Huntingdon journal. (Huntingdon, Pa.) 1843-1859, May 30, 1855, Image 1

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    .° I . atiiilo . ol. lournaL
BY WM. BREWSTER.
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tied ottn).
MYSELF AND FOLLY CARTER.
."Squire Jones' Darter.
Ain-'
!
Bright is the t of the Autumn leaf
When lirst the fell frost nips it ;
Smart is red pepper and cider mixed,
To tip mouth which gently sips it ;
But brriterihr than Autumn leaf,
ö Than Cayenne pepper smarter,
Is the pride of my heart—my own true love,
My avntle Polly Carter.
I loved her when a little girl,
And loved her wore when older,
And never once shall I forget,
When trot in, love I told her
, She blushedand sighed, and turned her head,
(Her eyes were tilled with water).;
I took her hand within toy own
And whispered—" Polly Carter!"
'She only blushed a deeper red,
And sweeter looked than ever :
My better it seemed to run a race
With my old "patent lover;"
I told her that I roved her well,
And that I ne'er would barter
For aught on earth, however prized,
The love of Polly Carter.
told her that I had a farm—
Well tilled was every acre—
A u.l that I had a snug ftirtn•house
To which I longed to take her
And told her that unless she'd go,
For life I'd be a martyr
To Cupid's cause, and break my heart
For gentle Polly Carter.
She turned, and oh 1 how sweet she smiled
And said she loved me dearly;
Then what cared 1 for aught beside ?
I was quite blest or nearly ;
The "old folks" said we might be wed,
And ne'er did I fuel smarter;
Than when the parson made as one
Myself and Polly Carter.
A *flat Cale.
A NIGHT ON A WHALE
A TRUR AND THRILLING STORY.
The King Harrold, whaler, was cruis
ing on the Kings's Mill group of Islands,
iu the Pacific, for sperm fish, with the in
tention of passing the winter months there,
and in the spring going further north to
catch the real whale. Thus far they had
not captured a fish. M. last, however,
their efforts were destined' to be crowned
with success, and ono of the crow met
with the adventure which forms the sub
ject of this paper.
He was au Irishman named Pat—an
ap►iwe, strong hand, who had been prompt
ed to perform the important duty as boat's
leader, or harpooner. At the tint sum•
I BEE NO STAR ABOVE THE HORIZA PROMISING LIGHT TO GUI
mons, four boats left the side of the King
Harrold, exerting their utmost strength to
outstrip each other. An extraordinary
zeal prevails on such occasions by those
who man the different boats, as it becomes
a point of honor which shall throw the
first successful harpoon ; and on this day,
all the others had shot ahead of that com
manded by Pat, when, just to the right of
him, but a considerable distance, another
whale was seen to blow, and he at once
turned towards it, and pulled away from
his companions.
The other boats had to, much work on
their hands to pay any attention to him;
and as the whales which they were in pur
suit just then rose again within thirty feet,
one of the harpooners immediately drove
his iron home. The too others were also
"fast" soon after, but as the iron of the sec
ond boat came out again, and the whale
sank to a great depth, it was compelled to
follow the third, and help on capturing ita
ffsh. This they eventually succeeded in
doing, though the struck leviathans set off
at full speed, in a northerly direction, tear
ing the boats after them, and dashing the
water furiously over their bows. How
ever after much trouble they secured two,
and then lay on their bars to await the
ship, as it would have been impossible for
them to row with such a tremendous mass
in tow.
125
I 50
2 5O
While waiting for their vessel, which
was at a gnat distance, they had leisure
to look around for the fourth—that of our
friend Pat—but they searched in vain fur
its glistening sail. If had disappeared,
and their consolation was in the hope that
it had been kept in sight from the mast
head. ;rho King Harrold was by no
moans a fast sailer, and the afternoon was
spent ere she reached them, and secured
the two fish alongside. A man was imme
diately sent aloft to discover where the
fourth boat was, but nothing could be seen
of it, and at length the skipper and seve
ral of the crew followed to the same posi
tion for a similar purpose ; but all in vain.
