AN INDEPENDENT FAMILY NEWSPAPER. fZZ'vZJ? "Vol. "V. IVoav Uloomftelcl, 3P,., rTtioHliiy, Aliireli 21, 1871. TVo. 13. Js Published Weekly, At New Bloonifleld, Penn'a. FRANK MORTIMER. BUBSCItlPTION TEUM8. om: dolIjAk rmi yeaiii CO Cents ford Months f 40 Cents for 3 Months, WHAT I HAVE SEEN. I have seen tic orchards building; 1 have heard the robbing slut; I have seen all nature gladden, At the gracious smile of Spring. I have seen maturing Autumn, From the trees their garments tear ; And the quickly coming Winter, Hang her Icy arrows there. I have seen the bond of friendship, Dissevered shred by shred ; I have seen attention burled, With the fondly cherished dead. Then learn to look for constancy, For happiness and love; Amid the ceaseless changes here, Alone to Htm above. MR. SEYMOUR'S STORY. Showing how he Lost his Property mid Recovered it. HOW many different scenes a wanderer through the) world has come under his personal observation, and how much that is strange, and almost beyond belief does ho frequently liavo told him by those who have sought their fortunes in strange lands? In the early part of 1854, I had returned to San Francisco from an unsuccessful trip to the mines, and while waiting there to re cover from a severe attack of low fever that I had contracted whilo searching for the gold motal, I had a strange incident hap pen to me that resulted in such a change in my life that I was convinced more than ever of the truth of the wise precept of casting bread upon the waters. I had, after my return, rented a room in a narrow street that you entered from Portsmouth Square, in one conicr of which stood the famous Banking House of Pal mer & Co. The room I occupied was in the first story of a house that stood in the rear of the banker's establishent, and it was my custom, every evening, to sit on the piazza in front of my window, and while smoking, view the different sceues as they occurred. One evening my attention was drawn to a man who turned the corner and caino down the street with a lingering, uncertain step. He wore a large camlet cloak, that had seen its best days years before, an apology of a cap, and bare feet ; ruined minors wore no uncommon sight in thoso days, and es pecially after dusk in that locality, and I was about to resume my former interesting occupation, when something peculiar in his form and air reminded me of my schoolboy days, and caused mo to give him a scru tiny. As he drew near, the conviction that I had seen him before became a certainty, and as ho glanced up, while passing, I said, ' Sir. Seymour, what are you doing hore iu this state ?" "Who are you 1 and what do you want of mo ? I don't want any one to spoak to me that ever knew me before," he said, as he partially stopped and .wrapped his cloak together about him to conceal his rags. "That won't do, Mr. Seymour," I re plied. " If you have got to going down lull, it is not for me to give you another shove, even by overlooking you, when I might be able to pull you the other way a liitlo. Somewhat reluctantly he turned, and I oon had him in the house and a caudle lit. Although my unwilling visitor was too far gone to bo classed as shabby genteel, you could still observe a latent bearing in him that betokened a gentleman, though certainly under several clouds, if not more. " Who aro you?" he again asked, after a searching look at my features. " I thought you wouldu't recognize mo," I said, as I submitted patiently to his pier cing gazo ; " but when I say I was the little fellow in the old academy on the hill at Nantucket, whom you used to tell if he didn't get his lessons he would have to dig clams for a living, and whoso namo is John although the boys called him ' Jack Bre vet,' I think you may recall mo." "Jack Brevet," ho murmured ; "well, I'll tako it for granted you are Jack Brevet, as you remember what I used to say to him; but he was a clover littlo shaver of four teen or fifteen, and I cannot realize that this stout heavy bearded man is ho." " Twenty years mako a great chango in all of us," I said ; "but what aro you do ing hero in this shapo ?" "Dead broke," was tho sententious an Bwor. "That's very evident; when did you feed last?" I inquired. . " Day beforo yesterday," was tho trem bling answer, weakness and long fasting unmanning him so that a few sobs escaped him, although ho tried to control himself. "Day before yestorday!" I shouted; take your hat, old fellow, and stir your stumps for a short distance ;" and followed by my old pedagogue, I hastily made my way to a neighboring restaurant, whore I soon had the satisfaction of seeing him tuck under his old camlet a reasonable sup ply for a small menagerie, my only fear be ing that he would overdo the thing. Did you ever see a hungry man eat ! I don't moan a man with a good peckish ap petite, but a real out and out hungry ono one who has been on short allowance for some time and the commons poor at that ; that is the kind of a hungry man I mean, and that is tho kind my old instructor was. Ho wasn't a bit particular as to quality ; it was the quantity he wanted, and I almost fancied that tho first few mouthfuls went down liko a deep sea lead, bringing up with a thud. Our Teutonic rostauranter cast many a glance of approval on his customer as he quietly stowed away tho prog. "Eat