The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1914-05-14

IN sea and yet almost never on
I'M land. Hs told me once, with
grave smile, that no man in the
world lived so methodical life as be-
"You know the boys say l am the Iron
Mask, and you know how busy be
was" He said it did not do for any
one to try to read all the time more
than to do anything else all the time,
but that he read just FIVE hours day.
Then" he said. II keep up my note
books, writing in them at such and
such hours from what l have been
reading, and include in them my
scrapbooks." These were very curious
indeed. He had six or eight, Of differ
ent subjects. There was one of his
tory, one Of natural science. one which
be called ''odds and ends" But they
were not merely books of extracts
from newspapers. They had bits of
plants and ribbons, shells tied on and
carved scraps Of bone and wood, which
he had taught the men to cut for him.
and they were beautifully illustrated
Till be grew very old. be always went
aloft a great deal. He always kept up
his exercise, and l never heard that be
was i'll. II any other man was i'll he
was the kindest nurse in the world.
and he knew more than half the sur
geons do. Then If anybody was sick or
died, or If the captain wanted him to
on any other occasion. he was always
ready to read prayers. have remark.
ed that be read beautifully.
My own acquaintance with Philip
Nolan began six or eight years after
the war. on my first voyage after |
was appointed a midshipman. 1t was
in the first days after our slave trade
treaty, while the reigning house, which
was still the house of Virginia, had
still sort Of sentimentalism about the
suppression Of the horrors of the Mid
die Passage. and something was some
times done that way. first came to
understand anything about 1.-The man
without country" one day when we
overhauled dirty little schooner
which had slaves on board. An officer
was sent to take charge of her. and
after a few minutes he sent back his
boat to ask that some one might be
sent him who could speak Portuguese.
We were all looking over the rail when
the message came. and we all wished
we could interpret when the captain
asked who spoke Portuguese. But none
of the officers did. and just as the cap
tain was sending forward to ask if any
of the people could. Nolan stepped out
and said be should be glad to interpret
if the captain wished. as he understood
the language. The captain thanked
him. fitted out another boat with him.
and in this boat it was my luck to 60.
When we got there it was such a
scene as you seldom see and never
want to. Nastiness beyond account.
and chaos run loose in the midst Of the
nastiness. The negroes were. most of
them, out of the hold and swarmingnll
round the dirty deck. with centksa
+hrong surrounding Vaughan and adj
dressing him in every dialect and pa
tots of q dialect. from the Zulu click up
to the Partisan of Reledeljereed.
As we came on deck Vaughan looked
down from hogshead on which he
had mounted in desperation and said:
For Gods love. is there anybody
who can make these wretches under
stand something?"
Nolan said be could speak Portu-
guese and one or two fine looking
Kroomen were dragged out. who. as
it had been found already. had worked
for the Portuguese at Fernando 70.
"Tell them they are free" said
Vaughan. .'and tell them that these
rascals are to be hanged as soon as We
can get rUpe enough"
Nolan explained Il In such Portu-
guese % the Kroomen could under
stand and they In. turn 70 such OF the
negroes q could nnderstand them
Then th-s " - sschs 4 yell u delisht.
1t oSss Ming aAd dancing.