard to give up the "B."
and ornament their elephants with a
broad" W." as the initial of Warwick,
their beach-header. He had an un
doubted right of course to order this
change of mark, but there could be no
reason but a rascally one for doing it at
that particular time. Preston was full
of the subject when he returned from
his dally work, but did not say much
about it In the hearing of his men. We
had a small room at one corner of the
house partitioned off from the rest, and
in this he and I lived and lodged.
' Now," said he to me, as we retired
to this little cabin, "there is no longer
any doubt that the fellow is a thief. Of
course two little cuts will turn a ' V.'
into a ' W.,' and there can be no honest
reason for this dropping the 1 B.' now,
to take up a new mark. But if any
evidenoe of theft comes to us now it
shall be war to the knife, for I swear I
won't change my mark again. Perhaps
I was wrong or a fool to do so in the
first place. At any rate Comstock
thinks I was."
While we were at our supper the
boatsteerer from the Hydra, who was a
favorite with all of us, looked in at the
door, on his way from the Point. 1
"How are you, Green?" sung out
Preston, in his most cheery manner.
"Won't you come in and take a bite
with us ?" ' :
" No, I won't stay for that," was the
answer, "but I will come in for a min
ute, because I've something to tell you
that I think you ought to know at once.
You heard.I suppose, that the lime Juloer
has changed his mark."
" Yes."
NOVEMBER 23, 1880.
Green had entered the little room with
us and the rest of our men.
" Well," he said, " I want to give you
a little positive evidence to work on.
Warwick is not only responsible for his
men's stealing your elephants, but Is
quite mean enough to do the dirty work
with his own hands. I was at work
skinning Borne elephants this afternoon
over toward the southwest beach, and I
saw you kill a fine young bull that bad
just been hauled out of the breakers. I
saw you mark him and pass on up
toward the bead of the pond."
" So I did," said Preston, "but I did
not notice you at all."
" Quite likely, as I was a little way
up beyond the rise of the beach, and was
stooping down."
He then went on to relate how a few
minutes afterward he saw and recog
nized the English beach-header coming
up the beach, and saw him stop and
examine the newly slain elephant, then,
as Green, like the rest of us, had his
suspicions of wrong doing, he had kept
out of sight behind a tussock knoll,
where he could observe operations with
out being himself discovered ; how he
had seen Warkick straighten himself
up, and look, as if carelessly, both down
and up the beach, then draw his knife
and stoop down for a moment over the
elephant, then rise and walk quickly
away, indeed almost at a run. He had
remained crouched down until Warwick
had passed quite out of view, ' and then
going to examine the elephant found
him marked with a broad VY., the two
parts of which had evidently been cut
with different knives.
The expression of Preston's face as the
story was finished was blacker than a
thunder-cloud. He, however, thanked
Tom Green In taking leave of him, and
seemed not to care to talk much on the
subject. He finished his supper, and
took his smoke as usual, then, putting
on his jacket, he shouldered his gun,
and prepared to start for the beach.
"I reckon the evidence is strong
enough and clear enough now," he Bald.
" Tom Green is a man of truth, and,
beside, he is a level-headed, intelligent
man, and knows what he's talking
about. This business must be settled
to-morrow, once and forever."
Darkness had now set in; and Preston
went out, taking the path westward,
leading round the head of the pond to
ward the south-west beach, but in a
minute returned and came in again say
ing he had found only two or three bul
lets in his pocket, and came back for a
further supply. He went to his closet,
and took out a handful of bullets, say
ing as he passed out through the main
room of the house,
" I hope to kill at least eight or ten
elephants between now and midnight."
When he added with a kind of bitter
laughter, " If I should meet that E n
glish pirate on the beach, I don't know
but I should be tempted to put a bullet
through him."
He stepped out and disappeared in the
darkness, but the last words had been
spoken in the hearing of all our party,
together with three or four of Com
stock's men who were visiting us. They
were not thought much of by those
who had not heard Tom Green's new
piece of evidence, and even I who knew
the whole, attached no special signific
ance to them at the moment. It was
Just such a remark as any of us, rough
seamen, that we were might have made.
