Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1918-11-07

grn.c. The r~rfain than%e9 t,fra e.
eel ONT another boat with MIN. aau IN
this boat II was my tuck IN 60.
When We got there. I; was such q
scene as yon seldom s'n. and never
Vai,t to. Aastiness beyond accounf,
and chaos run loose in the midst Of the
0as'iness. There were not great
many ut the negroes; but by way
Of making what there were understand
that they were free. Vaughan had had
their handouts and anklecuffs knocked
OFT and. for convenience sake. was
putting them upon the rasca.s Of the
schooners crew. The negroes were.
most Of them, out Of the hold. and
swarIning ell round the dirty deck,
with central throng surrounding
Vaughan anu addressing him In every
dialect and patois of dialect. from
the Zulu click up to the Partisan of
Beledeijereed.
As we came on deck. Vaughan
looked down from hogshead. On
which he had mounted In desperation,
ana said:
For Gods love. Is there anybody
who can make these wre,ches under
stand something? The men gave them
rum. and that did not quiet them.
Knocked that dig fellow down twice,
and that did not soothe him. And then
! talked Choctaw 10 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.
fuguese. and one or two fine-looking
Kroomen We're dragged out. who. as it
had been found already, had worked
for the Portuguese on the coast at
Fernando Pc.
"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 1t 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 a yell OF delight.
clinching OF fists, leaping and dancing,
kissing of Noian'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 thc:n." said Vaughan. we'll
pleased. that will take them all to
Cape Palmas."
This did not answer so well. Cape
Paliaas was practically as far from
he homes of most Of them as New Or
teams or Rio JnncirO was: that is. they
would be eternaliy separated from
home there. And their Interpreters, as
"Ah. non Palmas." and began to pro-
pose infinite other expedients in most
voluble language. Vaughan was rath-
or disappointed Mt 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, ard said
Tie says, Not Palmas.' H. says,
Take us home, take us to orr coun-
try, take us to our own house. take
us to our own pickaninnies and our
own women He says he has an odd
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
.s;,
choked 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 I'M
derstand anything of the passion in
volved In 1t. saw that the very ele-
ments were mefting with fervent heat
and that something was to pay some
where. Even the negroes themselves
stcnped bowling as they sew Nolan's
agony. and Vaughan's almost equal
agony Of sympathy. AS quick as he
could get words. he said:
"Teil 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 then they all fell to kissing
him again and wanted to rub his nose
with theirs,
ITO he cont nuedN