A month after he reached home, young Boyton started again for Nassau
where had sent several letters to the captain of the "Foam" informing
him as to when he might be expected to arrive. He sailed on a trading
schooner, and when they entered the harbor at Nassau, he was glad to
find the "Foam" at anchor there. As the schooner glided past the "Foam,"
Paul loudly hailed her. Captain Balbo protruded his red head
through the gangway. When he recognized Paul, he greeted, him with a
burst of semi-nautical and semi-scriptural eloquence and shouted: "Oi'll
sind a boat afther ye. Come aboard quick as ye can."
As Paul could not leave the schooner without first having his effects
passed through the Custom House, the captain himself came ashore. He
nearly dislocated Paul's arm with his vigorous hand shaking and said
that he had been waiting at Nassau a week for him. The apparatus
being duly passed, all embarked in the captain's yawl and were speedily
conveyed aboard the "Foam." There he received the same warm welcome
from the captain's good natured wife, who had a neat little cabin
prepared for him. After supper the captain and Paul had a long talk on
deck where they sat smoking cigars under the brilliant starlight. Paul
described fully his father objection to his embarking in the wrecking
business, though he was willing to enter into the arrangements,
providing his share would be the shells and curiosities, which the
captain regarded as so much trash.
"Now, Paul, me b'y," said Balbo, after listening intently to his
proposition; "Oi'm an old man an' Oi consider meself an honest wan. Ye
can have all the shells an' other things ye consider curiosities that we
pick up; but ye must also have share in anything valuable we recover,
an' ye can depind on me to give you a shquare dale. As fur that paper
Mr. C. drew up, there is no occasion fur it. Oi'm not fond o' papers av
ony koind fur Oi've always had more or less throuble wid im. Oi give ye
me wurrd an' Oi've yure wurrd an' that is sufficient. The paper can go
to the shaarks where it belongs."
He then descended into the cabin and returned with the paper they had
signed, which he tore in two and cast into the sea. The next morning the
Captain and Paul went ashore for the clearance papers and that afternoon
anchor was weighed and the "Foam" stood away for the south. Island
after island was visited in the Great Bahama group. Many wrecks well
known to the captain were visited and worked successfully.
Anchors, chains, windlasses, etc., were found in abundance until the
"Foam" was well loaded and sail was made for Kingston, Jamaica. Off
Morant Point they picked up a negro pilot in his little canoe far out
at sea. The pilot wore a pair of blue pants, white shirt and stove-pipe
hat, given him no doubt by some passenger or captain of a merchantman.
He gravely saluted all on deck as he passed his bare feet over the
bulwarks and turning to the captain said in the peculiar dialect of the
Jamaica negro:
"Does yo want er pilot, sah?"
"No," responded the captain, "Oi know this coast well enough, but Oi
think ye had bother hoist that craft av yure's on boord an' come wid
us into Port Royal. There is signs av a cyclone if Oi'm not mishtaken;"
an invitation which the pilot gladly accepted. His outlandish attire
and quaint English greatly amused Paul, who after supper, sat beside him
on the deck and plied him with questions about Jamaica. The pilot told
him many interesting tales, among them one of a famous shark known as
"Port Royal Tom" who was supposed to inhabit the waters of
Kingston's beautiful bay. "Tom, sah, was a pow'ful shahk, 'bout thirty
feet long; but nobody know how ole he was. In de ol'en times big fleets
ob English men-ob-war use to anchoh off Port Royal, an' dat shahk got
fat on de refuse dat was frown ovahboahd. Sometimes de sailors would
heah de yallow gals laughin' an' dancin' on de shoah at night an' dey
longed fur to jine dem. Dey wasn't 'lowed to go of'en in dose days
'cause de yallow fevah was dere; but when de sailor boys got a chance
dey would slip sof'ly down de side an' strike out fur de shoah. Tom, he
know dis custom, an' he kep sharp eye on de boys, an' I 'shure yo'
sah, dat dat shahk gobbled up moah seamen dan 'uld fill de bigges' ob de
Queen's men-ob-wah. As lots ob de sailors went ashoah fur 'sertion as
well as fur 'musement, de navay people winked dere lef' eye at de tricks
ob ole Tom. After a while de sailors got to belibe dat he wah under de
pay ob de gove'ment, an' many a red-hot cannon ball ware sec'etly
dropped ober de side to Tom, yafter firs' temptin' him wid nice
pieces ob salt junk. I nab neber seen ole Tom myself, sah, but dey say
dat he is 'round heah yet. Lucinda Nelson, de great fortune tellah
an hoodoo 'oman done tole me dat Tom's now livin' in a big ware-house
down in ole Jamaica an' dat he sel'om comes out 'cause he's getting'
quite ole. Ole Jamaica, yo' mus' remembah, sah, is fifteen fathom below
de ocean now. Great earthquake come up one night an' swallowed de
whole town an only a few yeahs ago, when de watah was right cleah, yo'
could see de tops ob some ob de houses still standin' at de
bottom. I belibe Lucinda Nelson, sah, fur she's a great 'oman an' known
a heap ob tings. Niggah folks all go to her fur hoodoos an' chahms an' I
reckon she mus' be close on two hun' yeahs ole."