It was nearly daylight before Preston
came in, remarking that he had killed
twelve elephants during the night, and
had kept on tramping, as he expressed
it, " to work the mad out of him." As
he rolled into his bunk, I turned out
myself, and taking only my lance, went
out to try my own luck and get up an
appetite for my breakfast. I did not
care for the gun, aB I was never much
skilled in the use of one, and we had
only one in the party, which was sel
dom used by any other than Preston
himself.
The morning air was sharp and brac
ing, but still not Intensely cold, for the
real winter had hardly yet begun, and I
made the whole circuit of the Point,
down one beaoh, and up the other to a
point nearly opposite the starting-place,
before It was yet full day light. I had
passed a goodly number of slain ele
phants, some with our " V." upon
them, and others with a "W." or an
NO. 47.
" H.," and had encountered Comstock,
and afterward the English boatsteerer,
Atkins, on my travels. The latter In
quired of me If I had met Warwick,
saying that he went out in the evening
and had not returned up to an hour
before daylight. He was not uneasy
about him, however, and he thought it
quite likely he might have strolled away
up the west side of the island toward
Robinson's Harbor.
I had in walking all this round of the
Point killed only two elephants, and I
thought that, Instead of returning borne
by the usual short cut, I would myself
go further up on the west side, and
ascend the slope of the glacier. This
glacier at Hurd'a Island runs through
the middle of the island like a back-bone
sending out spurs to the coast, east and
west, while a low, sandy point runs out
southeasterly from the main body of the
island. The place ealled Robinson's
Harbor was a small bay, lying beyond
the spur on the west coast, . and not
easily accessible, either by land or with
boats, as this is the weather side of the
island. I had no idea of going over to
the Harbor, but as the weather was
inviting I kept on, up the gradual slope,
walking near the verge of the sea-faoe,
until feeling a little fatigued I paused,
looking back over the low land of the
Poiat, spread out like a panorama, and
then seaward upon the great Southern
Ocean, rolling In toward me, and break
ing in thunder upon the shore. So.
absorbed was I that I had not noticed
the approach of Tom Green until he was
within a few feet of me, and hailing.
" How far are you bound on this taok
if the wind stands? Going over the
iceberg to make new discoveries?"
" No, not so bad as that," I' answered..
" I suppose I am like yourself, tempted
a little out of our regular beat for the
time being. Was Preston stirring before
you left the village ? "
" Oh, yes," said Green, "and he and
Comstock have got their heads together
about the piracy. There'll be a calling
up this evening In the presence oft all
hands, and perhaps a general' row on a
grand scale, but I guess twenty-sin of
ub will be more than a match for eigh
teen Englishmen, if they should all be
willing to back up their leader in his
piracy, which I don't think they will. ,
AhT there's an old bull coming, ashore.
See his snout there in the breakers.
Keep quiet now, and let him land
high an dry, and mind you, he's
my elephant, beeause I raised him
first." -
He bad stepped between me and the
edge of the cliff, standing at the very
verge. All at once a change eame over
his features, and he uttered a sort of cry
of horror, at the same moment pulling,
my sleeve. I took a single step to his.
side, and looked downward upon the
body of a man lying at the base of the
cliff, which we both recognized, at the
same instant, as that of the Englishman,
Warwick. He lay on hla back, upon
the stony ground, with his face upturn
ed to the sky. We stood looking for a
minute; bat as the body remained
motionless, we started on with a single
impulse, down the slope by which we
had come.
At the point where we had stodd, the
seawall or cliff was about thirty feet
high and very nearly perpendicular. As
we could not jump, down, we were
obliged to retrace our steps, and make a
considerable detour to reach the beach v
where we arrived quite out of breath,
with the haste we had made. Our first
touch upon the body satisfied us that
Warwick was quite dead, and had been
so for several hours. There were no
traces of blood, no signs of any strugglek
nothing to indicate that the body had.
moved after its fall. Concluded next,
week.
Lost His Temper.
Of all men, preachers shouldn't lose
their tempers. The "western variety prob
ably does so more than others, but some
times they are severely punished for it.
That was theexperienoeof Rev. Mr. Mul
key, of Medicine Lodge Kansas. While
trying to drive bis cow out of his stable he
got mad with her, and hit her a blow
on the bead with his fist. The cow
didn't seem to mind it much, but Mr.
Mulkey carries his hand in a sling cow.
He broke a bone of his hand.