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nitf Mi tartk'b u gtod ft wtd
"MwrwHi
ikmewateeny,
Wm tan art aMSMtsaer yet,
JmI Isms a very away,
AttilT Ml MMM tM
.' aUvefioajyef eaasteyBieat,
TtMaseiefrsMMtbeMrdto aleuo
WlMMMttlad eajoyaMat.
Tftls MMk mm a elem world,
.. la seta or afcaaurt weather,
If MofJo Wottd but loam to live
la hanaoay together.
NoroeektoluwUadlyboad
By tare aad peace ceaMated,
Aad loam that boot of loam yet,
Always to be eeeieated.
Tarn won the world a Bteaeaat world.
Aid alioooat fbfco were in It ;
The day weald pass BMetpIeajanUy
To Umbo who thee bejria it ;
Aad althe MaMleajgneraaoee
, AomUm by borrowed troubles,
WoaU More ao eottaialy they are,
A aaa of Mrtybubbleo!
The Kestehec Sleep the Eaf Ush
Crausers.
A TALE OF THS 'LAST WAR.
ar raar. . . omuhan.
Tke river Kenebec, in Maine, is without a
rival iaNew England, either for its historic
aatooiations, or the beauty of its natural see
nery. It rises atnong the paeses of the High
lands thai form the northeast boundary line
between the U. Slates and Canada, and af
ter flowing through a romantic region for
raaay leagues, enters a valley of surpassing
beauty, through which it meanders between
level intervals of the richest verdure. The
waters of this river are remarkable for their
limped transparency, while in a body their
appearace is nearly black. The hills that
rise on either shore are bold and nobly wood
ed ; and here and there frown above the si
lently, gliding wave, dark granito precipices,
clad with mow and the graceful wreaths of
the mountain vine whoso beauty is ever ver
dant. Falls and rapMs, characterized by
wildaeM aad even anbllmity, ay intervals,
break the dark tolling tide of this beautiful,
river, anil with their roar awaken the echoes
of the forest-clod hills."'
At the period of 'bur story, which was
near the close of the last war, two British
urmed vessels had been cruising offthe mouth
of the river for some days, occasionally run
King close in with the fort so as to draw its
fire and then tacking and standing seaward
again. nOne of these vessels was a sloop-of-war,
and the other a brig of sixteen guns.
They were effectually blockading the river,
and for some time no vessel had either come
in or gone out. Every thing was brought
to, even to the small fishing boat, and the
strietest vigilance was maintained from the
very first day of their arrival on the coast.
One morning in June, just as the sun was
rising from the sea, flinging his fiery spears
far across the sparkling waves, kindling up
ovory object on which they lit, the two Eng
lish vessels were seen standing in toward
the mouth of the river, under topgallant sails,
with the wind free on the starboard quarter.
They wero about half a mile apart, their
courses converging to a point. This point
was a small Kennebec sloop, hugging the
land and endeavoring to maherthe entrance
of the river. Her broad main-sail was flung
to tho wind like a great white wing, and she
was sweeping along across the water like a
cull flying before a storm. She had been
discovered by the cruisers only a few min
utes before, whcn they tacked together and
pressed after her to intercept her, making
sail as they went. Fifteen minutes more' of
the obscurity of morning and the adventur
one sloop would have got into the river, and
'unfer the guns of the fort unseen, or seen
too late to do cut off.
,.It.wa beautiful sight to behold three
vessels Jo motion ; one small, unarmed, and
' with but three sails to help her flight, bound
.loir, aloof close under the land ; the others
tan, flwrnlng with batteries and covered
'with' carivtfss 'from deck to truck.
The stoop was two miles in shore of tho
crukisrs, aV about the same distance west
er eftfciwouth of the harbor, being, when
dbicbvehriyj ed,n6 aroud Cape 8mM
'Point.1 flhV'dthercforo, tho same distance
to run to gala shelter, that herpursuors had
to come up with hor present position .
The cruisers stood on for about five; min
utes1 after tadking in tho samo converging
lines,' when the corvette signalized tho brig,
wkleh immediately luffed and bore up four
points to the eastward, while the former kept
her first course. Tho object had in view by
this manoeuvre of the brig, it was plainly
evident to ibo fishermen who, from the rooks
on which their huts were perched, wero
watching with interest the pursuing and pur
sued, .was to intercept her; for they bad
quickly discovered that a direct chase wouM
be mekeotual m the sloop showed herself
be a very fast sailer. So the brig stood
straight towards tho mouth, hoping to reach
it in advance of the sloop, while tho sloop.
nf.wnr knnt on in canturo her if sho should
turn back and attempt to run into Harpsr-Und simultaneously a shot pawed whizzing
well or Portland.