Captain Balbo who was laying close by did not seem to pay much attention
to the story of Port Royal Tom. He had heard it often before; but he
pricked up his ears when Lucinda was mentioned and eagerly questioned
the pilot as to her present whereabouts. Turning to Paul, he said:
"Oi've heard a good dale about, this fortune-teller, an' Oi intind to
visit her; she may be able to put us onto somethin' good" Paul laughed
at the idea of her knowing anything about wrecks or sunken treasure;
but the captain persisted in his determination to find her when they
landed.
The wind having dropped, the schooner was becalmed and lazily pitched
around on the gentle swell. The captain called loudly to his help-
mate Betsy to bring up some fresh cigars and a bottle of grog and
settled himself more comfortably on deck to enjoy the pilot's stories.
"Have you ever seen Port Royal Tom?" Paul asked the captain.
"No," responded the Captain; "but a frind av moine did an' ye may rest
ashured that he is around here somewhere. Oi wouldn't be surprised if he
were in the ould ware-house that our frind, the pilot mintioned."
"I guess yo' see a great many shahks in yoah time, massa Cap'in:" said
the pilot.
"Yis," responded the captain, "Oi saw lots av thim." He nudged Paul with
his foot and a merry twinkle lit his eyes. "They're curious brutes an'
not built like human bein's."
The pilot and Paul were now all attention as the captain seemed inclined
to spin a yarn.
"Whin Oi wuz a shtrapping young fellow about eighteen, Oi wuz sailin'
aboord a trader. Wan day we were layin' becalmed, as we air now, off
Turk's Island. While we were quietly sittin' on the bulwarks, we saw a
monstrous shaark off our starboard beam. The ould mon at the toime was
snorin' away in his cabin, an' it was a foine chance to have a little
fun. We out wid the shaark hook and havin' baited it wid a temptin'
piece av junk, attached it to a shtrong line which we rove troo the
davitts. Afther smellin' round it, the shaark turned on its side an'
swallowed it. All hands clapped on to the rope an' we hoisted him clear
out av the wather. A bowline wuz passed over his tail an' we got him on
boord an' a few blows wid the axe along the spine quited him down. His
floppin' on the deck niver woke the skipper, so we cut him open. We
shlit him from close under the mouth to near the tail and overhauled
everything that wuz in him. In the stomach we found a collection of
soup an' bouillon cans an' bottles enough to shtart a liquor house. As
we wuz examinin' the stuff, the ould man came on deck an' thundered
out:"
"'What the blazes are ye doin' there messin' me decks up! Get that brute
overboord quick an' wash down.' We histed the carcass av the gutted
shaark an' passed it over the side. We watched the body as it struck the
wather. It remained still fur a few minutes, thin, to our amazement,
turned over an' began swimmin'. He casht his eye inquiringly up at the
crew, who were all standin' along the rail lookin' at him, as though he
wanted somethin'. The skipper himself was so overcome at the shtrange
soight that he furgot, fur the toime bein', all about the disgustin'
state av the deck. Quickly recoverin' himself, he hoarsely ordered the
crew to git the stomach and internals av that shaark overboard and git
cleaned down. Three av us grasped the shaark's insides an' liftin' thim
to the rail, cast thim into the say. Whin they shtruck the wather they
were grabbed be the shark an' swallowed. As his belly was cut wide open,
they went through him an' came to the surface. Three times he done
this, but did'nt succeed in holdin' thim in their proper place. At this
toime all hands were on the rail watchin' the sport an' ivery wan
laughed loud at his maneuverin'. The shaark seemed to grow more vexed at
each failure an' to resist the merriment of the crew for he cast many
furious and malicious glances at the vessel. Once more he backed off fur
a charge to swallow thim an' this toime succeeded in holdin' thim in
be a nate trick. Instid av turnin' partly on his side an' showin' his
dorsal fin afther he had swallowed he kept bottom up and swam slowly
away waggin' av his tail with a gratified air while a huge grin spread
over his repulsive countenance."
