The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-01

mad become very intimate, and Bill took q
liking to me tkat almost amounted to broth
| ly affection. soon discovered that his mas
sive and powerful frame contained heart
susceptible of the softest and kindest influ-
ences, and as the saying goes, as soft and
tender as child's. He was Kentuckian-
and he loved to talk to me of his forest home
on the Cumberland river; and the tears,
would start into his eyes as he spoke of his
venerable father--an old pioneer of the back
settlements Of the Cumberland-his mother,
and brother and sisters. He had an elder
brother, Ham, whom he described as a steady,
sensible fellow, engaged in the numbering
business; and younger one, mere boy,
the darling Of the old folks, who loved him
as the apple of their eye-a merry, curly,
blue-eyed little fellow. This love Of home
and strong family affection, was leading
characteristic of Bills generous, impulsive
nature. a
"His principal faultwas an unhappy fond
ness for strong drink, against which he had
manfully struggled-not that he was an ha-
bitual drunkard, by any means, but his ex-
citable temperament was such, that having
taken one glass, it was impossible for him to
Withstand the craving for more so that with
him the first glass was but the inevitable
prelude Of a drunken fit. These, to do him
justice, were few and far between, for, con-
scious of his infirmity, he would not drink
at all unless under circumstances of great
temptation. Bill was overioyed at meeting
me; he told me that he had been offered the
command Of beautiful little schooner, now
fitting out in New Orleans, and had come to
Mobile to pick up hands-the right kind of
men, he said, were scarce in New Orleans ::
and ended by asking me if would 90 pri-
watering with him. Nothing could have
suited me better, and agreed at once.
1--WE went to the various seamen's board
ing-houses in town, and soon completed his
complement of hands, and then went on TO
New Orleans in steamboat He had writ
ten to his brother Ham to come and join him
if he wished, and we found him on board
waiting our arrival. In few days the An
telope was ready for sea, and on the after
noon previous to the day on which we in
tended to drop down the river, while stand
ng on the levee, was accosted by boy of
about fifteen years of age, who asked me if
| knew where Captain Wainwrights vessel
lay. 1t was Bills little brother Harry, who
had absconded from his parents to go to sea
with his brother, and had with an energy
and spirit of enterprise astonishing in one of
his years, made his way alone and unassist-
ed from his far-distant home in Kentucky to
the turbid waters of the great Mississippi
Bills establishment at seeing him may easily
be conceived.
"Why, Harry, how in thunder did you get
here?' he inquired. ..........
"Well, travelled part way on foot, and a
steamboat captain gave me a passage from
Memphis. l could not stay at home when
heard you and Ham We're going together
and so, as father and mother wouldn't hear
reason, set out without leave" ....
''IIear reason indeedl Why, boy, have
you thought how your poor mother will break
her heart crying for you?-and your father,
too? Why, if anything happened to you
while with noe, would rather meet death
ten times over, than look them in the face
Well, WE'LL you needn't cry wont send
Ho al \
the best of it. Come on board there don't
cry, poor child don't cry, Harry, or you'll
never make sailor
"That night we dropped quietly down the
river and after the usual four or five days
tedious backing and filing, got over tbs bar
at Passe a rOutre. After we had got over
the bar, the decks were cleared, the watches
drawn and the hands called aft, while Cap
tain Wainwright addressed them in a short,
but pithy and sensible speech, acquainting
them with the object and prospects Of the
voyage. Then the officers of our little craft
held consultation in the cabin, in which it
was determined to cruise along the coast, from
Brazos southwark, as far as Vera Cruz. /,
being only second officer, had not much to
say, and not being much acquainted with
mercantile transactions, did not fully under
stand the objects of the voyage; but there
were some valuable goods aboard, and from
what Bill said, inferred that they were con
signed to secret agents of our owners, and to
be landed as occasion offered, at certain places
on the coast. A certain air of mystery that
he assumed when speaking of the matter
and other circumstances, made me suspec,
that there was some irregularity in our pa.
pers. Others, | guess, thought SO too, but
no one cared, for the Antelope was as fleet
as her namesake, and had two howitzers and
long nine, and twenty able fore mast hands
on board; and if we made successful trip
it would bring little fortune to each of us
After we were fairly out at sea, the sails trim
med and all snug, Ham proposed to drink
success to the voyage. Bill answered thai
there was no liquor on board, and that i
there were, he could not drink it, as he lac
taken a pledge before he left New Orleans
at the instance of the owner Of the vessel,
who knew him well, and was aware Of hi,
falling