Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-01-28

10 dCCouhA III al kllo3 anu HhOTc IMAM my
soul dare even now 10 shadow out to her
shuddering reeolleciion.-But as God
piiied the miserable, so also has he for
given the wicked thoughts of that imagi-
nabe night.
! During one OF those delerious fits,
whether il was dream or reality l
know not, melhought | heard the mos,
angelic music that ever brea,hed from
heaven. Ii seemed TO come on the winds
Ito rise up IRON The sea--:o mel, down
from the stormy clouds. 1t was like a
full band OF instrumental music, soft,
deep, wild, such as have heard playing
on board ship oil war. heard rush
ing noise with the mosic-and the glo-
rious ghost OF ship went rushing past
me, ell illuminated With lamps-her CO.
lors 6ying-eyery sail sci, and her decks
crowded with men. Perhaps real ship
sailyd by with ieslivily on board. Or
was it a vision? Whatever it was, felt
no repining when II, passed me by: IL
secures something alienable 10 me, deli
rum swallowed up all fear, selfshness
the past and future were alike forgotten,
and kept floating along, self questioned
no longer, assured that | was some how
or other part Of the waves and the tenn
! pest, and that the wonderful and beauti-
ful vision that had sailed by me, was an
aboriginal creature of the ocean. There
was nnspeakable pride and grandeur in
this deler,um. | was more Intensely
conscious OF a brighter existence than |
ever was in the mos. glorious dream,
and instead OF tearing death fell as il
was immortal.
This dejirium, think must have
gradually subslded during kind of sleep,
iorl dimly recolect mixed images OF
pam and pleasure, land and sea, storm
and calm, tears and laughter. | thought
tha. bad companion al my side, even
Der | best loved, DOW like an angel COM
forting me, and now like myself needing
10 be comiorted, lying on my bosom,
cold, drenched, despairing and insane,
and u,teriog with quivering lips the most
horrd and dreadful imprecations. Once
heard, meihought, voice crying from
below the waves, I" Hast thou forgot
Theresa ?"-And look ing down / saw
something like the giimmering Of a
shroud come slowly upwards from a
vast depth to the surface OF the water.
stopped down to embrace it, and in mo-
nent, ghastly blue swollen face, de-
featured horribly as if by knswing teeth
OF sea monsters, dashed against mine
and as i sank again knew we'll 10 whom
belonged the streaming hair. But |
awoke. The delirlum was gone, and l
was at once different creature. awoke |
into low, hear'ess, quakng, qulvering,
fear-haunted, cowardiy and weeping des-
pondency, in which all ior,i,ude was Ut
terry Frustrated. The excitement had
worn out my very soui.--A corpse ris-
ing out OF cold clammy grave, could
not have been more woe-begone, spirit
less, bioodiess.. Every thing was seen
in its absolute dreadful reality. | was
cast-awsy---no hope OF rescue. 1t was
broad day light, and The storm had ceas-
Cd, ba, clouds lay round me horizon and
no land was to be seen. W hat dreanful
clouds Some black as pitch, charged
with thunder others like cliffs OF fire
and here and there all streaned over
with blood. 1t was indeed sullcn
wrsthiul, and despairing sky.
The sun I,sel. was dim brazeD orb,
cold dead, and oeaniiess. behe!d
three ships alsr off, but all their heads
we're turned away from me. For whole
hours they would adhere mo,ionless to
the sea while driied away from them,
and then a rushing wind would carry
tnem one by one, into the darkness.
Many birds came close TO me as if to
Zap ine with their large spreading wings,
screamed round and round me, and then
few away, in their strength, and beauty
and happiness.
now felt myself dying. A calm
came over me. prayed devou'ly for
forgiveness of my sins, for all my friends
on Garth. A ringing was in my ears,
and | remembered only the holy fluc,ua-
ton of the sea, with which seemed
blended, and sinking down and down an
unfa'homable depth, which though.
was deslh and into the kingdom of the
eternal future.
aSokc from insensibility and obi
won, With hideous racking pain in my
head and lions, and in a space OF utter
darkness. heard voice say "praisc
the Lord" My agony was dreadful,
and | cried aloud. Wan, glimmering,
melancholy lights kept moving &c and
fro. A hideous din was overhead, and
around me the fierce dashing of the
Maycs lMas living IN the cabin OF shin,