Year: 1862

race with the Go-i;ar. You've hearn. may
be, of the blow-up by which we lost ii?
They made a great fuss about it--but it was
nothing but Il mere fizz of hot water, after
all. OEly the springing Of few riyits.
that loosened "A bier plate or two, and let
out a thin spir.ing UPON some niggers that
didn't know cnoush to get out of the way
Well, tie Collar took off our passengers,
and we ran into Smasher's landing to re-
pair damages and bury the poor fools that
were killed. Here we lay for matter OF
thirty hours or 50. and got things to rights
for a bran new start There was some car
penter work vet to be d,ne, but the captain
said that might just as well be fixed OIL when
we were under way-we had worked haru,
the weather was sour, and we needn't do
any more lust now-we might take the af-
ternoon to ourselves; but next morning he'd
get up steam mighty airly, and we'd all
come out new. There was 10 temperance
Society at Smasher's landing, and l went
ashore on a lark with some of the hands"


omit the worthy BEN lamn's s adventures
on land, and despairins of fully conveying
his language in its original Doric force,
| will not hesitate to give the rest of his
singular narrative in my own words. save
where in a few instances l can recall his
precise phrascology, which the reader will
easily recognize.


50 The night was dark and sleety when l
regained the deck of the boat The officers,
instead 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 ex-
plosion, had not been replaced. Tho floor
of the room was wet, and there was scarcely
a corner that was sheltered from the dri-
wing storm. | was about leaving the room,
resigned to sleep in the open air, and now
bent only npon getting under the lee of
some bulkhead that would protect me
against the wind. In passing cut, | kept
my arms stretched forward to feel my way
an the dark but my feet came in contact
with a heavy iron lid. | stumbled, and
and as | fell one of my hands struck into
the man hole I think this was the name
he gave to the oval-shaped opening in the
head Of the boler), through which the
smith had catered to make his repairs.
fell with my arm thrust so far through the
aperture that received 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 | recov-
cred from this stunning effect and ascer-
tanned my whereabouts. In word, crept
into the boiler, and resolved to pass the
night there. The place was dry and shell
tered. Had my bed been softer, | would
have had all that man could desire as it
was, slept soundly.


l should mention, though, that before
closing my eyes, several times shifted my
position. l 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 still opep- The warmest
place at the further end. and there 1
finally established myself, srd that l knew
from the first. 1t was foolish In me to
think that the opening through which | had
Just entered could be closed without my
hearing it, and that, too. when no one was
astir but myself. But the blox my face
had made me little nervous, perhaps, and
besides never could bear to be shut up in
any place-it always gives wiIdlike feeling
about the head. Yoa may laugh stranger,
but believe | should suffocate in an empty
church, if l once felt that | was shut up in
it that | could not get out. ] have met
men before just like me. worse. Men
that it made sort of furious to be tied down
TO anything, yet SO softlike and eontradic-
tory in their natures, that you might lead
them anywhere So long as they did rot feel
the string, Stranger, it takes all sorts OF
people to make Il world and we may have
n good many of the worst kind of white men
here out west. But l have seen folks on
this river, quite good looking chaps, too, as
as ever you see-who were so tctotally car
ankteraakterous that they'd shoot the doc
tor who'd tell them they couldn't live when
ailing. and make die of it just out of spite
when told they must get we'll.


Yes, fellows as fond of the good things of
earth as you or |, yet who d rush like mad
over the gang pl .nS of life, if once bror oh
to believe that they had to stay in it whether
they wanted to or not. Thunder and bees !
If s;.ch fellow as that had heard the cocks
crow as did. awakened to find darkness
about him-darkness SO Thick that you mi
cut 1t with a knife heard other sounds, too.
to tell HIM that 1T was nothing, and scram-
bling to tumble for that man-holc. found it.
too, black-ciosed-blac and even as the
rest of the iron coffin around hm-elosed
with not rivit hole to let God 3 light and
air in-why-why he'd a swooned right
down on the spot, as did. and amt ashamed
to own it to no white man.


The big drops actually stood upon the poor
fellow VS. brow, rs he now paused for a mo-
mcnt in the recital Of this terrible story. He
passed bis band over his rough features.
and resumed with less agitation of man
ner.


- How long | may have remained there





senseless. don't know. The doctors have
since told me that it must have been a sort
of 6t--more like an apoplexy than swoou,
f.r the attack finally passed off in sleep
Ycs. | slept-l know not, for dreamed
dreamed heap of things afore l woke
There is but one dream, however, that
have ever been able to recall with distinct,
ness, and that must have come on shortly be.
fore l recovered my consciousness. Ny
resting place through the night had been. as
| have told you, at the far end of the boiler
Well, | now dreamed that the man hole was
still open; and what seems curious, rather
than laughable, ifyou take it in connection
with the other things, l fancied that my legs
had been 50 stretched in the long walk
which | had taken the evening before, that
they now reached the whole length of the
boiler, and extended through the open
ing.


Atiirst lin my dreaming reflections it was
q comfortable thought that no one could
now shut up the man. hole without awaken
ingme. But soon it seemed as if my feet,
which were on the outside, were becoming
'drenehed in the storm which bad originally
driven me to seek shelter. I felt the chill
hing rain upon my cxtrenities. They grew
colder and their numbness gradually extend
ed over the body. 1t seemed. however.
that lt was only the underside of my per-
son that was thus strangely visited. | laid