Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1882-06-01

an you can look down an see the coral
an weeds growing in trees and bushes,
wi bright-colored fishes an sea-snakes
a-fyin' in an out between 'em like
birds, an all sorts o. shells crawlin'
about. But twas pitch dark now, an
you couldn't see the lighter on the top,
much less the barrel at the bottom.
The skipper was standin' by, hurrying
us up, when it went over-a good man
he were, but devil when his temper
got out, an when he hears his cask go
splash, he went clear off his head, an
Stamped an swore like mailman. Josh
Stevens cried out from below that it
warn't his fault, but twas no good.
'Look here!' he yelled out, leapin' on
to the rail foamin' an cussin' an hold
ing on by the backstays while he hung
over, slook here, you -" (the gem
of the gallant Captains speech, picked
out from the elaborate setting of pro-
family in which it was enshrined, con-
sisted of the observation that the unfor-
tunate Mr.. Stevens should go after the
lost cask of spirits.) s'When Josh heard
that he sang out 'Ay, ay, sir!' sad like,
but just as cool as anything; an there
was another splash. in the dark down
below, an the niggers in the boat called
ont, DE man gone, sah!' Well, the
| skipper was taken aback then, an we all
| listened with our hands to our ears to
hear him come up again, an presently
the skipper called out, with his voice all
quivering, Come on board, you fool!'
| for you see he was sorry then for the
rage he'd bin in, an frightened to think
as how he'd sent the man to his death
but there was no answer. Then he or
dered all the boats to be lowered, an
we pulled round an round the ship far
| an near for hours, but no sign of poor
Josh could we see. I was stroke of the
Cap'en's gig; the Cap'en hisself steered
her all the time, an when he give Or
ders about two in the mornin' to return
to the ship, could see by the light of
the lantern in the bucket at his feet, as
he sat in the stern-sheets, that his face
was as pale as death, but he never
said a word. His was the last boat to
be pulled up, an he stood up while we
hitched her on to the fails, with his hand
shading his eyes, looking into the black
night to the last moment. But just
arter we got on board an all hands was
piped to stations for sailing, the leads
man in the chains says he hears shout.
Presently we all hears it repeated, an
lCl l11ihutCS lIUCI CAC ulCt Cuou hdu
sheared off when the boats was lowered
comes alongside with the niggers sweat
ing at their oars like bulls. And in the
bottom of the boat was Josh, an not
only Josh, but the barrel of rum, all
dripping wet. Josh was lynn there like
one dead, an had to be slung an hoisted
like the barrel, but we didn't let neither
on 'em slip this time, you bet. The skip
per asked no questions, but chucks a
handful of dollars into the lighter, an
away we went.
"Next day Josh come round, but
bin to under the sea to no livin' soul,
after, as we lay Off Iquique. But afore
then singular thing happened. When
the cask was preached, it turned out to
Josh heard of it, but he didn't say moth
in, and the skipper never asked no
question or said word. But not long
AFTER that, Josh told me the whole sar-
cumstance. ..
"sWhen 1 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 dander was
up, an, thinks I, I'll go down an see if
can touch it anyhow, an without any
pretty well, as you know, an stayed
find among the weed, an l was just
feelin' like to bust, an turnin' for the
top again, when found I was tangled
in long, creepin' branch. didn't
lose my head, but turned round to free
myself, when in strugglin' l seemed to
slip downward instead of up thro' the
finds myself in a sort of garden, light
as day, with green grass a-growing un-
derfoot an flowers an trees overhead
meeting like a roof, only all seaweed.
Blight in front was lot of pillars and
arches built of white coral that stretched
away an away till they was lost, like
lookin' in the two big lookin' glasses
what faces each other in the cap'en's
stateroom, an in an out O. these
arches queer sorts O. fishes was glidin'
about, for twas all water down there,
but somehow seemed to find my breath
all right an didn't want to come up.
An the light seemed to fill the place
warm like mild sunshine, for overhead
where the weeds met it was black as
night, but the roof was studded wi star
fishes an iniminies all colors of the rain
bow, but what struck me first was that
there cask lynn on the ground, an
round it was school of mermaids an
mermen, lookin' at it an apparently
wondering 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, saws: ssHere'S a man. she saws,
'sfrom the dry land!" ''No, Miss"
says, touching my cap, "beggin' O. your
parding. I'm sailor, am" "Kin
you tell us what that is, Sir?" she says.
az KIM" says; 'that's rum, that isl
"Wot's rum?'' she says ''Rum is the
staff O. life,'' say. claw" she says,
show funny! An wot do you do with
it, SirP" "Drink it, 1 says. Says she,
'sWould you be so kind an perlite, Sir,
as to show us how you do itP'' Seer
tainly," says, ''hev you got a cup
handyP" So they brings me half-pint
shell, an I knocks the bung out an