The Republican journal., 1882-07-27

was the last boat to be pulled up, an he
stood up while he hitched her on to the
falls, with his hand shading his eyes,
lookin into the black night to the last
moment. But Just arter we got on board
an all hands was piped to stations for
sailin', the leadsman in the chains says he
hears a shout. Presently we all hears it
repeated, an ten minutes later the light
er that had sheared off when the boats
were lowered comes alongside with the
niggers sweating at their oars like bulls
An in the bottom of the boat was Josh.
an not only Josh, but the barrel Of rum
Ian dripping wet, Josh was lyin' there
like one dead, an had to be slung an
holsted like the barrel, but we didn't let
neither on em slip this time, you bet
The skipper asks no questions, but
chucks a handful of dollars into the
lighter, an away we went.
"NeXt day Josh come round. but never
spoke word about where he'd been to
under the sea to no liyin soul, till he told
me one night many months arter, as we
lay off Iquique. But atore then a singular
thing happened. When the Cask was
broached il turned out to be full o. salt
water instead O rum. Josh heard of it,
but he didn't say nothin', and the skip
per never asked no question or said a
word. But not long arter that, Josh told
NE the whole circum stance
when ! heard the old man take on so
that night. he said, Il was desp'rate riled
for twas no fault o mine that it slipped
from the sling my monkey was up, an.
thinks |, Ill 60 down an see i'll can touch
it anyhow and without any more thought,
down goes. kin dive pretty well, as
you know, and stayed down good spell.
but no cask could find among the weeds,
an ] was Just teelin like to dust an
turnin' for the top again, when found
was tangled in long creepin branch. |
didn't lose my head, bnt turned round to
free myself, when in struggln' seemed
to slip downward instead of up through
the boughs of the weed. an all on a
suddint finds myself in a sort of garden.
light rs day, with green grass a-growin'
under foot an flowers an trees overhead
meeting like roof. only it was all sea
weed. Right in front was a lot of pillars
and arches built of white coral that
stretched away and away till they were
lost like lnokin' in the two hr lonkin'
glasses what faces each other in the
capens stateroom an in an out o these
queer arches queer sorts O fishes was
9ldin about for twas all water down
there. but somehow | seemed to find my
breath all right an not want to come up.
An the light seemed TO till the place
warm like mild sunshine, for overhead
where the weeds met, 1t was black as
night, but the root was studded with
StarnSheS an inlmlnieS all COlorS of the
rainbow, but what ST. uck me first was
that there cask lyin' on the ground, an
round it was school Of mermaids and
mermen. lookin' at it an apparently
Wond'ring what it was, for they Whisked
it round and round wi the eddy Of their
tails an fingered it all over. All at once
one catches sight o me an says "IIere
is a man." she says, ''trom the dry land !"
"No, Miss" says. touchin my cap.
''beggin' o your parding, I'm a sailor |
am" "kin you tell us what that il. Sir 2"
she says. II kin" says: "that's rum,
that is. ''Wot's rum z" she says. "Rum
} is the staff o life" SAYS. .I.av /" She
says, chow funny An wot do You do
with it, sir :" Drink it." says. Says
She, "Would you bc 50 kind an pcritc
sir, as to show us how You do it?"
Certainly" says, "hev You cot cup
handy y 50 they brings me 4 haltpint
, shell, aud knocks the bung and draws
out 4 shelltul. But says, Il couldn't
think o drinking atore ladies. Atter you.
Miss" says |, passing the shell. Well
there was !; lot o giggling an Whisperin'
but at last She drinks it Oft an seems to
like it and then the others has try at
It, an the mermen, too, me takin' Il shell
III between each, to show them the way
: TIL at last we got very cumterblc, and the
cask was empty. Then | suddenly re-
members as it were about time for me
to he gettin' back, an gets up and says
they'd have to 'Ncuse me cause my leave
was up. But the mermaid as had spoke
to me first she was sttin' on my knee
she says 'Don't 90 yet" she says
''What's your hurry?' An with that She
shakes her long golden hair, and glimses
out at me under here eyelds. Nice lookin'
gal she We're, too. But | said | must
take the barrel back, as twas pertIckler
llowsumcver, she was like the rest of her
sect and wouldn't take no for an answer,
50 she says Its a pitya being like you
should bc wasted up there. Stay an be
one Of lis, Stay an be mine :" an blow
me if she didn't heavc her arms around
my neck. AM all the others Joins in
chorus and comes around putin their
cheeks again mine, an huggin an kissin'
an saying, Stay with us, thou lovely
bein' from the dry land" But all the
mermen stood leanin against the arches,
ookln precious glum, So thinks |, therell
be Il row here presently, an | makes a
Jump for the cask, shoveS the bung in,
forgetting that the water had been run
ming in all this whilc,} takes it up, an
makes spring for the roof with all that
crowd of mermaids in chase. | should
never ha got away if it hadn't ha' been
for the mermen; but they helped me
through the weed, an carried the barrel
up Tor me- ! come up alongside the
lighter an was lifted in just as | tainted
OF mayhap | should ha' been Il merman
myself, now"
"That'a what Josh told me, hisselt, an
no other, an never said not Il word of it
for six weeks arter that we got wrecked
together an the savages eat him. Thev'd
got up yarn on board previous, that
the dropping the cask over was a plan
between him an the niggers, an that
there was a line fast to it when it went,
so that it was hauled in again directly !;
an that they took it ashorein the lighter,
, an Josh, too, and paid him the money
agreed am empted the cask an filled it
up with salt water, an that Josh GOT
drunk before he was brought back to the
ship. But knows better, an cause
why? Here's a proof of it. Why don't we
see no mermaids now, says you Cause
ever since they tasted that rum an liked
it 50, they've been wanting some more,
an the news has spread among em all
overrhe world so instead of comm upon
the rocks now an singin they're down
searchin' all the old wrecks and sunken
ships, lookin' for rum barrels That's
how it's people says there amt no mcr-
maids now :"
"But Fern. how is it the salt water
didn't mix with the rum when they drank
il out of the shell ?"