Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1858-07-14
From Household Words
A PACKET SHIPS COMPANY,

stances ana within those limits We had on
board the usual complcment Of strange look
ing captains ana t, adcrs from the river Bonny,
and, after passing Accra, had watched the
canoes come off through the surf at Cape
Coast Castle, and landed and walked mp to
the governor house at Sierra Leone We
I had played at whist and the game of the race
at all unoccupird times. and had displayed
our various vocal powers ahd musical acquire
meuts- which, | must confess, were not of a
nature to have cnlivened any circle-and as
we were homeward bound, we had no news
papers and very few books.
The passengers consisted mainly of officers
going home on sick leave, one of whom
whose father held civil appointment of i'm
pOrtance on the Gold Coast accompan-
led by his sister Then there were FIVE or
six brouzed captains, and copper-coored
merchants of gold dust aud ivory, SO that
altogether our number amounted to fourteen
/ We were by 30 means lively company. and
as have said before, at the expiration of a
fortnight we seemed to have exhausted all
/ our amusemeuts, aud consequently to have
! anuihilated every possible subject Of mutual
interest.
Under these circumstances We had, for two
! or three evenings running, sa; on the quar-
4, ter-dcck beneath All awning, looking listless-
. ~ iIDll biit ~ tue ueutT, NdlStliS young
: Wilson of the Gold Coast Corps, who was
going home on SEX leave; euvying him his
power of unlimited sleep; or lazily following
;, - - our eyes to the one-armcd captain who
paced the deck in any uneasy, restless man
per from morning to night. He had not
been home for fourteen years. and had now
left his ship. 4 stationary merchant vessel,
up the river Bonny, 10 have look a. the
old couotrV.
more uncomfortable unsatisfactory CON-
panion It would be impossible to imagine;
and young Wilson, who shared double cat
III with him, was loud in his complaints, and
pathetic in his appeals for sympathy.
Sleep said Wilson; Il cunt sleep-that
fellow won't let me Sleep, and it's all very
Wei :, .: te!k, but you can't get any sleep
worth having ic the daytime You know
his berth is fixed just over mine, aud no
sooner have turned in aud fallen iuto doze,
than rat-tat-tat-tat goes that iron hook fas-
tened to the stump OF his arm.
The first night l thought he wanted
something, so | called out, What's the mat
ter, skip, err but he only growled at NE in
reply. And | declare that every hour of
every night since then, or whenever he thinks
| am asleep, r4;-;at-tat-tat comes that hook
/ on the frame of the berth just above my head
dor't bear il meekiy. | assure You, and
have used more bad language 10 that man
tban [ ever used in my life. But, upon my
honor. | believe he would rather hear me
swear at him than say nothing at ali; for he'll
often give kiud Of a signing after it, as
though some ouc had lifted . heavy weight
from his chest
You may depend upon it be has 60. bad
conscience" said our one lady, BY the by
she was treated with as much Difference as il
she had been Queen of England; and she
was queen in her own small way. and not
9 bad queen either-Quren of Beauty W isoI
, said, aud one or two more VINO were inclined
TO be spo0ney,
SO OF course when she suggested ICONS
cieuce" we all echoed the depend upon it,
un6 every one offered laug ghingly a possibl
explanation of the cause. And thus we tcl
into a talk about this same conscience and it
torments, and began to tell stories illustrativ
Of it. Most Of them were, | must confess
neither very amusing very instructive
and pretty Miss Graham began 10 yawn. ali
her brother, Captain Graham, had folowe
the example of young Wilson, and was fas
asleep.
Then, after two old sca-captains had spu
a long yarn, there pause, which Mis
Graham broke by excaming:
Oh, Mr.. BIrkum, you have been to a
kinds of places, seen such strange things, d
tell US true story"
The Mr.. Barkun thus addressed-a joll
old trader-repled with grin:
What shall | tell you, miss!'
= Il don't know AS we are ON the Sc;
ID tell us story of shipwrck not a mclaI
,e choly one "
Never told one in my life, miss"
= 'But you have been shipwrecked, hay
. you mott"
>" 'Oh, yes" said Mr.. Barkum. ''sure
yes, miss, surely. Why. | was shipwreckt
:, here" with broad wave of the arm whiC
Included the whole Atlantic
You don't say So Mir. Barkum! Do tt
US all about it What did you dor
~ Nv ell" said that gentleman, eve "
No. tossed here aud We was tossed there Cor thr
. DAYS and three nights, and then we took
! the boats. And after we took to the boa
~, we was tossed here and tossed there for thr
ca days and three nights more; and very &C
:, and very wet we were. Then the victus
: fell short and for three days and three nigl
ats we had uothin to eat and nothin' to drin
to and very hungry aud very thirsty we were
"a Here Mr.. Barkum made very long paus
vs- Miss Graham said: 'And was there
of vessel to pick you up, MIR. Rarkum! H'
D." did you manager
''Well. miss. We burnt priming, and ma
VII fire in the dripping pan that the black co
lev would not have believed. Then we cast 10
vas and lot fell on the steward, ana SO then
he stewed-"
off Good Heaven, Mr., Barkumi"
"Yes. ,ai-s. re did, indeed. We stew