Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-07-04
Going to IL Chowdcr Party.

Going to Ch0Wucr rarity.
When a man has received sentence
of death, believe that he is thereafter
a dead man, in the eye of the law,
whether he be executed or not. The
lucky individual thus wipes off all his
debts but one, which he is not per-
mitted to discharge-gets rid, may be,
of troublesome wife, aud leaves his
children nominally fatherless. But
how is it with man who has been
drowned-positively defunct-and who,
but for the soiicitude and desperate
exertions of his friends, would have
. been at this moment in dreamless
sleep in Greenwood Cemetery? 1
contend that should enjoy all the
privileges of dead man. had no more
to do with my present existence than
when first was "sent into this breath
ing world" l was rolled and rubbed
and sailed into LITERALLY sailed
down for preservation. 1t was two to
one that never revived; but came to
SO, as IL waggish friend remarked, the
chances were even that, having been
drowned, / must have been born to
that fate, and therefore should escape
hanging. This was some small consola-
ton, certainly, amidst the manifold mis-
cries of the life to which | was brought
back; and another is, that, having in
measure been "born again born of
water and the spirit, for swallowed
large quantities of toth-I may stand
a chance of enjoying happy hereafter.
With this hope try to bear my fate
phllosophically, and have even paid
the expenses of the process by which l
languished into life"
The adventure l am about to relate
may not be uninteresting to others to
me it is marvellous reminiscence
1t was arranged by party of us, last
summer, that one day we Should hire
a sail boat, and go up the Sound to en-
Joy chowder party, and have a good
time generally. We were to take with
US all the necessary materials, catch
our own fish, and then cook em and
eat 'em.
1t was bright, beautiful morning in
the month of July, when the party,
consisting OF nine or ten persons, en-
parked in the Johany Austin on the
intended trip. The boat was something
between yacht and a small fishing
smack; and her somewhat limited pro.
portions, 1 confess, did not impress me
tavorably, inasmuch as the party was
large, and some OF them, partic ularly
the ex alderman's brother, were large.
sized individuals. However, my motto
always is :" Who's afraid ?" and with
some slight misgivings 1 stepped on
board, and we proceeded, with nice
gentle breeze, through He'll Gate. and
away down towards Oyster Bay. All
went very pleasantly. There was
slight ripple upon the bosom of the
water, and JoAnny glided through it
very gracefully, and promptly obeyed
the will of the steersman. Whether
1t were the saline propensities of the
sound. or the heat Of the sun, I know
not, but the party soon began to com
plain Of thirst, and there appeared to
be an extraordinary curiosity with re.
gard to the contents of the small ham.
per. Well, its depths were soon ex-
piored, and certainly there was no fear
OF our dying either from hunger or
thirst. odd Bourbon was a popular
drink, and the ex.alderman's brother
was not backward III showing us q good
example. If it is an enemy, who's
afraid 2 B" he would say, adopting nv
motto; and then he would courapeously
put 1t into his mouth, and with the
same Ao'cha!a"ee, too. with which Van
Amburgh places his head in the mouth
OF the lion. l need not say that his
example was universally followed: and
IN fact there seemed to be quite spirit
OF emulation created, so far at least as
swallowing the contents of the demi-
!ohn were concerned.
The hours passed away very pleas.
anty.:. What with chatting, smoking,
smiling and sailing, and now and
then taking bite these were the
only " bites we had, by the way, for
somehow we overlooked the particular
OBJECT OF the trip-we had an "im-
mense time, and at length some one
suggested that it might he advisable to
tack ship and steer towards the
city. As there were indications of the
WIND rising as the sun went down.
the suggestion was acted upon, and
about We went. The wind, how
ever, did not wait for the sun to dis
appear, but came down upon us in req.
ular Young Boreas style, creating a
nasty chopping sea, which sent the
soae dancing. to the threatened disor-
ganization of our internal arrange.
ments, entirely destroying our ap.
petltes, and rendering necessary fire.
quent applications to the brandy bot
tie.
Ihe sseersman. who had been hired
With the boat, was the only one un-
Affected; and fortunate for us that it
was SO, Tor the increased gale required
al the attention he could give to the
proper management Of the boat. I
say proper management :" but it
seemed to me that he was not exactly
a" (ait TO nautical matters, and that his