The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1860-06-23
For the Weekly Anglo African.
THE WANDERING SAILOR.
BY EQUESTRIAN.

Several years ago / met with man who
related to me many incidents of his wan
behring's, and SO lasting has been their i'm
preston that they still remain vivid in my
mind. Some of these incidents l will re-
late He had been sailor-to use COM
mon phrase, "every inch sailor" from
forecastle to quarterback. He had been
to the frozen North, and had been closed
in for season by the huge snow-capped
mountains of ice; he had chased the polar
bear, and in return had been chased, bare
ly escaping with his life; he had captured
the seal and the walrus, and made sport of
catching the great Arctic whale; he had
slept in snow huts, and strolled with the
Esquimeaux over the immense icy plains
of the far-up Arctic regions, where sunrise
lasted six months and sunset continued the
other six months of the year.
At another time he had been in the
West India Islands, where the orange, the
citron, the lemon, the pineapple, the ba-
mana, and all the tropical fruits, grow
spontaneously. He had visited the islands
under the old system of bondage and
chattel slavery, when groans and curses
were mingled with prayers for the liberia
ton of the downtrodden, and where he
had witnessed those awful hurricanes that
every year visited those islands previous to
the abolition of that wicked institution.
He could tell you of whole plantations de-
stroyed by that power that rides on the
whirlwind aud directs the storm" He had
been shipwrecked several times by those
devastating and sweeping tornadoes. He
related to me the crueltes that were in
those times practiced upon unoffending
men, women, and children, who were brand
ed, whipped, starved, deprived of all the
comforts and necessaries of life, and made
to drag out miserable existence on su-
gar plantation, subject to the uncontrolled
passions of the brutal overseers; women,
unprotected, insulted and brutalized, with
out redress, and children neglected and
kept in the condition of beasts But pray
er prevailed, and year after year God gave
the oppressor warning in the hurricane to
undo the heavy burdens, and let the OPP
pressed go free"
Again, he related of his wanderings in
the East Indies, his residence among the
Hindoos, and the treatment he received
from them, which was extremely harsh on
account of his being Christian and not
recognizing caste. His love of the roman
| tic and marvellous led him to various parts
of the world, and he was not idle in his
rambles. His collection of specimens of
art and curiosities from various countries
was numerous. Shells, ores, and articles of
manufacture were among the articles with
which he had enriched himself. But all
these were Insignificant compared with the
riches of his mind. Born poor, but with
an ardent desire for knowledge, even from
his earliest years, he sought out every av-
enue to acquire it, and always kept in view
| that one prominent aim--the increase of
intelligence. Perhaps my readers may
think | am relating an idle tale; but the
statements make are facts well known to
thousands, and expected to see history
of his life long ere this. Although born
poor, bred sailor, and deprived of many
chances to obtain an education that those
on land enjoy, yet he had made himself
master of every language known and spo-
ken at the present time, and could converse
freely with the natives of almost any
country in their own tongue. / heard
gentleman of veracity and strict integrity
say that he saw him in st. Petersburg,
Russia, surrounded by six persons from as
many different countries, converSing with
each one in his own vernacular.
His love of literature did not hinder him
| from acquiring wealth, for twice had he
stood upon the deck of his own ships, la
den with valuable cargoes, and each time
they had been lost from under him, leav-
ing him with nothing but his energies to
again acquire position in the world. The
secret of his success was labor-honorabIe
labor, by every consistent and available
method, using the precious particles of
time without waste; always cheerful and
happy, never Responding even under bis
severest losses, but ever ready, trusting in
a kind Providence, to try again.
When Napoleon invaded Russia and en-
tered Moscow, he was taken as Russian,
and ordered to be shot; but his American
protection saved him. After his liberation
he thought his safest plan would be to fol-
low the fortunes of the great conquerer;
I-4 5.,~cko, ,oI dofoof onnr anuuod and