"Wo shall be tuk, darned if wo won't
Deacon," coolly remarked a tall, ungainly
youth of nineteen, who, with a dipper fasten
ed to a ten foot handle, was bailing up water
from the sea and throwing it over tho main
sail of the sloop, to swell tho threads of the
canvass and make it better hold tho wind.
As ho spoke h paused in his work, lean
ed upon his long dipper handle, and shutting
one eye, took a deliberate survey of tho two
cruisers.
"Not so long as two timbers of tho Polly
Ann hold together, 'Siuh," responded tho
Deacon, who grasped the helm, and who with
ahead and the otner watenmg me
fist.
"It's got in safely, Deacon, answered Lot
Blseel, gruffly, ''and got two hundred and fif
ty dollars, or it's, sink the sloop, and no insur
III
anoo !" ,
"That's a fact, Mr. BIsmI," responded
tho Yankee skipper, with emphasis; and
shifting his tobacco from his larboard to his
starboard cheek, ho glauced under the main
boom to see how tho fort and shore lay, and
then hovo his eye to windward and took with
it deliberate inspection of the onomy.
"Give a small pull ail on tho main sheet,
Mr. Bisscll. 'Slab, haul aft tho jib a bit !
"Tho Britisher is smoking his pipo !" added
tho skipper, quietly, as ho saw a jut of sinoko
belched from tho bow of tho uloop.of.war.
Ho hud hardly go tho words out ol his mouth,
when tho boom of a gun reached bis ears,
one eve
enemv. directed the course of his little v.s
sel tanard tho shelter he sought. "If wu'd I ledge, and ciery thing wus
nnlv had another ten minnits afore suntin. whilo her mam-royal mast am
.... mmmmmm .--. . -- , -. , ...
wo d got in
Rut the davfuin't coin' to ston
for any man, an' I don't 'spect it to. All w e
must do is to keep tho Polly out o' the humU
of tho Britishers, now they've got their eye
Wet tho satis, 'biah ! keep wettin
lovferthcir heads.
! 4 dont stand that aro !" said 'Siali, in a
very uetormincu tone, which smguiuny con
trusted with his awkward rustic exterior.
"Give me leave, Deacon and I'll give 'out u
shot back: darn me if 1 don't!"
"Your gun won't scare 'em, 'Siah. Ease
off tho main sheet, Lot. Bo ready to dodge,
for I guess ther'll bu unother ono o' them
junks o' iron this way. They ain't no pilot,
or they wouldn't keep so near orpoisc rock
ledgo !"
Cool and steady the skipper stood at his
post, uuddirtcicd thu course ot Ins little cm ft.
All at onco ho gave u loud hurrah! The
sloop.of.war had struck, under full sail, upon
a rock, bare at low water, known m porpouc
tuken aback,
yard went
on us.
em
v
assuring the agent
Ann into the river
Shrewd,
"I guess they know what we've got aboard,
Deacon," said 'Siah, as ho cast a shower of
spray over tho mainsail. "They seem to
take all fired trouble to ketch us. Seo how
Polly jumps! The way sho tosses water
with her bows, 1 won't have to wet her jib ;
she does that herself! If we don't get in
the river, and them chaps, overhaul us, what
in natur's to be done, Deacon V
"It won't do to let 'cm capture bo six -big
guns, an' two barrels o' powder, an' tun o'
shot that wo've got for tho fort, that's a fact,
'Siah," said, very decidedly, Captain, or
rather "Deacon" Paul Butterfield, who both
owned and commanded the Polly, which had
been a few days before engaged by the gov
ernment agent in Boston to convey arma
ment and amunition to Fort Hunnewell.
