Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-01-28
fallen me; but dreadful as all my dreams

A Ii this time | was not conscious oil
any act of swimming j; but | soon lound
that had lns,incuveiy been exerIIng all
my power aud skill, and both were re-
quisie to keep me alive in the tumultu.
Gus wake Of The ship.-Something struck
me harder than waye.-Whst 1t was
knew not, bn, grasped il with passion
! ate violence, for the hope oil salvation
came suddenly over me, and with a sud-
den transition from despair, felt that
was rescued. had the same thought as
il had been suddenly heaved on shore
| by wave. The crew had thrown over
board every thing tina, could 2ford me
| the slightest chance OF escape from death
and heucoop drfted towards me. AT
ence all the stories thai | ever read OF
mariners miraculously saVeo al sea, rush
ed across my recollection. | had an OBJ
ject to cling to, which knew would eua-
BILE me to proloDg my existence, was
no longer helpless on he cold weltering
world of waters; and he thought that
my friends were thnking Of nae and do
ing all that they could for me, gave ne a
wonderful courage. may set pass the
night i'll the ship, | thought, and looked
around eagerly to hear the rush OF her
PROV, or 10 see through the snow dgi;t
the cleaning of her salts. This was but
a momentary gladncss. The snip
knew could not be very far off; but for
any good she could do me, she might
have been IN the heart OF In Atlantic
ocean. Ere she could have altered her
course, | must have drilled long way
to the leewsrd, and in Ina! dim snowy
night how was such q speck 10 be seen
| saw fash OF lightning, and then there
was thunder Il was HE ship firing
gun, to let me- know, il sill alive, dat
she was somewhere lying TO. But wnere-
fore was separated from her by dire
necessity, by many thousand and fierce
waves, that would not lei my voice be
heard. Each succeeding war gun Was
heard fainter, Until at las, | cursed the
sound that scarce was heard above the
hollow rumb'ing Of the enlpestuous sea,
told me, hat the ship was farther and lar
'her of, ill she and her heariless crew
had left me to my fate. Why did they
not send their boats round and round, all
The night through, for the sake Of one
they had pretended TO love So well
blamed, blessed, aud cursed them by fits
every emotion o! my soul was exhausted.
and | chung in sullen despair to the
wretched piece OF wood, that still! kept
me from eternity.
Was It not strange that all this time
the images of my friends a, home never
entered my mind !? My thoughts had ne
yer escaped beyond The narrow DIM ho-
rizon of the sea, al least never beyond
the fatal ship. But nov, l thought of
home, and the blessed things there, and
SO intensely bright was thai flash oil hea-
venly images, that for a moment my
hear was filled with happiness. Il was
terrible when HE cold ard flashing waves
broke over me in that insane and dream
ing fl, and awoke me to the coggiction,
that there was nothing in store for me,
bu, an icy lingering death, and that
who had so much to live tor was seem
ingly on thai sccoun, mos. rniserably to
perish.
What war OF passions persur5ad my
soul ! Had for ibis kep, nny aeari full
OF tenderness, pure. lofty, and heroic, Tor
my best beloved ard long be,rothed
has God KEEP, me alive through levers
and plaques, and war and earthquake,
thus to murder me at last /? SFba, noCk-
cry was all this What horror would be
~ my gray haired parents house when
hfv r. In hsap IF r. ?
Theresa Theresa And thus ]
wept and toiled through the night Some
times / had little or no feeling a, all
sullen and idea'ess l W shed my self drown
ed at once-ye, lite was s.il sweet, and
in my weak state must have fallen
from my frail vessel and been swaliowe cd
up, had not, though cannot even now
remember when, or how, l bouod my
sell 10 it,. had done so with great care
but fit OF despair succeeding, forgot
the circumstance, and in that situation
looked at myself with surprise and won
der.
That had always thought Of tire e,er-
nifty into which felt gradually sinking,
is certain, but il is wonderful how family
thought of the future world all such
thoughts were overthrow by alternate
hope and despair connected with this life,
| heard the shrlll cry OF sea birds aging
over my head, and instantly returned
again to the hope OF life. O for such
wings! but mine thought were broken,
and like wounded bird lay powerlessly
floating on the waves.
The night before had severe rhen