Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-09-01

misty darkness, we saw Tor some dis
lance around US, the agitated sea all
tumbling with foam. There were no
shoals to fear, and the ship kept boldly
on her course, close sheeted, * mistress
of the storm. / leant over the gun
vale, admiring the water rushing pas!
like a foaming cataract, when by some
unaccountable accident, l lost my bal
ance, and in an instant fell overheard
into the sea.
] remember a convulsive shudder-
ing all over my body, and a hurried
leaping of my breast, as | felt my
self about TO lose hold Of the vessel, and
afterwards a sensation of the most icy
chilliness from immersion into the
waves-but nothing resembling a fall
or precipitation. When below the
water, I think that the msmentary be-
lief rushed across my mind, that the
ship hae sunk, and that was but one
of a perishing crew. l imagined
that l ielt a hand with long fingers
clutcl,ing at my legs, and made a vi
client effort to escape, dragging after
me, as thought, the body of some
drowning wretch. On rising to the
surface, | recollected in a moment what
had befalIen me, and uttered a cry OF
horror which is in my ears to this day,
and often makes me shudder, as it it
were the mad shrek of another per-
son in perilous agony. Often have
l dreamed over again that dire moment,
and the cry l utter in my sleep is some
thing more horrible than a human
voice. No ship was to be seem. She
was cone forever. The little happy
world 10 which a moment before, | had
belonged, had swept by, the waves dash
ed on ne, and struck me on the face
and hnwled at me-; the waves yelled, and
snow sat like drifting sand into my
eyes-and there was l left to struggle,
and buffet, and gasp, and sink, and per,
ish, alone, unseen and unpitied by man,
and a, ! thought too, by the everlasting
God. l tried to penetrate the surroun-
ding darkness with my glaring eyes,
tklr at ieupins .Fa+. .heirsczl-.. IN!
saw, as if by miraculous power, to a
great distance through the night-but
no ship-nothiug but white crested
waves, and the dismalnoise of thunder.
shouted, shrieked and yelled, that
might be heard by the crew, till my
voice was gone-and that too, when /
| knew that there was none to hear me.
At last l became utterly speeches.,
and when I tried to call aloud, there
was nothing but a silen. gasp and con-
vulsion-while the waves came upon
me like stunning blows, reiterated and
reilerating, and drove me along like a
log ofwood or a dead animal.
Once | muttercd to myself, this is a
dream, / shall awake. l had often be.
fore dreamt Of being drowned, and this
idea of its being a dream SO pressed
upon me, that the noise might awaken
ME. But oh! the transition from this
~momentary and wild hope Of its being
all a dreadful dream, into the convic-
ton Of its reality! That indeed was
something more hideous than a luna
tics thought of hell. All at once
felt myinmost soul throttled * stiled
by an insuperable fear of death. That
death which to my imagination had
ever appeared the most hideous, and OF
which i had often dreamt till the drops
fell down my forehead like rain, had
now in good truth befallen me; but
dreadful as all my dreams had been,
what were they all to this? felt as il
ali human misery were concentrated in
the speechless anguish of my own one
single heart.
At this time / was not conscious OF
any act of swimming; but soon found
that l had instinctively been exertln )
all my power and skill, and both were
requisite TO keep me alive in the tu-
multuous wake Of the ship. Some,
thing struck me harder than a wave
What it was | knew not, but | grasped
it with a passionate violence, for the
hope of salvation came suddenly over
me, and with a sudden transition from
despair, felt that | was rescued: l
had the same thought as if had been
suddenly heaved on shore by a wave
The crew had thrown over board every
thing they thought could afford me the
slightest chance of escape from death,
and a hen coop had drifted towards me,
At once all the stories / ever read OF
mariners miraculously saved at sea,
rushed across my recollection. l had
an object to cling TO, which l knew
would enable me to prolong my exls-
tence. I was no longer helpless on the
cold weltering world of waters; and
the thought that my friends were think,
ing of me and doing all that they could
for me, gave me a wonderful courage.
l may yet pass the night in the ship, ]
thought, and looked around eagerly to
hear the rush Of her prov, or TO see
through the snow drift the cleaning
of her sails.