The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-01-15
written for the Council Bluffs Nonparei..
SKETCHES OF THE SEA-NO. 4.
GOING ASHORE TO cHuRcH-cArcHIse :. r,

Go1sa ASHORE TO cHuRcH-cArcHIsas A ruR-
TLE-''wArERING," &c. va
It was a beautiful Sabbath afternoon in
July, when we anchored off one of the
smaller Bahamas, to replenish our empty
water casks. The ship had not swung to
her cable, before a couple Of colorsd gen
tIemen came aboard, and solicited the lob
of plotting US to the best springs. They
were fne-looking, neatly dressed fellows,
and each one urged his claims with per-
tinacity and tact which kept US in roar of
laughter, till the captain settled the question
by telling one of them to be "on hand'' at
four in the morning. .They informed US
that they had white man among them on
the island, who ofhciated in the triple ca
pacty of merchant, justice of the peace,
and preacher of the gospel; and, as they
were to have service that evening, they
invited US to 60 ashore and join their little
band in the rustic church. 1t was decided,
by the captain, that only halfthe crew could
$3.50, cutting slip of paper for each
Jack tar, and marking half Of them, we
shook them up in a hat and fshed for prizes.
None of US had been ashore for two months,
and it was twice that time since We had lis
tened to the "church- going bell" We
were all eager to go, and the lucky ones
danced about the deck in high glee, while
the poor chop-fallen holders of blanks,
crowlcd out their disappointment, in true
sailor fashion. A, four O'Clock the cap
tain's gig was waiting at the sangw"y,
manned by ten of Us with our 'Sunday-tog-
ecrvn on, all eager to ''give wny' for the
beach. The sold man. soon made his
appearance, with shining boots, frock coat,
and glossy sile. We cast off the painter,
and the bending ash sent the long, gracef ul
boat, shooting over the water like a duck.
In FIVE minutes we hauled her up on the
sand. and "broke" for the village. As We
entered the suburbs, little bare headed
darkes peeped around the corners at us,
and scud into the houses to call their
mammas to the windows. We were early
for church, and took q stroll about town to
see the fashions. All wooden houses, and
all neatly whitewashed, wearing an air OF
cleanliness and comfort we had hardly ex-
nec,ed to find. The church was about thirty
BY forty feet, with little belfry, in which
hung an old ship-bell, taken from wreck
on one Of the Florida keys. Wehad walked
up Broadway and down again, staring at
everybody and everybody staring at US,
when the "6rst bell" struck, and We joined
the throng of happy-looking, we'll dressed
men and women, that were entering the
house of God. They took especial pains to
give US good seats, thus setting an example
which their white brethren, in more avsto-
cratic churches, would do well TO follow.
The minister was plain, solid looking
Scotchman, about 60 years old; and, though
he stood behind a very primitive looking
desk, he gave US an excellent, wide awake
sermon. The singing was glorious. Almost
the whole congregation, great and small,
took part in it, and, as they sang "Oll Hun
dred," the walls and the roof shook with
the mighty volume Of sound, and our fore
castle boys, who, on many a night had sent
"Ben Bolt' rolling out over the waves,
confessed themselves ''nowhcrc,' and quiet
" Welded the palm to these dark skinned
Islanders At the close Of the services, we
all shook hands with tn" Old preacher, and
learned from him that he had been stationed
there six years. He seemed well contenterl
with his situation, and his little flock re-
garIed him with vcneration and love APP
prOaciug idUlatry. As the spring, in
tended to water ut were at the other end Of
the island, four miles distant, and we should
perhaps, never see this little community
again, we bade them an aifectonatc fare.
well, and started for the boat.
At s O'Clock, we were on board again
recounting the incidents of the trip to our
shipmatcs, and a-gravating them as much as
possible by telling them what good time
We had had.
At Q we "turncd in." At four in the
morning 'all hands, were called. Our
empty casks were hoistcd overheard and
formed into a raft, and We started to tow
them ashore. AS we neared the beach one
of the boys cried out ''there goes n turtle, -
and sure enough there was huge Logger
head, about twenty yards from the water,
crawling up toward the brushwood. In a
moment we left the floating casks in the
iurch. and bent to our oars "with will
for well We knew that if old she'll back got
Il glimpse Of us, we might whistle for turtle
soup from him. Only a minute and our
keel shot upon the sand, and, in less time
time than it takes me to relate it, we had
the old fellow on his back. As he would
weigh five hundred pounds, We concluded
that Juggling him to the boat would be a
proftless job; so, turning him over again,
we let him trudge back to the water, and
then on bis back again be went and, tying
up his broad fippers with rope-yarns,
we put him into the boat. His mouth was
free, and the way he snapped that great,
horny beak Of his, made US very careful to
keep out of his reach. We finally put a
handkerchief over his eyes, which kept him
perfectly quiet, and not wishing to 90 back
to the ship with him then, we got our casks
and pulled around the end of the island to
the watering place. Here we found three
springs, containing sinking water and
tadpoles. We rolled up the casks and filled
them, putting in little prisoner, occasion
ally, for spice. When full, of course the
casks would sink nearly to the bungs, and
the water around the island shoaled So
gradually, that we were forced to roll them
off a hundred yards before they foated.
This, however, was by no means an unpleas-
ant task, as the water was warm and the
bottom rs level as floor. \ better ,lace