The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-08-22
evenings prior to his return to city
duty, caught that Mermaid

I evenings prior to his return to cit,
duty, caught that Mermaid
The two sportsmen having conclu
ded q arather poor days fishing, deter
mined, on returning, to. diverge from
their direct course for the purpose o.
rounding point in Newark Bay, some
what famous for an excellent bathing
beach, there to luxuriate, by tho light
| o. the moon'-which was in it, last
quarter, and nearly down to the horizon
in o glorious swim, as Bob proposed
'malgre' his ignorance of that useful
Accomplishment. Accordingly, the batl,
was indulged in, until the waning
Queen of Night was upon the point ol
leaving her throne, when the 'comino
darkness admonished the couple of the
necessity Of return. They according.
ly rcgained the skiR, and having .dres.
sed, lifted the 'kedgc' and pulled for
hcmc, Ned being oarsman and Bob in
charge Of the tiller. They pulled
away in silence for some time, with n
care 'ul stroke, giving the reefa wide
berth, it being now quito dark, and
hugging the shore as close as possible
to keep out of the swiftly running tide
which was ahead. The night dark
very dark-itwas impossible to distin.
guish objects two yards distant, and the
soyagers, though satisfied that they had
rowed long enough to be close home,
were in doubt as to their precise locali,
ty. At Bob's suggestion, Ned ceased
pulling, and rested on his Skulls with
q view to an observation After
looking vainly some time, he was about
to resume his labor when
'Wh-is-h-t.sh-sb!' says Bob, shold on
Ned, what the deuce is that?' 9
What sss- s.. ,....... II h,
'Sh,sh, hark, hero, on your left.'
Where? | don't see anything
sHnsh,sh,sh, keep dark, back
watcr!!'
Back it is says Ned.
Hark, again now Ned's ear
was regaled with sound like that of some
one suppressing or suffocating an incli.
nation to laugh. and peering into the
darkness he. discovered what he at FIRST
supposed to be a large stake. Closer
scrutiny invested it with something of a
human appearance.
What t.h-e-d.e.v.i-l 1 8 it?' gasped
out Ned, now as much excited as his
morcurial companion Again they fan.
cied they heard the tittering sound.
BY thunder!' exclaimed Bob
whose very thoughts were of a risciy-
erous character,--'it s Merma:dp
Still, whatever it was, it remained
motionless. The boat had drifted from
the object of wonder some fivo or six
yards, when Bob, whose hand seized
upon the body of q clam, intended for
bait, which lay on the skiff's bottom,--
standing up in the skiff, vowed he'd
know, and before his partner could pre-
vent, hurled with all force the said clam
at the said Mermaid The precision
of his aim was evinccd by sspl.ishy'
sort of sound, as of two Reshy substan.
ces in collision; whereupon faint shrek
went up from tho 'critter,' and at the
same moment Ned was made sensible
of some invisible misfortune 10 Bob,
who was by some unseen agency, VIC
lently pulled over backwards into the
water.
Ned! Ned! pull--pull--for-s.l.a-s-h
God God's-gur-g-gle--g-glc-.sur g-gle---
splash oh!-Mar.d-c-r, Ned! splash
souse, gnrgl.g-g-g'e, s.p,i.sh sh, s-pa.sh,
murder, d-mn- tn shricked Bob
who had never used such On exclama.
ton in his life, before.-sWho--are We?
what-oh-oh-.sp-j-s.h souse-gur- gig.
gle-gu-g-gle--the Devil! Ned oh! Ned
shouted he with all his strength, as a
momentary respite was afforded him, as
he came up at intervals from under the
water, beneath the surface Of which
some three or four Of the most Amaze
nian of the Mermaids were laue ehinsly
engaged in thrusting him. Where was
Ned, in tho skiif? not by jug full, the
skiff was bottom upwards. Ned was in
deep water where the water nymphs
didn't like to venture.
At the first alarm! Ned had tried
his oars, but the skilf was fast: hc'd pull
with might and main but some inv,si.
bic power held him, and at every pull
tho skiff would rebound towards shore.
And now Ned could distinguish some
four or five human looking creatures of
gigantic size (as they appeared to him.