The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1862-04-08
THE sLAyER's STORY

Well, never thought they'd done it,
! Sir, and | say il was a - shame -
There's many big bugs. and rich, re-
spectacle folks engaged IN il in New York
I --iolks rs keep thir own kerridges and
have pews AZ fash uabe churches, aud 60
10 wsicriu' places, and spend their money
free As air--wi,y. they'd ha' raised mil
+ lion o dollars TO la saved the Captain
tiro million. by ---- you may bet your
I life they would Aud yet he ,eas hung
arer all
/ DO Think The slare trade right, hen ?
Wen, no not exactly Its bad busi-
ness most as bad as bsin' pirate--but
then they're only piggers A white mans
a white man, and a niggers nigger,
there's no gettin' over that. You amt no
abolitionist, are YOU, Sirs Ineyer know'd
/ a sailor as was.
4 Ye see a seanan's life is the hardest
out Jack gets monkeys allowance, more
kicks han ha'pence, all the world over.
And It pays better than anythin' goin'.
/ Why, Sir, make one good run in three
and you've done first rate for owners,
+ skipper, and crew, and nary expense bur
iiilin' out and lsyin in rum or muskets as
truck for your cargo. So its great
temptation. ! never know'd a Merican
as liked il exactly, but I've knowd a many
as has ben in il. Spaniards mostly thinks
nothin on it; them fellers has no sort o
conscience or humanity.
/ Aayj. TIE seen a htls Of il myself?
That's tellin's Perhaps have and per-
haps liant; you don't catch this cIild
goin' back on hisself, nohow You only
inquired oR o curiosity! Well, | sup
pose so. guess you amt the sort as
gen'ally comes TO such plRees as tllis, ex-
cept on a spree TO see the ward. Not
much Of a show here tonight, times is bad
for the landlords. You should 90 10 the
Flag some eyenin' when hull crews
ben Iaid oH--see EN- raise -- there
sometimes.
Well, don't mind your health, Sir.
I Eve drunk worse rum and better. So you
writes stories for the magazines and news
papers? guess could tell you a thing
or two as you might work up into some
thin'--about what we was talkn' on, too.
( WY w0nt /? Well, most folks is pretty
shy Of ownn up 10 knowing much about
the Ebony Trade, though don't SET how
it could hurt a poor devil Of common
sailor like me, as nobody expects TO have
any kind Of character or kear for one.
We lives hard, works hard, and dies hard,
aud can't be expected to be very particu-
lar. warn't 20 blame for what | done
either. So here goes. Put up that pen
cil don't like the notion of having my
words took down; that kinder knocks me-
] guess you'll remember well enough.
It's about six or seven year ago--l
don't reeollect time good-when | came
ashore arter a two-year whalin' cruise in
the Pacific Ocean, and, like fool, went
on a big spree and spent every burned
cent had in the world. Ii ended in my
geitin dtanghdted and put aboard slay.
er. Hhdfs shanghopRg Why, Lord
love you don't you know thai and YOU
writes for the newspapers! Its erimpinq
i man when he's dead drunk or hocussed
with laudanum The landlord draws hi,
FIRST moths pay in advance, q course, fol
bringing hand aboard, and the first thing
poor Jack knows about it i when hei
reused by the mate or skipper with ih'
blight OF ropes end, or marlinspike, o.
hit over tile head with ring-bolt, or an,
thing that comes handy. I've seem mel
so knocked about, Sin, in this we're port 0
New York, too, that they've jumped over
, board, Eve or six Of EN-, one arter t'oihei
and swim ashore or not, ~ may be
That's often tie meanin' oil bodies beiu
found abou, thc piers, as you reads on j
! the newspapers.
However. when came to ] were al
right. and 20. mainly. were halt doze
other, a. had bad the same luck. som
, salked and give slack. others turned {
and made The best Of II. all Of Us bein
pretty much cleaned oai and obliged {
ship somewheres. We mustered abou
J, iNeaty hands strong Yankees, Irish, Enc
lisl, Dutch, spaniards, and oue lnbberl
Poriygee; there was more Dutch and lrls
than anything else. Things looked uI