Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-11-18
Keeping a Sharp Look Out.

A friend Of ours related the following an
ecdote to friend of his, which is entirely
too good to be lost. Our friends friend was
very worthy and sensible man in his way;
nor had he ever done anything to be the
cause of wit in others, until he accepted the
situation as Inspector of the Customs, at a
small port in Connecticut. There was
very little business doing at this place, and
q foreign arrival was an affair of moment;
so Ezekiel (that was our worthy's christian
nancy used to spend his days in fishing off
the wharf and looking out for strange sails
in the ofing.. One day 'long, low, black
schooner ran into port, dropped anchor,
furled her sails, squared her yards and made
all snug aloft and below. Ezekiel momont-
arily expected that her Captain would send
her boat ashore with his manifest for the |
Custom House, as in duty bound; but as
hour after hour passed away without any
such transaction, he began to be alarmed
and suspicious. Determined to sift the mat
ter to the bottom, he rolled up his fishing
line, jumped into boat and pulled off to the
schr., which he boarded. ...-s
A man was pacing the deck to and fro,
with an distracted air.
'Cap'n, sir?' said Zekiel :
'Yes,' was the gruff answer, which did
not interrupt the promenade.
sWell, Captain, | am the Custom House {
Officer {
%! you ore, are YOUR ,
Yes said Ezekiel, 'and | want to sec !
your manifest
Go to thunder!' -..-. .s,.."
And with that the captain resumed his
march. Ezekiel followed hard upon his
heels, and looking over his shoulder in u {
mazenaent
Here was decided fix Such case
was hardly in the books, and poor Ezekiel
was nearly at his wits end. ..>s- L
Look here, cap'n,' said he at last, what (
you going to du about it? Eff you don't I
want to have no trouble out of it, | jest ad- {
advise you as q friend, to gin me that ere G
manifest about as quick as you kin, and
won't say no more about it, won't men =
ton it to living soul, but if you don't -
well, sir, what then?' roared the captain
in voice of thunder. r. ..-- =
sWhy, then,' said Zekiel stepping back
to the bulwarks, 4 shall Jest have to report
you to the Collector
We should be sorry to soil our paper
with the laundering anathemas leveled by
the skipper at our friends head. He was
over the ships side in one minute, and the
next was pulling for the shore with might
and main. The moment his keel touched,
he leaped on the shore like maniac, and
'locomoted' for the custom house.
Here, Mr.. Collector!' he bawled out,
come right away along with me, you're
wanted. Here's the very deuce to pay.
Here's an outlandish craft in our harbor,
and the cap'n has been as saucy as wrod-
o. savers clerk on half pay to me, and been
calm of me names, and won't gi' me his
manifest-concar his ugly pictur.'
The collector started ofpost haste. Ar
rived OF the wharf, Ezekiel pointed out the
cause of his alarm.
sWhy, bless your soul, Mr.. said
the collector -sthat's the revenue cutter sent
here to watch your e.E"
~ Zekiel sloped-the story got aaoat, and
in the diggins where it happened, there is
not, to this day, more fertile source Of fun
and merriment. Ezekiel did not remain
long in the service, and he is sure to turn all
sorts of colors now, when any one asks him
how it was about his boarding that revenue
cutter Boston Weekly Symbol.
Music hath charms to soothe the savage
and N roek md sn1if n a1nmnEin