Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-03-21

| "CannlbalS-Sayage in their war-painti
Nothing else-And they'll eat Us, too, if
| they get chance But Pm not going to
be eaten if l can help it, Mr.. Erie. Well
| sell our lives dearly-we will that. There's
arms in the captains cabin. Let Us load
them at once. And those old carronades'
| 1.-TWO brass pieces we had for firing signals),
''we'l load them, too. know where the
cartridges are"
But we have no ball"
Never mind. we'll charge them with
old nails and bits of iron"
Every well; do so then. We may as well
| be prepared, But, for my part, 1 cannot
| say that have any great fear OF these
! painted people. At any rate, it is better
to speak them fair before we show fight"
Speak 'em fairl What's the use of
speaking fair-or foul either, for that mat
| ter-to a lot of savage devils as can't I'M
! derstand word you say? As soon as they
| get within shooting distance they'll let fly
a harrow at your head-unless you are be-
| forehand with 'em. I've been among SUCH
like in the Pacific, and l know. However,
you stop here and watch 'em, Mr.. Erie, and
! I'll get the arms ready"
The boat came on apace and the nearer
! she drew, the more puzzled became. The
powers being naked to the waist, natur-
allv saw good deal of them; but whether
] they were red men dabbled with black, or
| black fellows dabbed with red, l was IN
| able to determine, and as yet l could see
| little or nothing of their faces. Of the two
| men in the stern, however, I had very
| fair view. Their faces were queer, very
! queer. The elder OF them seemed to have
| a reddish eye and white one; and the left
! cheek of the other differed in color from
| the right. AS the elder turned his head,
moreover, perceived that he sported a
! pigtail. Their coats, of some dark materi-
! al, were large and roomy, and adorned
| with brass or gold buttons; their neither
garments were white; and to crown all,
! they wore cooked hats, such as had seen
nowhere but in old-fashioned pictures and
on the stage.
The pigtail suggested China, but it was
| impossible that we could have drifted as
! far as the Flowery Land-and the Celes-
/ tials don't wear white breaches and cooked
! hats. Then it struck me that these were
wild people, after ALL who had obtained
! their strange costumes from the plumber
of ship, or by way Of trade; for l knew
! that savages like nothing so we'll as to ar
ray themselves in grotesque finery. But,
| loI Those roads and housesi And the
rowers boosted no fnery whatever; and
somehow, notwithstanding their painted
! faces, the two men in the stern had not the
| air of saYages.
gave it up, and awaited the deno1Ge-
r1le7lt with eager curiosity.
CHAPTER XIv.-'ENGLIsH, BY JINGOr'
In the meantime Bolsover had brought a
| couple Of rifles and supply of cartridges,
and was now charging the carronades.
"What is the use of that?" I said. 'They
are mounted on wooden carriages: you
| cannot depress the1n.'
'Well, then, they'll brighten the beggars,
and may be make 'em sheer off. They
kick up devil of a row, these carronades.
| By - they are Lot above thousand
| yards away. l think could pick the first
| fellow of-him as is rowing stroke" tax
| ing up rifle.
| Don't be fool, Tom," 1 said, quietly.
SIT would be the height of folly to make
any sort of hostile Unconstitutional show
/ fight | mean-unt1 and unless we are
! quite sure that these men mean mischief.
| For heavens sake, let US make friends of
them if we can. If we make enemies of
them we are done for. There are hun
/
and we might as well try to fly as to get
| the ship out of the bay"
GAS you like, sir. look on you as my
superior officer, and Tom Bolsover always
obeys orders. But keep your weather eye
open, for as sure as any Of them painted
devils puts their feet on deck we are dead
men,"
I made no answer. All my attention
| tod no oh
came within hailing distance the man with
the pigtail (who had been steering) gave
the tiller to his companion and stood up.
He was tall, and wore sword-so far as 1
could see, the only weapon in the boat
| "Goodp l thought. "Their intentions
must be peaceful"
The man with the pigtail put his hand
to the mouth.
"What ship is that?" he asked, in loud
| clear voice, and with faultless pronuncia-
ton"
English, by JingoP' muttered Bolsover.
"Boy and man, Pve been at sea tWo-and-
thirty year, and go help me"
"The DIANA bound from Liverpool to
Montevideo," answered. "What country
| is this2"
eve call it the Fair Island"
| "And the Inhabitants"
| "We call ourselves English"
! BY this time the boat is under the coun-
| ter.
"Will you come on board?" l said. "But
! wait minute, and we will lower you q
| ladder"
"Thank you, we don't need a ladder"
| says the younger man; and clutching a
rope which hangs over the ships side, he
hauls himself up, and vaults over the bull
wark with the agility of professional &C
robat. His companion follows suit, al
though little more leisurely, doubtless
owing to his greater age and somewhat
! heavier build.
Then they draw themselves up to their
full height, doff their cooked hats with a
| graceful sweep, and make a low bow.
! return the salute in my best style, but
| the contrast between the manner of their
coming on board. and their dignifed bear
| ing, their cooked hats, pigtails, white
| breeches and notified faces, is so exceed
ingly droll that can hardly keep my coun-
| tenance, while old Tom, almost exploding
with suppressed laughter, bolts inconti-
nently down the fore-hatchway, where he
can give free vent to his mirth without any
| breach of politepess.
| What especially tickled him Gt certainly
| tickled me) is probably the fact that our
affable and agile guests are not merely
painted; they are actually piebald. Their
variegated hue is as much a part of them
selves as their pigtails and their noses.
Judging by the way they stare at me (af-
ter recovering their perpendicular, 1 ex-
| cite their curiosity as much as they excite
mlQe-which is OerbaOS mite as well, for