hearty, and give the place a good name," I said, when after a good half hour of steady feeding, ho pushed back his chair from the table, saying, "enough is as good as a feast." "How old are you, Mr. Seymour ?" I in quired, as we were returning. " Forty-two !" was his brief answer. "Forty-two! Impossible! I went to school to you over twenty years ago," I said. " Exactly ; I commenced teaching at twenty, although I looked fully five years older," he replied. I could hardly realize that my old master was only six years my senior. I concluded that his strange life must have aged him as it did, and as wo now were back in tho house, I asked him to givo me his history after leaving Nantucket ; but beforo doing so, I got out of my trunk some of my un der clothes, which had shrunk so with washing that I thought they would answer, to which I added a pair of heavy boots and a calico shirt that I had bought in a Jew's shop in the mines, that had proved entirely too small. " Now, Mr. Seymour, whilo you aro tak ing a good wash and changing your duds for these, I will have a smoke outside." So I left him a short time to himself, think ing he would be less cmbarrassod if alono. When I returned again, I said, " I havo a family at home to support, and as I am out of business I cannot do any more for you than havo you stay quietly hero and sharo my living, such as it is until you can better yourself ; in the morning I will visit somo townsmen, and get up a contribution without telling who it is for, and get you some decent clothes for you to solicit em ployment in." As I said this the tears stood in his eyes, and he finally managed to say, " I have been everywhere, even among cannibals, and yesterday I wished heartily that I was buck agaiu out of a Christian land ; but to-night, I fuel some hoe in me, and while I must accept your offer temporarily, I will try not to bo a burden too long on you, and if I can ever repay you I will, tenfold." Littlo did he or I then think that the re turn would be made as soon as it was, or iu so substantial a manner ; but iu Califor nia in its earlier days, the poor man of to-day was the millionaire of tho morrow. " How did you come to this country ? for whon I lust heard of you, they told me you wore in Boston, rich. " Whilo my California experience is similar to hundreds, I presume the way I gut here is somewhat peculiar; iu 1847, I inherited from an undo iu Boston quite a fortune,aud concluded to go on a wild spec ulation. Having heard in Nantucket, from the old whalors there, how easily fortunes were made by any one with capital enough to visit the Fejee Islands and trade with tho natives, carrying your barter to Canton for a market and then exchanging it for products of that oountry, I determined to mako a grand tour of the world in my own way, and in Boston, falling in with Captain Darnsford, who had been on a similar vogagc, and who ngrccd to go out in command of a vessel for mo if I would givo him an eighth of tho not profits, after short deliberation I nccepted his proposi tion, and wo commenced our preparations for tho voyago. "Captain Darnsford was a Sandwich Islander, although ho was a half-breed, his father being an English resident at Hono lulu who had taken a Kanaka wife, and, being at ono timo quito wealthy, had given tho captain a very fair education. If ho had not told mo his parentage, I should not have dreamed ho was anything but pure whito, for ho showed no trace of his native blood, beyond his tall shapo, coal black, coarse straight hair. As ho could converse readily in tho native dialect, and had excel lent references from tho last employ that ho sailed for, I deemed myself fortunate in securing so competent a man for tho con templated voyago. "After somo delay, wo found a beautiful brig, well adapted for our purpose, . named Sally Ann, and after somo negotiation I purchased her, and under the advice of the captain, filled her for tho voyago. AVo arm ed her with four six-pounders of brass and two long nines, as well as a quantity of muskets and pistols, and instead of lioavy shot we took two hogsheads of boiler punchings, deeming them to be better at short range than grape. Having arranged these details I put what balance of money I had in Yankee notioiTs and small wares adaptod for trading, and then, at the sug gestion of the captain, we filled tho vessel with freight for Melbourne, with tho idea of putting what money we could make by doing so, into the venture. " We finally wore all ready for sea, and left Boston one fino summer morning with a beautiful breeze and fair prospects before us. The brig proved herself to be all she was recommended, and wo congratulated ourselves many times on securing a vessel that was so fast and would work so well in any position as she did. "On tho passage out, the sailors were employed in making a boarding netting that would go from tho stern where there was an opening in the netting to tho night heads forward, and reached in height to tho mainyard, where we could guy it out. Whilo they were thus employed, I fitted up a small blacksmith's forgo which I had bought in Boston, and amused myself by working at a trado, for which I always had a tasto, iu doing various littlo jobs about tho ship, ono of which was to convert oue of our long nines into a swivel gun that