The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-10-03

The only wstchword We can use
Is NIG0ER, NIGoEn, MIaGER
what care we IL the stste shall sink
Beneath = sea Of troubles,
II We can only beat our foes
BY blowing empty bubbles?
Our Governor we must elect,
Though conscience cheek with vgor;
This will be done u We but raise
The banner cry Of "AiGoxA."
Our delegates few days &fnoe
All met in grave Conventaon;
Nor were they while In council met,
Disturbed BY much dissension.
Strong men they chose a. candidAtes,
On whom we Ill can Agure;
.. And more than this, remember sir,
Their platform was NIGoEA.
-.~ THE PREssED MEN.
"A TALE OF fHE-
LAST WAR WITH ENGLAND.
ssCome, Ralph! can't you spin Us yarn
to-niph. old hoss?' demanded Ned Billings,
one Of watch on board the ship London,
one moonlight night when that ship was
three days out Of New York, bound to
England.
"Not tonight, Ned.' replied l, otis my
helm at four bells; but here's Ben Stacy,
who Ill bet my life, knows any number of
Munchausen yarns, besides having thousands
Of real incidents stored in his memory box;
any one which, would form . capital part.
What say, Benz" continued l, addressing
myself to the person referred to, who was
marine relict of our struggle with Great
Britain in 1872. "Will you give US leaf
from the log book of memory, just by way
Of a prelude to some of those rich yarns
you promised you would spin from time to
time during the cruise?"
ssNot as you knows on, messmate, %
growled Ben, in reply.
'Come Ben, my hearty! don't behoggish!
chimed in another Of the watch, "give US
twister, do, just by way of change"
elf you do Ben," remarked Ned Harris,
another of our watch, ssI've little Of the
oh be-joyful slowed away, and shiver my
timbcrs if you shan't have some."
"Do ye mean that, Ned?'' demanded Ben,
becoming interested.
81 do, he replied.
"Honor bright?''
"Honor bright, Ben?'' responded Ned;
but l shan't ask you for the yarn till you re-
ceive the bottle; only say you'll spin good
one, and Pm blowed if you shan't have the
critter afore you begin"
"All right, Ned! pass up the Santa Cruz -
said Ben. ''If any of the rest on ys has any
more baccy than you really want, just pass
it this way, cause Eve got spare stowage for
the article, for which | shan't charge moth
ing as you're shipmates.'
'Will YOU give US real double and twist
er, Ben, if we give you some Of the weed;
none of you Munchausen stories?' demand
ed several.
'sartain!' replied Ben, sd'ye think can't
spin real yarn?"
Upon the assurance he received by the
watch, they quickly contributed the weed,
of which Ben took possession with broad
grin, remarking, guess 1 shan't have to
beg baccy this 'ere passage sure,' and hav-
ing received the bottle from Ned, he seated
himself on the forchatch, and after paying
his respects to the Santa Cruz, commenced
as follows:
81 was born in Marblehead, some time
during the year l79l, l think. Howsomev-
er, it don't make no sort Of odds about the
exact year, as it don't have anything to do
with my yarn, and only mention the fact,
Just to inform you that was born like the
rest of ye, and didn't grow up spontaneous
in ships forecastle, as some o. you young
sters seem to think.
81 was brought up a fisherman, and was
pursuing that occupation on Georges banks
in my eighteenth year, when our schooner
was boarded by boat from an eighteen gun
brig, for the purpose of obtaining men, and
and three others forced into her by order
of her officers; conveyed on board the brig,
and compelled to do duty as seamen in the
service Of Great Britain.
'The Brig Daring, into which we were
pressed was then on her passage to join the
by u devil in human shape. If there is
any truth in the sermon, about his Internal
highness occupying our hulls before We 60
to davy, then he had full possession of Cap
tain Snodgrass-The briggs skipper.
sThere was Harry Arkwright, Sum. Her.
rick, Reuben Sears and myself, and four
more miserable coves than us, did not exist
when We found ourselves on board that 'ere
Britisher, and face to face with the vinegar
faced commander. As his glance rested on
US, he demanded of the officer who had
brought US on board, what we were-Eng-
lish, Scotch or Irish? From that worthy's
reply, | learned that was Irish; Sam
Scotch; while Harry and Reuben were al
lowed to be decidedly English; the con-
founded lubber adding:
i found them skulking on board fisher
man, devoid of projections which are so
easily obtained; which fact proves them to
be recent deserters.'
'Ay, ay, Mr.. Wallacen rejoined the skip
per, shat it does; d-n them! I've good
mind to have them to gangway at once
Addressing US he continued:
'Ain't you four skulking scoundrels
ashamed of yourselves, caught in id
old fish drogher, when the king goes to the
expense Of providing such trim built craft
as this for your special sccommodation?'
sPerceiving we made no reply, his face
reddened with passion, and he shouted rath-
er than said:
Speak, you lubbers! Answer me, OF by
the -, I'll have every particle of flesh
aogged of your bones!'
'Our only reply was stare Of blank sur
prise, which he perceiving, only increased
his rage tenfold; SO he commenced stamping
and believing round the quarterback like
madman. He confined to shower abuse
upon US for several minutes, until Sam Her
rick-more bold than the rest-spoke up in
reply, said he: .s.s
THE King OF England may spare his peo.
pie the expense of fitting out vessels for
our accommodation; we are natives Of the
North shore of Massachusetts, Bay, and as
such, citizens of America; and in addition.
sir, beg leave to wsrnyou, that in our de-
tention you commit an illegal act, and an
outrage for which your country will answer
at the cannon's mouth, at day not very
far Distant
Seize that man up Instantly roared the
skipper, hoarse with passion. sSeixe them
all up, and fay them alivep
His orders were Immediately obeyed, and
we were all four trieed up, BY which time
his passion had somewhat abated, 90 that
he suffered Reuben, Harry and l to 90 un-
logged, while poor Sam received three dog
en- on the spot. We were then cast loose,
and ordered below, whittier we were con-
veyed by the master arm, leaving the old
man swearing roundly, that he would soon
stop that jail-board's croaking-meaning
oam-about illegallty.
'On the berth deck we discovered numer-
Gus companions in misfortune; for Of one
hundred and thirty men who composed the
ong's crew, fifty-six were Americans. Az
Such, they soon made Themselves known to