Once or twice they fancied they could see
a dark spot on the water to the southwest,
but 'on looking closer it disappeared.
The watch was kept up until dark, but
not the slightest trace of it could be dis
covered.
As the captain could not cruise about,
on account of the fish alongside, even had
he known in what direction to steer, he
determined to cut them up during the night
as far as possible, and in the morning; lea
ving the remainder with a flag hoisted on
them, seek the missing boat and its crew.
Ile still had a chance of finding them to
leeward, and the ship was drifting in that
direction with the trade wind and the
equatorial current. It was most probable
that a wounded spermaceti had destroyed
the boat, and that the men had not been able'
to keep so long above the water. The sea
was certainly calm enough, but the fearful
shark speedily scent . s the blood of n struck
fish ; and, as at the present moment five or
six of these greedy brutes were swimming
round their vessel, and making unavailing
efforts to tear off a piece of the teen and
elastic hide, it would only be too certain
that they would find the spot where the
other boat had sunk, and woe be to the
unfortunate men when exposed to their ra
pacious, inexorable jawa!
But there was still a possibility that the
boat had drifted so far to the leeward that
it could not pull up again, and two lanterns
were hoisted to the fore and main tops, in
order that they might not in nny event ,
pull past in the gloom. After dark; at
midnight, and before the dogwatch, the
skipper had the gun fired ; but the night
passed away without anything being seen
or heard of the lost ones. The cutting up
of the whale went on actively in the mean
while, and the boiling was immediately
commenced. Large torches fed with strips
of blubber, hung overboard in a fire basket,
a net made of iron hoops, and lit up the
dark ocean, giving the dancing waves a
singular transparent view.
At daybreak, two of the harpooners
were sent to the tops, armed with good
glasses, to again look for the missing boat;
in vain had they searched the whole heti.
zon, without being able to discover any
thing, when the eyes of one were attract
ed by a dark spot, which he closely ex
amined. The distance •vas too great to
allow anything to be clearly distinguished,
but for all that the shipper was immediate
ly informed of the circumstance, and
speedily joined them, It was certain
something was floating on the water there,
whatever it might be, but it lay-to wind
ward. They must have drifted past it in
the night, and the second harpooner was
ordered oil' with a boat to see what it was.
Even if not the missing boat--and it did
not at all look like it—it might possibly
be a dead whale, and would net imly re.
HUNTINGDON, PA., WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 1855.
pay the trouble of looking after it, but
would surely put on them tho trail of the
missing men, as the hsh, if struck, would
at any rate have one of the ships harpoons
or irons in it.
For nearly half an hour they pulled,
following the signals on board without dis
tinguishing anything in their track, until
the harpooner who stood in the bow sud
denly fancied he noticed a dark object
right in front, and only just above the wa
ter. Before long he shouted half turning
to his men, and pointing in front.
~ P ull away, my lads, pull away. By
heavens ! it's a man on a raft or boat, or
something of that sort, pull away, for I
fancy we are only just in time.
Then uttering a loud ~b alloa !" he tried
to arouse a responsive echo, but no sound
answered him, and the boat bound on its
course toward the extraordinary object.
"A man ! a man !" the men in the boat
cried, and the boat's header, who was also
standing up, shouted, "By heavens, it that
is not Patrick ?"
"Patrick. it is?" replied the harpooner,
but where are the others?"
But every other question died away in
renewed exclamations of surprise, when
they come nearer, and now only recogni
zed the fourth harpooner, the young Irish
man, in the shipwrecked man, but also
found that he was kneeling on a dead
sperm whale which lay with its bullion a
few inches above the water's edge. His
left hand was twisted tightly in the line of
the harpoon, which alone kept him on his
slippery post, and with the other he held
the shaft, which he had cut away from the
harpoon, so tightly grasped, that he would
not even let go when the boat shot up to
him, and every arm was stretched out to
help him in.
