The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-09-13

our previous performances had rendered
rather nervous, it won't 60 otf!'-tryine,
as he spoke, again and again to set Il off.
But it was literally mo CO. which, con.
sidering the fact that no priming had been
used, was not such = surprising circum-
stance.
In the absence Of the 'cannOn's roar
we waved our bats aS We SAOOd OH the
gunwale and gave three cheers.
Up with your hellum = cried the boy,
suddenly intcrrupting the tiger which
ought to have followed; look out for mud
flats =
Billy who had insisted on taking the
position Of StetrSsnan TO enter, took the
word dpied de Lettre, and forgetting that
our tiller only moved sideways, gave tre-
mendous tug upward, which instantly un-
shipped the whole apparatus.
The breeze swung uS around on a mud
bank; the boom flew over. | heard
START ise~&SN, --... .-:~---.~-I AAs4H,;
tion across the frightened part of my pants
that reminded me strongly of my child
hood; there was Splash, aud Jones and
foundourSelycS struggling in the briny
deep, without the slightest intilnatiOn Of
how we got there.
Three feet Of water-tWO feet of mud.
And such mud Not the ordinary solu-
tion that patience and clotheSbruSh will
remove, but black, tenacious, mortar
like composition only to be found near the
metropolis, that stuck and smclt like all
possessed.
Falling overheard under any circum.
stances is unpleasant; falling overheard in
the presence Of the mistress Of your affec-
tionS, even where there is danger, is ride.
ulouS but falling overheard where there
is no danger, and coming up, all bcdaubed
and beSplattered, looking like the King of
the CanniGal Islands, or free sOiler cS-
capped from our Southern brcthern' before
they have had leisure To finish their labor
Of love in their usual artistic manner, is
depressing to the last extent
We got to the boat and held council
Of war. That something had got to be
done Immediately, if not sooner, was as
sclfcvident as the axiOmS Of the Declara.
tion Of independence (about which, by
thc-by, no two people out Of n dozen ever
yet agreed)
That the boat was aground, the wind
had died away, and the tide going out,
was too lain for dispute. There was no
alternative but to get overheard and
shove.
We could not take off our precious uni
forms, because there were the girls so it
was with mighty long faces that we got
over aud tuggcd aud pushed with all our
strength, To make the agony as short as
possible but inaSmuch ms the tide went
six feet in precisely the time it took us to
propcl the boat that distance, it was at
least AN hour bcfurc she tloated in the
channel.
Aud a swcet-looking party we must
have appeared when We got there; not one
Of Us but had been under several times,
and being the shortest, had in one in
stance got stuck 10 such an extent that it
was necessary 10 pry the out of the mud,
with III oar, like All Ovcrgrown oyster.
In the meantime those girls did nothing
but sit on the hank and laugh.
How they did laugh! 1t showed, at
any rate, that their health was pei feet; for
no one with the most remote tendency to
pulmonary affection could have made the
noise they did.
As there was not breath of air, the
around the point was to anchor and piOus.
ly whistle for breeze.
II was kissing hot, the sun pouring
down with forty horsepower; its beams
reflected with still greater intensity from
the water; and there We lay for four inor-
sax hours.
Every man had brought those edibleS
and drinkablcS that seemed best in his
own eyes. There was any amount of
ham, sausage, aud crackers lots OF all
kinds Of liquors, especially Bourbon-but
not drop Of water.
Whisky is very well for steady drink
on land, but man wants some water to
stand being boiled all day in a blazing
sun, aS | can assert from sad experiences.
1t makes me dry now to think of those
four hours. ---------....-
Along in the afternoon, we undertook
to clean ourselves, and after much scra-
ping and rubbing. did manage td get Off
good deal Of the mud, but il was evident
that the pristine purity Of our uniform
was among the things that were. Billy
was mighty particular about his vest
ments, and not satisfied with letting them
dry on him, must needs take off his pants
to do the thing in what he called scien-
lific manner. lie succeeded in getting
them much cleaner than ours, and was in
the act Of getting into them ian operation,
owing to their scanty Dimensions. Of con-
siderable labor), when the sound of oars
and female voices approaching obliged
him to drop them like a hot potato, and
rush to the stern for refuge.
lie mad barely time to crouch down and
cover his neither extrcmilies with some
coats, before Il roW-Svsrt fucs Ss' 'a5Szs6s {ati3
among them our two laughers) came
arOuLd the point
They were very glad TO see us, especial
iy Billy (whO was great lady s mani. and
asked him to come and row them. No!
Billy was sorry, but he wouldn't co.
Why not? Well. he couldn't leave the
yacht. Nonsense! Mr.. Smith and Mr..
Jones would not have any objection,
would theyY
OF course, being thus directly appealed
to, we had to say that we couldn't refuse
them anything and that he could be spar
ed. Billy was much obliged for our kind.
ness, but he didn't feel we'll enough TO go.
General chorus 1t was enough to give
him brain fever, to sit in the sun with
wet clothes. He must come up to the
house, and change them Immediately.
Billy grinned a aghaStly smile when they
spoke about changing his clothes, and
then swore inaudibly, as a change in his
position brOughta portion of his cuticle
in contact with the paint which, almost
blistered with the sun, could not have
taken the piece off much quicker if it
were red hot.
Recovering himself he mildly but firm.
ly declined the invitation. ,..
While they were still speaking, strong
er puff than usual Of the breeze which
was springing up, swept those unEortu-
nate OaOta At leAat. ehiRl o feet from 1haro