Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-10-12
UNCLE BEN'S STORY.
BY GEORGE q. COOMER.

sea, but his stories of the deep were
always interesting, for they were tales
of experience, and not of imagination.
I recall one of them in particular, the
incidents of which occurred in his
youth, little previous to the war of
1872
"At that time" he began, sailors
had more to dread than now, for they
were in constant dread of impressment
by the British. Sometimes they would
be picked up while on shore in the
English ports, and whisked off on
board a man-ofwar; but oftener they
were seized on the broad ocean-taken
right off their own decks, and COM
PEELED to serve among strangers.
How would it look at this day for
British officer to come on board an
American vessel and order the cap
tain to muster his crew, just as slaves
are brought out for an auction sale in
the West Indies? Think of it! What
would the newspapers say? What
would the people say? What would
the President say? Wouldn't there be
a call to arms from Maine to Cali
fornia? And wouldn't every man in
the county, capable of shouldering a
musket, be eager to volunteer for the
honor of our fag%
Uncle Ben looked full of enthusiasm
as he said this; full, too, of just in
dignation at remembered wrongs.
But habit" the old mariner re-
sumed, lis everything. Our people
had got in the way of looking upon En-
gland as having kind of ownership of
the ocean, and it took them long while
to forget this inherited feeling.
"Why, some of our vessels, brought
to by the British cruisers. would be
left with hardly men enough to work
them into port. And yet, our folks
took it as a matter of course, seeming
to think that nothing could be done
about it. Wasn't England the mother
country they said, and the mistress
of the ocean?'
Before going to sea, I got what was
called protection telling where 1
was born, how old, how tall was, and
what color my eyes were. The very
fact that an American sailor should be
obliged to procure such a writing, with
such an object, was enough to fill one
with shame. But, still worse, the
thing did no good.
"A protection, in so far as regarded
the danger of impressment, was worth
just its weight of blank paper, and no
more. It is true that the British pro-
fessed to seize only their own country
men; but, in reality, they paid no at
tention to any affidavit of birth. we
want men, and will have Them they
said; and that ended the matter.
"An my sea going acquaintance had
the like passports, subscribed and
sworn to in proper legal form, and as
humiliating, under the circumstances,
Is if in SO many words they had asked
John Bull to grant the bearers the lib
erty of sailing on his big pond.
"The one I carried answered very
well for three years, simply because it
never happened to be called for, and
then, finding myself grown too tall and
robust to answer the description, got
another
"At that time I was going to Lisbon
m excellent man, named Eddy. whose
family lived directly across the street
from ours, and who had known me
from my birth.
The entire ships company was made
up of our townspeople, so that when
we went out of port it hardly seemed
like going away from home. we had so
many familiar associations in common
"The Rebecca reached Lisbon in
about thirty days, and our stay there
was very interesting. The foremost
hands being all sober and well-inform-
ed men, there became treasured up in
the forecastle a great deal of enter
tanning knowledge concerning the
Portuguese and their country.
I've had all heard the story of the
destruction of old Lisbon by the ire
mendous earthquake of 1855, and i'm
agination wildly painted the scene as
We looked up and down the Tagus.
AT the time we were there Marshal
Junot, with French army, hads pos
session of the city, for Napoleon had
then Just laid his hand upon Portugal.
II shall never forget the appearance
Of those French troops. Every morn
ing they used to turn out for exercise,
and assure you they were no holiday
soldiers. The grensdiers, especially,
we're very imposing, for they wore huge
bearskin shakos, and were. besides,
taller than the others.
when, finally, we had secured our
cargo of wine and dates, and were once
more at sea, every one thought how
much he would have to tell upon get
ting home; for all of us had friends.
and dear ones, too, who would be glad
enough to hear every little incident Of
the voyage recounted.
I'VE took the route usually followed
ct this day by vessels from the south
Of Europe, standing northwardly until
in the latitude of the English Channel,
alths .gh considerably to the west of it.
Thence we headed nearly in . direct
course for the United States.