VOL. Xlll.
NI3W BLOOMFIELD, PA., TUESDAY, AXJOUBT 19, 1870;
NO. 21V
THE TIMES.
in Independent Family Kewspnpcr,
18 PUBLISHED EVERT TUESDAY BY
F. MORTIMER & CO.
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""MIGHT HAVE BEEN."
lu the springtime of life when the fond heart ie young,
'When its sky is unclouded, its Joys yet unsung.
When in ecstatic hope it looks forward life
In ita brightest fruition, nor recks of the strife
That must fall to the lot of all children of men,
It knows not the lesson of what "might have been."
But when teased on the wave of love's sorrowful tide,
Like a bark oa the billow It drifts far and wide
Trom the haven of rest, then the woeful refrain
Has itB rent from the heart racked with auguinh and
pain,
In that saddest ot wailing, of languor of pen11
That tearful regret in what "might have been."
Then how sad the condition, how fearful the plight
AVhen the hope of the heart has been lost in the sight
Of ita sky overcast, of no Joys to be sung,
Its fruition how dark, all its cords how unstrung,
And it weeps o'er the past, is uncomforted when
It conjures up Joys in the sad "might have been."
But cheer up, sad heart, there are pleasures in store
For the heart that loves fondly, tho' wretched and sore.
And though for the time fears your love may enshroud
Don'tforget the bright "lining behind each dark cloud ;"
Give the future its chance, let the past go, and then
You will cease your repining- on what "might have
been."
An Adventure Among Savages.
WHILE in command of the little
barque Perl, Bald Captain Jeffreys,
I met with an adventure among Bavages
that I think worth relating ; for though
no lives were lost, save one which was
quite worthless, and the circumstances
never made any sensation among the
whalemen, they can never be forgotten
by us who were actors In the drama.
We were making what had proved,
until then, a very successful cruise
among the small " school whales" in
the neighborhood of the Gilbert group
of islands, and had been swept out of
our usual track during a succession of
light winds, and currented off south of
the equator. After baffling for several
days, we so far recovered our lost ground
as to sight the island of Arorai, and
were near enough in the afternoon to be
visited by a goodly number of the na
tives. They brought very little In the way
of barter, but informed us that a ship
liad been cast away there some time be
before, and that they had various articles
on shore for sale, which were of too
ponderous a nature to be brought out in
canoes.
We had not visited this particular
island before, but having a good general
knowledge of these Microneslans, I was
inclined to be wary and suspicious of a
cheme to decoy a part of us on shore.
There was a difficulty in communicating
with the earliest comers, as our confer
ence about the shipwrecked articles was
carried on in the language of signs ; but
I learned that there was a white man
Jiving among them, as indeed there was
one or more at each island that I had
visited.
It was quite late in the day before this
man's canoe was seen approaching us,
and we had then worked up to a con
venient position under the lee of the
land, where we could see, for ourselves,
a number of casks lying on the shore,
and an object that looked like a ship's
anchor.
The white man who boarded us called
himself Barney, and was unmistakably
an Irishman ; most likely a runaway
from one of the British penal settle
ments, who had found his way here in
some colonial whaler or trading Vessel.
He confirmed the statements of the na
tives about the wreck of the Adelaide,
some six months back, and said that
there were many Valuable articles on
shore, including anchors, chains, casks
and cordage, which they were anxious
to dispose of for tobacco and cloth. In
deed, as we stood In near the beach, we
saw enough to satisfy us that his account
was substantially true, and after consult-
ing with my mate, I resolved to venture
ashore myself to examine, with a view
of purchasing, If the weather should
continue fine the next day for getting
the things off.
Taking Barney into the boat with us,
we started for the shore, the boat's crew
being all armed, and cautioned particu
larly to be on their guard. The mate
was also Instructed to use the utmost
vigilance, and to keep the ship as near
the land as practicable. My intention
was, not to be absent from her more
than a couple of hours, which would be
sufficient to examine the articles for
sale and, decide upon purchasing. I
could be snug on board again by sun
down, and finish the business on the
morrow.
We found the landing on the coral
shelf rather dubious work for a whale
boat, though the native canoes managed
It very well, making sport of what
might have been to us a matter of life
and death.
I was compelled to trust somewhat to
the Irishman's pilotage, and we got
ashore without material accident, though
our boat was slightly stoven in so do
ing. Barney led the way along the
beach towards the place where we had
seen the anchor and the casks, and four
of us accompanied him, leaving two in
charge of the boat.
The crowd of savages hovered round
us, seemingly In high glee, the Irish
man talking continually in the barbar
ous guttural dialect of the island, of
which he seemed to be quite master.