The poor fellow looked deadly pale and
could not utter a single word—his eye was
wildly fixed on his messmates as if ho did
net recognize them; he merely rose me
chanically to step into the boat, but fainted
away as soon as he felt the firm planks un
der him. Ile had lived through a fearful
night ; and we must return to the period
when he quitted the others with his boat,
in order to chase the whale on his own ac
count.
Pat, as he thought, very cleverly steer
ed away from the truck of the other three
boats, and following a single sperm, which
was lazily breasting the waves at some dis
tance from the rest of the shoal. They
rowed lustly on at about five hundred yards
in the rear of the sperm, and gained upon
it rapidly, for the fish was, as yet ignorant
of the danger that threatened it. At the
same time the sperm swerved more and
more (remits former course and went west
ward with the wind and current. Pat
rick now set his sail, in order to get near
er the fish, without any unnecessary noise.
The whale however, appeared to have
scented the approach of danger, for it
started off at the top of its speed, so that
the boat, even with the favorable breeze,
could gain but little upon it. Suddenly,
just as they had got with great labor, with
in casting distance, the sperm, dived, and
the boat shot over the spot where the
waves were still babbling over the sinking
monster "Sail in !" the harpooner quickly
shouted—but the boat glided on a little
distance from the impetus it had received,
and the boat steerer stood with unlihed
lance ; anxiously awaiting the signal to
cast. While the sail napped wildly in the
wind, and the harpooner held the sheets
firmly in his hand, that they might not
loose a motnent in pursuit, the rowers
looked into the clear water beneath, with
the hope of 'seeing the fish, and so discov
ering the direction It was about to swim
"There's something swimming," said
one of the hands, in n half-suppressed and
anxious tone of voice ; "it's coining up
straight frmu below."
"Hush l" said the harpooner—gently
—gently—or you'll startle teiin—whero 1'
(.There ho comes—there he comes !"
three or four shouted simultaneously, and
grasped instinctively at their oars.
"Back—back for your lives !" the har
pooner cried nt this moment, who was well
aware of the peril to which they were ex
posed if the colossus, in rising merely gra
zed their boat. Almostat the some instant
the oars fell into the water, and the boat
bad scarcely shot its own length back,
when the gigantic round head of s power
ful sperm fish, with its wide jaws half
open, rose to the surface, and then bound
ed forwards, as •if to escape the strange
object whose presence ho was not aware
of. In the bow of the boat, and close un
der the mountains of blubber, which actu
ally rose under his very feet, stood the
boat steerer with uplifted lance ; but his
arm trembled, and still within reach of the
• fettrfpl fee, , vlto could crush them at a sin-
!DE US, BUT TILE INTELLIGENT, PATRIOTIC, UNITED WHIG PARTY OF TILE 'UNITED STATEWL.".
gle blow, he did not dare to hurl the her.
peon into the flying monster.
"Give it him !" Patrick however shout
ed perfectly careless of danger, and only
thinking at the moment of the chase.—
"Hang the fellow he'll let the fish slip
through his hands ;" and seizing his own
lance, he appeared to be anxiously await
ing the moment when ho could hurl the
sharp steel into the back of his prey.—
The boat-steerer still hesitated, but only
for a moment ; for if he suffered the oppor
tunity to slip, it was a question whether
they would ever come up with the start
led whale. The sail had again caught the
wind, and the harpooner held the tiller
firmly with his knees to bring the boat's
head round, and rush_ after- the flying foe.
