St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-01

tiiC ldCc III tue OCcdH, WulCu OOutU
please us least of all. Here" he con
tinued,"is Count Sourmashovitch,O OF the
Russian legation in London, who, IN
strict confidence, will tell you, as he lEas
already flor a consideration told Us,
that his government has concluded
secret treaty, offensive and defensive,
with the American government. ard
that the Russian fleet is even now in the
channel, awaiting the orders OF the
American minister. Is it not so, count?''
Par ma fol. Oui," answered Count"
Johnnie, with vivid blush, which Nap
luckily attributed to shame at selling
the secrets of his legation, and not TO
the true cause that the limit OF JOlssi-
MES French had been reached in utter
ing tho e three words. land here also"
my Lord went on. 'iS Hon. Judah II
benjamin. of Louisiana, Confederate
envoy to England, who will
Confirm the Statements
of the count and myself. Will you not,
Mr.. Benjamin?". Il was Mr.. b. 1T
majesty" 1 replied; ''but it is the
mOurnful truth; our gallant Semmes
must trust to the Justice of the cause
and the arbiter of battles-and may
the devil cOnfOund SemmeS and you,
too" | added mentally. "Well," said
Napoleon, ''that settles it; and. between
US all, Pm not sorry to get out of the
whole mess" Of course, in my capac-
ity of Benjamin. L fiared upa little,
and preached a sermon from the text,
Put not your faith in princes" till
old Nap, who was a gOOd-natured fell
low, on the whole, drawing my lOrd''
to. one side, asked. ''if there was not
some way of soothing or shutting up
that abOminable Yankee. short of kill
ing him?'' My lord" answered, Just
ask him if he won't take something"
Nap (whO would have made first-rate
political "bOSS" had he the good luck TO
be born i'll this country took the hint at
once, and soon we had the pleasure OF
cracking" half dozen of Pom. Sec
with him. The Count SOurmasovitch,"
fearing perhaps that his courage would
give cut, had brought a pint flask of
"Herl--1dge" along, and continued to
literally qualify Maps champagne
with that genial beverage while
he was looking the other way.
The effect may be easily imagined.
Nap quickly &became very friendly,
snapped hats with Billie, offered to box
johnnie four rounds with hard gloves,
Joined heartily in the chorus of Hes
jolly Good Fredericksburg in my honor
signed what he thought was all order
for our admission to another private in
terview that day week, but which was
in reality an order to the port admira
OF Cherbourg to clear the Alabama outl
within tWenty-fOur hours after its re-
ceiDt, and finally insisted on going with
us to the American bar GncOg. of cOurse).
and making might of it." We went.
and about 3 O'Clock the next morning
we put him in a hack and sent him
home, in state of mental and
physical collapse only possible to a
Frenchman UNDERGOING his first contest
with American mixed drinks. Taking
time by the fOrelOck. we were in Hayre.
and had delivered the order TO the port
admiral by 10 o'clock. Knowing that
Nap would be occupied for three days.
at least. in reducing his head, and
would never think of us or anything
else, save the pleasure a sudden death
would afford him, we had the ''gall' to
ask the admiral for a permit to vis:t
both the Alabama and KeaIs sarge, and.
thanks to the order we had delivered to
him, we obtained both. In going down
to the h3rbor we passed the store of an
optician, and here Johnnie procured
small instrument, exactly similar TO
the globe sights used on English heavy
artillery. with which the Alabama was
armed. Carefully cOncealing it in his
pocket, Johnnie hailed French man.
Of-war boat, which the admiral had
placed at our service, and we were soon
Aboard the COrsair,
where, thanks to our natural and &C
quired facility in inventing truth. we
were soon hand-in-glove with the whole
crew, from SemmeS down. On this oc-
casion | hailed from Baltimore, my
lord" and the count" retaining their
respective titles. We ate and drank
with our mortal foes, we sent ashore
for keg of brandy for the crew, aud
we finally discovered that their splendid
pivot gun, their main reliance for the
coming battle, was provided with
globe sight, as the count had antici-
paled. BY some miracle of deXterity he
managed to remove it and substituted
his own. which, being most powerful
diminishing glass, proved our salvation
in the ensuing fight. The Alabama's
gunnerS, sighting through the counts
substitution. sent their shot and shell
over us; while, our guns being served
as only Yankee tarS can serve them, we
sank our opponent in short meter. But
to return, leaving the Alabama. we went
aboard the kearSarge and related our
adventures to the first luff." who
put all three in the brig" for. as
he said, 'overstaying our leave and then
telling pack of lies which would
shame the devil or a lawyer"
A very frees pOken gentleman was
the ''fiirst luff.' and decidedly more
frank than flattering at times. But the
"Old man" (there is only one old man
on board ship and, he is the captain,)
heard our story and ordered our release.
ana we took part in the glorious fight
next day, the result or which the world
knows. But how the Alabama was
forced to meet US, how we obtained so
quick and easy victory. and 10 whom
the lions share of the credit of the
whole thing belongs, the world doesn't
know; or, at leas' did not before this
veraciOus narrative was written-sim-
ply, as said in the beginning, in the
interest of tile truth of history. But,
all me! this is a scotfing generation, and,
l fear, will be as slow of belief and as
adverse to properly reward modest
merit as was the stony-hearted first
luf" of the Kearsarge.
T.. G.. KAYE.