This cnterprizo the Deacon for he wps a
lawful Deacon in his own town, which wus
Hallowell. fortv miles up the river hud
cheerfully undertaken,
he could get the Polly
safely, in suite of the cruisers
bold and cool, the JJeucon saw that by run
ning only in tho night, and hugging tho shore
he should probably bo able to get into the
Kennebec undiscovered, especially as tho
cruisers used to stand off shore at night a
league or two for an offing, and run in again
at sunrise. The agent felt that a small ves
fel, with so skillful a captain as Deacon But
terfield, would be as likely to get jnlo the riv
er as a large one, if not more so, and gave
him the commission. For4 the sum oftwo
hundred and fifty dollars, tho deacon had bar
gained to take the cannon and the munitions
to tho Kennebec, and also he bound himself,
if there were danger of his being captured,
to scuttle the sloop and sink her. Wo now
seo him thus -far in tho progrcs of his cnter
prizo. The cannon were long battery thirty.two's,
six in number, and were laid athwart shins,
side by side, upon deck. Tho shot woro piled
forward, and in tho forecastle was stowed
the powdor, in casks, anil securely protect
ed under canvass ; tarpaulins also covered
tho guns. "
"If wo can only hold out ten minutes .more,
'Siah," said the Deacon to his mate, "I don't
fear them are two cruisers a stick ! Ono or
'em you see has luffed to try and cut us o'.
If 'twant for this plaguey heavy iron wq'vo
got in her, I'd show the enemy how to make
eOceel cut blue water through! But wo
musWetin Lot," he added, turning to a rug
ged old-man, who looked like a weather-beaten
fisherman, who comprised all his crew,
and was now engaged in tending tho main
sheet, the slack of which he held in his iron
over tho side.
"That's for not taking a pilot on a strange
coast," suid tho skipper, dryly, whilo his
keen little eyes fairly glistened with pleasure;
but ho made no further demonstrations of
joy ; for after taking u second glance at the
slooop.of.wnr, aiitl seeing thut mutters on
ward of her were in too much confusion tor
them to trouble themselves further ubout
him, he gave his whole attention to the brig,
which was alou nitlcanila hall Irom him
in a straight line, unci about equally distant
from the entrance to the ricr.
UnoiKMieinL' tho uccidrnt that had occur
red to hcVeousnrt, sho Iwrc down a little and '
hoisted a Higtntk It was nspondedto on
board the sloop, when tho brig resumed her
course.
"The sloop-of-wnr, I suppose, says she ,
don't want any aid ; so the hrig is left at lib j
erty to intercept us ; said tho skipper.
"It looks, too, u? if she would bo likely to
get to the entrance as soon as tho Polly ;
and then lucss its all up with us. Hut 1 1
dont give up so long us u timber hangs to
her, or I can have u limit to hold on to the til
ler by ! But what in uutur' are vou iloui'
there, 'Siuh I"
Well might the Deacon nsk this question.
The uinhitious young Keunebeckcr hud
brought from tho forecastle a keg of powder, ;
knocked in tho head with a handspike, and
was now tying some half peck of it up in u
bandanna handkerchief, which ho had taken
from his neck. ,
"Doin'? I'm goin to givo 'cm a gun, J
darn'd if I ain't. If those here guns is go( i
to goto Davy's locker, I'll get ono fire out
on 'em first, I guess !"
As 'Siah spoke, ho threw down a moveable
section of tho bulwark uniidships, leaving
an open spaco to tho sea, before the muzzle
of ono of them, began to ram it down with a
handspike.
"What on airth is tho critter at?" cried
the Deacon.
'Siahmado no reply; but having ramed
the cartridge home; he rolled a, thirty-two
pound shot towards it, and giving it a lift,
shoved it into tho muzzlo after tho powdor.
"Now for primin' hor; and then I guess
if I don't givo 'em a Fourth o' July saluto,
they never heard one !"
As ho spoke, he poured a handful of pow
dor upon tho vent, and then jumping to the
caboose, caught up' a lighted pine knot, and
waiving it to keep it bright, approached the
gun.
"Stop 'Siah, stop4i shouted the skipper nt
tho top of his voico ; "you'll blow the Polly
Ann to Jerico if you firo that aro gun aboard
on her 1"
"I din't calculate I'll be tuk pris'ner by
tho Britishers, Deacon, and be put in Dart
moor, I guess. I dont mean to fire jist yet,
but take a chance for a good aim, and then
give em saltpetro !"
"It'll shako uv'ry bono out o' tho Polly I"
said Ihocuptnin in alarm.
As ho spoke, tho brig, now within a milo
distance, fired a shot across her bows.
