The Placer herald., 1859-05-28
CA Fragment from an unpublished Journal.)
The American Flag and The Star spangled
Banner

II never had my patriotism Wrought up
to fever heat but twice in my life said
Ned Burton, giving at the same time his
cioor furious suck and crossing his feet on
the table around which we were sitting. 81
was particularly-d-d patriotic then, | as
sure YOU; I'd ave taken the Crimean war
on nv own back, and fought the world on
contract. Yon must know, gentlemen, |
came around the horn. There was as many
as two hundred and fifty Of us started on a
ship from New York. early in forty-nine for
California. We'd been sailing away for about
two months, without speaking a vessel, and
began to get mighty lonesome and tired Of
orr solitary journey over that nterminable
waste wilderness of waters. The ISOLATION
was oppressive, YOU bet; when one day, sail
hov!' came from the mast head, starting
the LATEST scamp among us, to his feet.
Now there was life in our old ship. All the
sick. hippoed, dispiried, as well as rocking,
devil-mav-care fellows, crowded up on deck,
to see the stranger. 1t is only those who
have been days and months at sea, without
an exchange of signals, that can appreciate
such meeting Well, by and by, sure
enough, here she came-mighty sly-very
notwithstanding no colors
We could discover gun or two on deck,
and our sailor-men said she was an English
man from India. We hailed-she came
closer, but when she GOT near enough TO
see clearly the dark masses of men on our
deck. the prudent merchant sailed off,
Didn't we raise a yell Of derision and scorn
at the cowardlv rascal. You see he took us
for -pirates-hut we just sent one of our feI-
lows up into the rigging with bugle, and he
PLAYED Yankee Doodle to the JohnnyBull
as long as we could see him. The very next
day another traveller came in sight, and
again the boys came up to crowd the decks.
We had learned by the experience of the
day previous, that we were regarded as "a
long. low. black. rakish, suspicious looking
craft, full of men," and our feelings fuctuated
between doubt and hope. "Will she speak
us!" "Wil she answer our hail!" were ques-
tons every one was asking, and no person
answering.
At length our first mate, a wea'her-beaten
old salt, after a long earnest and searching
gaze through his glass, ventured to say
''you needn't he afraid of that fellow prssing
us without the compliments OF the morning.
Hes a Yankee, and is as hungry to talk
to some one, as we are. know the
fellow by his cranes for Nantucket blubber
hunter" "You know" says Ned, "the whale
ships carry number of these cranes on the
sides to hoist out and in boats" &c We
couldn't forget the chap of the day before,
and were afraid to give full credit to his as
surances. Down she came, however, nearer
and nearer. There were her cranes, we could
all see them; there was her array of boats
so far so good, thought we. And now she
came so near we could distinguish men on
her deck, and in the rigging. On she came,
never shrinking, but showing no colors.-
"She'll run from us yet" say the boys, but
now she rounds too directly under our stern.
We can, if we wish talk to the men on her
deck. And there goes quaint looking
chap with bundle under his arm, watching
us the while right close. After sharp
gaze at our crowded deck, he disappears and
suddenly little cord pendent from the
vessels maintrunck, is discovered to Vi
brate quite rapidly, then we discover the
aforesaid bundle going a!oft; up, up; then its
il. .t,o LI1.1. A charv, ;orL ~ Ia hal