"Great lo'd, sah," said the pilot, "dat was wonderful indeed!"
The captain gazed sternly into the pilot's eye to see if there was the
glimmer of a doubt therein, while Paul tumbled into the cabin to
suppress his fit of convulsive laughter.
During the night the threatened cyclone made its appearance and the
"Foam" let go her anchor in Kingston harbor just time to escape the
full fury of the storm. After some considerable trouble at the Custom
House, the cargo of the "Foam" was landed and disposed of; except the
shells and curiosities gathered in the months' run through tint islands.
Those as usual were cased and left in the hands of a merchant for
shipment to New York. The sale of the wreckage amounted to three hundred
and twelve dollars. After deducting the stores consumed on the vessel,
the captain offered half the balance to Paul, who refused, as the shells
obtained were equal in value to the wreckage. The captain insisted that
he should at least accept one hundred dollars. All business was
concluded and the "Foam" provisioned; but the weather was still stormy
and unsettled so they decided to remain over until it cleared up. The
captain and Paul made many excursions around Kingston. One of them was
to the camp of the English soldiers. It was situated on a plateau above
the town about four thousand feet from the sea level. To reach this
camp they had to charter jackasses. Captain Balbo was not at home on
this stubborn craft. All went well on the plains below; but when they
reached the steep path up the mountain side the captain could not hold
his seat. His fat body would continually slip down on the flanks of the
donkey, who would begin to practice as though he wanted to kick a hole
in the sky. Three times the captain was unseated but finally he struck a
plan of holding on to the donkey's tail and in this manner was towed
up the mountain. The magnificent sight from the camp amply repaid them
for their arduous ascent. They could distinctly see every part of
Kingston as it lay stretched along the shore of its superb bay, while on
the other side, a long tongue of land covered with cocoanut trees
reached out and almost made the harbor a lake. At the extreme point was
the entrance out into the ocean, where immense naval store-houses
covered the beach and off them were moored great hulks belonging to
the British government. They thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful view
and did not regain the town until almost nightfall. Instead of going
aboard, the captain proposed to have dinner at a hotel; after which he
persisted in making a visit to the fortune teller. The pilot was easily
found and consented to act as a guide to the cabin of the dark seeress.
Along tramp through the narrow streets and a little out in the country
brought them to the habitation of this famed dealer in "Black Art." The
house was almost buried by banana trees and heavy vines. In response to
the captain's impatient knocks, the door was opened by a little girl,
who said:
"Gran won't see any one to-night, no use in trying."
"We must see her fur we're goin' away to-morrow an' won't have another
chance," urged the captain.
A querulous voice from the inside was heard saying: "Come Captain, come
in if you insist," an invitation which was quickly accepted by the
captain who was followed by Paul and the pilot. On entering the back
room, a curious sight presented itself. The seeress looked far
different from the picture Paul had formed of her in his mind. She was
not over five feet high and so thin and wrinkled that she resembled a
mummy rather than a human being. On her head she wore a turban formed of
some bright colored cloth, while the balance of her apparel consisted
of a dark robe embroidered with snakes and other reptiles. The room
was adorned with skins of serpents, bunches of herbs, and many weird
looking objects.
"So, Captain Balbo, you came to see me at last," exclaimed the old
crone; "and who is that young stranger from the far off north that I see
at your side?"
The captain was dumbfounded at hearing his name announced by a person
whom he had never seen before, but shrewdly remarked:
"If ye know me, why is it ye don't know this young stranger?"
"Ah," responded the fortune-teller, "if he sought me I would know him.
He has simply accompanied you as a sightseer. Now, Captain, what can I
do for you?"
"How ye know me, Lucinda, is morn than Oi can comprehend, Oi've often
heard av ye. As ye know me ye must be aware av me business an' can also
tell phat Oi'm here fur."
"Yes, Captain, I know both and the yellow curse you are after lays in a
little bay in sufficient quantities to satisfy you on the most southern
island in a group of three that bear the same name."