Before we reached the place where the
shipwrecked articles were collected, we
had to round a bend In the land, so that
our own boat was hidden from view ;
but we gave little heed to this fact, as
all appeared Btraight-forward and friend,
ly, and we apprehended no danger while
the ship was so near at hand to support
us. The anchor proved to be a very
good one, and there were two service
able fluke-chains and many other valua
ble articles offered for a mere trifle in
the way of barter ; so that I had fully
determined to buy the whole, and take
them on board next morning, if wind
and weather should serve. I was in the
act of arranging my plan to this end
with Barney, when the report of a
musket from the direction of the boat
startled us. I immediately jumped to
my feet, with a word of caution to the
men to look to their arms and be on
their guard. A single step satisfied me
that we were not to be allowed to return
whence we came, without lighting our
way.
The women and children, who had
until now formed a portion of the
crowd, were leaving us, and drawing off
inland, a sure indication that treachery
was on foot.
4
It did not appear, however, to be the
design of the savages to kill us at once,
or they might have done so, by making
rush in upon us, as we were only four
in number. They doubtless thought it
more profitable to secure us and hold us
for ransom, while they knew that some
lives must be lost at the first attack, and
felt a little wholesome dread of our
guns.
We, on the other hand, endeavored to
present as bold a front as possible against
such fearful odds, and to refrain from
bloodshed until compelled thereto in the
last extremity. Besides, if we discharg
ed our firearms, we would be at the
mercy of the enemy before we could
possibly reload them.
Finding that we could not make way
against the living wall that barred our
return to our comrades at the boat, we
came to a stand, formed in a group,
back to back, so as to present a gun to
each of the four points of the compass,
while I opened a parley with Barney,
demanding of him why we were ob
structed in our movements, and what
was the purpose of the natives ? He
assured me that.no violence 'was in
tended, but that the king had determin
ed have us remain on shore all night,
and that we could not be allowed to
leave the beach, though he hoped we
would see the necessity of submitting to
his wishes without forcing him to order
an attack.
Any fool could see this, of course ;
that a fight must result in our being
overpoWered and massacred as soon as
we had fired one volley. The Irishman,
professed great friendliness towards us,
telling me that he was overawed by the
chiefs and dared not oppose their de
signs. But I had no faith in the scoundrel,
and In fact, was well enough convinced
that he was the master-spirit and Insti
gator of the whole treacherous business.
I assured him that I should hold him
responsible, if any attack were made,
and should take care that the first bul
let should find Its way to his heart. He
quailed at this threat, and ' was more
profuse than ever In his protestations of
innocence of any complicity In the
king's designs. He said that the two
men left at the water-side had already
been secured, without boldlly Injury to
either of them. One native had been
slightly wounded by the musket which
we had heard fired.
I had reason to think his statement
was true, as we had listened In vain for
a second report, though both men were
armed. In a moment like this, fraught
with such peril, a hundred thoughtsand
Impracticable plans forced themselves
upon my mind, while I Inwardly cursed
my own folly for having so blindly
placed myself in the power of these
treacherous savages.
But where, meanwhile, was the ship?
If she stood on, as I supposed she would,
she must soon open us to view, though
the surprise of the two men who were
visible at the landing-place had been
effected bo quietly, as perhaps not to ex
cite any alarm on board.
The Irishman, who kept himself well
informed by the scouts who were con
stantly running back and forth, told me
that the ship had gone on the -other
tack and was three or four miles off
the land.
This, though improbable, might possi
bly be true ; I had no means of settling
the point, and now demanded of him
what he, or the king, would have us do t
as we could not stand thus at bay forever.
If they did not soon make an attack,
or come to some terms, I should open
fire, and sell my life as dearly as I
could. Besides my musket, I carried a
revolver in the breast of my shirt,
and Barney knew, as well as I, that his
own life was doomed at the commence
ment of the fray.
He kept up now a continuous jabber
ing with the leading men of the crowd,
and, so far as I could judge, was en
deavoring to work their courage up to a
sufficient pitch to make a simultaneous
rush upon our little group, and take the
risk of a single volley. Our great ad
vantage lay in the fact that there was
not a single gun among the whole popu
lation, and the general feeling of dread
with which all firearms were regarded
by them. The attack upon us was de
ferred because no one dared to be fore
most in It, and throw away his own
life for the benefit of the general
cause.
