Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-09-29
THE BARGE-MAN OF THE LOIRE
TRANSLATED FOR THE APPEAL
FROM THE
FRENCH OF SOUYESTRE.

FROM THE
FRENCH OF iSOUPESTlRE
CONTINUED FROM LAST sunday
Why should you revenge them OF
! me, who was not then in the country
said he smiling. On my word of honor
only learned it many years later, when
the blues and s0hites had taken the fiints
from their muskets. Come then,
old man, fill my glass Talking is long
The fingers of Meru, which clasped the
, bottle, relaxed, and he filed meehani-
cRlly the fisherman's glass.
Entine, frightened by the burst OF an
ger Of her uncle, had approached the
table, she prevented the renewal OF the
conversation by laying the table-cloth
and announcing the DldtetOtes.
The three young barge men were not
slow In presenting themselves with their
dishes, in which the wine Of ADjOu set
fire to, emitted q yacillating fame.
They became extinguished on the table,
and the guests proceeded Immediately to
make an examination: the most OF them
gave it grave attention, and recon-
menced at intervals their comparisons.
The competitors, ranged behind them,
.f !
went from one guest to the other with q
sort Of inquietude. Leyin was the first
to give his decision.
Here is a diet, said he, in showing
the farthest off, that l would not wish to
serve TO dog, nor even TO q WATERFALL
if; Rs to this one, he indicated the
nearest, one would eat Of it as they would
drink the waterloo the Loire, in want of
| better, but for this middle one, / would
sell my soul to Beezlebub, If the scOun-
! drel still did business in this line.
! Well Judged cried several voices.
] 1t is Andres nldtelOte! said EHtine
| quickly, who blushed with pleasure.
And the one below there is the mill
| ler's, added Lezin in leering at Francois
/ am no longer RstOnished that he put so
much -four in it
I The young man made no reply, but his
/ face grew more sullen. In the mean
while the bsrge-men raised their glasses.
To the health Of the king Of mate
Tote mdkersl cried Lezin.
II.
The two boats arrived at Meilleraie toll
| erably late In the night, and we're mOored
side by side. Thanks to Entine: the vex-
alton Of Miro caused by the misadven-
ture Of his ftEtredls, had been Of short du-
ration. When Andre found him at the
inn, his brow was unclouded. The young
man made not the slightest allusion to
what had passed, and the old captain,
who appreciated his consideration, rem
dered him back by friendship what he
would have found difficult to repay in
thanks. ~ "a
Some other barks were already st Neil
leraie when they arrived there, the crews
who were acquainted, reassembled to
take the evening meal together, master
Jacques alone remained in the chdrrey-
0JlRe, supping according to his custom,
on some crusts of bread soaked in brandy,
that be carried with him.
Meru had found at the inn the good
man Soriel, the oldest member Of the
body of barge men, who in an old affair,
know not what advocate Of Nantes, |
bad commanded the NestOT Of the Loire |
His companions had taken the Home !
rian "Reminiscences of the man of law for |
3 physiOgnomical nickname, and had |
modified it unknowingly in trivislly call !
ing him twitched-nOse (NezfOrt.) The !
old captain had long ceased to navigate, /
and it vas merely an accident that he /
was then conducting the boat Of one Of 1
his grand-sons laid up with sickness.
He and Miru had known each other
during the Vendesn war, and both re-
membered that their last meeting had |
been near the same place, where they
found themselves at that moment.
DO you Tecoliect, my poor childS
said Soriel, who 10 his quality Of one
ninety years old, gave this name to all
who had not reached his sge; it was the
day of the dispersion Of the great army
Do you remember all those miserable 4
wretches crowded on the bank, and cry
r.g = - ~ q
to the other side . There were at least
forty Thousand; and for all there we're
but eight barks!
Yes, replied MiTu; and then to see
the women run when the boat ap-
preached; it is for my wounded hus-
bond; my poor father, for my son, for
poor young man The dear creatures
thought of all but themselves. ..a.
All, that was a great day, resumed
SOriel: l never recall ii, do you know,
my child, without q trem bling in the
marrow Of my bones. 1t was then / saw
NJ. de BOnChsmp on the point of death.
The sanity man was so feeble, that no
one expected him to speak again. He
made signs, however, for the priest who
wss in attendance, to approach 30 as to
hear him, and the others asked what he
had said to him; the priest always re-
piled the same thing: Do not kin the
prisoners.
The blues nevertheless killed ours,
Miru with bitterness.
As we did theirs, replied the old man.
In those days no one attached value to
the life Of another man, and it was
great miracle that they valued their own,
for, God only knows what difficulty they
had in preserving them! When one had
escaped the guillOtine or the shot, 1t was
necessary to be saved from famine, and
this was not an incOnsiderate thing.
Even for US the Loire had become q field
)f battle; here were gunners who sent US
bullets under pretext, that we aided the
UkiteS there, were the royAlists, who
fred on Us from behind the willows
lnder the preteXt that we carried pro- |
visions to the blues. Thus no more barks
we're on the river, and the barge-men |
asked aims, unless they went to engage /
Themselves TO Carrier.
To become dr01UHerO! cried Miru.
Yes, yes, / knew there have been some !
n the marine who have made a burial ,
yrOund Of the Loire; but, as true as ] I
nave been baptised, if ever encounter
me such | will revenge, on him, with {
ny own hand, the innocent ones he has
murdered. II
Z
eeted SOriel, seeing that we others, the I
rood barge-men, have long ago forced
hem to disem bark, and that not one Of ]
hem would dare to appear In bark un ]
Ter penalty, as they said in other times, '
" inhabitiBg the Chateau d'Au o., but I
II least this was terrible time Of an Z
,uish for every one, and the wisest thing
low, is to think no more about it. /
The captain Of the White Flag was
,ot Of the same mind. He had gone s
through the dreadful struggle Of SO with I
he force and animation of youth; so
hat this trial was connected in his mind r
With the epoch in which he had stood L
lie test He recalled furthermore his q
esolution in battle, his courage during i
etreat. his presence of mind before the
which threatened to arrest
i'm, his contentment on crossing his n
pother's threshold without wounds, and a
he white cOcade stitched on the lining
Z his coat. The remembrance of each h
niserv was linked with the memory of a
1ccess or Of q jey; these few months of s.
had only, so to speak, estab- ii
he'd what be was capable Of perform /,
1e. and what he was worth. Thus he q
poke Of il with heat, which, unknown n
) him, was more than all else, the ex- b
OF q satisfied vanity.
As the bsrge-men interested them Il
elves indifferently in this debate, they Al
uit the table one by one, and Andre n
imselE seeing that Entine hsd disAp- /,
cared, decided 10 return to his boat. v
When he arrived there master Jacques Il
ras already asleep with the rest Of the 4
rev OF the chdTTeyOnHe. O,
The young captain, whose blood was n
} eommotioD, and head on fire, did not n
esire to join them. He enveloped him
III in his gOatskin cape and promensded
o the tarpsulin, which covered the q
eight by way Of deck. The cold was b
ting and the night overcast. A few q
.ars feebly lightened the opening. The v
rizzling rain was making the willows
ep.and crept over the Loire, which was +.
sppled here and there under the faint =
alright. II seemed TO Andre that the .,
-aters had swollen, and slight clank- =;
,g seemed TO reach his ears by intervals, =,
- l.. tr,h lfffla rnntfaa Of II his mind ! q