The captain pondered for a while, then said, "It must be the Caicos, for
they're the only three islands in a group that bear the same name
that Oi know of."
She then went on in a mysterious way to describe to the captain a rock-
locked bay, giving him points and descriptions by which he easily
recognized the island of East Caicos. She ended the conversation
abruptly and ordered them out. Before leaving the captain placed a
sovereign in her hand and came away deeply impressed with what the
fortune-teller had revealed to him. For quite a distance he
remained profoundly silent, then turning to Paul he said: "Oi know the
exact place the old devil manes. Though she didn't name the island she
described it so closely that it is impossible to mishtake it. It is
East Caicos, Oi know the bay well an' it has a great reputation of
bein' a resort fur pirates in olden days; an' mark me wurrd, b'y, the
visit to that old black will be the means av makin' our fortune.
Instead av headin' fur Little Cayman to-morrow mornin', we'll pint
her fur East Caicos. It is over fure hundred miles north by east from
here; but it will pay us to make the run."
Next morning being fair, the "Foam" left Jamaica and stood off in the
direction of the island. They had good weather and fair winds. In four
days they passed Cape Maysi, the most easterly point or Cuba. Here they
met head winds that caused them to tack four more days, then they got
under the lee of the Great Inagua island. The weather was very
threatening and every indication pointed to another cyclone, so they
decided to run the sloop into one of the sheltered bays that abound on
those coasts. Here they lay for two days while the wind whistled and
shrieked through the naked rigging. As they were about to get under way
the third morning after the dropped anchor, a native came off in a
canoe containing pineapples and cocoanuts which he exchanged for a few
biscuits. The captain questioned him closely in regard to wrecks around
the island and was told about a large Spanish ship that went down years
ago on the southeast coast and it was a legend among the inhabitants
that she contained a vast amount of treasure. None of her crew ever
reached shore so the information was rather vague. Nevertheless, the
captain determined to make a try for it. The Indian swore that he knew
about the exact location and for the promise of a dollar a day he
agreed to pilot them to the place. After a cruise of about thirty miles
eastward, they came to the place where the Indian said the wreck had
occurred and taking sounding they found bottom a little over nineteen
fathoms. The weather being fine they hove to and the yawl containing the
diving pump was lowered.
"This is a pretty deep dive," remarked the captain to Paul as he was
equipping himself in his armour.
"It is," responded Paul, "the deepest I ever made; but nothing risk,
nothing win. Fasten on the face piece and you yourself attend to
the signal line."
He dropped overboard and commenced descending slowly, while the captain
anxiously and watchfully plied out the signal line and hose. He reached
bottom which was full of rocks covered with a slimy growth of marine
vegetation; the pressure on him was something enormous. It was very
dark and he groped for some time without discovering anything. He
signaled the boat to move with him as he pursued his explorations. At
last his heart was gladdened by the sight of a wreck overgrown with a
heavy mass of weeds and sea plumes. After a closer investigation
he was disappointed to find that she was not nearly as large as the
vessel described by the Indian; but by her appearance he judged she must
have been under water many, many years. All the iron work was eaten away
and the timbers badly decayed. He gave the signal, "kedge and buoy." The
answer from above was "all-right," and soon after he grabbed a kedge
that slowly and silently descended near him. Having fastened it to the
wreck, he signaled "haul away," and was soon to the surface and helped
aboard the yawl. When the helmet was removed he was very much
exhausted. The captain was enthusiastic over his discovery, but was
rather disappointed when told of the dimensions of the wreck. The
schooner was then hailed to come alongside and all sails were lowered.
One of the largest dredges was sent down and Paul descended after it. He
used the dredge to clear away the masses of vegetation which covered the
wreck. He fastened the claws in the decayed wood and signaling them to
haul away, an entrance was at last effected into the hull. He found
nothing there to reward him for his trouble and work except long white
rows, which on examination proved to be grinning skulls and bones and
the traces of rusty iron chains that bound them together in life. Paul
was horrified at his ghastly discovery and signaled "haul away." On
reaching the dock be informed the captain of his find.
"A slaver, be the mizzen top av the ark," he exclaimed. "There's no use
av huntin' through that fellow. They would have no cash aboard if the
skeletons are there. They'd have to sell the nagers before they'd have
anything av value."
