The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-02-06
Nolan put that into Spanish. that is, hc

| the negroes as could understand them. lnen
there was such q yell Of delight, clinching OF
fists, leaping and dancing, kissing. OF Nolan 3 :
feet, and general rush made to the hogshead
by way Of spontaneous worship of Vaughan, rs
the deus er machina of the the occasion.
"Tell them" said Vaughan, well pleased,
''that will take them oil to Cape Palmas."
This did not answer 50 we'll. Cape Palmas
was practically as far from the homes OF most
OF them as New Orleans or Rio Janeiro was (;
that Is, they would be eternally separated from
home there. And their interpreters. as we
could understand, instantly said, IN, NON
Palmas," and began to propose infinite other
expedients in most yolu6lo language; vaughan h,s
was rather disappointed at this result OF his lib
erality, and asked Nolan eagerly what they
said. The drops stood on poor Nolan's white
forehead, as he hushsd the men down, aud
| said,-
"He says, Not Palmas.' He says, Take US
home, take us to our own country, take US to
our own house, take US to our own pickanin-
nies and our own women He says he has an
old father and mother who will die II they do
pie all sick. and padded down to Fernando to
beg the white doctor to come and help them,
and that these devils caught him In the bay I,
lust In sight Of home, aud that he has never
seen anybody from home since then. And this
one says" choked out Nolan, "that he has
not heard word from his homo in six months,
while he has been locked up In On internal bar
raco0n." .
Vaughan always said he grew gray himself
while Nolan struggled through this interpreta-
tion. I, who did not understand anything OF
the passion involved In It, saw that tho very ell.
ements were melting with fervent heat, and
that something was to pay somewhere: Even
the negroes themselves stopped bowling, as
they saw Nolan's agony and Vaughan's almost
equal agony of sympathy. AS quick rs he
could get words, he said,-
"Tcll them yes. yes, yes tell them they shall
20 to the Mountains of the Moon. II they will.
II sail the schooner through the Great White
Desert, they shall 60 home :,
then they all fell to kissing him again, and
wanted to rub his nose with theirs.
But he could not stand 1t long; and getting
Vaughan to say he might 60 back, he beck
oned me down into our boat. As we lay back
in the stern-sheets and the men gave way; he
said to me,-"Youngster, let that show you
what Il is to be without n family, without a
home. and without o country. And II you are
ever tempted to say q word or to do 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 fami-
", boy; forget you have self, while you do
everything for them. Think of your home,
boy; write and send, and talk about II. Let it
be nearer and nearer your thought, the farther
you have to travel from it; and rush back to it,
when you are free, rs that poor black slave IS
doing now. And for your country. boy anu
the words ratified in his throat, "and for that
flag" and he pointed to the ship, never dream
dream but of serving her rs she bids you,
though the service carry you through thous-
and hells. No matter what happens to you, no
matter who hatters you or who abuses you,
never look ut another flag, never let night
pass but YOU pray God to bless that flag. 10.
member, boy, that behind all these men you
have to do with, behind officers, and govern-
ment, and people even, there is the Country
Herself. your Country, and that you belong to
Her rs you belong to your own mother. STAND
by her, boy, as you would stand by your moth
er. II those devils there had got hold of her TO-
day !"
[ was frightened to death by his calm, hard
passion; but blundered out, that would, by
all that was holy, and that | had neYr thought
of doing anything else He hardly seemed to
hear me; but he did, almost In whisper, say.
"Oh. II anybody had said SO to me when was
Of your age -
which never did abuse, for never told this
story till now, which afterward made US great
friends. He was very kind to me. Often he
set up, or even got up, at night to walk the
deck with me, when it was my watch he ex-
plained TO me o great deal Of my mathematics.
lie lent me books, and helped mo about my
reading. He never alluded so directly to his
story again; but from one and another officer
have learned. in thirty years. what am tell
Ing. When we parted from him In st. Thomas
harbor, at the end Of our cruise, llwas more
,orry than can tell. was very glad to meet
him again In 1890; aud later In life, when l
thought had some influence in Washington,
moved heaven and earth to have him discharg-
ed. But II was like getting ghost out OF pris-
on They pretended there was no such man,
and never was such man. They will say SO
at the Department now. Perhaps they do not
know. II will not be the first thing in the SER
vice Of which the Department appears to know
nothing!
There is q story that Nolan met Burr once
nm one of our vessels, when party OF Ameri-
cans came on board In the Mediterranean
But this believe to be lie; or rather, 1t Is a
myth, ben fropato, involving tremendous
blowing up with which he sunk Burr,--asking
him how ne liked to be without n country"
But L Is clear from Burr's life, that nothing OF
the sort could have happened; and mention
this only as an illustration Of the stories which
get going where there Is the least mystery at
bottom
SO poor Philip Nolan had his wish ful6lled.
I know but one fate moro dreadful: 1t is the
fate reserved for those men who shall have one
day to exile themselves from their country be-
cause they attempted her rnn, and shall! have
at the same time tn SEQ the prosperity and hon.
or TO which she rises when she has rid herself
of them and their iniQuties. The wish OF poor
Nolan, rs We oil learned to call him, not be.
,ause his punishment was too great, but be-
cause his repentance was so clear, was precise
~ the wish ofevery Bragg aud Beauregard who
broke soldiers oath two years ago, ana OF ev-
cry Maury and Barron who broke q sailors II
do not know how often they nave repented.
do know that they have done oil that 10 them
lay that they might have no country,-that oil
tho bonors. Associations, memories, and hopes
which belong to Country" might be broken
up into little shreds and distributed to the
winds. I know, too, that their punishment, as
they yegetate through what Is LETT OF life to
them In vretchel Boulognes and Leicester
Squares. where they are destined to upbraid
each other till they die, will have oil tire agony
of Nolan's with the added pang that every one
who sees them will see theui 70 despise and 70
execrate them. They viii nave their wisn' IKE
him.
For him. poor fellow. he repented Of his fol-
lv and then. like man, submitted to the fate
hs hal asked for. He never Intentionally added
70 the difficulty or dslicacy Of the charge Of
tSoss I ,a' Who had him in hold. Accidents would
hannen but they never happened from his
fault. Licuten,nt Truxton told me, that, when
TeIas was annexed. there was careful discus.
.,nn among the officers, whether they should
ret hold OF Nolan's handsome set Of maps, and
ent TEXAS out ofit,-from the map OF the world
and tbe map of Mexico. The United States had
hssn cut out when the atlas Was bought for him.
Rnt Il was voted, rightly enough, that to do
this would be virtually to reveal to him what