The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1824-02-24


o lent gasp and convuIsson, w lille the wave
/ came upon me like stunning blows. reiier
o rated and reitera'ng, and drove me alon
like log oi wood ar dead animal
Once | mattefrd to myself, IA this is
dream, and shall nwnke.n lr,d of1r,
h before dreamt of beng drowned, and ,il
= idea of us heing dream So pressed upu.
5 ne, that 'ainlJ s;fotc 10 sliick oui, liza
5 the nose might awH'5cn nc. Pat oh
! The transition, rom tins moin.nlary an,
. Wild hope Of its being n dreadful dream
, INTO conviction ofils reality Tint. indeed
VAS something more hdeous than flnn-
! tics thought ufhrll. All nj "nce felt my
utmost soul throlIlrd, strangled, aud stifrd
by an nsupPortahlc fear of death. That
death "hn'h 10 my imagination had ever
Appeared the most hideons, aud uf which
l had often drramt till the drops fell down
my forehead like rain, had now in good
truth hetallcu mr: but dreadful as all my
dreams had been, what were they all to
this? felt rs if all human misery were
concentrated In the spcechess anguish of
my own one single heart.
All this time WAS not conscious of any
act of swimming but | soon found that
had lnstInelis.ly been eNcriing M my pow
err and skill, and both were requisite To-
Keep me alive IN the tumdtuous wake vt
the ship. Something struck me harder
than Il wave. Whatit was knew not, but
grasprd Il with u passionate violence, for
the hope of salvation came suddenly over
me, and, With sudden Transition from de
spar, felt that was rescued. had the
same thought rs If had been sudncnly
hcaNcd on shore by wa,r. The crew
had thrown over board every thing they
thought could afford me the slightest
chance Of escape from death, and hen
coop had dritied towards me-. Al once all
the stoics | had ever read of mariners mi
r"e"i""sly saved ut sea, rushed across my
recollection. l had an "blec, to cling To,
which knew would enable me to prolong
my existence. | was no longer helpless
on the cold weItering world ofwatcrs; and
the thought that my friends were thnkig
OF me-, aud doing all that they could for
me, gave me II wonderful couarge. may
yet pass the night in the ship, | thought,
and looked aronng eagerly 10 hear the rush
of her prov, or to STE thro' the snow drift
the cleaning of her sails.
This was but m0mcntaty gladness.--.
The ship knew could not be far of; but
for any good she could do me, she might
have been in The heart of the Atlantic ocean
Ere she could have altered her course,
must have drilted long way 10 the lee
ward, and IN that dim snowy night how
was such a speek 10 be seen SAW
| fash of lightning, aud then there was thnn.
der. 1t was the ship firing gun, to lei
me know il still alive, tlNt she was some
where Tying To. But wherefore | was
separated from a dire necessity, by many
thousand and fierce waves, that would not
! let my shlirks he heard Each succeeding
gun was heard fainter, I'LL at last cursed
the sound that scarce heard above the
hollow runblug of the tempestuous sea,
told mc that the ship was farther and far
Their off, ill She and her hearilcss crew
bad left me to my fate. Why did they
not send their boats round and round all
| the night through, for the sake ofone whom
| they pretended To love so well blamed,
| blessed, and cursed them by fits, I'LL every
emotion of my soul was exhausted, aud
clnDs in suIlen despair 10 the wrrichcd
| piece of wood that still kept me from etcr
nifty.
Was IL not strange, that during all this
| lime the image of my friends Mt home ne.
! yer came 10 my mind ? My thoughts had
never escaped beyond the narrow and din,
horizon of the SEA, at least never beyond
| that fatal ship. But now, thought OF
|
intensely bright was that fash OF heavenly
images, that for moment my heart filled
with happiness. 1t was terrible when the
cold and dashing waves broke over me III
that insane dreaming fit, s. awoke me- To the
conviction that there was nothing in store
for me but an icy aud lingering death, and
that | who had 50 much 10 live for, was
seemingly on that account most mlseIably
! to perish
What IL. war of passions pcrtnrtcd my
soul Had for this kept my heart full OF
tenderness, pure, LOFTY and heroic, for nay
best beloved and long betrothed Had
God kept me alive through ie"rs ana
| plaques, and war and earthquake, thus to
| murder me at last What morkery was
all this What horror would be M my
gray haired par, nts' house when they came
| To hear ofmy doom o Theresa The
rrsa 20 And thus | wept and tnrfiioll'd
| through the night. Sometimes had MT
or no feeling 1T aIl-sullcn and ideales =
| wished yscf drowned at once, Il life
was still sweet and in my wcake'l ID state
must have fallen from my frai' Ies.el and
been swallowed mp, had } oot though
sven now cannot rrnemt -. when or how
bound myselfit. had = one 81 with great
care but fit of D spair succeeding.
forgot the tircnmst ace, and in that situa
ton looked at m yself with surprise and
wonder.
That be''a awful thoughts Of the ctcrni
ty into :. nch felt gradually sinking, i
certa' but it is wonderful how family
to-. .eht ofthe future world all such tho'r
Nv ere oycrihrown by alternate hope ant
despair connected with this life. hcarC
{, the shrill cry of scabirds nsing Owe
: my head, and instantly returned aSar
! to the hope of Iift o for such wings
but n,lne, | thought, were broken, and like
f wounded bird lay floating powcrlessly OF
T. the waves.
n The night before | had severe rhcuma