At this instant the harpoon whizzed through
the air deep into the monster's back, and
was imbedded in the tough blubber. In
a second the sail was agent taken in, and .
the boat-steerer springing back to the til
ler, made room for the harpooner to throw
his lance, and give the leviathan of the
deep his death blow. Patrick stood in the
bow with his face raised for a cast, and the
crew tugged away ut the harpoon rope to
bring their little bark close up tb the cap
tive fish. Patrick bent back, and while
the flukes of the gigantic brute lashed the
waves close to them, and it once rose again
to escape the danger which it saw impend.
ing the death bearing steel sank into the
soft flank of the foe. In a second the har
pooner withdrew it to repeat the slow, and
the whale in its fury, suddenly turned at
bay, causing the sea to hiss and !ham by
its rage.
"Thick blood !" And while the boat
swain thiew his whole weight on the til
ler, and leaned overboard to bring her
head around and ere the crew could ship
their oars, the furious brute came up with
open jaws, and seizing and crushing the
thin planks, torn them asunder as if mile
of paper. Patrick saw the danger, knew
what impended over them, and with an
unshaken hand he again hurled a lance at
the enemy and pierced its.eye—but he
could not save the boat. The maddened
brute probably did not feel the new wound
in the death struggles, For, plowing out
the thick black blood, and only thirsting
for revenge, it tore the boat in pieces, and
the foaming, bloodstained waves soon clo
sed over a mass of fragments and swim
mers, who only tried to clutch at a planlc
in the instinctive feeling of selfpreserva.
tion. Patrick had quite unconsciously,
seized the line to . which the harpoon was
fastened, winding it round his arm ; the
whale dragged him along through the dis
colored waters, and he would inevitably
have been drowned had this fish lived a
feW minutes longer. But the first cast had
gone home, and rising again to theisur
face, the whale swam once or twice in a
circle lashed the waves with its gigantic
flukes, and then floated slowly and died
upon the blood-stained sea. Patricic who
had risen with it, and had been so until
Tingly taken in tow with the whale, swain
quickly up to the floating monster, and
seizing the harpoon still sticking in it,
raised himself up at the very moment
when a piercing shrielc sounded close be.
hind hint. In horror Ito turned round;
the cry for help was too agonizing; but
felt ns if stabbed to the heart when ho saw,
at no great distance from him the dark dor
sals fins of two sharks, which shot back
and 'onwards, while the gurgling in the
water just behind him and the lashing of
the waves, betrayed the spot where one of
their comrades was fighting the fight of
death in the merciless clutches of a third
brute.
Here and there a few of the unhappy
men belonging to the boat were still float•
ing on oars and planks, but only three left
of the merry fellows who, but a few min•
utes before, had boldly looked danger in
the face, and now the hyenas of the deep
were revelling beneath them. Of what
avail was the powerless blow of the arm
aimed at them or the yell of despair? It
was music in the ears of the cold, fearful
monsters, with their cat-like eyes end gi•
ant strength ; and the bloody fonts which
at the next moment floated on the surface
of the water, was the cerecloth of the un
happy men, and revealed their graves.
"This is fearful !" groaned Patrick, who
had hardly strength enough to keep on the
back of the whale that still offered him
protection—"fearful thus to die, and no
help ?" And his eye sought desperately
across the watery waste for the saving
ship, which was tacking to pick up the
other boats, fur, fur away on the horizon.
And when they missed him, and sought
for hint, and could not find the boat with
the glass, and sailed about fur days in
search of him, of what avail would that
be to him Only hours—mitiutes, per.
haps—were allotted to Nita, and his tnur•
derers were bounding in their insatiate instance. Again and again the heavy
greed after their prey. Shuddering he stick was required to teach them that there
concealed his face in his hands, almost for- was nothing there for them to fotch . at
getting his own peril, to see the death least so long as the young Irishman felt
struggles of his comrades around him, himself strongh enoug to struggle against
which was only a counterpart of what hunger and thirst, the scorching sunbeams
awaited him, but the hissing and beating and the constant tearful excitement of h.s
of the waves compelled him at last with- 1 nervous system in the tremendous danger
that instinct of self-preservation which that ever surrounded him.