It was now their turn to open a parley
with us, promising that we should be
well entertained, and that no harm
should befall us, if we would lodge all
night on shore in a large house which
they pointed out to us. We had little
faith in their promises, but as our retreat
was fully cut off, we saw no way out of
the dilemma, but to pretend to be satis
fied with them, and we moved on to
wards the house, still keeping our guns
at the ready, and allowing no savages
to cut in ahead of us. They all followed
at a respectful distance, and thus we
backed Into our prison, which was Im
mediately closed upon us, and the doors
secured without.
As the house was lightly built of bam
boo, it would not have been difficult, it
any time, to force our way through the
broadside of it ; but no one could get in
upon us without raising an alarm, as we
distributed ourselves, one near each
corner of the building.
There were cocoanuts hung up against
the posts, and other provisions in the
form of a sweet paste, made in sheets
and rolled up like small sides of leather;
so we were In no present danger from
hunger, even if our keepers fulled to
bring us anything. Of course we should
fight, before we should starve ; and if a
savage caprice should seize them to set
fire to the building, we must also, In
that case, break out and sell our lives
dearly.
It was now past sundown, and as the
twilight in that part of the world is
short, would very soon be dark. What
had been the fate of our two comrades,
or what had been done with the boat,
we could not tell with a certainty,
though the Irishman declared that the
boat had been carried well up inland,
and that the men were secured, though,
as yet, their lives were as safe as ours.
He talked with me through a chink in
the door, and he admitted, now, that
their object was to get a large quantity
of tobacco from the ship, as ransom for
us, more than they could obtain by the
sale of the fluke-chains and other artl
clees, which I had promised to pup
chase. After a time, as it grew dark, I told
him I did not care to talk any more, but
would like to be left to get some rest.
He went away, and for a time all was
still, and no person was to be seen mov
ing in the neighborhood, except a few
guards, who were so posted as to com
mand a view of all sides of the building.
They did not venture to approach very
near, and, for the most part, managed to
dodge in range of cocoanut trees ; but
they were vigilant, and any movement
of ours would at once be seen and re
ported. There was, of course, no rest for us
inside the house; for sleep, under such
circumstances, was the farthest thing
from our thoughts. We kept both sight
and hearing upon the strain; for not
withstanding the story of Barney about
their intention to demand ransom for
us, the caprice of savages was not to be
depended upon from one minute to an
other. I had reason to fear a surprise,
and believed Barney hlmsef to be a
greater scoundrel than any of the rest,
while, at the same time, he lacked the
courage to attack us openly while we
stood with our guns aimed at him.
The events soon proved that 1 was not
wrong In this opinion. As the night
advanced, and all remained quiet In the
house, we observed that the savages
were collecting In numbers at various
points among the cocoanut-trees, as if
with the Intention of surprising us by a
simultaneous advance upon different
sides of the house. This was done very
quietly ; not by any sudden rally, but
the number of each group seemed gradu
ally to Increase, and to form a larger
black mass, as if reinforcements were
slowly but steadily being sent to
each post, where only a guard or two
had been at first stationed.
By-and-by, all was motionless again,
and the dark bodies of men appeared as
if they were inanimate fixtures. Then
a single man came briskly toward the
house, and I had no difficulty in detect
ing the " beach-comber," even at con
siderable distance. He was naked, with
the exception of the maro about his
loins, like the natives ; but his walk,
which he could not disguise, betrayed
him. His heart and his habits might
be assimilated to those of the Gilbert
Islanders ; but his legs were as Irish now
as ever.
We preserved perfect silence, while
Barney came nearer and nearer, ventur
ing, after a while, to apply his ear to
the chink in the door. But no sound
could he hear, save a musical imitation
of snoring, which we all made, as had
been previously agreed upon. He con
tinued for a little time listening, as if
he were surprised, as well he might be,
to find us all off our guard. He had ex
pected, no doubt, to discover us uneasy
and Irfqulsltive, and to hold another
lying parley with us; but, apparently
satisfied at last that we were indeed com
pletely at his mercy, he tripped silently
away.
We had no doubt, now, that the at
tack would be ordered at once; and it
was well understood that, if such were
the case, the Irishman was to be the
first victim of our fire. With all our
senses upon the strain, we awaited the
onset, which we felt must decide our
fate in a few minutes. I directed the
boat-steerer, who was the best marks
man of the party, to make a sure thing
of his aim at Barney, feeling that our
salvation depended much upon killing
him at the outset. Concluded next
week.
" This, dear children, is the shoe
of a Chinese lady. See how little it Is;
what a very narrow sole it has." " I'll
bet it ain't as narrow as Deacon 's
Father says his soul will fall through a
crack in the floor some day and get
lost 1" was the shrill comment of a boy
given to sharp listening. The superln
tendent put the Chinese shoe in- his
pocket, and requested the school to siDg
" full for the Bhore."