could be fired in any direction. " Six months later, we were at tho island of Ravo,ono of the Asaua group, which has about twenty thousand inhabitants gov erned by a chief who is called king, al though ho is of inferior rank to Tut Viti, of tho island of Ambow, who is in reality, king of the Cannibal Islands. "We passed through tho Oorosoa, which is a group of coral roofs surrounding the Fojees, and anchored off tho mouth of a small river. Having loaded our guns and stood our muskets around, we rigged our boarding netting, and were ready to con summate tho object of our voyago by tra ding with the natives for sandal wood and tortoise bIioII. " We were soon surrounded with canoes of all sizes, but we declined to trado with tltcui until after wo had seen the king, and when ho, a greasy, dirty-looking fellow of middlo ago, with nothing but tappa cloth around his loins, put in an appearance, wo presented him with a small looking-glass, a red smoking cap, and a cup and ball ; and afterwards, until tho cap was worn out, tho glass broken, tho toy lost, when he was not admiring his monarchial features in his mir ror, he was catching the ball either iu tho cup or on the point of the handle, in which feat he was soon proficient. We declined trading though, until he furnished us three priests for hostagos, which he finally did, and then we felt comparatively safe, as tho chiefs in somo tilings are a button hole lowei in rank than their divines. "Finding that the captain could eon verso readily with thorn, as ho claimed to bo ablo to do, and could, in consequence, trado hotter than any one on board, I re linquished tho business to him, and find ing timo hang heavy on my hands, returned again at the captain's suggestion, to 'keep off blue,' to my blacksmith's forge. " Whon wo had been there a week we found their supply of barter was exhaust ed, and so wo finished by buying several livo hogs, intending to visit other islands until wo had exhausted our own stock. When they wore going for tho hogs tho king, who had appeared very friendly, in vited mo, through the captain, to go ashore, and on Darnsford's representing that there would bo no danger for mo to do so, as ho held tho dusky hostages, I decided I would, and I accordingly got into the imperial ca noe and went ashore with my tawny host. "As wo approached tho shore I could see that there was great eacilcment among the natives collected on tho beach, but I pre sumed it was on account of a whito visitor, and felt no alarm. As soon as I was ashore tho king spoko rapidly for a few minutes, in a loud tone, and then, a chief and about a dozen men stepping forward and bowing obsequiously, they formed a regular escort around mo, and nodding pleasantly and poiuting to tho interior, wo started oft. " For several hours wo kept up a steady walk ; then I was so tired I threw myself down to rest, and found my examplo fol lowed by the othors. In a half hour's time wo resumed our march, now going up a mountain and now through a gorge, until I finally opened my foolish eyes to tho fact that I must be ten miles or mora from tho ship, and I ofT in tho interior with a parcel of grinning cannibals around mo, not know ing where they wore taking mo. I came to the conclusion I had mado a mess of it, and so turned round to go back. But which way or where to go was the question. Tho natives appeared perfectly willing to allow mo to proceed my own way, but did not seem inclined to lead me any further. So I again sat down and stared at them, which they fully rociproc ated, laughing as though they had a 'big joko on Snydor,' aud I feared I was Snyder. "At last tho sun wont down, and finally, worn out in body and mind, I fell into a sound slcop, from which I did not awake until morning, when I found wo had re ceived an accession to our strength at somo timo during tho night, of a pair of canni bals, who came with provisions. As I was hungry, I opened their packages without a word, and finding they had plenty of roast pig and bread fruit, I helped myself with out interference, and having satisfied my hunger, and quenched my thirst from a small stream, I amused myself trying to find my way back, tho natives appearing entirely satisfied to let mo wander at will, although they kept mo in sight all the timo. " Finally, becoming tired of my fruitless attempt, I joined them again, aud throw myself on the grass. Loading my pipe I went in for a square smoke; when I had got fairly started, I offered them a whiff, and all that day I amused myself by seeing each of them iu turn have a general clean out of the system ; it was bettor than any emetic I ever saw administered, although they were game to tho last man. " The next morning, soon after they had awakened, a mossenger joined us, and after talking rapidly for a few moments with our loader, approached mo aud mado motions for me to go tho way he came, and they all started that way, I mado Hobson's choice and followed, and a sharp walk for a couple of hours brought mo to tho landing-place. " What was my astonishment on looking around, to find that tho vessel had disap peared, and I was left alone. For a few moments I was unmanned ; thoughts of homo, my solution and tho probability of never being ablo to see civilization again, crowded ovor mo, and filled mo with pain ful emotions, so