"'I hat means hcavo to, Lot," said tho
skippor, 'Slab, put cut 'hut nine knot I"
"I mean to, by'm by, Deacon I Wait till
I git a sliot at 'cm I I ain't a feored o' hurt
in ths sloop a bit ! You just yaw a littlo
bit and bring tho muzzle o' my artillery
pieco right against tho brig, and if I don't
show om how a Yankee gun can speak, 1
don't never want to seo tho inside o' Kene
,boC river agin !"
A sccoudgun oamo from tho brig, and the
shot passed withiu ten foot of tho Deacon's
head, mado a rent a fathom long in his main
sail, and the shock caused his peak halyards
to part, and let tho poak of his mainsail down.
This ciuisjiUJic sloop to fair off a point or
tuo, ami while tho nkipjxjr, unflinching and
with ii ej u it t look, was trying to bring nor tu
the wind aguiii, 'Siuh, taking advantage of a
moment us alio swung, in which bis loaded
gun nore niton the brig, instantly applied tho
torch to the vent. Tim roar, tho flame, and
co.'icushinu wero terrific.
Thu little uscl reeled under tho recoil of
the vast gun, till tho waves poured in over
her bows and stern. Tho skipper and Lot
wore laid Hat upon the deck, whilo 'Siah
found himself hanging by the heels in the
Ice shrouds.
Fur a few moments tho Deacon thought
his tcsscI would go down, sho wallowed and
plunged so but sho soon stuadied herself,
though with her deck flooded, her jibs blown
awuy, and her windhus unshipped.
"I guiss if they got thu shot, it '1 settle
em," said 'Siuh, as lie dropped feet first oil'
the rigging, into which he bud been blown,
upon deck, tuid tried to seo through thu
smoke. f
"You ought to be settled, you 'tarual crit
ter !" cried the Deacon, cimtged ; "you like
to have sunk her, darn ye!"
"Don't swear, Deacon! 1 wuut to sec if
the hrig got it!"
"Clot it, j on fool ! I guess you'll get it if
I e cr seo shore ugain !
As the smoke slowly rolled away, the brig
was discovered, no longer standing but knock
ing ubout ut tho mercy of tho waves and
winds, hor forcinust gone by tho boardj and
dragging over the ido with all its yardanil'
sails. Tho shot hud cut off her mast with,
in ten feet of tho deck !
'Siuh was perfectly confounded ; but man.
ifested no surprise, while tho Deacon ami
Lot set up a loud hurrah of triumph.
"Why, what is tho mutter J Why don't
yon hallo?" said tho Deacon, taking breath.
"Co-. 'taint nothin' more'u I meant to do!"
replied 'Siuh, with inimitablo sang froid; "i
ain't surprised, if jou be, Deucnu."
In twenty minutes more, tho sloop, with
her vuluuhlo eaigo, wus safuly sheltered un
der tho guns of Fort Hunnewell. Tito sloop,
of.wur Iny ukhi thu rock till tho next tide,
ami the brig luy by her rigging a jury-mast.
Before sunset, both vessels mado sail and
steered eastward, on the way towards Hali
fax, to repuir damage. Thus tho blockade
wus raised, grcLtly to the relief of tho cum.
mcrcc of the river.
"'Siah" is now ono of tho most popular of
our Eastern steamboat captains.
Harp Wouk. Its hard work to gouphil'
without leaning forward ond it's hard wori
for a 'neutral' editor to speuk of politics
without leaning ono wny or tho other.
It's hard work to make a dinner of grap
shot, unless they aro well lioilcd , and it'
hard work to digest a fool's argument unless
it bo souked in something liko reason.
It's hard work to look at tho huh without
winking ; and it's hard work to look at some
girls without feeling inolined to wink.
It's hard work to do nothing, and have
much of it on hand ; and it's hard work to
colloot u debt of ono who says, 'I'll pay it
to-morrow.'
It's hunt work to squeczo cider out of u
brickbat ; and it's liurd work to scratch out
ideas for u paragraph after being on a spree
for twonty.ibur hours.
It's hard work to hold lightning by tho
tail ; and it's hard work to stem tho torrent
of a woman's will.
It's hard work to rofuso a good offer ; and
it's harder still to bo compelled to accept a
bad ono.
It's hard work for many neoplo to live ;
and doubly hard for somo to die.
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