clings to a straw, to think of his own sal. I And the ship—no hope of salvation
cation, or at least to defer his fate as long thence ! Deeper and deeper sank the
as possible, in order to leave room for any sun, and the ship lay to windward, with
possibility of help. The harpoon in the its brightly glistening sails. But the
back of the whale, which drove still deep. beasts that swam around him became more
er into the blubber, offered him a support and more ravenous, and tried in vain to
to keep him on the smooth mass. For, al- drive their teeth through skin of the sperm
Though he thought once or twice shout whale ; and when the stars were lighted,
cutting out the head and using it as a weir I and gradually illuminated the whole sky,
pon of defence against the greedy sharks as far as the bright strip which still lay on
still he immediately gave up the idea` the western horizon, he watched the glis.
again. Once washed into the sea, even teeing brains shooting athwart the limping
the sharp steel would be no protection waves, as the sharks swam restlessly back
against the agile shark, which would in- : wards and forwards, and the peril that be
fallibly seize its prey eventfully, and then set him grew wors! with the night.
draw him down in spite of all the wounds He clearltsaw the lights - of his vessel
it might receive. But one thing lie could hung out for him—lie even noticed when
do. The handle of the harpoon, a short lit grew quite dark, the bright glimmer of
stout oak stick of about two inches in di-the blubber lamps, and even the pale light
ameter, was still firmly fixed in the steel ! which came from the stoves of the oil-try-
This he pulled out, cut it away Irma the ere, and were reflected in the idly-flapping
line with the lanyard knife, every sailor sails. But what availed that to him ? His
wears on his person, and then fastened the strength was fast leaving him, and his tor
chord to the ring of the harpoon. And mentors left him no rest. 'The most gree
while he twisted the chord tightly, around dy of the brutes, a young fish scarcely
his left hand to have a better hold, he sei , eight fret in length, once went so far as to
zed the shaft with renewed confidence, and seize the harpoon, and held sufficently"
awaited with tightly clenched teeth and long to be half dry upon the sperm by the
flashh'g eyes, the attack of the foe, which retiring wave ; but tho oak stick struck it
however was deferred for some time. such a fearful blow across its treacherous,
Tire sharks wore satiated for a while crafty-looking eyes, that the shark glided
and played in the streams of blood which offthe slippery whale, turned up his white
stained the water around, rather than I stomach and sunk. But others toolc the
sought for fresh prey ;.they tried at times brutes place, and only the glistening streak
to catch hold of the slippery, broad car- in the dark water revealed their approach,
cass of the whale, or swam lazily or sleep- and warned the unhappy man to prepare
ily around among the broken fragments of himself for the renewed attack:
the boat, seizing a plank and holding it for Hour after hour thus passed in this
a while between their teeth; and then fearful contest for life ; but fresh hope
gushing, it liefere them with their round, was aroused in him when the ship drew
spade-shaped upper jaw. The weather, nearer to him, and the signhl gun clearly
unfortunately, was quiet and calm, and and distinctly reached his ear. At last he
the rippling waves, in which the water wasehle to recognize the forms on deck,
rose and sank, washed over Patrick, but as they moved backwards and forwards in
not one one of the sharks had come near the flickering light.
enough to scent him ; and he hoped, per- !=.lhoy—ho—ahoy !" his wild and de
haps, that he would be able to held his I spairing cry war wafted across the waters
own unassailed until the ship could come I as his comrades drifted pest without no
up to him, or, at least, send its boats.— tieing. Ifini—utilloy-."
f3ut where was the ship ? Father of mer- Again he was compelled to defend his
cy ! there was no prospects of reletrie for life ; for the sharks attracted by the sound
a long, long time. For even at the din of a human voice, came up from all tides,
lance ho then \vas, it could not escape I and their dark dorsal fins cleft the surface
the sailor's practiced eye that it was beep. lof the water in every direction. His
away from him. The ether boats, there. j blows fell repeatedly, and the end of the
fcire, had caught their fish, and with their tough shaft was already splintered—
booty alongside, would not ba able to loc;Ic i blows which would have felled an ox, but
reduced no further effect upon a shark
after him. At the same time, the sun P
burnt hot and scorching on his forehead, than to make it retire fora little while.—
and his tongue clove to the roof of his And the ship ? there it drifted almost with.
