The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-01-13
yours as long as you will grace it with
your distinguished presence

| made the sembiance of withdrawing g
| from the guardroom.
Master Peleg Scudder smiled as he
thought of the half disnantled fort, the
two moldy brass cannons, cast in
Manila century previous, and the
shiftless garrison. a thought of accept
ing the commanders offer literally,
conceived in the reckless spirit of man
who never let slip an offer for trade, for
a moment filed his brain but timely
/ reflection of the commercial unlmportance
of the transaction checked him. He
only took a capacious quid of tobacco,
and the commander gravely drew settle
| before the fire, and, in honor of his
/ guest, united the black silk handkerchief
that bound his grizzled brow
What passed between Salvatierra and
his guest that night becomes me not, as
a grave chronicler of the silent points of
| history, to relate. I have said that Mas
/ ter Peleg Scudder was fluent talker,
and under the influence of divers strong
waters, furnished by his host, became
| still more loquacious. And think Of a
man chat has twenty years budget Of
| gossip. The commander learned, for
the first time, how Great Britain lost
her colonies; of the French revolution !;
| of the great Napoleon, whose achieve
ments, perhaps, Peleg colored more
highly than the commanders superior
would have liked. And when Peleg
| questioned, the commander WAS at his
mercy. He gradually made himself
master of the gossip of the Mission of
Preside the sssmall beer" chronicles of
that pastoral age the conversation of
! the bretheren, the Preside schools, and
even asked the commander how he lost
his eye. 1t is said that at this point of
the coversation Master Peleg produced
| from, about his person divers small
trinkets, knickshaws and new tangled
trifes, and even forced some of them
upon his host. It is further alleged
that under the malign influence of Pc
| leg and several glasses of aguardient
| the commander lost somewhat of his de-
corum, and behaved in a manner un-
seemingly for one in his position, recit-
ing high-fown Spanish poetry, and pi-
ping in a thin voice, divers nadrigals
and heathen canzonets Of ali amorous
complexion-chiefy in regard to 'littie
one" who was his commanders ''soul. !"
These allegations, perhaps unworthy
the notice of chronicler, should be
received with great caution, and are
introduced here as simple hearsay.
That the commander, however, took a
handkerchief, and attempted to show
his guest the mysteries of the sembi
cacus, capering in an agile but indeco-
rous manner about the apartment, has
been denied. Enough for the purpose
of this narrative, that at moonlight Pc
leg assisted his host to bed with many
professions of undying friendship, and
| then, as the gale had abated, took his
leave of the Presidio, and hurried aboard
the General Court. When then day
broke the ship was gone.
I knew not if Peleg kept his word
| with the host. It is said that the holy
fathers at the mission that night heard
loud chanting in the plaza, as of the
heathens singing psalms through their
noses; that for many days after an odor
of salt cod fish prevailed in the settle
ment: that dozen hard nutmegs, which
were unfit for spice or seeds were found
in the possession of the wife of the ba-
ker, and several bushel shoepegs, which
bore pleasing resemblance of oats, but
quite inadequate to the purpose of
provender, were discovered in the stable
of the blacksmith. But when the reader
reflects upon the sacredness of a Yankee
traders word, the stringent disciplene of
the Spanish port regulations, and the
proverbial indisposition of my country
men to impose upon the confidence of
simple couple, he will at once reject this
part of the story.
A roll of drums, ushering in the year
1897, awoke the commander. The sun
was shining brightly and the storm had
ceased. He sat up in bed, and through
the force of the habit, rubbed his left
eye. As the remembrance of the pre-
vious night came back to him, he jump
ed from his couch and ran to the win
dow. There was no ship in the bay. A
sudden thought seemed to strike him,
and he rubbed both his eyes. Not con-
tented with this he consulted the mirror
which hung beside his crucifx. There
was no mistake !; the commander had a
visible second eye-a right one-as good
save for the purpose of vision, as the
left
Whatever might have been the true
secret of the transformation, but one
opinion prevailed at San Carlos. 1t was
one of those rare miracles vouchsafed a
pious Catholic community as an evidence
to the heather, through the intercession
of the blessed San Carlos himself. That
their beloved commander, the tempora
defender OF. the faith, should be the re-
cipient of this miraculous manifestation
was most fit and seemly. The comman-
der himself was reticent he could not
tell falsehood-he dared not tell the
truth. After all, If the good folks of San
Carlos believed the power of his right
| eye was actually resorted, was it wise
and discrete for him to undeoeive them2
| For the first time in his life the COM
mander thought of policy-for the first