The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-01-21
CHAPTER I.
Tie Island of !Silcer- Store.


10 be Q private in the ROYAL Marines, stoo,
sIeanng over the bulwarks of the armed shil
Christopher Columbus, in the South American
waters eff the Mesquite shore.
Nv lady remarks 20 me, before go any fur
tbsr that there is no snch Christian name a
Gill. and that her confident opinion is, that tn,
name given me in the baptism wherein | wal
made. &c, was Gilbert. She is certain to b,
right, bat | never heard of it. l was founding
child. picked up somewhere or another, and
always understood my Christian name to b,
Gill 1t is true that | was called ellis wher
employed at Snorridge Bottom, betwixt Chatham
and Maidstone, TO frieh'en birds but that haG
nothing to do with the Baptism wherein was
made, &C., ard wherein number of things were
promised for ne by somebody, who let me alone
ever afterwards az 10 performing any of them
and who, | consider. must have been the Bea
die. Such name of ellis was entirely owing tc
my cheeks, or gil!s, which at that time of my
life were Of a raspy description.
Ny lady stops me again, before 60 any fur
Their, by laughing exactly in Der old way, and
waving the feather of her pen at me. That &C
ton on her part calls to my mind, as / look al
her hand wiihthe rings On it-Well! l won't
To be sure It will come IN, in it's own place
Bat it's always strange TO me. noticing the quiet
hand, aud noticing it las l have done, you
know, SO many times) a.tondling children and
grandchildren asleep, 10 think that when blood
and homer were up-there / won'll not at pres
eEt Scratch it out.
She won't scratch it out, and quite honorable
because we have made an understanding that
everything 10 to be taken down, and that moth
ing that Is once taken down shall be scratched
out. have the great misfortune not to be able
to read and write, and | am speaking my true
and faithful account of those adventures, and
my lady is writing it, word for word.
say, there | was s-leaning over the bulwarks
Of the slcop Christopher Columbus in the South
American waters off the Mosquito shore: sub.
Jet Of his gracious Majesty King George of
England, and private in the Royal Marines.
In those climates, you don't want to do much.
] was doing nothing. | was thinking of the
shepherd (my father, | wonder? p on tie hill.
side5 by Snorridge Bottom, with a long staff,
and with 8 rough white coat in all weathers all
the year round, who used to let me lie Oh the
corner of h:s hut by night, and who used to let
me 60 about with hun and his sheep by cay,
when | could get nothing else to do, and who
used TO give me SO little Of his victuals and 80
much OF his staff, that ran away from him
which waa what he wanted all along, expect
to be knocked about the world, III preference to
Snorricge Bottom. / had been knocked about
the wccid fer nine andtwenty years in all, when
stood locking along those bright blue South
American waters-looking after the shepherd,
mas s~y; W~'ching him in half waking
dream, wlth my eyes halfshut, as he, and his
flock &C sheep, acd his two dogs, seemed to
move away from the ships side, far away over
the blue water, and 60 right down into the sky.
It's rising out oi the water, steady" a voice
said, close Il m.
] h.d been thinking on 80, that il woke me
like start. though 1t was no stranger voice
than the voice o. Harry Charker, my own com
rede.
whats rising cut of The water, steady?"
asked my comrade.
"What?" sIys he. "The Island
so the Island! !" says l, turning my eyes
towards it. " True--I forgot the Island"
Forgot the port you're going to? That's
odd, ant it?"
=. 1t Is odd,' says /.
And odd" be said. slowly considering with
himself, ant even. Is il, Gill? ?"
DE had always remark just like that to
make, and seldom another. AS soon as he had
brought 2 thing round 10 what it was Lot, he
was satisfied. He was one Of the best of men,
and, in certain sort of a way, one with the
least to say for himself. l qualify ii, because,
besides being able 10 read and write like a
QaarIermaaier, he had always one most excel
lent idea in bic head. That was. Duty. Upon
my soul, dom believe, though admire learn.
ing beyond every thing, that he could have got
better idea cut Of al the books in the world
II ne had learnt them every word, and been the
ctFerest VI scholars.
My ccnrade and had been quartered in
Jamaica, and from there we had been drafted
CT 10 The British settlement of Belize, lying
away west and north Of the Mosquito coast. Al
Belize, there had been great alarm of one cruel
gang OF pirates, (there were always more pi
rates than enough in those Caribbean seas, y
and az they got the better of our English crui
sers By running into out-ofthe- way creeks and
shaiiows, and taking the land when they were
molly pressed, the Governor of Belize had re
ceVed orders from home to keep sharp lock
out them along shore. Now, there was an
AIMED soop came once year from Port Royal
jamaica, 20 the Island, laden with all manner
Oh necessa:les, to cat, and TO drink, and 10 wear
ava to'use III various ways and it wss aboard
OF that sloop, which hSd touched at B elize, thai
was astaA0iog, leaning over the bulwsrks.
ihe Island wGs occupied By very small Eng
ilsh colony. 1t had been given The name O
Silver Store. The reason OF its being so called
was, that the English colony owned and worked
silver mine over on the mainland, in Hondu
sas, and used this island as o safe and convent
eht place 10 store their silver in, until it wa.
annually fetched away by the sloop. 1t wa
brought down from the nine TO the coast on tn,
backs of mules, attended by friendly Indians
ana guarded by white men from thence,
vas conveyed over to Siyer-Store, when tn
weather was fair, in the canoes Of that country
rom Silver Store, it was carried to Jamaica b
TIE armed sloop once year, as have alread
mentioned from Jamaica it went, Of course
all over the world
now came to be aboard the armed sIoor
IS easily told. -Four ard-twenty marines, unde
Tue command of lieutenant t. that officer
name was Underwood - had been told off a
'eIze, TO proceed TO Silver-Store, 10 aid of boat
ahd seamen stationed there for the chase Q
Tue pirates The island was considered q goc
pOS' OF observation against the pirates, bot
" ana and sea. Neither the pirate-ship no
!et her boats had beer seen by any Of Us, bu
ney nAc been so much heard Of, that the rer
I'fcenent was sent. Of that party, was one
- lnciuaed corporal and sergesnt-Cha,
was corporal, and the sergeant's name wa
Drooce. He was the most tvrann;caI nor
commissioned officer in His Ma;ss,vs se-v;ce
Inc night came On, soon after had had IN
foregoing words with Charker. All tho wordo,
iui Drignt coiors went out of the sea and skv !;
le" nlhu es, and all the stars in the beo 1an
seemed 10 shlne out together, and tn loo
Gown at Themselves il the sea, over one anott
ers shoulders, millions Deep Next mornino
We cast ancnor eff the Island. There was
snug harpor within little reef: there was
beach; there were cocoa. nut trees. wit
In straight stems, quite bare, and foliage :
a -e 'op, IKE plGmes OF magnificent green featl
CO. Coo, mere were all the objects that are usual
Sosn.; ~ tLose parts, and | am not going
49, Oe 'henn, having something else to te
'A' fel0icings, 10 be sure, were made G