FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  
undred and fifty on 'em in the State of Alabammy. Give us your fin, Sam." Bird Riley and Sam shook hands in due and proper form, and the relationship appeared to be fully established. The names of the three other revellers were given, but the spokesman was disposed to do all the talking, though he occasionally appealed to his companions to approve of what he said. It was evident that he was the leading spirit of the party, and that he controlled them. He was rather a bright fellow, while the others were somewhat heavy and stupid in their understanding. The bottles were again handed to the guests, both of whom went through the form of drinking without taking a drop of the vile stuff. "What be you uns doin' here?" asked Bird Riley, after the ceremony with the bottle had been finished. "We was both tooken in a schooner that was gwine to run the blockade," answered Christy. "We was comin' out'n Pass Christian, and was picked up off Chand'leer [Chandeleur] Island, and fotched over hyer. We didn't feel too much to hum after we lost our wages, and we done took a whaleboat and came ashore here, with only one bottle of whiskey atween us. That's all there is on't. Now, how comes you uns hyer?" "I'm the mate of the topsail schooner West Wind, and t'others is the crew; all but two we done left on board with the cap'n," replied Bird, apparently with abundant confidence in his newly found friends. "You left her?" asked Christy. "That's just what we done do." "Where is the West Wind now?" inquired Christy, deeply interested in the subject at this point. "She done come down from Mobile three days ago, and done waited for a chance to run the blockade. Her hole is full o' cotton, and she done got a deck-load too," answered Bird Riley without any hesitation. "Where does the West Wind keep herself now, Bird?" "Just inside the p'int, astern of the Trafladagar." "The Trafladagar?" repeated Christy. "That's her name, or sunthin like it. I never see it writ out." "She's a schooner, I reckon," continued Christy, concealing what knowledge he possessed in regard to the vessel. "She ain't no schooner, you bet; she's jest the finist steamer that ever runned inter Mobile, and they've turned her into a cruiser," Bird Riley explained. "How big is she?" "I heerd some un say she was about eight hun'ed tons: an' I'll bet she'll pick up every Yankee craft that she gits a sight on." "And you say the Trafladagar is at a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45  
46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
Christy
 

schooner

 
Trafladagar
 

bottle

 
Mobile
 
answered
 
blockade
 

chance

 

waited

 

undred


cotton

 

friends

 

confidence

 

abundant

 

replied

 

apparently

 

subject

 

interested

 

deeply

 

Yankee


inquired

 

hesitation

 

continued

 

concealing

 
knowledge
 
possessed
 

reckon

 

cruiser

 

regard

 

vessel


steamer

 
runned
 
finist
 

turned

 

explained

 

inside

 

repeated

 

sunthin

 

astern

 
whiskey

stupid
 
fellow
 

bright

 

controlled

 
understanding
 

bottles

 

taking

 

drinking

 

handed

 
guests