New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-05-07
WHO WAS REe
An uurevenled Mystery of the

An UDrevenIed Mystery oil the ocean.
at were in the Vicksburg l ware, - said
the old sailor; New Orleans packet, alon e
with Captain Berry, and we left the foot of
Pine street, New York, about eleven o'clock
of mornin'. II were in the summer time,
when nobody much don't be a-goin' to the
South, and the only passenger we had were
tall chap about middle age, as come down
list az the ship we're a-haulin' ont, and at
once slowed h;eself away into the cabin.
and wern't eeed by anybody except the
steward TIL arter we'd been four-an' twenty
hours to sea. All the baggage he had were
a black leather bag, brand new; but he had
his ticket ali right for fust cabin passage,
and it were dated, go the steward said, on
the dav we lett. az ii he'd come right down 70
the office, bought his ticket and iist come
right aboard. Id been shipmate with the
steward in two or three ships, and so had got
to chimin' in with him in the way of yarnin'
and manarlins. and that's how l come to
know more about this chap than l would.
cause in two or three days his queer ways
got to be remarked by the old man and
them as was att. One thing were, no man
could git word out of him in the way of
talk; not that he was dumb, cause he
could speak if he would, but he list
wouldn't. The old man were very So
ciable old chap, much given to CAB, and he
were clean beat with this chap. ard after
tryin' him onto all tacks. he jist give him
up as bad JOB, and couldn't get nOthin'
out of hir. He'd come 10 the table and
git his grub, but not word would he say
from one end OF the meal to the other.
Then another queer thing. Jist so soon as
it come dark, this here chap would come on
deck, and under no circum stances would
he stay below for any great length Of time
all through the night. In rainy
weather he'd dodge under the break
of the poop. or anywheres where ne could
find shelter; out until the morning come he
would not go to bed, and even in the day.
time the steward said he didn't seem for to
sleep much. That there chap says the
steward, has got something onto his mind
as l wouldn't have for million of money.
1t amt easy Tor to go into his room without
wakin' him, but sometimes | enters very
softly, and then wakes him, and it's awful
to see the start he'll Civ atore be comes to
be wide awake, and the sweat Just stands
ont unto him like great wax beads. He
amt a bad sort, nuther, says the steward;
he Civ me five dollar gold piece the fust
day he come aboard, and here's a couple
more quarter eagles as he's Civ me since.
When I've walked him up, "Did say any
thin says ne, s'this mornin!' mo, sir"
says l. "H Ido," says he, don't mind it:
it's notbin'; l amt just well, and have bad
dreams;' and he gives this two-and-a-half
piece
We'll, sir, l mind that passage for the
fact that we come nigh onto being cast away
onto the Hole in the Wall"
You know, sir, that are rock on the
northeast pint OF Abaco, that you has to
pass enterin' in twixt Abaco and the
Bahama banks, to go through the Prov.
dence channel, and there are a lighthouse
)nto the Hole in the Walr-the rock has
got hole through it which gives it it's
them times that were the ONLY
lighthouse till you got down to the Double
Headed Shot Kayss, on Salt Kay bank. I.a
better now adays, cause there's light onto
stump Kay, and onto Orange Kay, and onto
he Isaacs, which are little islets at the
western end OF Providence channel, at the
O1ner like, where you turn round to run
he Cult down, and in sailing vessel. Won
ee, sir. this here were very tick!ish navl.
,atioD. cause if you kept on too far to the |
you got out into the gulf, and |
vas liable for to be drifted up north of |
oac0 again, ana nave to come round by |
he Hole IN the W'al,' again, and if Won
urned the corner at the Issacs too soon. |
0u was liable to fetch up against the curb. |
tone. 1t were shame that this here place |
weren't lighted up long ago, brt you see Il |
'ere all English grounds, and they didn't |
7ant it lighted cause the Nassau wreckers
lade living out of the wrecks that were
aused by It's no5 being lighted, and there |
'ere no British chips as went that way. |
be Gulf of Mexico went down son,h W
uba, aud it were only the Yankee coasters
8 used this passage, and it were the ch;af
Import Of Nassau them times that these
'ankee ships should be wrscked. And
tracked they was. every wear. enouoh If
em for to pay for all the lights thar vss
eeded, for doesn': know more dancsr'