Litchfield enquirer., 1838-07-19


 right off Now, saysI, gentlemen, we aint in
 Congress now, and cant have no long speech
 es al 8 dollars day and do nothin besides so should like 10 see you ali back in your
 boats and take little exercise-and in the
 mean time, says ], arter you have given a little show of your skill, I'll decide. thot I'd give 'em a little "ron- -committaP'-jist to make 'em work sharp-and with that they all went at it-and this was one of the most complete sights ever did see. When Amos KindLe was on here a spell ago, and made some sich move among these very same folks, it wasn't no touch at all to the present.
 Every boat, with a flag, past the head of the slip, turn'd about-pulrd back, and then of, and then back agin-one arter another and the folks chcered and huZZa'd like all possest-and any one 10 look at 'em would say, they could alone, arv one on 'em, pull the Two Pollies through an auger hole.- Arter this they all came into the slip along side the Two Pollies, and tell'd 'em "Now my boys," says l, Your skill in pullin your own boats is complete as ever was, but you have got job now to do that will put the hull scrape on you to pritty tight pull" The Ttoo POllieS," says l, is going out of this slip at the top of the tide, to be sure but when she gifts in the River, and when the tide turns, what is to be done then 2" ooh, drop anchor," was the answer. "No, mo-" says l, that aint my plan-you must keep her. Jist so-at any rate, and if say go ahead agan the tide, you must do it. l cant come to anchor no howl
 "You know" says I, "that three on you a spell ago-(and I'm glad to see you here agin)-once undertook matter like this, and you made .fee aoork on't-till the tide turn'd, and :hen," says I, "the two Pollies went astarn and you all follow'd her-how- ever," says l, "we won't talk about that now." So arter little talk, they all thought the best way would be to hitch on all toge- on lem had rope enuf to let 'em pull clear of each other. "Well," says I, 'why not go in a string one ahead of tother!" but this brought on another tangle and snarl-every one wantin to take the lcad-so l let 'cm work it out their own way, and what with knotting pieces of rope, and knotting hand kerchers, and borrowing and buying small kiles of rope, they hitch'd on to the Two Pol lies, and as the flood tide was jist on the pint of turning, they all set up rale huZZa, and sure enuf out went the Two Pollies, as slick as ile, and sich shout as went with her made me go almost threw my shirt collar, for never was so glad in my born days, and the best ont was they didn't brake a rope yarn or tare handkercher-in fact some of the boats didn't seem to pull at all ony to keep up in their places.
 By the time the Two Pollies got we'll in the River the ebb tide begun to make, and 1 hail'd 'em and tell'd lem "to pull up stream" and here cum on the beginning of tug and every mint it was tugger-but they pull'd like good fellows for spell and l don't know but they would a gain'd on the fido if if hodnV nrof cfrOnUfar and cfr0uunr- and just then the boats began to git foul of one another-and then cum sich a crossing of oars and scrapiHg of noses-and such jangle of orders-every body right and every body wrong-to hear lem talk any one would suppose, that any one on 'cm was enuf-if tothers was ony out of the way. One got so frighten'd that he begun to pull forthe shore, and forgot to unhitch, and this made bad work-another said he wouldn't pull at all, and this was worse.-" Pull all togedare every way in the world,' says one-"a prit- ty kittle of Fsh"-says Q long wind dri'd Yankee, "you are making on't-what in ma. lure is in you-you don't git ahead no ho,O and no ,cGy in the world."
 Seeing now that things was getting all in 3 snarl, my dander begun to rise-the Tsoo PoLIies was going astarn, and every thing go- ing to everlastin smash-I yelpd out to 'em -"pulP l, "you tarnal toads-pull tor your lives, and your forums, and your 9tarnal honor-and if that don't stir you to- pull, says I--"for the deposites." This quiet d the noise for spell, and some on 'em did make the water fly considerable-but the idle was too strong for lem, and all hands, Two Pollies and all, was going down stream flor my part got SO wambIecropd that cit as tho l was goin right down into my boots. "All's over" thinks Land began 0 look astarn to see soft spot to strike on when what should sec jist coming round he pint of the Battery but great long barge -oars out on each side-like a great dad- ly long legs-and then cum up along the locks and shipping real rouser of shout Squire Biddle-huzza !''-" old B. U. S.!-l suzzo !-huzzo !'--and afore had time to :ool down my dander-sure enuf up cum along side the Two Polies my old friend the Squire-sittin in the stern sheets of his A oar'd long boat-one leg cock'd up over the gunnel-and the tiller sticking out under his left arm-he jist wav'd his hand to his men and they all back'd water right along side. =" Well," says l, "Squire 'taint no time to chat chat now; but I'm glad to see you, and if folks don't say you have cum in the nick of a days-that's all-Now," says I,-"you see what is wanting, and all you have got to do is to spring to and let us see if there is any grit in you" And with that he jst got up and taking the eend of Q mortal big kile of rope he had stow'd away under him-he threw it on board, and, says he, "make that well fast Major on board the Two Pollies"- and then, turning to his oarsmen, he how'd and smil'd and said "all together"-and with that they sprung to-the Squire all the while steering any paying out rope-and taking sweep away off in half circle till he got away ahead of the foremost boat, and then steer'd round and cut in on a line ahead 1" "hellow"-says l." Squire. where are you going-have you got rope enuf aboard !'- i" Yes" says he" Major-rope enuf to snake the Two Pollies out of the toiher eend of the MississipDi if she was fhere" "How vo,,