The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-04-16
OF SWATARA
TALES NOT ALWAYS BELIEVED
BUT ALWAYS LISTENED TO.
he Relieved Some OF the Mon otony
While the Old Corvette Was OF Port
Au Prince-The Lovely Maid and
apnrv Eatbar ~ NFnurevid an

w ME the Ola COTV6Gt6 w as III FOrL
Au PrInce-The Lovely Maid and
Angry Father of Montevid go.
From the Neic Y0rk Times.
Every man-of-war has its raconteur-
It's man OF sea lore, memories, and trAdi-
tions. he is ordinarily a man better fitted
70 entertain a group of listeners than to
straddle the weather yard-arm in a gale or
TO crown q hawser when that piece Of tackle
needs such adornmeut.
Nothing ever escapes bis notice aud be
can tell you the peculiarities and traits of
every officer under whom be has served. He
is a walking, or rather floating, encyclo-
pedia Of marine knowledge and TO him the
Blue Book possesses fewer secrets than 1t
does for the men whose uniform are adorned
with gold.
For this reason usually he is not favor
tie with the officers, but his many short,
comings, which would prove fatal lapse in
others, are either treated with tolerance by
his superiors or entirely overlooked.
But by the young apprentice aud Yerdant
recruit he is generally considered as a man
of parts. He excites the awe OF one and the
admiration of the other by his erudition and
sea lore and impossible adventures in lands
generally spun with that scrupulous 0tten-
ton to detail which mimics truth so closely
that it is seldom questioned.
The old corvette Swatara possessed one
or the rOmauCers, and unhOnored and in
glorious MarrYatt, KipIing guiltless Of a
Light That Failed" 1t was that vessels
lot to represent 60, 600, 600 people during one
OF the annual Haytiau reVolts, and as that
duty mostly consisted Ia swinging around "A
barnacled anchor off Port Au Prince, and
as it was kept up for half year, the crew
found themselves at loss for diversion be-
fore it is ended.
But that, as some one has observed, is
another story. It's only use here is to illus
trate the sore straits to which that isolated
body Of men were brought.
1t was in the dog watch. The awnings
had been housed for the night. and the
small coteries about the deck, which had
been broken up TO perform this duty, had
reaSsembled around their various magnates
The group which encircled the narrator OF
this yarn was gathered between the Dahl
gren guns In the starOoard ganRway.
stald Lieutenant, who he beeu pacing
the quarterback, leaned against the piurails
Of the meinmsst and lent surreptitious
ear TO the narrative Of the grizzly-bearded
seaman, whose yarns had the reputation of
being entertaining even If they could not al
ways he relied upon as an accurate record
OF events,
WAS ye ever in Montevldeol" aueried the
old man OF the sea, as be settled himself
upon the quarter gunners chest None Of
the group to which the Interrogation was
put could claim that distinction, and after
shaving off a pipeful of tobacco from the
plgg which he carried Ia the rim Of his cap,
the oil fellow dispatched one OF the appren-
tices to the smoking lamp for light, and
then began his yarn. The group drew
no rav nd fasa Cd afF
"'Twss some time ago. he said, and be
could not exactly place the year that ship
was in that port. Now, dye know what
SHIP that were9 Ye don't2 Well, it were
the old Ticon--the flash frigate with ye all
hands bout ship and reef topsails in one,
and then hist way your topsRils as ye let 20
and haul. Well, the old Tioon-Ticonder-
oga were her full name-she we're a ship as
is sbip. But started into tell We bout
the time | visited Montevideo.
"We got to liberty there-all the star
board watch, captains watch, We know.
Now, theirs a strand of romance wove
through this yarn. an all ye youngsters es
don't believe IN romance had better up
oars"
No one one seemed inclined to take ad-
vantage of the invitation, greatly TO the
narrators satisfaction, and be proceeded:
Jack Hunter, which is nlesel. ye know,
was then as likely a youngster as any one
Of ye-nothing like the old hulk ye see here
now, we'll. we went ashore, me and me mess
mates, and mighty glad we was to got
ashore, tell ye, warn't so much Of tank
IN them days. and as the others was older
hands and were goin' in for celebrating pur-
poses, why l Just sheered Off and set a
course for myself.
THE day wasn't nothing to brag about
when we first went ashore, and along to-
ward noon came one of them of-shore
breezes, and the rain-well how 10 did spill
took to shelter while 1t lasted, and then
started up the street again. | found some
company when got to what | supposed
them dagoes calls a gutter. Twas a regular
blooming river then, and standing on one
side was the prettlest-rigged lass I've ever
seen.
''She were standing the there appently oncer-
tain how to get across. Alter she had
looked at mo once with them big. hand
some eyes o. her'n, was hers TO command.
"Ye may have heard of that Sir Walter
Raleigh who threw down his pea Jacket for
his queen to walk on one muddy day. Well
If I'd a had one set with diamonds that
Spanish craft Yves welcome to it, | had
strong arms, howsomever, an before she
could protestant to do her justice, | don'tt
think she wanted TO do anything OF the
kind lifted her up In me arms, waded
through the water, and landed her safe en-
sOunQ on tue OJnbr DhuR CQe was confused
a little at first, natural like, but she soon
got over that, an tore long we was getting
along swimmingly. She couldn't speak
much United States, an my knowledge of
Spanish didn't amount to any great shakes
but we managed to make ourselves under
stood.
'"Tain't regular and 'tain't considered
moral 10 that outlandish country for lass
TO be seen III the street talking to the likes
Of US. The lass knew this and |
knew il, tco. an we're just about to
trip anchor an 60 on my way when she saw
how wet / was, an made signal that
had oughter come TO her house an get dried
out. l asked her when we got near the
house if she wasn't afeGred. She shook her
pretty head an tripped along up the walk.
She open the door and invited me into the
parlor, and then started fire in one OF
them little brass stoves. All would heye been
smooth sailing, as | was already most dried
out, when her old man come In, unexpected
like.
81 he girl hissed. 'Fleer sort o. dramatic
like when she spied him coming up the
gravel path.
I" Where awsyp says l. didn't SEQ no
place TO flee to. and | knew it meant dea tn
or some worse punishment TO cast anchor
there. She flung open closst door an 1
soudded for it. banged the door 20 an shot
the holt. I'd like TO shot tho KanakA. but
l had nothin' to shoot him with. had to