The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-05-18

''the man without country" one day
when we overhaued q 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 someone
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 Por-
tuguese. But none Of the officers did !;
and Just as the captain was sending
forward to ask If any of the people
could, Nolan stepped out and said he
should be glad to interpret, If the cap
tain wished. as he understood the Ian
guage. The captain thanked him. 1T
ted out another boat with him, and In
this boat it was my luck to go.
When we got there, 1t 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. There were not great
many Of the negroes; but by way
Of making what there were understand
that they were free, Vaughan had had
their handouts and anklecuffs knocked
off, and, for convenience sake, was
putting them upon the rascals of the
schooner's crew. The negroes were,
most Of them, out of the hold, and
swarming all round the dirty deck,
with a central throng surrounding
Vaughan and addressing him In every
dialect and patois of dialect, from
the Zulu click up to the Partisan of
Beledeljereed.
AS we came on deck, Vaughan
looked down from hogshead, on
which he had amounted in desperation,
and said:
"FOr Gods love, is there anybody
who can make these wretches under
stand something? The men gave them
rum, and that did not quiet them.
knocked that big fellow down twice,
and that did not soothe him. And then
/ talked Choctaw to all of them to-
gether; and I'll be hanged If they I'M
derstood that as well as they under
stood the English"
Nolan said he could speak Por-
tuguese, and one or two fine-looking
Kroomen were dragged out, who, as 1t
had been found already, had worked
for the Portuguese on the coast at
Fernando Pc.
'Tell them they are Free" said
Vaughan; "and 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 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 I 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 rath-
er disappointed at this result Of his
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"
cholSed out Nolan, "that he has not
heard 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. !, who did not un-
dcrstand 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
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 20 to the Mountains Of the Moon,
II they will. II i sail the schooner
through the Great White Desert, they
shall go home"
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 It long; and
getting Vaughan to say he might 60
back, he beckoned me down into our
boat. As we lay back In the stern
h<