deeply that I could not refrain from groans. Just then a native touched me and bade me follow him; un derstanding his gestures I did so, and in fifteen minutes I found myself near a long stockado of bamboo. We slipped through a email entrance wido enough for oue man to pass iu at a timo, aud I found myself in a square, with houses enough of bamboo thatched with leaves to contain many thousands. "As soon as wo appeared, we were sur rounded with men, women and children, who appeared to show great curiosity at seeing mo ; my color and dross drawing forth many remarks, especially from tho women, who gave mo thoir particular at tention. Although I was greatly annoyed by their attempts to feel of mo, I had to griu and boar it, walking along with all the dignity and self-possession I could muster. " Iu a short time wo approachod to a hut much larger than the rest, aud the crowd fulling back as we draw near it, I entered with my guide, who, pointing to a curiously carved block of wood which was evidently used for a seat, retired at once, leaving me to my bitter reflections. For somo time I sat motionless, but finally curiosity prompt ed mo to make an examination of tho place I was in ; beyond a largo wooden trough, in tho centre of it which appeared to be filled with banana leaves, a few calabashes in tho corner, and several blocks similar to tho ono I was sitting on, seemed to be all it contained. I had barely finished my mental note of its contents and wondering what it was used for, when tho king, ac companied by tho hostagos I had loft aboard, and several chiefs, came into tho room ; beyond a grunt or two they paid no attention to mo, but going to tho corner and taking the gourds, had a square drink all round. One of them was sufficiently polite to pass me one of them, and as I took a small taste, more out of curiosity and fear of offenco than desire for the liquor they hold, the party, seemed greatly satis fied at my action. The liquor was a fiery sort of rum, and a little wont a great ways with mo ; and had I known then, as I afterwards did, that it was tho fermented extract of tho cava root mado by women who chewed it and spit it into a bowl to work, I should havo passed at once. Igno rance is bliss, however, and I swallowed a small dose unsuspectingly, saying as I did so, 'with the Turks, do as the Turkeys do.' " When that performance was over, they went to the trough in the centre of tho room, and throwing the banana leaves off frointhe top, invited me by gestures to join them, and on my doing so, I was horrified to soe thom exposo to view the body of a small girl, roasted to a turn. Sick and disgusted I went outside tho door, and stayed until thoy joined me after their sick ening feast. " When they wore through, they mot mo outside, and after talking earnestly to gether for some minutes, they conducted me to a hut that was apparently new, ' and hore, in the company of a native woman for a servant I lived in idleness for some weeks, closely watched by a guard who prevented my leaving certain limits, totally uncon scious of the fact that tho woman was in toned for my wife, which I shortly learned to be the fact in a curious way. "Ono morning there was a loud shouting outside tho stockado, and soon I saw the king, accompanied by a native who was tat tooed from head to foot enter my hut ; for twenty minutes they conversed rapidly, and then my calico-looking visitor turning to me said : " ' Well, my hearty, how do you like it, fur as as you've got.' " Had a thunderbolt struck me I would not have been more surprised than to hear tho native address mo so well iu my own language ; but I managed to stammer out, 'not a first-class situation, and I'll resign without a whimper to tho first applicant ; but who and what aro you ?' "(Runaway sailor turned native,' was the frank answer. " ' What aro they going to do with me ?' I inquired. " ' Keep you for a blacksmith, and if you rofuso, eat you,' was the reply. '"I'll blacksmith a while,' I hastily re plied 'if eating is the alternative.' " ' Sensible man,' my interlocutor ejacu lated; 'how do you got along with your wife?' " ' Wife ! I um uot a married man !' I quickly said. " ' Looks something liko it,' he replied, with a quiet nod toward the corner where my servant crouched with a sullen look iu her face. "'Did they moan hor for my wife?' I askod, surprised and amused at the infor mation. "'Just that, and she is as mad as hops because the chief sent her hero when she wanted another !' "'Tell her to clear out! Vamose the ranche ! I tdon't want her I' I shouted, warmly. " ' You'll bo in trouble with her family in flvo minutes if she is sent away, and then look out for your cocoanut J bettor keep hor, I've got ton,' ho gravely said. " 'Ten wives?' I gasped. " 'Just tho number ; and forty children.' '"Forty children!' " ' That's the count to the decimal part of a fraction.' "Iwasdumb with amazomont. Here was a white man coolly tolling he had ten wives and forty children, quietly domciled iu the Cannibal Islands, and while taking it as a matter of course, soemod to think I should. "I had road of Mormonism, but hore was polygamy staring me right in the face, aud I hesitatingly asked him If his name wa,' Joe Smith. Ho looked surprised.
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