The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-05-30
Peg-Legged Bob.

Win call OF Dugle, anu DeaC OF Inc urum,
Honor to pay to our martyrs all.
Peg-Legged Bob.
Yes, sir, Pm what you call a sub-a sub
contractor under Mr.. Tracy. Me and my
wife, Sal, and Bob, the curly-haired dog, are
pretty well known up and down wherever
there's a bit of excavating going on. But as
for sending me letter, don't hardly know
where to tell you to direct it. You might
hear of me at the Three Pigeons, Stonycross,
Brummagem, if I happened to be out of
work, which amt often. Last time I was
wrote to, was Providence Terrace, Banktop
Cutting Killarney, Ireland, and the postman
broke his leg trying to get it to me. So per-
haps you'd better not write but if you should
want to send me any money just you hand il
over to Mr.. Tracey's office in Great Parlia-
ment Street, and tell 'em it's for Peg-legged
Bob. / shall get it all right some times or
other. As to how got the name, why that's
pretty obvious, should think, looking at
these timber toes of mine. 1t wasn't gave me
bv my godfathers and godmother, but you
may say that was chrstened by four hum
bred tons OF rock and rubbidge as tumbled
right on top of me.
This was how it happened. Me and y
hiatt u Iuluc WdS WOThillS III d UuUty gang
on one of Mr.. Tracey's lines. 1t was in the
old mans time, Yes, he was very decent
fellow, old Tracey There was a kind of a go
about him, as made you like TO work for him,
even if so be as you didn't make much out of
it, And he was precious near Not himself,
you know, so much, as the man that was I'M
der him; but bless you, he picked 'em out
just for that, else he was free-handed fort,
if you took him on the right side, and he'd
never see you ruinated through any of his
jobs, if you stuck to 'em plucky. Not but
what perhaps there was bit of policy about
that, too, for you see you'd cut things bit
closer, knowing as if they turned out uncom-
mon cross, old Tracy'ud ease you off some
trife.
was able-bodied young chap when it
happened, and could do days work with
any body. was butty of the gang, and we'd
took about a thousand yards of rock and rub
bidgd to drive q cutting through, anu was
getting on very well with it, too. We was
making three pounds week, every man in
the gang, for it had turned out very dummy
piece; only perhaps we was in to much of
hurry, and used our powder little too free.
1t was in Staffordshire county, sort of red
sand and rock, we had to cut through, soft
kind of stone as come away in great chunks
like slices of pudding. We'd cut away at
both ends of our piece and had left a big lump
sticking up in the middle, and we'd made up
our minds to give him jolly good shaking,
with twenty pounds of powder drove twenty
feet into the rock. Me and my chum, car
rotty Sam we called him then, had agreed to
lamp the hole and fire the shot. We'd just
rammed in the charge, and Sam had got
lump of clay in his hand to slap into the hole
when of a sudden l heard sort of fizzling
noise under my feet, and ID and behold, I'd
struck out spark with my hob-nailed boots,
and the powder as we'd scattered here and
there had taken the spark, and the fame was
running all about Ike wildfire. ''Run SAM"
says I and we started off for our lives. There
was chance you see that the charge would
MT catch, or that if it catched it would blow
without bringing the rock down upon us.
But there was no such luck, heard gruff
sort of bang behind me, the ground wobbled
about under my feet, and down 1 went,
tnmbing over my mate, all in darkness like.
There was just minute when felt as if
was fireworks. and turning into all kinds Of
lights, then felt one twist of the dreadful
pain. After that don't remember aught till
/ come to myself in sort of d dream, as it
might be the nightmare. Not that l could
make out where was or nothing, only was
feeling Bladder than I've got wards to tell
you.
When did come to myself sufficient to
know where were, l didn't feel any better.
l was buried alive, sure enough, and l felt
bad all over, 1 can tell you. Then 1 moved
pit with my arm and felt something soft
alongside me, that groaned as touched it.
~Sam," says I, III ,gruff, kind of way:
man." says l. "Good by, Bob," says he.
And after that we lay quite still without
speaking. How time passed I didn't know,
but felt getting colder and colder, and the
feeling went out Of me, SO as didn't feel no
more pain, and my head was clear; and 1
thought, aye, / thought deal o'things.
Then spoke to Sam again, and he never
answered; and I spoke again, but not sound
have my groan out. And / cried out; alb you
wouldn't have thought there was strength
enou' in me TO have sung out as 1 did.
And when I'd had my cry out, now, thinks
/, it's all over, and l may give up the ghost.
Then 1 heard another cry, as seemed as if it
came out of the bowels of the earth, and at
ter that there was sound Of picks and spade.
Next thing I hears voice, .'Boby' quite
We alive yet?" "Aye,' says he, twas that
you as shreked just now?'' 'Aye," says l,
a little bit nettled as Sam should have heard
me. "But keep up, mate,'' says l, "here's
help a-coming." And presently there came
a shine of light and somebody sings out,
"Here they arew
''Ah, but we'd precious bad time of it too
after they found us. A great stone had
tumbled on our legs and smashed 'em dread
full, one of mine and one of Sans, his lett
leg and my right. The stones had collapsed
together like, so as we warn't killed outright
but they'd been digging for us the wrong way
and would never have got us out alive, if it
hadn't been for that shout give,a thought
was my last. The doctors whipped our legs.
off fast enou' after they got us out, and then
/ lay ON my back, in bit of bothie along
side the cutting, for months and months.
And there it was l made acquaintance with
Sal, who was Sans sister, and come to nurse
him, and she looked after me, too, ifirst-rate.
Only never thought about getting welded
then, being, as l was, very down in the
mouth, wondering what was to become of
me through having lost my leg.
Howsoever, Mr.. Tracy, he came down one
day to see how his chaps was getting on, and
he coined into the hut to have a look at me
and Sam, 'Well. lads,' he saws. show are
you by this timer" GAN right, governor"
says. what there's left of US, says 1; "tbe
uoctors took so much of us away, they'd |
oug9t to have Joined me and Sam together. as
cy, ne laughed and said, ''Well, Bob,'' saws
ne, You allus had wooden head, and now
you'll be head and foot all alike" saws bo
Well knowed by the old gent being So
cheerful as there was something more behind.
and, says he to man outside "Tom, bring
in them timbersv' and 10 and behold there
was pair of wooden legs he'd brought from
London; very neat-looking things they was,
too, with brass rims round the hoofs of 'em.
and vanished beautiful. 1t seemed as the
man as made them was proud of them, for
there was burnt into the wood, right in the
middle, of each of the legs, the initials of his
name, Z. l.. B., meaning Philip Lee Bow,
Mr.. Tracy told me. But one of my mates, as
was bit OF ascholar, coming in by m by, he
takes up my leg, and says he, Up. L. B.,
what does tnat mean? Why, Peg-legged
Bob, says ne, and that name stuck to me
ever since.