Three days were now spent in looking for the phantom treasure ship, but
the captain lost patience finally and unceremoniously kicked the Indian
overboard into his canoe and the "Foam" bore away with a fair wind to
the island of East Caicos.
The second morning after, East Caicos lay under their port bow. It
towered high and forbidding far up in the mist. They beat around to the
bay which the Captain supposed was the one described by the fortune-
teller. The schooner was anchored to the lee of a reef, while the
captain, Paul and two of the crew embarked in the yawl on a tour of
investigation. They pulled close under the cliff and into an inlet
between two great jaws of barnacle-covered rock that towered high above
them. Paul was astonished to see the exact reproduction of the word
picture painted by the black fortune-feller of Jamaica before his
eyes. They rowed through the inlet on the swell and entered a bay that
was perfectly landlocked. All around it to the height of a couple of
hundred feet arose a mass of irregular rock, out of which great flocks
of gulls and other sea birds flew and angrily circled around the
intruders. "This is the place shore enough, Paul. There's no other place
loike it on the oislands, Oi could'nt be mishtaken."
At this moment one of the oarsmen exclaimed: "Almighty Lord, Captain!
Look over there! See the sharks!"
A short glance was sufficient to reveal the fact that the water was full
of these wolves of the deep and they commenced to gather around the
yawl in alarming numbers.
"Be careful there, Paul," cautioned the Captain, "keep yure hands in
boord," as he hurriedly ordered the crew to swing around and pull out.
By this time fully a hundred pair of hungry eyes were following in the
wake of the boat. As she retreated, the sharks grow bolder and
approached closer; many of them diving from side to side under the boat,
while one of them made a snap at the oars. It did not require much
encouragement for the black sailors to pull, as their eyes were standing
out of their heads at the time and the muscles showed up on their arms
like whip cords as they sent the boat flying to the schooner. They
reached the side in safety and then every fire-arm and harpoon on the
"Foam" was called into play on the ferocious brutes. Many and fervent
were the prayers that the captain sent up for the welfare of the black
witch at Jamaica, whom he swore he would kill on sight.
After this adventure the schooner was headed to the northwest and for
four months the islands and keys wre thoroughly worked. During that
time, three trips had been made to Nassau and valuable cargoes of
recovered articles discharged. No treasure of any account was found,
with the exception of one enormous piece of coral, in which were
embedded a number of old Spanish dollars. This object was sold to a
tourist at Nassau for the suns of $250. Experience convinced Paul that
the tales of vast treasure in the Indies were more fabled than real;
still, strange to say, old Balbo firmly believed in them. Every time
the water closed over Paul's copper helmet, his sanguine nature firmly
expected that untold wealth was about to be opened up to them. During
this cruise Paul had neglected no opportunity to secure rare specimens
of shells and other marine novelties. In a letter he received from
his father during his last visit to Nassau, he was informed that his
share of the goods shipped had covered the cost of the submarine
armour, dredging apparatus, etc., and that he had placed eight hundred
and sixty dollars to his credit in a New York bank. This letter he
showed to Balbo who to use his own expression, was "thrown on his beam
ends" with astonishment. Paul now persuaded him to give up the
dredging of wreckage and treasure hunting and devote the whole time to
seeking curiosities. The old man was loth to give up his pet ideas of
treasure-hunting and of making long, useless voyages in quest of
phantoms. Paul assured him that there was more chance of finding
treasure ships by systematically working one locality, so he agreed to
turn the schooner into a "shellhunter" as he sarcastically termed
it. Everything was ready for another cruise through the Keys and small
islands, when the captain, who had secretly been interviewing another
fortune-teller, announced his intention of sailing to the coast of
Mexico. The first point sighted was Cape Catoche, the northeast point
of Yucatan. Along this coast they were most successful and soon filled
the schooner with a large and valuable collection of curios with
which they sailed to Campachie where they were transferred to a vessel
bound for New Orleans. While at Campache, news came in of the wreck
of a Mexican brig that occurred on the Alakranes Bank.
The daughter of a rich planter living near Merida, Yucatan, was one of
the lost passengers and her father offered one thousand dollars reward
for the recovery of her body. An agent was sent down from Sisal to
negotiate with Captain Balbo, with the result that the "Foam" bore away
to the north taking along one of the surviving sailors of the brig. They
sailed to the Alakranes Bank that lay about eighty miles off the
mainland. They arrived there on a Saturday night and soon found
anchorage. Sunday morning the sea was as smooth as a pond of quick-
silver. When they embarked in the yawl and commenced their search, the
Mexican sailor was confused owing to different conditions of the water.
