The weekly union record., 1865-05-27
a Sailing Match.

Il say, Bob, spin Us that yarn about the
half Spanish sailing match down on the South
Side there-will yeG'
why, yes, DO dou't mind-if 50 be the
port siders here this evenind Ike to hear il;
though It's only bit Of shor, splice. snd I've
spun il about seven times aboard here already"
Never mind, Bob twist her off sraiu.
Gonna from your reel i'll be good iwsuty
times spun"
"Ba-as-a that's soap, Jack But, any
way. stand BY shipmstes:
WED been lyiu' away ont iu the Roads $.
Fort CaSsIlda for about ten days in the Prehls
sloop 0 wsr. Captain BreSSe, when one day
some Of our officers and two or three gentlemen
up in Trinidad got up a sort Of pleasure and
6shin and turthn boat excursion up the coast,
inside them beautiful eshelled beach Ia
lands. what We sees when YER runnin' along
down the coast Of Cuba from Cape Graz 10
Trinidad believe the Spaniards call EN- 'el
cGgoS dos Secsufa lsagoS. which in our lingo you
must know, means the sixty.league Keys.
1 Wei, We see, we gets of al shipshspe-ihe
sloop's first and second CATERS. with dozen or
so of our gun room idlers. and four or eve mid
dies; the American Consul ard his family
s'pose about twenty ladies and gentlemen.
mostly Americans from Trinidad; and cur two
boats. under the command OF Ariel Aruit, our
second luf, as handsome young gentleman.
as good an officer. and kind a heart as you
might sail four times round the world and not
find a match for
Then there were two boats belongin' 10 the
captain Of the port full Of Spanish officers, and
dons, and donnas, and two priests and alto
gether, lads, il was a gay boatin party.
We went bout forty miles up the passage.
in among the islands, aud had Jolly tine
catching fish and turtles, and campin out
Twin on turtle soup and ehowiers driukin'
lime punch and rinho. and plenty Of guitar
tinklin' aud fandaugoes, aud about bali the
young gentlemen and seaoFas eOuriin and max
10 love.
Bout an hour after we'd got under way
homeward bound. the captain OF the port. hav.
ing a raal clippin' American built boat, chal-
lenged Mr.. Arudt 10 a sailing match.
Now, you see. shipma,es, our cutters want
built for fast sailin' craft; beside, We had
slowed down iu the bottom Of EN- all our hunt
in and fshn' gear, and stun sails that we a
used for tents so the cutters were too deep TO
sail much. But Mr.. Arndt accepted the chal-
lenge, and after we'd put aboard the second
cutter some Of our hamper, and half dozen Of
the people, we headed down passage, dead be-
fore the wind-and of we went.
The Spanish boat was lateen rig, and az
the breeze was light, and mostly alofi, we, with
our wide headed spirit sails. had the advantage
that way and sitter we'd been racing about
two leagues, we found it was just dead match.
Neither boat could outsall the other d single
inch.
So every body laughed aud got merry and
the two boats were sbeered alongside OF each
other, and lasbed together and all hands fell
TO drinking wine aud lime punch and spinnin'
yarns and gettin happy generally.
After a while, Lieutenant Arudt got TO lean
ing over the gunwale of the cutter aud whis-
perrin with Donna Florentina Santa Marcus.
who was sittin' in the sternsheeis OF the Span
ish boat Then, after about bali an hour the
sonora had awhisper with one of tie padres
seated close TO her. aud the lieutenant had an
other word with the consul and after that.
they al talked aud bobbed and nodded togeth-
er for fifteen minutes.
The next thing they does, Lieutenant Arndt
reached over and took the senora's hand. and
the consul bent on his jawin' gear and Ill be
blowed shipmates, il be didn't splice our lieu
tenant as hard and fast as ever a couple got
married ashore When the consul bad run
bis reel of, the old padre let out his Spanish
lingo, and laid in the Catholic strands Of the
splice. Then everybody hurrahed and uirGsd,
and kissed the bride and shook hands with the
lieutenant; and the consul said our young luff
had captured the richest. handsomest, angelest
sonora there was in Trinidad de Cuba.
That's what | calls regular sdIln' match,
shipmates."