Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1850-10-18
DOdgIng the Balls.

We make the following amusing extract from
-Recollections of Campaign, by one who the
ELEPHANT, which find in the Illinois State Regis
ter. 1t has reference to the siege of Vera Cruz:
The morning after the flag had been so trium-
phantly raised upon the hill overlooking the city,
was busy tothose who had kept watch and guard
over that estimable treasure during the night
Scarce it light enough to recognise your fellow
sentinel from pile of sand the villainous salt
petre was again put in requistion from every fort
in the city, from the castle out in the sea- and the es
copetes and muskes of the lancers and infantry who
occupied the hills. 1t fairly rained iron. The men
dug trenches in the light sand with their hands as
sort of protection from the balls of the foe
'Dodging the balls" was also much in vogue and
many were the twists and turns, the fallings down
and the rising up the leaps and the Jokes that
prachced by g the boys" 1t was the most serious
game of corner ball ever saw played. This thing
of lodging cannon balls may sound strange to the
reader, but is no less strange than true Now to
attempt to dodge get out of the way of a musket
ball, six pound shot, admit would be no
easy task, but to move backward forward, to the
right left and thus escape ofthose tremendous
IS Founders. that we were favored with from the
castle, easy falling off log" The dis
lance fired was somewhat over two miles, and the
course of those monstrous shapes of death" could
readily be distinguished from its peculiar humming
sound, and it neared the hill its black ungainly
visage distinctly visible
1t amusing to see the gyratons and the ground
and lofty tumbling of our black hero SAM on this
occasion Poor Sans heroism at length could stand
it no longer. AS the sharp, quick cutting
l-tsit-of the musket balls would fly over his head,
he would throw up the whites of his eyes like duck
in thunder Storm and cry out: " Lord massy,
Dress dis niger" GOOD Lord, dat was close."-
And large ball would strike the tops of the hill
and throw up perfect column of sand, Sam would
throw himself fat his face and lay still for two or
three minutes, for fear, he said de black rascal
might BURST At last Sam missed from the
HILL ard after the troops that had remained there all
night relieved and filing off to the rear of
the hill, the colonel accidentally caught sight of
pair of shoes sticking out from beneath huge pile
of sand Upon closer investigation of feet with legs
to them, then body, and presently Sans woody
head was disinterred.
You black william, what are you doing here" said
the colonel.
"Why, look heah colonel. don't care for the es-
copets and muskets-much, or de six Founders and
de shot of dat size--but when de dam Mexicans be-
gin to shoot de regular Pennsylbany Dutch ovens by
golly tnk its time for all niger servants to hide
EN- diminished heads.''
There was more truth than poetry in Sans idea
of the size of sixty EIGHT FOUNDER.
OMNIBUsEs IN LoNDoN.-Statistics just collected
and published in London, state that less than j.
600 omnibusses daily running in London, the ag-
gregate number of horses being 10000 The annu-
al expenditure for harness and omnibuses is ESQ
900. Government duty is laid on these vehicles at
the rate of 3D. fer every mile they travel daily and
the average daily travel of omnibuses is 60 miles,
the 10 fs112