Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-02-04
Ghdite Mistellang.
r =. [From the Atlantic Monthly.l l..l.
The Man Without a Country,

My own acquaintance with Phillip Nolan
began six or eight years after the War, on
my first voyage after | was appointed q
midshipman. 1t was in the FIRST days after
our Slave. Trade treaty, while the Reigning
House, which was still the House of Vir-
ginia, had still a sort of sentimentalsm about
the suppression of the horrors of the Middle
Passage, and something:was sometimes done
that way. We were in the South Atlantic
on that business. From the time joined,
l believe thought Nolan was sort Of lay
chaplain,-a chaplain with blue coat. l
never asked about him. Everything in the
ship was strange to me. ! knew it was
green to ask questions, and 1 suppose |
thought there was ''Plain- Buttons" on
every ship. We had him to dine in our
mess once a week, and the caution was given
that on that day nothing was to be said about
home. But if they had told us not to say
anything about the planet Mars or the Book
of Deuteronomy, / should not have asked
why, there we're a great many things which
seemed to me to have as little reason, frs:
came to understand anything about the
man without country one day when we
overhauled dirty little schooner which had
slaves on board. An officer was sent to take
charge of her, and, after few minutes, he
sent back his boat to ask that some one
might be sent him who could speak Portu
guese. We we're oil looking over the rail
when the message came, and we all wished
we could Interpret, when the captain asked
who spoke Portuguese. But none of the
officers did; and just as the captain was send
ing forward to ask if any Of the people could,
Nolan stepped ont and said he should be
glad to interpret, if the captain wished, as
he understood the language The captain
thanked him, fitted out another boat with
him, aud in this boat it was my luck to 60.
When we got there, it was such scene
as you seldom see, and never want to.
Nsstiness beyond account, and chaos rur
loose in the midst of the nastiness. There
were not great many Of the negroes; but
by way of "A making what there were
understand that they were free, Vaughan
had had their lhand-cuffs and aukle-cuff'
knocked off, aud, for convenience sake, was
putting them upon the rascals OF the schoon
ers' crew. The negroes were, most OF them
out ofthe hold, and swarming all round tht
dirty deck, with central throng surround
! ing Vaughan and addressing him in ever,
dialect and patois of dialect, from the Zul,
click up to the Partisan of Beledeljereed.
As we came on deck, Vaughan looket
down from hogshead, on which he bat
mounted in desperation, and said,
For Gods love, is there anybody VIII
can make these wrotches understand some
thing? The men gave them rum. and tina
did not quiet them. ! knocked that ybi
fellow down twice, and that did not sooth
him. And then talked ChoctaN TO all o
them together; and Pllb hanged it the
understood that as well as they understoo
the English" "lsa.&rsa n lrdl i.u.l s.
| Nolan said he could speak Portuguese
and one or two fne-looking Kroomen wer
4 dragged out, who. as il had been found q
i ready, . had worked for the Portuguese o
the coast Of Fernando Po.reb ~ na ui'
\ sTcll them they are free,R said Vaughan
land tell them that these rascais are to, b
hanged as soon as we can get rope enough.
Nolan put that into Spanish, "*-ths
is, he explained it in such Portuguese :
the Kroomen could understand, and theyi
turn to such Of the negroes as could unds
stand them. Then there was such yell Z
delight, clinching Of fists, leaping and daI
. cling. kissing of Nolan's feet, and gener,
rush made to the hogshead by way ofspoI
.Tbe phrase is General Taylots, When Santa AM
SaS q truce 10 nvi,e Taylor 20 surrender *sll him
70 70 help said old Ropghand; Ready Bliss pna q
mo Spanish.n .Psrfect Bliss as this accomplish,
oie er 100 sarly lost called Interpreted LIBERAL
replying the Dag in exquisite Css.llan, Say 70 Gs
ss~ And ibis Is The snswer which has gone hiso
+ histofy