Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-12-22

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civilized nations on earth. This delec
table territory of barren sand.heaps i
claimed by Great Britain, and on tb,
southwestern extremity of the Bmini il
collection Of miserable huts and wig
warns, half sheltering "a population o
perhaps five hundred beings, half human
who are ruled over slightly by mar
named Armstrong, good many years
since a cashiered subaltern from the
British Navy, bis government being q
sort of verbal vice. royalty from that Of
New Providence. 'o
In the course of the evening, after we
came TO an anchor, the commander OF
the schooner proposed that t b next
morning after breakfast, provided the
wind still headed us. that / should take
with me some bags, ostensibly for the
purpose of bringing off some Of the sharp,
beautiful coral sand, most capital material
for cleaning paint, and with one of the
boats, land on the island with a view in
reality of worming out from the islanders
any knowledge they might happen to
possess of blockade runners and their
movements.
Accordingly on Sunday morning, when
the people were mustered on deck, the
order was given to the crew of the port
quarter boat to be prepared to go on duty
at one bell. The sand bags and two or
three buckets were placed in the boat.
and so soon as the crew were piped down
to breakfast, / quietly slipped brace of
loaded revolvers into the locker under
the stern sheets, not knowing what might
occur in my intercourse with the wreck
ers, to make the weapons necessity. /
also placed in the stern sheets a sharp
Ratchet, as | had observed some dwarf
bushes growing on the island near where
proposed to land, and bad always been
possessed of perfect mania for cutting
md saving as curiosity, any unknown
wood | might fall in with any part of the
world. aT en
When the boats crew were piped away
observed that all three of our outlaws
we're among them. and as only Bill Bar
tow belonged TO the boat, inquired of
'e--'--i 'na---ra univ they were there /?
"Tom Oaks and Dennis Gratfan are
ick, sir, and we thought you'd please let
IS 60 in their places, replied Jack, in
ar more respectable manner than / had
yer known him to manifest before.
"Very well-yes; you can go in the
'oat," replied, scarcely giving "A thought
o what said ; and inside Of five min
ties our eigbt-oared boat was flashing
hrough the water towards the island.
Our commander had advised that we
hould not visit the town, but land mile
r so below it, directly opposite the
chooner, and there saunter about until
ie naturally prying propensities Of the
,landers should lead them out in our
irection, when communication might
g established without the least danger !
, ourselves.
/ accordingly landed on the beautifully
nooth, hard coral beach, and ordering
le men not to leave the boat on any ac-
punt whatever, | laid bold of my hatchet,
nd strolling over the first sand ridge, ! :,
egan backing and bewing at the first
lrubs | encountered, which were of a
ariety of wood l had never seen before. !,
was so thoroughly interested 10 my
ew samples of timber, that for quite :,
alf an hour thought little Of anything :,
se. Then began to wonder why b
one of the islanders had not made their g.
opearance, as certainly they must have II
)served our landing. q
Finally il occurred to me that it might b
,t be amiss TO look after my boat and Il
en-. did so, and found the boat readi>
enough-fung up by the surf several a
ct on the hard sand beach, broad side h
the water, and canted in on her bilge, D.
ith her keel towards the sea. 1o W
As for the men, they bad all "made W
acks." Wide apart the tracks were a,
D. The wet sand bore evidence con- It
,sive that every mothers son of them ~
d gone off up the beach in the diree- N,
N OF the shanty metropolis at Looping m
n. e,.-', s.;
My first thought was TO signalize the
looner aud obtain assistance to recover an
runaway crew. Bot the second was. ar
ley'lI laugh at me, and call me cow Il,
!" and then without any very definite in
"a of any kind, | set off up the beach to
a rate of speed that if the land and IN
breath only held out would soon bring W,
|, into Havana. As it was, my legs
N brought me to the city of Bimini, We