Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1917-06-08

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 / will take them all tc
Cape Palmas."
THIS did not answer so we'll Caps
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, az
! we could understand, instantly said,
"Ah, non Palmas," and began to pro
pose infinite other expedients in most
voluble language. Vaughan was rath-
| er disappointed at his result of HID
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 coun-
try, take US to our own house, take
US to our own pickaninnies and our
own women He says he has an old
father and mother. who will die, If
they do not see him. And this one
says he left his people all sick, and
padded down to come and help them,
and that these devils caught him in
the bay just in sight Of home, and
that he has never seen anybody from
home since then. And this one says"
choked out Nolan, that he has not
heard a word from his home IN six
months, while he has been locked up
in an internal barracoon."
Vaughan always said he grew gray
himself while Nolan struggled through
this Interpretation. I, who did not I'M
derstand anything of the passion In
volved 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, he said:
'Tell them yes. yes; tell them they
shall go to the Mountains of the Moon,
if they will. If l sail the schooner
through the Great White Desert, they
shall go homel"
And after some fashion Nolan said
so. And then they all fell to kissing
him again and wanted to rub his nose
with theirs.
But he could not stand 1t 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 family, with
out q home, and without a country.
And If you are ever tempted to say
word or to do a thing that shall put
a bar between you and your family,
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 1t. Let it
be nearer and nearer to your thought,
the farther you have to travel from it (;
and rush to 1t, 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 a dream but of serving
her as she bids you, though the serv-
ice carry you through thousand hells.
No matter what happens to you, no
matter who f1atters you or who abuses
you, never look at another flag, never |
let night pass but you pray God to |
bless that flag. Remember, boy, that |
behind all these men you have to do |
with, behind officers, and government, |
and people even, there is the country |
herself, your country, and that you
belong to her as you belong to your
own mother. Stand by her, boy, as
you would stand by your mother, if
those devils there had got hold of her
-odayw
I was frightened to death by his
-dslu. udru pdSSlOH, Out Dluuueieu
,ut that would, by all that was holy,
ind that / had never thought of doing
else. He hardly seemed to
lear me; but he did, almost in q
whisper, say: "Oh, if anybody had
laid so to me when 1 was of your agel"
think it was this half-confidence or
lis, which I never abused, for l never
old this story till now, which after
yard made US great friends. He was
cry kind to me. Often he sat up, or
ven got up, at night to walk the deck
With me when it was my watch. He
Explained to me q great deal Of my
He lent me books, and
elped me about my reading. He new
r alluded so directly to his story
gain; bnt from one and another Off
err / have learned, In thirty years,
that / am telling. When we parted
rom him in st. Thomas harbor, at the
nd of our cruise, / was more sorry
J xI..I 10,