Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-27


TO work. The decks were all lumbere,
up with boxes and bundles, and it wa
little we could do towards making thing
look little ship-shape. The rest of tn
crew came down about nightfalI, som,
OF them pretty crank along of the run
they had in them, and what, between
the negroes in the hold and the GrunkeI
sWsbs in the forecastle, we didn't ex
pect much sleep.
And it's well enough we didn't, fol
about O'Clock, or half-p&st, q tug cam,
aloogside Of US and made fast, and started
up the river past the town, round, a.
my chum said, to Spanish river. Wher
We got down the Spanish river just above
the fort st the head OF the bay, we came
10 anchor, and the tug left Us. AS sOoI
as she was clear OF Us, the second mRts
turned the hands up and had the darkies
| dunnage slowed along the rail on both
sides, like hammOeks in s man-of-wsr.
| and after seeing all clear to make sail al
minutes notice, the hands, exc spt an
anchor watch, were told to go below.
In the morning when we turned out
We had chance to take a look at our
shipmates. The captain was not Dad
locking chap; plenty Of life in him, and
oot afraid TO look msu in the face when
he gave an order. The mate and the
second dicbey were big, strspping fel-
loWs-gOod nstured enough as long as
nobody crossed them, but looked like
men who wouldn't stand fOOIishness
rom any body. a square-bullt, red nose
fellow, Nova ScotiAn, take It, was =
kind Of acting bosom. the captain and
mates were American born, so I found
0ut afterwards, but talked TO each other
in some kind of lingo-sounded like
Spanish or PoFtGguese-sO the crew sRd
farkies wouldn't get the run Of what
they said. There were eight mep, all
told, foT'ard, and they seemed to know
their work and appeared like pretty de-
cent fellows. So my chum and kept
ourselves pretty much to ourselves and
tidn't mix with them, though we kept
a sharp lookout on sll that went on
around decks. the steward gave US
breakfast about seven bella, and from
the mess pans we could see that grub
wasn't scarce anyway. The "dOctorn -
vas white cbap-a foreigner like fell
low, and he and the steward hSd some
long pow-wows IN the pantry. don't
know whether they knew where the
vessel was bound or not; 1t didn't strike
me then, but afterwards, when l came
70 look at it, thought they knew ali
about it.
The passengers" were fed by whole
sale, in deck-buckets. They gave them
plenty to eat, such as It was, but it took
many tab-full Of skilly to I'LL that lot
up. They stood up to the rack and eat
as long as they could crsm 8 spoonful in
aud then rolled over on deck for q snOOze,
and between eating and sleeping passed
the day very nicely. They seemed to be
most all from the plsntatlou-slmost as
as some I had seen
Drought on board ia canoes from the
on the Guinea coast. They
talked about the big things they would
do when they got to Texss-how sorry
they were that Joe, OF jim, or Becky, or
Sally, had not come along. Good job,
guess, that they didn't come along.
About four O'Clock in the afternoon q
small boat pulled alongside and long
haired man, with high hat, came aboard
and dived iRto the cabin and had talk
with our captain. In few minutes the
captain and the lOng-haiFed chap came
ln deck, and as the new conner stepped
ntO the boat, the skipper called the mate
and gave some orders in the same lingo
hat they always used when talking TO
Zach other.
me mate come for'ard and bad the
lsEssr led out ready 90 give TO the tug
which he said was to take Us in tow
Lbout l0j)'clock. This osgtsin stayed on
iack, and seemed to be uneasy, and kept 4
. sharp lookout towards the town. AS .
he sun was going down, be went iUtO
he cabin and sent for the mate. The
nate didn't stop long below, but come /
N deck and called the men aft 20 set the /
watches. Tommy and 1 fell into the
sptain's watch, and after the hands had
II been told off, We went into ths fora
sstle, but diIn't turn in because we
hougat the tug would be alongside be-
ore II O'Clock. Sure enough, about 10
hs tug, q little propeller, came putting
longside, hitched on 10 US, ana stood
own the bay. At I2 o'clock my watch
ONE OF deck, but there was nothing to
%, and Tommy and had 8 smoke and
talk on the break of The foFecsstle until
ear O'Clock, when / saw we were
breast of the Fort at the mouth of the
ay.
Eight bells struck ss we passed the
ghthOuse on Sand Island. There was
fresh breeze from the north 'ard-and-
sst'ard, and when the starbosrd watch
sme on deck, the tug cast rs of, sail Wss
lads on the schooner, and our watch
rent below. Up to this every body had
cen so busy that there was no time for
slsver, and Tommy and were too tired
, think Of It now that We had q chance
, sleep, so we we're soon in our hunks,
slling it off st the rate Of ten knots an
our. We were reused out again at sew
l-beils, ard took our breakfast and
lrned TO. It was my fret wheel, and
he
SOU -soth-east" The wind was almost
ir, and boWIed US along on sn even
eel at about five or six knots. Now
lst we were outside, everything went
eng smooth enough, only there wss
othing to do. Generally speaking,
.ese schooner masters can cut ouE {
lough work in one day to last a crew
Venty, but our chap didn't seem to have l
~ sails to mend, or old gear to over !
aul, or anything Of that sort, so sill we
,d TO do was to stand trick at the 9
heel, smoke 8 pipe, and listen TO the 8
.rkies sing hymns; and they did sing
Tmns as though the devil himself was {
ming over the stern, until the wind I
,uled and blew q little fresher, and {
ade nice bit of q sea, and then they |
,ened their mouths for quite another :
nd of music. I'VE seen SICK niggers, 2
it that hundred and fifty were sicker {
an ever thought five hundred could q
/. A rain -squail drove them below, o
ID of all the messes that Wss ever seen, q
9 hold Of that Schooner topped them v
!. The smell nearly drove US out of
e forecsstle, and you know what an old v
ell. back can stand. was sorry for G
EN-, but that was al the good it done. II
The day passed of; night came on 0
th dirty, puffy weather and the officer a
the deck shortened sail little in the O
It dog-WRtch. At u O'Clock, the first q
enty-four hours out OF Mobile Bay, Ic
went On deck sgain; Tommy Lit his =
De for smoke, and went aft to re- q
We the wheel as l walked along q
idships l saw the mate and second
ste standing by the door OF the COM u
niou-wsy talking. They spoke IN 10
lglish this. time, and as passed them IL
} mate said that it was id hard to W
We to come TO sea short-hsnded on 10
nture like this. l did not hear what 81
} seeond-ma answered, but what / t1
d heard put me to thinking, and, tell n
q, "black- -birdsn few across my mind %
Ain. The vessel wss better manned 70
IA ever had seen 8 schooner before, a
! what the mate meant by short 3
nded was more than could fathom. th
Q course was still about the same, o.
ou' southeast" but whether this was n
course to Galveston or not couldn't %
|, Two of the other fellows in my Is
tch couldn't steer, so Tommy took Oh
wheel from ms, and had no chance 81