month. 3Vaterf—the limpid waves bath- i in. hail. Again a signal gun reached his ,
ed his feet, and should he perish of thirst? ear, and he again mph) yed the ensuing
Lie knelt down and trashed his forehead pause to send his cry for assistance across
end temples, and eyes and lips, in order to the waves to the spot where salvation lay
have a slight iefreshinent, and then he —so near, and so unattainable. But the
bound his handkerchief around his head— I wind came from that quarter ; though he
for Ito had lost his hat at the destruction of could so distinctly hear the sound of the
the boat, in order to protect it in some me. gun, and even distinguish the different
metre from the scorching beams. I voices on deck,. he was unable to make
Through this movement, however, the them hear him. He only made his one.
attention of one of the sharks must have mies around him more and more rapacious
been attracted to him, or else, though sat- i and their attacks became almost ince:, I
jailed and over satiated, it could not resist I sant.
its desire for mote prey, for just as 110 rat I His strength, his good spirits—which
sed his hands, he noticed that one of the had till now been kept up by the hope of
largest dark fins, which projected above salvation—sank when he saw the ship
the water, was swimming in a direct line drift past—sank when no means were left
towards him. He had, in fact, scarcely to announce his proximity. The love of
lime to raise himself, and prepare his wee- life alone !rept him upright, and urged him
pen for defence, when a tremendous fel. to defend it against the savage brutes until
low some thirteen feet in length shot up to his last breath.
him, and tried to turn over on the back of Thus night passed away and day at
the whale, and pluck off what was still up. length broke in the far distant east. Ho
on it. But with the danger, all the sail saw it all ;he saw the sun rising from its
ocean bed, recognized the outlines of his
or's courage returned to him, and swing.
ing the heavy shaft in his hand, and hold- vessel, the graceful musts and the belly
ing the rope firmly in the other hand, he ing sails--and he attempted to make a
struck the head of the monster such a turd
powerful
effort to announce his existence,
tried to pull off his shirt and wave it in
powerful and well directed blow that the
shark, hall•stunned, slipped off the whale the air--a signal certain to be seen by the
and sunk ere it could prepare for a renew. i look out at the mast bend--but Ito was not
al of hostilities, or perhaps make up its able to do it. His limbs were stiff and
mind to such a serious step. But other rigi.l ; even his voice refused its service,
sharks had been attracted by the noise
and he could only produce a hoarse, gar
and splashing, andalthough they did not filing sound ; his eyes burned, his head
. went round, and a new idea, like a will of.
dare an Immediate attack on the bold niter
tal who ventured to withstand them in the-wisp upon the broadly spreading sea,
their native element, still they continually struck hint and seemed to expel
a ll ,every thought of hope or salvatin every
swarmed in a narrow circle, around the
spot where he was sitting, and once or hope. He began to look out among the
twice came so near that I'at gave them sharks that incessantly swain around him
one or two hearty blows across the jaws, for the one on which he !night hurl hint.
to teach them to be respectable and keep I self, and which he intended to destroy as
their proper distance. But the shark is a well as himself with the sharp knife he
greedy, obstinate brute, and even if den. were. Again and again had this one et
gerously wounded, always turns to any tacked him, and it allowed him neither
I booty it has scented, as long as i t ma i ns peace nor rest, for even an hour at a time
the necessary strength. So it wa, is this again and again, although received by
°-- [WEBSTER.
"Greed," replied the collector; there's
no harm in tryin,' any way."
Some weeks after, the creditor chanced
to be in Boston, and walking up 'Tremont
st., encountered his enterprising friend.
