Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1858-04-29
CHAPTER III.


| THE RATS ON THE RIVER. u
F. We knew that the voices and oars
must come up slowly against the stream;
and our oarsmen knew, by the set OF
the stream, under which bank theywonld
come. was put ashore accordingly.
The raft gotof well, and | broke into
the wood. A A
Streaming hot it was, and tearin o
place to get through. So much the bet
ter for ne, since it was something to
contend against and do. I cut off the
bend IN ti1e river, at great saving OF
space, came to the waters's edge again
and hid myself, and waited. I could
now hear the dip of the oars very dis
tinctly; the voices had ceased.
| The sound came on in regular tune,
and as lay hidden, / fancied the tune
so played to be, "Chris' enc Gorge
King! Chris'en- Gsorge-King. Chris'en
Geerge-King" over and over again,
always the same, with the pauses al
ways at the same places. / had like
wise time to make up my mind that il
these were the Pirates, / could and
would Barring my being shet,) swim
off to my raft, in spite Of my wound, the
moment l had given the alarm, and
hold my old post by Miss Maryon. /
/ ''Chis' enc gorge King! Chris en-
George King! Chris en- George King"
coming up, now, very near.
i took look at the branches, about
me, to see. where a shower of bullets
would be most likely to do me least
hurt; and / took look back at the track
had made in forcing my way in; and
now | was wholly prepared and fully
ready for them.
"Chris'en-Georgs-King Chris'e en-
| -George-King! Chris en-George-
King!v Here they were =
Who were they? The barbarous Pr
rates, scum of all nations, headed by
suchme as the hideous little Portuguese
monkey, and the one-eyed English CON
vict with the cash across his face, that
ought to have gashed his wicked head
off? The worst tuen in the world pick
ed out from the worst, to do the cruelest
aud most atrocious deeds that ever
stained ii? The bowling, numbering,
black-fag waving, mad, and drunken
crowd Of devils that had overcome us
by numbers and by treachery? No
These were English men in English
boats-good blue,jackets and red coats
marines that / knew myself, and sail
ors that knew. our seamen. At the
helm Of the first boat, Captain Carton,
eager and steady. At the helm of the
second boat, Captain Maryon, brave
and bold. AT the helm Of the third
boat, an old seaman, with determinal
ton carved into his watchful face, like
the figure-head Of a ship. Every man
doubly and trebly armed from head to
foot. Every man lying-to at his work,
with will that had all his heart and
soul in it. Every man looking out for
any trace Of friend or enemy, and burn
ing to be the first to do good, or avenge
evil. Every man with his face on fire
when he saw ME, his countryman who
had been taken prisoner, and hailed me
with a cheer, as Captain Corton's boat
ran in and took me ON board.
reported, "All escaped, sir! All
well, all safe, all heren'
God bless me-and God bless them
what a cheer! 1t turned we weak,
as ! was passed on from hand to hand
to the stern of the boat; every hand
patting me or grasping me in some
way or other, in the moment of my GO
ing by.
''Hold up, my brave fellow" says
Captain Carton, clapping me on the
shoulder like friend, and giving me a
flask. "Put your lips to that, and
they'll be read again. Now, boys, give
waym ~.
The banks flew by us, as if the might
lest stream that ever ran was with us;
and SO it was, | am sure, meaning the
stream of those mems ardour and spirit.
The banks flew by US, and me came in
sight of the ratts-the banks flew by us,
and we came. alongside of the RATS
the banks stopped; and there was tu
multi OF laughing and crying and kis-
sing and shaking of hands, and catch
ing up of children and setting of them
down again, and wild hurry of thank
fulness and JOY that melted every one
and softened all hearts.
/ had taken notice, in Captain Car
toms boat, that there was curious and
quitenew sort of fitting on board. TWAS
kind Of a little bower made of flowers,
and it was set up behind the Captain,
and betwixt him and the rudder. Not
only was this arbor, SO to call it, neatly
made OF flowers, but it was ornamented
had taken the ribbons and buckles off
their hats, and hung them among the
flowers; others, had made festoons and
streamers of their handkerchiefs, and
hung them there; others, had intermixed
such trifles as bits of glass and shining
fragments of lockets and tobacco, boxes
with the flowers; so that altogether it
was very bright and lively object in
the sunshine. But, why there, or what
for, / did not understand.
Now, as soon as the first bew iIder-
ment was over, Captain Carton gave or
der to land for the present But, this
boat Of his, with two hands left in her,
Immediately pnt off again when the
men were out of her, and kept of, some
yards from the shore As she fioated
there, with the two hands gently back
ing water to keep her from going down
the stream, this pretty little arbor at
tracted many eyes. None of the boats
crew, however, had anything to say
about it, except that it was the Cap
tain's fancy.
The Captain, with the women and
children clustering round him, and the
men of all ranks grouped outside them,
and all listening, stood telling how the
Expedition, deceived by its bad intelli-
gsnce, had chased the light Pirate
boats all that fatal night, and had still
followed in their wake next day, and