When he been there last, a wild sea broke over the reefs. In the
afternoon they discovered a dark object below, which proved to be the
ill-fated brig. Her bottom was almost completely torn out by her
contact with the reef so that she sank instantly to the leeward. Through
the clear water they could distinctly see her two masts standing
while her shattered sails lay thick and tangled through the rigging.
Next morning the schooner was taken out and anchored close by and Paul
descended to the wreck. As he struck the bottom a few feet from her, he
found her heavily canted to star-board. He walked around taking care
that his hose pipe would not become entangled in the rigging and
clambered over her side. Two good sized sharks shot away from the
deck when they heard the hissing of the air escaping from his helmet. He
could see very clearly all around, owing to the direct rays of the
sun reflecting on the coral reef. On gaining the deck which lay at an
angle of about 35 degrees he discovered the iron pumps detached from
their place and pinning to the bulwark the body of a dead sailor, or
rather part of a body as his legs and stomach had been eaten away. This
sight rather unnerved Paul, but he worked his way aft to the cabin hatch
which he found securely fastened. A few blows with his pry forced
it open and descending the gangway he found himself in a cabin with four
state rooms on each side. The rooms on the tower side were rather dark
but he opened each door and carefully felt the bunks and bottoms for the
body he was in quest of. Finding nothing in the first four state-
rooms, he tried the upper ones. There was much more light in these as
the sun shone down through the green, clear, water and in through
the glass port holes. Everything buoyant in the staterooms had floated
up against the deck so that he had to haul and pull them down for
examination. The third door he reached he could not open. It was
fastened by a bolt on the inside, but with the aid of his pry he soon
shot it back. Then swinging the door impatiently toward him, the eddy
brought out the upright body of a young woman in her nightdress. Her
hair floated around her head like golden sea-weed as it came forward and
fell against the glass face-piece of his armour. For a moment he was
paralyzed with the shock, but, he quickly regained his nerves, and
gently placing his arm around the dead body, he reverently bore it to
the deck. Her hands were clasped as though in last supplication to the
great power above, while her eyes protruded with terror at the fate she
had met. Hastily signaling those above to lower a line, he laid the body
carefully against the shattered rigging while he went to grasp the
rope. Passing it under her arms and putting two secure half hitches on
it, he signaled again to haul away. It gently ascended through the
clear water, while a school of fish played around her as though sorry to
see her go. Paul followed after and found all on deck solemn and
silent, while the captain's good-natured wife was in the cabin wrapping
the corpse in a sheet. That night a rude coffin was made in which the
remains were placed and the schooner headed for Sisal, where she sailed
in with her flag at half-mast. The father faithfully paid the promised
reward and the schooner under charter, returned to resume her work at
the wreck. Out of this job the captain and Paul made about nine hundred
dollars each.
A cruise was then made around the Gulf of Campechie which was most
successful. The catch was landed at Vera Cruz whence it was shipped to
New York. Sometime before this, Paul had informed his father of the
changed condition of his contract with Captain Balbo and requested
him to forward the captain's one-half of the proceeds of the goods
shipped. At Vera Cruz they found letters, one containing a robust check
for Captain Balho, which so pleased that worthy individual, that he
determined to spend at least one week ashore and enjoy hotel quarters
for which he had a weakness. The gamblers, who abound in Vera Cruz,
found a rich victim in the captain, who parted with all the money he
could conceal from the watchful eyes of his wife, Betsy, with the
guilelessness of a boy ten years old.
A cruise was now made along the coast of Mexico; but the collection of
curiosities did not pay for the time engaged, so they concluded to
abandon it and stand away again to the islands. At Tuxpan, where they
landed for fresh water, they received information of a steamer that had
been burned and sunk near Tampico, so they headed the schooner for that
port. The steamer had been burned about three weeks before and the hull
lay on a bank in eight fathoms of water. The agent offered to engage
them to recover the safe for which he would pay them five hundred
dollars, or they could have the usual salvage, ten per cent. As it was
reported around the port that the safe contained over thirty thousand
dollars, besides a number of valuable packages belonging to the
passengers, they concluded to take ten per cent. For four days they
worked hard on the wreck, removing the confused mass of iron, which
was twisted into fantastic shapes by the action of the fire. On the
forenoon of the fifth day, Paul sounded something solid and heavy with
his pry, far down through the debris near the keel, and after about an
hour's hard work sent up the joyful signal: "I've got it," which was
received on deck with loud cheers. The chain hooks were now sent down
and after a lashing was placed around the safe, the order to "haul
away" was given. All hands manned the windlass and the safe was soon
suspended between the bottom and the surface. Paul now went up to
assist in getting it aboard. Sail was then Made and with light hearts
they stood in for the port. The safe was locked and to all
appearances uninjured.