~ Look a'hero," said he, "Square, I
had considerable luck with that bill o'
your'n. You see I stuck to him like a
dog to a root, but for the first week or so
'twan't no use—not a bit. If ho was
home he was short;' it he was' t at home,
I couldn't get no satisfaction. By and by
says I, arter goitt' sixteen times, I'll fix
you !" says L So I sat down on the door
step, and sat all day and part of the even
ing, and I begun curly next day ; but
about ten o'clock, lie , gin is.' Repaid me
in half, and 1 gin him up the note I"
VOL. 20. NO. 22.
fierce blows NO driven back, it returned,
the most rapacious of the rapacious band--
and revenge he determined to have on that
enemy... . . . . .
But his strength deserted bins ; the
painful excitement of his mind and body
threatened to overthrow him, and although
the sharks had not renewed their attack
since daybreak, though they still kept
around the dead whale—for they felt that
he must soon become their prey without
further trouble---he had fallen on his knees
and half unconscious, only followed with
his glance the dark, threatening fins. He
had utterly forgotten the ship.
The loud holloa of the sailors that came
to save him first aroused him from him
lethargy. He saw the boat, but he could
scarcely comprehend, it seemed, what it
all meant, or where he actually was; but
lie raised himself once again, felt himself
supported by friendly arms, and greeted by
cheering encouraging words, and sank
back in a fainting condition. The harpoo.
ner had received orders that, on arriving
at the dark spot that had been seen from
the deck, if he found it was a dead whale,
he was to give a signal by waving a white
flag he had taken with him, and remain
there till the other boats could be sent to
his assistance to take the dead fish in tow.
But they had not expected to find a single
half-dead messtnate upon it. He there
fore gave the signal and stuck the flag in•
the body of the whale in order that the oth
er boats might find the spot, and then row
ed with the saved man as fast as he could
to the vessel. Three of the sharks, which
were not inclined to let their prey be so
easily torn front them, followed the boat,
and were severely lamed and killed by the
harpooner, who could easily imagine how
they must have terrified and tormented his
messmate.
A YANKEE TRICK.
A gentleman in New York, who had
been in Boston for the purpose of collec
ting some moneys due him in that city,
was about returning, when he found that
one bill of a hundred dollars had been over
looked. His landlord, who knew the deb
tor, thought it was a doubtful case, but ad
ded, that if it was collectable nt all, a raw
bossed Yankee, then dunning a lodger in
another part of the hall, would "worry it
it out" of the man.
Calling him up, therefore, he introdu•
cod him to the creditor, who showed him
!he account.
"Wal, Square," said ho, "'taint much
use o' tryin,' I guess. J know that crit.
ter. You might as well try to squeeze
'ile out of Bunker Hill, as to try to c'lect a
debt out of him. But any how, Square,
what'll you give me sposin I do try ?"
"Well, sir, the bill is a hundred dollars,
I'll give you—yes, I'll give you half if you
will collect it."
A. DUELLING ANECDOTE.
Two Spanish officers met to fight a duel
outside the gates of Bilboa, after the sec
onds had failed to reconcile the belliger-
OVe wish to fight, to fight to death,"
they replied to the representations of their
companions.
At this moment a poor fellow, looking
like the ghost of Romeo's apothecary, ttp
proached the seconds, and in a lamentable .
voice said :
'.Gentlemen, I am a poor artisan, with'
a large family, and would"-
"My good man, don't trouble us now,"
cried one of the officers ; "don't you see
that my friends are going to split each
other ? We are not in a Christian hu-
mor."
"It is not alms I ask for," said the man.
, •I am a poor carpenter, with eight chil
dren and my wife is sick; and, having
heard that thoso two gentlemen were
about to kill each other, I thought of ask
ing you to let me make the coffins."
At these words the individuals about to
commence the combat burst into a loud fit
of laughter, and simultaneously throwing
down their swords, shook hands with
each other :Ind walked nwav