Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1879-11-20

< oAA SVA11RASsos5.sA nus HuW HOW many mig
gers ken I hev2n .s 40, Z z
.Just as many as you like, said til,
harbor-master; sthere they are, waiting
to be hired.,' I. - III. Il i.
"Now, sir, tell me-what time in thu
morning ken get over the BARI draw
ten feet of water.,' r. : so ~; :
tide flows at six O'Clock, and yor
could come over by eight, i should say, )
responded the harbor-master. =. =. j
"Goed. Wal, now, you boys, III give
you seven and. sixpence apiece to come
and take turns all night. .Thers's pow.
erfal lot o. water in the hold by' this
time, and you'll hev to work, I tell
}! you" ',r s-'7&1 - 'ss>-,. -,
The pay was high, and murmur Of
subtraction ran through the crowd; those
among the Kaffirs who did not. under.
stand English having it explained to them
by those who did. The terms were good
enough for many white man standing
around to jump at; but to work side by
side with negroes was too degrading ana
they were obliged to let the chance pass
"Wal, boys, what saya''. asked the
} Yankee. a., -. 1870.
| Several voices eagerly accepted the
terms, and the harbor-master asked how
many he would engage. :;
"Just you stand in row, boys, and III
pick on! the likely ones. Be smart; the
sun'll be down before we git aboard, il
} you don't be slick" -,
The Kaffirs were soon In limo. The
captain walked up and down, surveying
them, and carefully picking out the big:
gest and strongest, until he had selected
about sixty. This was large humble,
for the work; but 1t was put down by
Mr.. Mckay and the harbor- master to
Yankee enterprise; and in a few minutes
the surf-boats with the negroes on board
were aaoat.
81 will come on to YOU in the morning,
captain, and bring you pilot" said the
harbor- master. -.
wal, now, that's. friendly of you,
boss. Really, if you would, T. should
take it kind" responded the Yankee.
II WILL" SAID the harbor master "l'll
come off when the tide makes.
THANK you, sir" said the captain as
he stepped into the ale-boat, you won't
forget to Gomez
certainly not" replied the harbor-
master. "Good-night.''
"Good-night," said the stranger, with
a grim smile, waving his hand as the
boat pulled away.
When the surf-boats returned, the men
with them reported tho southern Cross
to be just as smart and trim a craft as
the captain had said she was. They al
so reported the safe transfereuce of the
dingy volunteers. The sun went down,
and in ten minutes the scorching hot dav
had given place to beautiful tropical
night.
! Before the sun had risen on the follow
Ing morning, the port captain, Mr..
Mckay, and the lookout men were already
assembled on the standpoint; and as the
first flush of daylight came rapidly
spreading over land and sea they strained
their eyes across the bay, eager to catch
an early glimpse Of the schooner. whose
arrival and condition coused such unusu-
al excitement the day before. Well might
! they start and stare in speechless aston
ishment. There was the bay all right,
and there was the blue bluff beyond it,
but nothing else. No Southern Cross
No ship at all! Nothing to mark where
she had lain the previous night What
could it mean2 Gould she have foundered
with all hands? No; for. there was not
| depth of water sufficient to cover her
mast if she had. Could she have broken
away and gone ashore9 Impossible, for
the wind, a mere capful, was off the land.
"She's gone! was the first exclama-
ton which broke the silence-"clean
gone!"
"What can it means' asked Mr.. Nc
Kay.
"Mean3" said tho hurbor. master,
'mean2 That they are all born fools
that's what it means"
"Why, howe" gasped the bewlldered
agent.
"How9' responded the harbor-master.
"Why was he SO particular about the sort
| Of Kafirs he engaged2 Wouldn't any
kind of Kaftirs do for working pumps2
| OF course they would. I can see itall
now. She was no whaler; she had sprunc.
no leak. She was a Yankee SLAYER, that's
what she was; and we ought all 20 be
shot for not seeing it before
! A thrill of horror passed through the
group. It was as clear as daylight now.
"But We saw them pumping the water
out of her," said the agent, after pause.
cot course you did. But you didn't
see the other sido of her, did you, Mr.. Nc
Kay2'
"Well, no." responded the agent.
"No; but if you had, you'd have seen
EN- pumping the water in! That's what
it was, Mr.. Mckay; the rascals were
pumping it in ON the .starboard side and
out again on the port; don't you seer"
"1es, see now" sighed the agent.
"sixty niggers kidnapped before our
very eyes!' continued the harbor-master
"a pretty thing, upon my wordW
"Beg pardon, SIR" said one OF the men;
"p'raps she's in sight now, sir-if we was
to pull off in the boat round the bluff
head, SIR
"What's the good of that9'' growled
the harbor-master.
"O'ny p'praps we might see what
course she was a-taken'; and in case the
admiral was to come round, we could say
which way she was agoin', Sir"
20, she's out o. sight. by this time,
never fear" said tho harbor-
"But man the boat, and we'll see.,,'
| away "OAI luC 1ACu " kct' Iu6 DOhG
out and away went. the harbor-master
and Mr.. Mckay after them down to the
beach.
mo wonder he was 80 particular, the
rascal! Why, every one, of those Kaf1irs
will fetch $500 IN America. He's done a
very lair days work, and no mistake, MI,
Mckay.
Eyes; and never paid me for the hire
of my boats" dolefully responded the
agent; "and lent the scoundrel my
horse, tool" >.
'Well, its no use now. But where our
senses were, Mr.. Mckay, to be outw1tted
like that, can't think, I shall hear of
this again. If only tho Admiral would
cruise around here, we might catch 'em
now; but we shan't see him for months,
may be-. It's about the deepest move
that ever I heard Of"
By this time the boat was out and
manned, and hearty pull took them to
the bluff head in half an hour; but no
signs of the SLAYER was to be seen. 49,.
The next day a southern bound: brig
dropped anchor in the outer bay and put
ashore for some fresh meat. The harbor-
master put off to her, and gave the cap
tain letter for the admiral if be, fell in
with him, or to leave at tho Cape if he
did not Alth ugh the letter reached
the admiral within week, and he put
j of to sea on the chance of falling in with
some news Of the Southern Cross, NO more