"There is three thousand dollars there fur us, Paul me b'y," said the
captain as he patted the safe affectionately.
On arriving at the dock, the safe was transferred to the ware-house,
where it was forced open and to their dismay and disgust found that
it contained nothing of any value. It was subsequently found out that
the purser, seeing the ship in danger, had quietly transferred the
safe's money to himself and when he landed had vanished and so all the
hard work of raising the safe was in vain. Paul laughed at their bad
luck, while the captain swore picturesquely in several languages.
Preparations were again made for the voyage to the islands which had
been postponed on account of this misadventure. One evening the "Foam"
stood away to the east. Three o'clock the next morning a furious gale
set in and increased hourly until the vessel was under bare poles and
scudding for the coast. It was impossible to attempt to beat against the
storm, so they stood away helplessly before it, running on to a very
dangerous coast. At six o'clock that evening, she stuck in the breakers
on the beach opposite Pueblo Viego. Enormous seas poured over her and
swept everything from the decks. A boat was lowered but immediately
smashed to atoms. In this critical position, the coolest person aboard
was Betsy. She a life preserver strapped firmly around her and was
covered with one of the captain's oil-skins.
"I guess it is a matter of swim for it," roared Paul to the captain, "as
she won't stand this very long."
At this instant the mainmast went and as it swung clear, the stays were
hastily cut by the captain and Paul. The captain frantically motioned
Betsy to grab one of the lines attached to the mast. The next moment a
sea broke over her that carried the three of them, with two of the crew
hanging on to the mast, which, clear of the wreck, was rapidly driven
towards the shore. Once a great sea broke Paul's hold and he found
himself unaided swimming in the mad surf. He was fortunate enough to
catch a hatch that was floating near which supported him to the
shore where he was thrown with considerable violence and half stunned.
He managed to stagger up the beach and in a few minutes discovered
Betsy dragging the insensible form of the captain out of the reach of
the sea. The captain was not dead, but very near it. One of the crew had
an arm broken while the other landed without injury. The three men left
on the wreck were lost. When the skipper recovered consciousness he
was inconsolable at the loss of his craft. That night the party found
shelter in a house about half a mile from the beach where they
were hospitably entertained. At the break of day the captain and Paul
were on the beach. The sea was still breaking heavily and all that was
left of the staunch little "Foam" were her timbers scattered far up and
down on the sands. Among them were found the bodies of two of the
men, the other was never heard of. So sudden and unexpected was the
loss of the vessel that Paul never thought of his money he had safely
stowed away in the cabin and he stood on the beach that morning without
a cent in his pocket. The loss of his armour and apparatus grieved him
deeply but he felt a keen sorrow for the distress of his old friend
Balbo. Yet in a way, the captain was more fortunate than himself as
Betsy had carried all their earnings safely ashore, stowed away in the
voluminous folds of her dress. All day long the Captain, Betsy and Paul
and the uninjured seaman, patrolled the beach in the hope that
something valuable might wash up. But outside of a few articles of
clothing and some casks, nothing came ashore. In the evening they
gave it up in despair and returned to the house that had sheltered them
the previous night. The next morning after another visit to the beach
a conveyance was obtained for Tampico, where they arrived the same
evening.
For some days they were at a loss what to do until a vessel appeared in
harbor bound for New Orleans. On this the Captain, Betsy and the two
seaman procured passage and they vainly urged Paul to do the same; but
he had a lingering hope that he might yet recover his apparatus with the
aid of the primitive dredgers of the Mexican fishermen, so he refused to
leave. He saw them on board the ship and took an affectionate farewell
of his old friends. Before parting, the Captain insisted on his
accepting a small loan which he said he could return to Nassau whenever
he felt like it. There was a suspicious dimness in his eyes as he
crushed Paul's hand in his own, while Betsy cried outright as she
heartily kissed him good-bye. When the weather became mild again, Paul
engaged a small fishing craft and went down the coast to the vicinity of
the wreck but his efforts were in vain. His armour by that time was
buried far below in the quicksand so he abandoned the search and went
back to Tampico.
