Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-03-02
The Zebra.
BY TX MARVEL.

| 1t was a wretched, rainy night; and as
was about through the muddy and narrow
streets, and under the black, overhanging ga
bles of Plymouth. l fancied that all whom
met gliding about in cloaks, were worthy old
Round heads, making ready for the May flower
| felt that there was something half kindred
in our purpose; for was threading the slip.
perry streets, in search Of some craft to take nc
over to the Island of Jersey, out of the clutch
es of Tyrant more ruthless than Charles and
Laud together.
So l went sp ashing along, around sharp
corners, and through ill.lighted ways, with
my feelings SO wrought up by crowding fan.
cies and the strangeness of the scene-the dis.
tant lamps glimmering on the pavement--the
rain drop pattering on me from the quaint old
blackened balconies-that once or twice,
caught myself turning round at sound of an
| approaching foot fall to see if posse of King
Charles's men were not upon my track; but
they were not, and found my way quietly
enough Gown to the George and Dragon -Jus'
such bit of carousing inn it was, as would
have rejoiced the heart Of Roger Wildrake
with heaping tankard Of sack. But though
the merry old days of Wildrakes are gone, the
days Of sack drinkers are not The twofod
virtue is still recognized at the inn of George
and Dragon. The tap.ro was full. They
were sitting on wooden benches around bla
! zing fire in the gratc-the half of them will
pipes and every man of. tham<Sith his mug o
| ale.
For my own part, I like to see now and ther
such residuary customs of the Past; and in an
old numbering town like Plymouth, it freshen.
and makes an agreeable coincidence, and put:
the quickest possible edge upon mans ap
petite for seeing and living over again tn,
stupidity sober as to question my habit in tht
| thing, l shall enter no such plea as non pee
catum est; for in many little inn along tn,
Tweed have drained a good tankard of hom,
brewed, and folt myself--not a whit the wors,
for it.
The landlord came out from behind the lar
where he stood between two rows of ylitterng
tankards, and went down with me upon The
Quay, in search of skipper friend his owl
who was going the morrow to Jersey. l
was a little black, one masted vessel W,
found rocking just under the lee of the pier
and We had shouted half dozen times be for,
a astumpy figure put its head out of the fore
CASTLE and told us the Zebra would sail a
morning tide next day.
promised to send my luggage to the Drag
on, aud the Dragon said it would be all right
sp!ashed home again. snd dreamed all nigh
of doublcts, and stripped hose. and Round
heads, and baskets hihs, and Old Noll, anc
Pym, and Plymouth Reck-and now and ther
like CLEAN of light breaking through tn,
dreams, came pleasant vision of sweet Alc,
| Lee.
The tide came in, and the tide went out, ant
the sun got up to its highest; still the Zebri
lay Just off the pier; and every time l met tn,
Captain, who was a dapper little Islander, hi
would half embrace me in perfect transpor
Of excuses.
Think must have borne il meekly, or hi.
confidence in my 70 rbearance would not hav,
remained so unshaken; for he had repeated
this manever know not show many times
before We were fairly ready to set off. l had
even taken steak in the back. parlor of tn,
Dragon, and gone up the heights above the
town, to see through the glass, the waves
over the top of Eddystone, nine miles dowl
the bay; and the sun had gone down at tn,
| first clink Of the windless, and the light wa
blazing on the end of the Breakwater, wheI
we rounded it, and dropped down into tn,
Sound.
| There is nothing in a run across the Englisl
Channel, ipso tacto, either curious. or worth tn
telling. But there W as sad wreck of an in
valid. with two sovereigns in my pocket
doctors prescription, and a pill. box witt
only so much dinner in my stomach, as hac
picked up on ten minutes notice in the bacl
room Of the Dragon-in little forty ton vesse
cutter rigged-with a half blood Captain ,wH,
had sprung a brandy bottle in his birth, befor
We were quite of Mt. Edgecome-bound tw
or three hundred miles away, to dot of al
Island, so set around with barcfaced rocks tina
between Scylla and Charybdis amid tie howl
ing of Sea-grecn dogs.
For company, were forty fat sheep-a butch
era Plymouth pilgrim; who was shoemake
and had wife aud nine children--a stone .cut
ter with his bride, going to try his new-kni
fortunes in the Islands of the sea. Philippe
was Captain, but stayed most of his time be
low, wrapped in a cloak; Ben, the mate, ha
but one hand, but he managed the tiller yer
well with his stump; Tom was the only sailo
abroad and had it not been for him, belev
| should never have lived to tell the story Q
the voyage Pierre wore long dreadnough