The Shasta courier., 1865-06-03
A SAILING MATCR.5

" say, Bob, spin Us that yarn about the
half Spanish sailing match down on The
South Side there-will ye p
Why, yes. 30 don't mind-if 50 bC
| the port siders here this eveniu'd like to heal
it though it's only bit Of short splice
and I've spun it about seven times aboarC
here already.'
" Never mind, Bob, twist her off again
Comm from your reel, it'll be good twent.
| times spun"
+" Ba-aa-o. that's soap, Jack But, an,
way. stand by, shipmates:
! " We'd been lynn away out in the Roads
at Fort Cassilda for about ten days. in th,
| Preble sloop owar, Captain Breese, when
| one day some OF our officers and two or three
! gentlemen Up in Trinidad got up sort Of
/ pleasure and tishin' and turtlin' boat eXcur
| sion up the coast. inside them beautiful white
sheled beach islands, what We sees when
/ yer runnin along down th coast Of Cuba
from Cape Cruz to Trinidad-I believe the
Spaniards call 'em 'et cayns dos secenta lea
goS, which IN our lingo you must Know,
means the sixty league keys.
Wen, ye ee, we gets off all shipshape-
the sloop's first and second cutters, with a
dozen or so of our gun-ro m dlers. and four
or five middies; the American Consul and
his family | s'pose about twenty ladies
and gentlemen, mostly Americans from
| Trnilad and our two boats under the
command Of Ariel Arndt 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 IL
match for.
Then there were two boats belongin' to
the captain of that port, full of Spanish
officers, and dons, and donnas, and two
priests and altogether, lads, l. was CAV
boatin' party.
We went bout forty miles up the passage,
in among the islands, and had a jolly time
catching fish and turtles and campin' out
livin on turtle soup and chowders drinkn'
/ lime punch and ujat0, and plenty Of guitar
| tink'in' and fandangoes, and about half the
| young gentlemen and ScnoraS courtin' and
maxim love.
Bout an hour after we'd got under way
homeward bound. the CAPTAIN Of the port
havin' a G ! cir PIN American built boat
challenged Mr.. Arndt to sailing match
Now, you see shlpmates, ou cutter wan
built for fast sailin' craft besides we haC
slowed down in the bottom of 'em all on
huntn, and fishin' gear. and stun-sails. tha
we'd used for tents so the cutters were to-
deep to sail much. But Mr. Arndt accepted
the challenge, and after we'd put aboard the
second cutter some OF our hamper, and half
dozen of the people, we headed down passag,
dead before the wind-and off we went.
The Spanish boat was lateen rio, and n,
the breeze was light, and mostly aloft, we
with our wide headed spritsails. hadthe advan
tage that way and after we'd been racine
about two leagues, we found it Just deat
match. Neither boat could outsail the otbe
a single inch
So every body laughed and got merry
and the two boats sheered alongside of eacl
other, and lashed together and all hand
fell to drinking wine and lime punch, ant
spinnln yarns and gettin' happy generally
Alter while, Lieutenant Arndt got t,
leaning over the gunwale of the cutter. anC
whispern' with Donna Florennna SAINT,
Marcus who was sittin' in the sternsheets o
the Spanish boat. Then. after about half ar
hour the sonora had a VIII sper with one o
the padres seated close to her, and the lieu
tenant bad another word with the consul
and after that, they all talked and bobbed
and nodded together for fifteen minutes.
The next thing they does. Lieutenant
! Arndt reached over and took the senora',
hand. and the consul bent on his iawin' gear
and | II be blowed, shipnates, if he ddn
spice our lieutenant as hard and fas. as ever a
couple got married aShorel When the con.
/ sui had run his reel off, the old padre le5 out
his Spanish lingo. and laid in the Catholic
strands If the splice Then everybody hur
rahed and rirded. and kissed the bride and
shook hands with the lieutenant +; aud the
consul said our young luff had captured the
| richest, handsomest angelest sonora there
Was in Trinidad de Cuba.
That's whatI calls regular sailia' match,
! shipmates y