Voyage of the Liberdade

-Death in the land-Dutch Harry-Pete the Greek-Noted crimps-Boat l

confluence of the Parana and Paraguay, to salve a cargo of wi

rd, becoming almost a sea of itself, and a dangerous one to naviga

had without stint. The insurance agent, to leave no excuse for tampering with the cargo, rolled out a cask of the best, and, like a true Hans Breitmann, "knocked out

if not a worse one, may be in store for us, we cried, now fairly swimming in luxuries-water and wine alike free. Although our present good luck may be fo

elp navigate even the difficult Parana. But one old sinner, the case I speak of, an old Labrador fisherman, became a useless, drunke

d out, and from it rolled a dozen or more bottles of the best liquor. Then there was a row, but all on the part of Dan, who swore blue vengeance on the ma

occurred about this time, with appalling suddenness; we soon learned that cholera was staring us all in the

idow the day after he brought our bark to the loading berth. And the young man who com

oved one, while thousands were cast down with bereavements and grief. At one time it appeared that we were in the centre of the cloud which zig-zagged its

t my own hearth, with wife and three children by my side. Now I am alone in the world! Even my poor hou

t many must have perished without the test of medicinal aid to cure their disease. A cry went up against unprincipled druggists who were over-charging for their drugs, but nothing more was done to check

was cholera or not that he died of, but performed the last act of friendship as became men of heart and feeling. The minister could not come that d

ags blew o

to write to the widow and orphans. This was done in a homely wa

a happy past. We preferred to dwell away from there and in other climes, if only in thought. There was, however, one happy soul among us-t

stream, with a full cargo on board; but, instead of sailing for Rio, as per charter, she was ordered by the Brazilian consul to Ilha Grande (Gre

e pay from a Mr. Dutch Harry, a sailor boarding-master, who had stolen my inward crew that he might, as he boasted afterward, "ship new hands in their places." In view of the fact that this vilest of crimps was the loser of the money, I could almost forgive the "galoots" for the theft of my boat. (The ship is usuall

" who cut off the ears of a rival boarding-master at the Boca, threw them into the river, then, making his escape to Rosario, some 180 miles aw

nearly out of the river." The last seen of him by my friend, the captain, was "among the branches," with a rope around his neck-they hanged him, maybe-I don't know what else the ro

evolutions. Things soon dropped into working order, and I found reason to be pleased with the change of crew. We glided smoothly al

greatly exhausted. Coming up with him our main-tops'l was laid to the mast, and as we ranged by the poor thing, a sailor, plunging over the side in a bow-line, bent a rope on to doggy, another one hauled him careful

be sure, was Garfield, who at once said, "I guess they won't know me when I get home, with my new suit-and a dog!"

tened to the notes of this wee bird, in many countries and climes. Sweetest of sweet singers, it was buried in the great Atlantic at last. A strange cat, a c

tter book. But the well-tried friend of many voyages is oh! so hard to part with at sea. A resting-place in the solemn sea of sameness

was confidently trusting to my pilot, and he (the pilot) trusting to the schooner, one that could go over banks where we would strike, what did the scamp do but shave close to a dangerous spot, my pilot following faithfully in his wake. Then, jumping upon the taffrail of his craft, as we came abreast the shoal, he yelled, like a Com

r into deep water a pampeiro was upon us. She rode out the gale safe at anchor, thanks to an active crew. Our

king passage in a passing river-craft, with his pay and our best advice, which

thence, before night, English Bank and all other dangers of the land, we set our course for Ilha Grande, the wind being

to Brazil, except the death of the little bird al

. Several ships, chafing under the restraint of quarantine, were "firing signals" at the guard-ship. One Scandinavian, I remember, asked if he might be permitted to communicate by cable with his owners in Christiana. The guard gave him, as the Irishman said, "an evasive answer," so the cablegram, I suppose, laid

have made the voyage," I said. "No matter," said the guard, "leave at once you must, or the guard-ship will fire into you." This, I submit, was harsh and arbitrary trea

ere we found things better than they were when we sailed. The cholera had ceased-it was on the wane when we sailed from Rosario, and there was hardly a case of the dread disease in the whole country east of Cordova when we