Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-12-10

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was TO be said about home. But if they ha,
told us Ne to saw ANYTHING about the plane
Mars o. Book Of Deuteronomy. / shout,
not have 5ked why; there were great man,
things which seemed to me TO have as it'll,
Feason. I first came TO understand aTv thinl
about 1.-The man without q country" ole da
when We oveFhauied dirty little schooner
which had slaves on board An officer was
told 10 take charge of her, and after a few
minutes, he sent back to his boat to ask that
some one nj ht be sent him who could speak
Portuguese. We were ali looking over the
rail when the message came, and we all wish
ed we could interpret, when the captain ask
ed who spoke Portuguese. But none of the
officers did; and just as the captain was
sending forward to ask if any of the people
could, Nolan stepped out and said he shonld
be glad to interpret, if the captain wished, as
ne understood the language The captain
thanked him, fitted out another boat with
him and in this boat it was my luck to go
W hen we got there, it was such a scene As
you seldom see, and never want to. NastineSs
beyond account, and chaos run loose in the
midst of the nastiness There were not a
great many of the negroes; but by way OF
making what there were understand that the
were free, Vaughan had their hand cuffs and
ankie-cutfs Knocked off, and, for convenience
sake, was putting them upon the rascals OF
the schooners crew. The negroes were most
Of them out of the hold, and swarming all
round the dirty deck, with a central throng
surrounding Vaughan, and addressing him in
every dialect and "patois' of dialect, from
the Zulu click up to the Partisan of Beledel
iereed. -e 4 a.. r..
As We came on deck, Vaughan looked down
from hogshead, on which he had mounted
in desperation, and said
:" For Gods love, is there anybody who car
make these whetches understand something
The men gave them rum, and that did MOI
quiet them. | knocked that big fellow dowr
twice, and that did not soothe him. Anc
then talked Chcctaw to all of them together
and I'll be hanged if they understood that al
well as they understood the English"
Nolan said he could speak Portuguese, ant
one or two fine looking Kroomen were drag
ged out, who, as it had been found already
had worked for the Portuguese on the coas
at Fernendo Pc.
''Tell them they are Free" said Vaughan
and tell them that these rascals are to be
hanged as soon az we can get rope enough"
Nolan put that into Spanish, that is, he
explained it in such Portuguese as the Kroo
men could understand, and they in turn tt
such of the negroes as could understand them
There was such yell of delight, clinching o
fists, leaping and dancing, kissing of NolanG
feet and general rush made to the hogsheaC
by way of spontaneous worship of Vaughan
as the deus ct n1achind of the occasion
"Tell them," said Vaughan, well pleased
that will take them all to Cape Palmas."
This did not answer so well. Cape Palma
was practically as far from the homes of mos
of them as New Orleans or Rio Janerio was
that is, they would be esernally separated
from home there. And their interpreters, al
we could understand, instantly said, "4h no,
Palnaas," and began to propose infinite othel
expedients in the most voluble language
Vaughan was rather disappointed at this re
suit Of his hberalty, and asked Nolan eagerl,
what they said. The drops stood upon poo
Nolan's white forehead, as he hushed the mel
down, and said -
"He says, ''Not Palmas' He says, TAKE
Us home, take US to our own country, take u
to our own house, take US to our own picka
ninnies and our own women" He says ht
has All old father and mother, who will die, i
they do not see him. And this one says BIZ
left his people all sick, and padded down tt
Fernando to beg the white doctor to come
and help them, and that these devils caugh
him in the bay just in sight of home, and tina
he has never seen anybody from home since
then. And this one says" choked out Nolan
that he had not heard word from his homo
in six months, while he has been locked up il
an internal barracoon."
Vaughan always said he grew gray himsel
while Nolan struggled through his interpre
tation. |, who did not understand anything
of the passion involved in it, saw that the very
elements were melting with fervent heat, anc
that something was to pay somewhere. Even
the negroes themselves stopped bowling, q:
they saw Nolan's agony, and Vaughan's al
most equal agony Of sympathy. As quick al
he could get words, he said
Tell them yes, yes, yes; tell them they
shall 90 to the Mountains of the Moon, if they
will. If sail the schooner through the Great
White Desert, they shall 90 home :"
And after some fashion Nolan said so. AND
then they all tell to kissing him again, and
wanted to rub his nose with their But he
could not stand it long; and getting Vaughan
to say he might go back, he beckoned me
down into our boat. As we lay back in the
stern sheets, and the men gave way, he said
to me, " 1oungster, let that show you what
it is to be without a family, without a home,
and without a country. And if you are ever
tempted to say word or to do a thing that
shall put bar between you and your family,
your home, and your country, pray God in
His mercy to take you that instant home to
His own heaven. Stick by your family, boy
forget YOU have self, while you do every
thing for them. Think of your home, boy
write and send, and talk about it. Let it be
nearer and nearer to your thought, the far
ther you have to travel from it and rush
back to it when you are free, as that poor
black slave is doing now. As for your coun-
try, boy," and the words ratified in his throat,
"and for that flag" and he pointed to the
ship, a" never dream dream but of serving
her as she bids you, though the service carry
you through a thousand bells. No matter
what happens to you, never look at another
flag, never let night pass but you pray God
to bless that flag Remember, boy, that be-
hind all these men yon have to do with, be-
hind officers, and government, and people
even, there is the country herself your coun-
try, and that you belong to her as you belong
to your own mother. Stand by her, boy, as
you would stand by your mother, if those
devils there had got hold of her today !"
was frightened to death by his calm, hard
passion; but [ Numbered out that l would,
ny al lhaI was nOiy, ana That L had never
thought of doing anything else. He hardly
seemed to hear me but he did, almost in a
whisper, say" Oh, if anybody had said so
to me when was of your agel"
l think it was this halfconfdence of his,
which never abused, for l never told this
story till now, which afterwards made u.
great friends. He was very kind to me- Of
ten he sat up, or even got up, at night, to
walk the deck with me, when it was my watch