A Hugging Match.
AMONG the baggage coming down on
a Flint and Fere Marquett train the
ther day was a full-grown black be?.
Bruin had been in captivity for two ee
three years, and was on his way east lor
a zoological garden. His owner was
allowed to ride with him in the baggage-
ear, and he seemed to thinS his bear was
the greatest animal on earth. He was
ready to bet that bruin could out-hug.
and out-blte anything human, and was
rather disappointed when the railroad
men refused to dispute that point with
him. He was indulging in his brag
when an old man came into the car to
see about his trunk. He saw the beat
of oourse, but the glance of contempt ha
bestowed on the animal instantly
kindled the indignation of the owner,
who called out:
" Mebbe you think I'm toting an old
hyena around the country V"
" I guess It's a bear," slowly replied
the other ; " but I see nothing remark
able about him."
" You don't, hey V Well, I do! Melbe
you'd like to see him hug that trunk of
yours V What he can't sliver when he
gets his paws around It, has got to have
roots forty feet under ground."
" I've got a son back in the car," re
flectively observed the old man, and
then stopped and looked at the bear.
" Your son V Egad I Will you match
you son against my bear V" chuekled
the owner as he danced with delight.
" I guess so."
"You do? Bring him in 1 Trofc him
out I I'll give him all the show he wants
and bet five to one on the bear."
The old man slowly took a chew of
tobacco, left the car, and when he
returned he had his son Martin with
him. Martin seemed to be about twenty
seven years of age, and a little taller
than a hitching-post. He was built on
the ground, with a back like a writing
desk, and arms that seemed to. have
been sawed from railroad ties.
" Martin, this 'ere man want to bet
five to one that his bear can, out-hug
you," quietly explained his father, as
the son sat down on a trunk.
" Yes, that's it that's just it r" cack
led the owner. . "I'll muzzle him. so he
can't bite, and I'll bet five t one that
he'll make you holler In two minutes 1. " .
" Muzzle your b'ar," was all that
Martin said, as he pulled out a $5 bill
and handed it to the baggagemen. The
bear man put $25 with it, gjrinning like
a boy .in a cherry tree, and in a minute
he had the bear ready. Martin removed
his coat and paper collar aad carelessly
inquired :
" Is this to be a squar' hug, with no
gouging V"
" Jess so jess 1" replied the bear man.
" You hug the bear and he will hug you,
and the one squeals first loses his cash.
Now, then, all ready."
As Martin approached, the bear rose
up with a sinful glare in his eye, and
the two embraced. It was a sort of back
hold, with no sell out on the crowd.
" Go for him, Hunyado !" yelled the
bear man, as they closed the bear re
sponded. . One could see by the set of
his eyes that he meant to make jelly of
that young man in a York minute, but
he failed to do it. Borne little trifles
stood in his way. For instance, it wasn't
ten seconds before he realized that two
could play at hugging. Martin's hand
sank down in the bear's coat, the
shoulder muscles were called on for
duty, and at the first hug the bear roll
ed his eyes In astonishment.
"Go in, Hunyado go in go in I"
screamed the bear man, and bruin laid
himself out as if he meant to pull a rail
road water-tank down.
" You might squeeze a little bit harder,
my son," carelessly suggested the father,
as he spit from the open door and Mar-
tin called out his reserve muscle.
Each bad his best grip. There was no
tumbling around to waste breath, but
it was a standup, standstill hugging
match. Little by little the bear's eyes
began to bulge and his mouth open, and
Martin's face slowly grew to the color of
red paint.
"Hang to him, Hunyado; I've got
my last dollar on your head 1" shrieked
the bear man, as he saw a further bulge
in his pet's eyes.
But it was no use. All of a sudden
the bear began to yell and cough and
strangle. He was a goner. Martin
knew it, but he wanted no dispute, and
so he gave Hunyado a lift from the floor,
a hug which rolled his eyes around like
a pin-wheel, and then dropped him in a
heap on the floor.
"well, may I be shot 1" gasped the
bear man, as he stood .over the half
lifeless heap of hair and' claws.
" Martin," said the father, as he hand
ed him the $30, "you'd better go back
thar and watch our satchels."
" Yes, I guess so," replied the son, as
he shoved the bills In his vest pocket,
and he retired without another word or
a look at the bear.
That was the bear they were feeding
gruel in a saloon on Randolph street
two evenings ago one man was feeding
him gruel and another feeling along his
spine to find the fracture.