He gathered the inflections of his voice, as if he
were rolling them over the little end of a thunderbolt in his mouth.
As the vessel touched the wharf, he sprang to the corner and cried
out at the top of his voice, "Yer' welcome to Charleston, Captain
Thompson! Where did you get that knocking?--where are ye bound
for?--how many days are you out?--how long has she leaked in that
way?" and a strain of such questions, which it would be impossible
to trace, such was the rapidity with which he put them. The Captain
answered him in accordance with the circumstances; and supposing him
clothed with authority, inquired where he should find some hands to
work his pumps, in order to relieve his men. "By-Je-w-hu! Captain,
you must a' had a piping time, old feller. Oh! yes, you want help to
work your pumps. Get niggers, Captain, there's lots on 'em about
here. They're as thick as grasshoppers in a cotton-patch."
"Yes, but I want 'em now, my men are worn out; I must get some
Irishmen, if I can't get others at once," said the Captain, viewing
his man again from head to foot.
"Oh! don't employ Paddies, Captain; 'ta'n't popular; they don't
belong to the secession party; Charleston's overrun with them and
the Dutch! Why, she won't hurt to lay till to-morrow morning, and
there'll be lots o' niggers down; they can't be out after bell-ring
without a pass, and its difficult to find their masters after dark.
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