Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-10-04
ycLE BEN'S STORY.
BY GEORGE H. cooMER.

Encle Ben was long past going to
but his stories of the deep were
avs interesting, for they were tales
lyperience, and not Of imagination.
Lcall one of them in particular, the
dents of which occurred in his
III, little previous to the war of
At that time" he began, sailors
more to dread than now, for they
e in constant dread of impressment
The British. Sometimes they would
picked up while on shore in the
fish ports, and whisked off on
I'd man-of-war; but oftener they
seized on the broad ocean-taken
1t off their own decks, and COM
ed to serve among strangers.
How would it look at this day for
ritish officer to come on board an
erican vessel and order the cap
to muster his crew, just as slaves
brought out for an auction sale in
West Indies? Think of it! What
pld the newspapers say? What
Id the people say? What would
President say? Wouldn't there be
bill to arms from Maine to Cali
bia? And wouldn't every man in
county, capable of shouldering
Eket, be eager to volunteer for the
or of our fag?"
Tncle Ben looked full of enthusiasm
be said this; full, too, of a just in
nation at remembered wrongs.
But habit" the old mariner re-
bed, els everything. Our people
got in the way of looking upon En-
bl us having kind of ownership of
ocean, and it took them long while
Orget this inherited feeling.
Why, some of our vessels, brought
y the British cruisers. would be
with hardly men enough to work
m into port. And yet, our folks
it as matter of course, seeming
link that nothing could be done
(ut it. Wasn't England the mother
ntry?' they said, and the mistress
he ocean?'
Before going to sea, / got what was
led protection telling where 1
born, how old, how tall I was, and
nt color my eyes were. The very
that an American sailor should be
6ged to procure such q writing, with
kh an object, was enough to fill one
il shame. But, still worse, the
ng did no good.
A protection, in so far as regarded
danger of impressment, was worth
t its weight Of blank paper, and no
re. 1t is true that the British pro-
sed to seize only their own country
IN: but, in reality, they paid no at
Ption to any affidavit of birth. we
int men, and will have them they
ID; and that ended the matter.
All my sea-going acquaintance had
like passports, subscribed and
|orn to in proper legal form, and as
Initiating, under the circumstances,
if in so many words they had asked
I'm Bull to grant the bearers the lib
y of sailing on his big pond.
The one I carried answered very
fll for three years, simply because it
ver happened to be called for, and
zen, finding myself grown too tall and
bust to answer the description, I got
Pother.
At that time I was going to Lisbon
the ship Rebecca. The captain was
excellent man, named Eddy, whose
(Mily lived directly across the street
|om ours, and who had known me
om my birth.
The entire ships company was made
p Of our townspeople, SO that when
went out of port it hardly seemed
Ike going away from home. we had so
many familiar associations in common.
The Rebecca reached Lisbon in
bout thirty days, and our stay there
Jas very interesting. The foremost
|ands being all sober and well-inform,
men, there became treasured up in
ne forecastle a great deal of enter.
snng knowledge concerning the
Fortnguese and their country.
We had all heard the story of the
Pestruction Of old Lisbon by the ire
pendous earthquake of 1855; and i'm
s1ation vivid painted the scene as
We looked up and down the Tagus.
At the time we were there Marshal
Sunot, with a French army, had pos:
Fesslon of the city, for Napoleon had
''l el Just laid his hand upon Portugal
shall never forget the appearance
those French troops. Every morn
4as they used to turn out for exercise
s ~ assure you they were no holiday
SoNhers. The grenadiers, especially
h We're very imposing, for they wore huge
,ai1 shakos, and were, besides
"ller than the others.
co., When, finally, we had secured oul
,afso of wine and dates, and were once
s siofe at sea, every one thought how
roch he would have to tell upon get
. ~1S home; FOR all of us had friends
sao dear ones, too, who would he 6 Lac
ttRlonsh to hear every little incident o
'De voyage recounted.
., We took the route usually followed
a Ut N, lAls day by vessels from the souti
" L;''rope, standing northwardly unit
a., he latitude of the English Channel
T'itionsh considerably to the west OF IL
r 1ntsice we headed nearly in dlrec
>'Ssse lor the United States.