River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-03


pared to obey his orders and treat him as
the captain of the ship.
Finally the old man concluded for to
send the second mate and four men on
board OF the Fairy Queen, and on the
call for volunteers as one as stepped
for ard You see had been ship-mates
with Billy Edwards, and know'd he were
good man | also considered that she
were my ship, Ihavin been shipped into
her afore Billy where, and so me and
three other chaps went along with the
second mate, takin' our bags and ham,
mocks aboard the Fairy Queen.
s'The young woman what were aboard
here with Billy were the daughter of a
rich old buffer as had took passage in the
ship and had slipped his wind along with
the rest Of EN-, and our old man offered
her a passage in the Westmorland if so
be as how she wanted for to quit the
Fairy Queen, but Billy Edwards were a
fine lookin' chap and she and him had
been alone together for about weeh
afore we fell in with 'emsand she had got
to KNOWN and trustin' him, and so she
said she'd stay where she were, in which
she were right, for no one could have
treated her with more respect or took
better care OF her than Billy Edwards
did. The ship had two cabins, and the
after one were Civ up entirely to her use,
Billy never goin' near it and, of course,
never allowin' anybody else for to do so.
carter the boat got back on board the
Westmoreland she filled away and pro-
ceeded, all hands givin us three cheers,
which we returned. TEN we turned to
and set the courses, jib and spanker, and
turned two reefs out of each topsail, set
TIM the togallant sails over EN-, and
was soon q iumpin' along arter our old
ship and goin' as fast as she were.
sBilly spun us the yarn of his trip arter
cot all to rights, ma in lind o. free
with us on account of KNOWN some of
us before. He said: when we left New
Orleans there ere t. enty of us afore the
mast, the skipper, tso mates, carpen-
ter, cook and steward and three passen-
gers, this Mr.. Hammond and his daugh-
ter, and cotton broker of the name of
Williams. The sickness broke out aft,
this passenger Williams bein' too fust
and Own the DAY we left the bar. The
disease must have been In the ship, as
Understands she had nearly everybody die
aboard of her the p evious year; tor afore
the next night there were six new cases,
the old man and steward being among
EN-. The wind were extremely light
from southeast, and we were maxim
scarce any way, and In three days so
many of us was dead and sick that the
mate had to put the ship under short
tbar lpft ha
of us left for to handle her canvass. He
thought some of tryin' to go back, but he
know'd if we could git down into the
trades we'd git better. while to go back
would be running into the disease.
"'On the fifth day out the wind shifted
to the north ard, and all of us that was
left-and there was but four-managed
TO lend the matea hand to square the
wards. That night mate and this
poor girls father was taken down, and III
less than twenty-four hours arter that
were left alone in charge, with only two
men left and they both sick. Next day
| made the Tortue as, and the wind
comm out fresh from east no'theast,
list backed the head yard and let it drift,
expectn' that / should be the next one
took down. NV two last shipmates
shipped their winds two days afterwards,
we bein then in sight of the Double
Headed Shot Rays and me and the poor
young woman was left alone. We was
both we'll, however, and / cheered her
up by teEin' her that the danger of our
taken the disease were past since VS.
struck the trades and as We was right in
the track Of ships goin both ways, there
wern't no doubt but that we'd soon git
assistance and | got her out to hold a
turn and by taken the braces to the cap
stain, | got the ship weared round and
headed to the north ard, keepin' the head
yards aback so as she shouldn't go ahead
none, but ilst drift with the current
+" 4 took my regular sleep, lashin' the
wheel and KEEP awake in the daytime a
lookin for vessels. | seen several, but
they was too far off to take anv notice OF
us, an in four days more we had drifted
north of Maternilla reef, | wearin' her
around once in while for to keep her in
the middle of the passages. Then l took
breeze from the north ard and / thought
the best thing l could do were to stick
her to the BASTARD and let her go, and |
done so. I'd got Kind OF used to bein'
alone aboard Of her and found | could
take care of her, even if | didn't git help,
and so | resolved for to do my best for to
save the ship and cargo and the life of
this young woman, who | must say has
behaved like a trump all the way
through
g faint no use maxim long story of
it, sir; US SIX was able for to take care of
the ship. always reducin' sail In time
when it were comm ON to blow, and in
due time we got in with the coast of Ire
land, passed Tuskar, went boomin' up the
Channel, past Hollyhead and the Skeri'ies,
took pilot off Lynas and tug off the
noi'west hghtship, and towed safely into
the river.
''The affair got into the newspapers
there and made a big sensation, and Billy
Edwards was made quite lion of for the
way he had acted towards this young wo-
man. This here were very pleasin to
him, but it weren't half 50 pleasin' as it
were to have the young woman herself
cause Billy were SO bashful he never
wouldn't have done it-insinuate as she
were so pleased with navigatln' as she
should like for to have him take charge
of her for life With little encouragin'
Billy were quick to respond, havin' got
to be very fond of her, and they were
spliced in the st. George church at
Liverpool. Billy by that means cone in
to possession of tremendous fortin,
which of course would all have been mine
Lif haunt got onto that spree down at
Lake Ponchartrain, in consequence of
which Billy got shipped in my place,
and fell into all this luck as I've told
YOU about.