Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-07-06

h'SHt1 pulCh.
"Here | was in a fix. They
would see me from the boat MS soon
as she pulled round the stern, and |
should have hard work TO tell what
was doing, stark naked, in the chains.
| couldn't get my clothes on quick
enough TO be ready for company
for | couldn't stand up without con-
siderable risk of being seen from the
poop, in case some fellow happened
TO be looking over the larboard side.
| concluded pretty soon what to do.
! first looked into the cabin. The
captain wasn't in sight, so jammed
my clothes into the muzzle of the
gun, and then got in after myself,
feet foremost. Told you, you know,
that the guns Of the kind they call
carronades are short, but have tre-
menduous big bores. They are used
in close fighting, and, when nothing
else comes handy, they load them
with cask of nails, and such sort of
things. | showed myselfin feet fore
most, because ! knew that if | ram
med my head in first, with my body
on top for a wad, il would be rather
close quarters for breathing comfort
ably. | found it rather a snug berth
as it was couldn't move an inch
after | got in, but | knew | was out
of sight at any rate.
| supposed that after the men
had come aboard the boat would be
hauled out to the booms, and then
could get out Of the gun. But in.
stead Of that, they had the cutter
loaded with something, | don't know
what, that it took pretty near an hour
1t seemed to me, TO clear her oil,
They got sling on the main yard,
and ! could hear the orders given to
hook on in The boat, and the bo'sns
mate in the gangway piping TO haul
taught and hoist away and 'avast
hosting, and 'come up over and
over again, until it appeared 10 me
they had got dozen launch boats
over the side. BY this time my back
began 10 ache with lying in the bore
of that old gan il didn't exactly fit
my shoulders.
i began now TO hear talking in
the cabin. The gun, you know,
was all in the cabin, except the muz-
zle Of it, that ran out Of the port.
couldn't hear so well through the
iron though, and it was some time
before could make out what The
talk was about. could distinguish
the captains voice, and could hear
tie words lock, and water, pretty
often. AT last, he and the man he
was talking with came close up 10
tho vory cur was in md ihen I
heard hun call the gunner by name
in talking to him, aud | recognised
hln, 10y his growl | heard him rub
bling the gun off with his hand and
playing with the lock, and two or
three times he snapped it; that made
me feel little nervous, for | didn't
know what he might have put in it,
lie finds out at last what they are
talking about. The gunner has been
making some percussion waters that
he thinks will never mss fire. He
said he would set the charge off,
without any printing, and he wasn't
sure as there would be any need even
of prlcking the cartridge. The cap
tain tells the gunner TO try some of
these new waters on The very gun
that the fugitive is in
| was just going to sing out, he
continues, " hen the captain asked
the gunner If lie was sure the gun
WASH, loaded.
Yes, sir, says he the charges
were all drawn when the ship came
IN, and these guns in the cabin
haven't been loaded since
THAT was not so bad, after all.
They were only going to try if the
waters would snap-so | concluded
10 be quiet. didn't quite like the
idea, though, for | wasn't quite so
well contented with the gunners trial
in the gun as should have been out
of il. | wasn't quite as easy in mind
as | had been an hour before, when
! was swinging in the captains cot.
| knew there wasn't any shot in the
gun, at all events, and | didn't think
blank cartridge would hurt me
much, seeing as had pushed my
trowsers and frock in before got in
myself. If had gone in head fore
most | should have been a good deal
more worried about the matter but
thinks 10 myself, Iii risk my feet p
So there | lay, aching all over,
from having my shoulders and hips
famed in between the round sides of
my berth, and listening to the talk
between the captain and the gunner
that came in at the iouch-hole, and
then The noise in the boat that came
in at the muzzle. It's not strange
that got everything mixed up in
heap, in my mind, as TO what was
going on out side. At last, however,
| heard the click Of the spring, as the
gunner cooked the lock, and the next
instant
'Well, what then 2
Il was going through the air, as il
! had been kicked by forty horse
power My clothes didn't follow me
more than twenty fathoms, but |
didn't touch the water ill was
mile and a half from the ship.
That he was saved, is a matter of
course, else wherefore breatlIes he
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