Year: 1862

You've seen the Flame, then, afore, stran-
ger?"


Six years ago. when new on the river, she
was real out and outer, tell ye. was at
that time hand aboard her. Yes, belonged
to her at the time of her great race with the
Go liar You've hearn, maybe, of the blowup
by which we lost it! They made great fuss
about it-but it was nothing but mere fzz of
hot water, after all. Only the springing Of a
few rivits, that loosened a bier plate or two,
and let out thin spirtiug upon some nigsers
that didn't know enough to keep ont of the
way Well, the Go liar took of our passen-
gers, and we ran into Smasher's landing TO
repair damages and bury the poor fools that
were killed. Here We lay for a matter Of hir-
ty hours or so, and got things to rights for q
bran new start There was some carpenter
work yet to be done but the captain said that
might Just as well be fixed off when we were
under way-we had worked hard. the weather
was sour, and We needn't do any more just
now-we might take the afternoon to our.
selves but next morning he'd get up steam
mighty airly, and we'd all come out new
There was no Temperance Society at Smash
ers landing, and went ashore on a lark with
some OF the hands"


l omit the worthy Benjamin's adventures on
land, and despairlng of fully conveying his Ian
guage in its original Doric force. l will not
hesitate to give the rest of his singular narra-
tive in my own words, save where, in a few
instances, can recall bis precise phraseoogy,
which the reader will easily recognize


The night was dark and seety when l re-
gained the deck of the boat The officers, in
stead of leaving watch above. had closed up
everything and shut themselves in the cabin
The fire room only was open. The boards
dashed from the outside by the explosion, had
not been replaced The floor of the room wa
wet, and there was scarcely a corner that was
sheltered from the driving storm. l was about
leaving the room, resigned to sleep in the open
air, and now bent only upon getting under the
lee of some bul head that would protect me
against the wind. In passing out, kept my
arms stretched forward to feel my way in the
dark, but my feet came in contact with hea-
Wy iron lid. | stumbled and as | fell one of
my hands struck into the man hole IT think
this was the name he gave to the oval shaped
opening in the head of the boiler). through
which the smith had entered TO make his re-
pairs. fell with my arm thrust so far through
the aperture that ! received a pretty smart
blow in the face as it came in contact with the
head of the boiler and | did not hesitate to
drag my body after it. the moment l recovered
from this stunning effect and ascertained my
whereabouts. In word, | crept into the
boiler, and resolved to pass the night there
The place was dry and sheltered Had my
bed been softer, would have had all that
man could desire as it was, | slept soundly


should mention, though, that before closing
my eyes, several times shifted my position
| had gone first to the farther end of the boiler.
then again. had crawled back to the man
hole and put my hand out to see If it was still
open. The warmest place was at the farther
end and there finally established myself and
that know from the first 1t was foolish in
me to think that the opening through which
had just entered could be closed without nv
hearing it, and that, too, when no one was
aSlir but myself. But the blow on nv face
had made ME little nervous, perhaps, and be-
sides never could bear to be shut up in any
place it always gives wildlike feeling about
The head You may laugh stranger, but be-
lieve | should suffocae in an empty church, if
| once felt that | was shut up in it that l
could not get out. | have met men before Just
like me, or worse. Men that it made sort of
furious TO be tied down to anything. vet so
softlike and contradictory in their natures, that
you might lead them anywhere so long as they
did not feel the string. Stranger, it takes all
sorts of people to make world and we may
have good many of the worst kind OF white
men here out west. But have seen folks on
this river, quite good-looking chaps, too as
ever you see-who were so tetotally cdrankter-
ankter0us that they'd shoot the doctor who'd
tell them they couldn't live when ailing. and
make die of it just out out of spite when told
they must get well.


Yes, fellows as fond of the good things of
earth as you or l, yet who'd rush like mad
over the gang plank of life, if once brought to
believe that they had TO stay in it whether
they wanted TO or not. Thunder and bees
if such a fellow as that had heard the cocks
crow as l did awakened to find darkness about
him-darkness so thick that you might cut it
with knfe-heard other sounds. too, TO tell
him that it was nothing, and scrambling to
tumble tor that man-hole found it, too, black
closed-baek and even as the rest of the iron
coffin around him-closed, with not rivit
hole to let Gods light and air in-whv-whv
he'd a swooned right down on the spot. as |
J;J onl ain't ashamed tn ou-, :. 20 ~ r-l:..