The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-04-17
PART IL.

SSoS~
transaction at Washington.
PART IL.
n Y)OLAN must have been in every
lNl sea and yet almost never on
I'M land. He told ME once. with
~ grave smile, that no man in the
world lived so methodical a life as he
''You know the boys say am the Iron
Mask, and you know how busy II.
was" He said it did not do for an.
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, Il keep up my note
books, writing in them ut such and
such hours from what ! have been
reading, and l include in them III,
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
he 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. winch
he had taught the men to cut for him.
and they were beautifully illustrated
Till he grew very old, be always went
aloft great deal. He always kept III
bis exercise, and never heard that he
was Ill. II any other man was III be
was the kindest nurse in the world.
and he knew more than half the sur
geons do. Then II anybody was sick Or
died, or If the captain wanted him to
on any other occasion. he was always
ready to read prayers. l have remark
ed that he read beautifully.
My own acquaintance with Philip
Nolan began six or eight years after
the war. on my first voyage after
was appointed midshipman. 1t was
in the 6rst days after our slave trade
treaty, while the reigning house, which
was still the house of Virginia. had
still a sort of sentimentalism about the
suppression of the horrors of the Mid.
die Passage. and something was some.
times done that way. l first came to
understand anything about 1.-The man
without q 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 b.
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 us the cap
tain was sending forward to ask If any
Of the people could. Nolan stepped out
and said he should be glad to interpret
II the captain wished. as he understood
the language. The captain thanked
him. fitted out another boat with him.
and in this boat 1t was my luck to go.
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 swarming all
round the dirty deck, with a central
throng surrounding Vaughan and ad-
dressing him in every dialect and pa
tots of dialect. from the Zulu click up
to the Partisan of Reiedeljereed.
AS we came on deck Vaughan looked
down from hogshead on which be
had mounted in desperation and said:
For Gods love. is there anybody
who can make these wretches under
stand something's"
Nolan said he could speak Portu.
guese and one or two fine looking
kroomen were dragged out. who. as
it had been found already. had worked
tor the Portuguese at Fernando 20.
"Tell them they are free" said
Vaughan. land tell them that these
rascals are to be hanged as soon as we
can get rope enough"
Nolan explained It in such Portu.
guese as the Kroomen could Under
stand and they in turn to such of the
negroes as could understand them.
Then there was such yell Of delight,
clinching Of fists, leaping and dancing.
kissing of NOlan's feet and a general
rush made to the hogshead by way of
spontaneous worship of Vaughan as
the deus ex machina Of the occasion.
"Tell them" said Vaughan, well
pleased. that l will take them all to
Cape Palmas."
This did not answer so well. Cape
Palmas was practically as far from
the homes Of most Of them as New Or
leans or Rio Janeiro was-that Is, they
would be eternally 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
voluble language. Vaughan was
rather disappointed at this result of
bis liberality 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. I, who did not un-
derstand anything Of the passion in
volved in 1t, saw that the very ele-
ments were melting with fervent heat
and that something was to pay some