Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-12-26

Tor giving Dick short shift but the colo
mel thought they might obtain important
information from him, and. tightly bound,
he was laid on tho lower deck Cf the boat
which was now steered across the river,
and Tho men commenced loading the cot
ton bales. Soon they formed wall about
the boat, till nothing but the pilot house
and smoke stacks lowered above them,
and but one entrance was left in front 10
the engines and to the stairs leading
above.
At this entrance Dick lay, under the
sur veillance Of the eDgineer-a powerful
mulatto with deep scar IN his forehead,
and whom The colonel addressed as pluto.
The work Of loading completed, the
colonel invited the squad OF white men
TO go with him to his house and hunt for
some fine Old Jamaica rum stored In the
cellar. He gave the negroes orders not
10 90 iar from the boat, and to be ready,
as soon as they heard the pilot bell, to
spring TO their work. From this Dick
understood that the colonel would guide
the boat himself. He was hardly out Of
sight when the negroes scattered in diff
ferenl directions, or rolled themselves up
to sleep. Poulius Plate was the last to
leave The boat, STOPPING down and care
fully examining Dicks tssteniogs before
doing so. and even adding coil OF rope
90 tAat there was no chance of escape.
4 few minutes later there was a slight
noise behind him, and a lank form. sur
mounted By limp bonnet, emerged from
the cotton and glded up stairs. Polly
Pharaoh, he cried, he'll me to untie these
knots But there was no answer
\ few minutes passed, and the pilot
bell rang out The signal, and the negroes
came sculing on board, and yet Dick
had not seen The colonel nor any OF his
band return, and be doubted if, in the
depths OF his cellar, they could have heard
the bell. Portius Plate took hi3 sland
by The engines. crammed the furnace
with wood, and added several pieces OF
side meat from pile of bacon which had
been placed beside him. Another ting,
tin- of The bell, and the boat moved off,
turned around aud foated down the river.
Morning dawned rs it reached the mouth
Of the white. The men evidently expect.
cd she would turn into it, but instead, she
kept her course, with ever acCelerallng
speed, straight in tho middle OF the cur
rent. Dc colonel done los his senses or
else him powerful drunk granted Por-
lius Plate. 'Hoah, you Polio Belvidere.
jes run up stars an Ak him if dar amt
some mistake about dis heah' Apollo
obeyed. and returned TO say the cabin
door was locked. and he done couldn't
make nobody heah spects dey's playin'
faro an drinkin' deyselyes drunk
On Shot the boat; and now the town OF
Napoleon and fleet OF gun-5oats, with
the Union flag streaming above them,
appeared in view. Bust open the cabin
do'r shouted Pontius Plate. Tote out
dc colonel | can swim straight as q sand
hill Gran can fly, an' I'll tow him ober to
de odder side ob DC ribber. Too late To
/ sabe de boat De lanks see her now,
/ an' dey u be arter her like flock Oh tur-
/ key-buzz1rJs in less'n q minute
Back tum5led the negroes. Nobody
up stars nowhar. Spects de ghosts done
steered US down heah or dc debbil MS
own self. De Yanks is bound to get dc
colonel's cotton anyhow
No dey don't" yelled Pontius Plate
and, opening the furnace doors he rakec
out their contents, scattering The ire OF
the piles OF bacon, and llinging the
lighted pieces about the iulammablC
cotton y magnificent lire god OF The
underworld, he justified his name o
Pluto. Without word the other negroe:
sprang into the water. PonIius Plate
cutting some of the ropes which bounC
Dick, and saying as he did so, Pull foot
Yank; dc ode boat'll blszo up like corr
shucks, an don't want to send nobody
down TO Satan's steamboat leaped aite
them.
Polly Polly Pharaobn = shrieked Dick
but the names roared up the staircase Il:
though it were chimney. Itwould have
been impossible for mortal being to have
come down, even could his cry have beer
heard; and almost too late-ior the lir'
had caught his own clothes-he left tn,
doomed boat.
The Union soldiers who rescued him
said that as the boat rounded the poin
and came in sight OF the town, a sigma
was displayed from the pilot house.
reddish flag.
There it is now.' they said, pointing
TO the sunken boat. From the slendel
flagstaff on its charred sumit, hoated al
oddly shaped pink calico pennon; il
tapped hard with the wind, tugged al
the string which bound it to the staff
broke il, iluttered away into the river.
And where was Polly Pharaoh? The
wild chant of las. night came to Dick!
mind. She had not let 60 her grab ot
de Wheel Had she indeed heard 'deu
hebben bells a-ringin'?' The great pa
thetic eyes would never look up 10 him
soain from The DEPTHS of the pink calico