While sitting disconsolately on the piazza of the little hotel in
Tampico, he was approached by an American: "Well young fellow I've heard
that you have had pretty hard luck. What do you intend to do?"
"That's just about what I would like to know myself."
"Well, I think I can post you," said his new acquaintance as he
leisurely seated himself and hoisted his heels on the rail. "There is a
good chance for active young fellows just now. I presume you never did
much soldiering, but I guess you can fire a gun."
"Why yes," responded Paul, "I think I could manage that."
The stranger then told Paul that he was connected with the
Revolutionists, whose headquarters were then at Palmas and assured him
that he would be well taken care of. Paul, who was at the time, open for
anything that would turn up, quickly accepted the proposition. The next
morning he and fourteen others mounted on mules, and conveying a pack
train were pursuing their way up the mountain road in the
direction of the headquarters. His filibustering friend furnished Paul
with a pretty good rifle and revolver, and informed him that they were
on their way to join a party under the command of General Pedro
Martineze. He also told him that his own name was Colonel Sawyer; that
he had been born in Texas, but had spent most of his life on the
frontier and was concerned in many of the Revolutions that disturbed the
Republic of Mexico. His principal occupation was running arm and
ammunition from the coast to the Revolutionists in the interior. For
three days they pursued their journey, camping every night. About
ten o'clock on the morning of the fourth, they were stopped by the cry
of "Halts, halta." Looking up from where the hail came, they saw the
muzzles of thirty or forty rifles pointed at them. Colonel Sawyer loudly
cried in answer to their command, "Amigos." In a few moments they
were surrounded by a skirmishing party of Revolutionists and conveyed to
the camp. Here Paul found several Americans, all soldiers of
fortune, none of whom gave him very encouraging accounts of the
prospects. Two weeks were spent in the camp from which small
expeditions were sent out every day. Paul accompanied one of these to
the National road running from Tampico to Monterey, and between
the villages of Liera and Maleta. They had a skirmish and succeeded in
capturing a carriage, hauled by four horses which contained some person
of importance as he was treated with the utmost respect by the Commander
and conveyed a prisoner to the camp. The horses were unhitched from the
carriage which was left on the road. Soon after Paul and a party under
the command of Sawyer, were sent to the town of Bagarono where a cargo
of arms had been landed. These by the aid of pack mules were safely
transferred to the camp. Soon after there was a heavy engagement in
which the entire body of Revolutionists participated near Ciudad
Victoria. The revolutionists were badly repulsed and retreated to
the mountains. After this it was nothing but a series of raids which
were both laborious and unsatisfactory. Paul was fast tiring of this
semi-barbarous mode of warfare so that he and four of his companions
decided to discharge themselves on the first favorable opportunity. It
came sooner than they expected. They were sent under command of Sawyer
and others to Metamoras for ammunition. On reaching there, they found
the schooner with the promised supply had not arrived. After waiting for
some days news came that the Revolutionists had again been repulsed
and were all in retreat. This decided Sawyer, who said:
"Boys, the jig is up and the best thing we can do is to get across the
river and into the United States."
That night they crossed the Rio Grande in an old tub of a boat that they
expected would go to the bottom every moment and landed in safety at
Brownsville, on the American shore. Here Paul wrote letters home and
requested his father to send him a remittance to Galveston. With
the little money they bad, mustangs and provisions were purchased and
they started on a long ride to Corpus Christi. It was a wild journey
through the chaparral, over the burnt and dried grass of the prairie,
across swamps and rivers; but they made the two hundred miles in eight
days. Here they separated. While his companions sought employment with
the ranchers, Paul for consideration of his mustang, rifle and
revolver, induced the captain of a coaster to give him passage to
Galveston. He arrived in Galveston and found himself without a cent. He
opportunely remembered that his father had a friend there in the person
of ex-Governor Lubbock, whom he hunted up. He was cordially received by
the Governor, who not only supplied him with all he wanted, but
insisted upon his remaining in his house until his correspondence should
arrive. In ten days the long looked for letter and remittance came to
hand, and Paul lost no time in securing a passage on the steamer Haridan
for New Orleans, and from there to New York, where he arrived June
2d, 1867.