Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1869-10-12
BARTON,

tnaC; out got Wnat we call sup )
COUSIN which means feller what is
some near relative to the owner, but
don't know notLin' bout navigation
nor handlin, ship, and was to be my
skipper, while l was to be his sailin'
master and first mate. Them as likes
that ERE sort of place can take it
l didn't; but went and shipped as
mate on board the brig Huntress,
Captain Breed, bound for the river
Plate. We he'd fair winds and pleas
ant weather until we sighted the Cape
de Verdes, when it commenced squal-
ly and rough, with heavy rain storms,
contrary gales, and shifting breezes
all p'ints of the compass, until we got
six degrees south Of the equator.
"Off Cape St. Rogue we got the
trades and went bowling along into
the mouth of the Plate; but when we
got off Maldonado Pint it fell dead
calm, and as the ebb was runnin'
strong we down klllock and let her
null until we got breeze. We hadn't
been to anchor more'n four hours
when we seed white cloud comm
off the nothern shore, and it came so
fast that we furled the light sails and
clewed the other close. Perhaps you
won't believe me when | tell you it
was only great army of big white
butterflies, as long as my little finger
and covered all over with down.
Heaps Of 'em come aboard US, and
covered the decks fore and aft, and
they were so thick that we swept up
and hove overheard more'n three
bushels of EN-. About half an hour
afterward the butterflies was follered
by the darndest lot of devils darnin'-
needles you can think of. There
wasn't piece Of runnin' riggin' nor
a reef nettle that wasn't fringed with
them as thick as they could stow. By
and by We heard dreadful roaring
from the north shore, and seed the
water a clear feather white; then we
knowed the devil was to pay. Afore we
could git things sung the gale struck
Us, and capsized the Huntress as clean
as a whistle. The tide was about half
cob and runnin strong, and only five
on US got back to the brig. Afore we
could cut away her masts to right her,
we had taken in so much water that
she was a sinkin fast. We cut adrift
a spare topmaSt and took to that,
takin' care to get away from the brig
as soon as possible. Soon afterward
she went down head first, and we was
picked up by a guardy coasta which
carried US into Montevideo.
Talk about thunder and lightnin'
you never seed any, and never will
until you catch pampero in the river
Plate. l hev seed as many as four
different streaks of lightnin' at the same
time, and you could not hear yourself
speak for the thunder. | hev been in
| typhoons, levanterS, Hurricanes, and
all sorts of gales, but for spitefulness
there amt nothin' like pampero.
Captain Breed, the second mate, and
four of the crew was lost along with
the Huntress. | he'd fifty dollars in
gold in a belt round my waist, and
when we got to Montevido three on us
shipped by the run aboard an English
bark bound to Rio, where we arrived
forty days arterward. One night ]
was settin in a little out-ofthe-way
place | he'd diskivered, a drinkin' a
glass Of grog and smokin' my pipe
when strange sailor chap comes in
and arter lookin' around a bit, comes
to an anchor alongside of me, and says
quite off hand: 'Shipmate your erog
is out; fill up again at my expense
and let US take a fresh observation.
Aye, aye says |, with all my heart.
So We took several sniffers together
and Ill course Of time got to under
stand one another's bearin's. Artel
had spun him my yarn, he says tC
me:
How would you like go black
bird ketchin' 2
20 What's that?' says |.
"a Why, goin' TO the Guinea coas
for niggers, he answers right plump
and plain, for you see that sort OF
thing was all the 60 them days.
There is heavy merchants in Bos
ton now whose fathers got their fus
start that way. Amt it strange tina
what is right at one time is wron:
another?
~ What's the terms 2" axed him
a. One hundred dollars a mont
wages, and five dollars q head bount
for every niger that comes in alive
says he.
AZ am your man. l answers
straight, and you kin meet me her
tomorrow night at eight o'clock
"' Wall, says he, you told me yo
he'd two messmates in Rio, and if yo
kin git them to ship l will give yo
twenty-five dollars apiece bounty
a he'd no trouble in gettin' 'en
and we all went to Pernambuco. wher
we found the brig Cruiser, Captai
, Leonard, bound for the Guinea coas
on tradin' voyage. She was a larg
and handsome-lookin' craft, built i
! Spain, and a fast sailer. She carrie
! crew of sixty men and he'd six twelv
FOUNDER carronades-three on sid
and long twenty-four on pivc
; amidships. Forty days arter we lie
! Pernambuco, we he'd on board abor
five hundred likely niggers, and wa
! a-layin' our course for the Brazils wit
r all sail set. Things went along frs
e rate until the ninth day out, when th
h lookout aloft sung out, Sail no!
r "' Where away?' says the captain
h "Three p'ints off the weather bo,
n SIR answers the man.
: What does he look like i? axe
|, the skipper.
d "'She is large full.rigged bri
), standin' this way answers the loo
,, out.
# We was runnin' nearly ives
4, and he'd the breeze from the southea
# on our port quarter, while the stra
e ger was comm along with the wiz
e nearly abeam and torgin' through Il
e water hand over hand. In half an ho1
Is he warn't moren two mile from U
ir l noticed he kept fallin' off all Il