Morris tribune., 1914-08-14

the deus tx nlacnlna OF the occasion.
TELL them. said Vaughan. we'll I
pleased. that | will take them all to
Cape Palmas-
This did not answer so well. Cape
Pamas was practically as far from
the homes Of most Of them as New Or
leans or Rio Janeiro vas that is. they
would be eternalIy separated from
home there And their interpreters, as
we could understand. Instantly said. ]
"Ah, non Palmas." and began to pro-
pose Infinite other expedients in most
voIuble language. Vaughan was
rather disappointed at this result of
his Iiberality and asked Nolan eagerly
what they said. The drops stood on
poor Nolan's white forehead as he
hushed the men down, and said:
He says Not Palmas.' He says,
Take us home. take us to our own
country, take us to our own house.
take us to our own, pickaninnies and
our own women And this one says,
choked out Nolan. that be has not
heard word from his home in six
months, while he has been locked up in
an internal barracoon."
Vaughan always said be grew gray
himself while Nolan struggled through
this Interpretation. |. who did not un-
derstand anything of the passion in
voIved in it, saw that the very ele-
ments were melting with fervent heat
and that something was to pay some
where. Even the negroes themselves
stopped bowling as they saw Nolan's
agony and Vaughan's almost equal
agony of sympathy. AS quick as he
could get words, be said:
Tell them yes, yes. Tell them they
shall go to the Mountains of the Moon
if they will If sail the schooner
through the Great White desert they
shall go homer
And after some fashion Nolan said
so. And they all fell to kissing him and
wanted to rub his nose with theirs.
But he could not stand it long. and.
getting Vaughan to say he might go
back, he beckoned me down into our
boat AS we lay back in the stern
sheets and the men gave way. he said
to me: 'Youngster, let that show you
what it is to be without a family.
without home and without a coun-
try. And il you are ever tempted to
say word or to do a thing that shall
put bar between you and your fam
| lily, your home and your country, pray
God in his mercy to take you that in
slant home to his own heaven. Stick
by your family, boy. Forget you have
self, while you do everything for
them. Think of your home, boy. Write
and send and talk about it. Let it be
nearer and nearer to your thought the
farther you have to travel from it, and
rush back to, it. when you are free, as
| that poor black slave Is doing now
And for your country, boy" and the
words ratified in his throat, land for
that flag" and he pointed to the ship,
never dream dream but OF serving
her as she bids you. though the service
carry you through a thousand bells.
No matter what happens to you, no
matter who datters you or who abuses
you. never look at another dag. never
let night pass but you pray God tC
bless that dag Remember. boy, thai
behind all these men you have to dc
with, behind officers and government
and people even. there Is the country
herself, your country, and that you be
long to her as you belong to your OWL
mother Stand by her. boy, as Iyot
would stand by your mother If those
devils there had got hold Of her to
day.
was frightened to death by hi
calm, hard passion. but i blundereC
out that would, by all that was holy
and that had never thought OF doing
! anything else He hardly seemed Il
hear me- but he did, almost in whis
per. say. .'Oh. IL anybody had said 81
to me when was Of you ageT'
think it was this half confidence o.
his, which never abused, for | neve
told this story till now. which after
ward made us great friends He was
very kind to me. When we partet
from him in St Thomas harbor at thu
end OF our cruise was more sorry
than | can tell. was very glad t
meet him again in 1880, and later in life
when thought had some influence
in Washington. | moved heaven ant
earth to have him discharged. But i
was like getting ghost out of prison
They pretended there was no such mar
and never was such a man They viii
say so at the department now!
There is story that Noian met Bur
once on one OF our vessels. when
! party of Americans came on board Il
/ the Mediterranean. But this | belieV
to be u lie: or. rather, it is myth. wei
found, involving tremendous blowing
up with which he sunk Burr-askin
him how he liked to be without
country"
! After that cruise never saw NOlai
again. wrote to him at least twice
year. for in that voyage we became eve
confdentially intimate; but he neve
4 wrote to me. The other men tell N
that in those fifteen years be aged yer
3 fast And now II seems the dear oil