The Litchfield County post., 1828-10-23
A NIGHT AT SEA.
Twas a rough night;
My young remembrance cannot parallel
A a. -

| My young remembrance cannot parallel
fellow TO it. MACBETH.
"Mr. Edwards" said Captain Jones to
me, as we gazed together upon the Henlo-
pen light, and saw it slowly sinking into
the ocean, eve are now fairly at sea, and if
my observations do nov deceive me, you
will have a specimen of storm before
daylight"
"a storm! surely you jest" cried l,
looking round upon the glittering expanse
Of water, as it curled under the slight influ-
ence of The land breeze, and up to the sky,
spangled with innumerable stars, without
a cloud to obstruct their light surely you
JEST"
emo, sir" said he, 'you have shore
proyerb, which is never more torcibly re-
allied than at sea all is not gold that glis-
tens. 1t was just such another night as
this, except that there was no wind, that
lay at anchor in the harbor of Gibralter-
twas the first voyage that commanded a
vessel, and truly mine was "a lovely craft,
every way worthy of a seaman's affection,
in port or at sea. That night we all tur-
ned in calmly and without fear; in ii few
hours was called by the watch, who said
that il looked threatening to sea-ward. |
was scarcely dressed before The gale COM
menced. You may have heard of wind
called Levanter-this was one. need
not describe to you the effects of winds
and waters in mortal strife but it is suffi-
cient to say, that the next morning, of up
wards of one hundred ships that lay secure
ly at anchor the evening before, not one
was to be seen-the harbor was clear quite
clear, but the shores, and the wharves land
! the rocks, we're strewed with their frag-
ments and their dead"
"This was awful !" cried I, with a
smothered emotion; for there was some
thing in the old grey-headed sailors man.
ner and story, sufficient to alarm any one,
more especiallya young raw landman like
myself.
"It was truly So, sir" he continued in
the same strain, ''but thank God L have
wealhered that as we'll as many other
blows. might tell you many marvellous
stories of escapes by sea and it is thing
a seaman loves, but will not frghten you;
however, you must prepare yourself for
seeing and hearing something strange to-
night ;-let it come, however, the Narcis-
sus has gone through some dangers before
this, and, please heaven, she will 60 thro'
! some more"
Disgusting the uneasiness which these
prognosticatons had produced, and assert
| ing ''that would not be robbed of my
sleep by the dread of the Storm" prepa-
red to go below. As placed my foot on
the companion step, looked round again
at the state of the weather, buI all was
calm and beautiful. The wind had en-
tirely died away, and the sails hung fiat
down or tapped heavily against the masts,
as the ship rose under the influence of the
pillows. All things bore tokens Of calm
that might endure for some time, and l
! smiled to think how the event would falsi-
fly the sailors predictions. | retired to
rest with this thought, and in few mo-
ments was dreaming of my loved land,
and all the precious objects that it cOntai-
ned.
A crash, hat could liken to nothing
but the fall ofsome mighty monnta n, arou-
sed me some hours afterwards. started
upright with the moments panic, but i'm
medately fell b edwards with a deadly
feeling of sickness an. oppression at my
breast. l strove to rise again, but it was
only to dash my head against the side of
the ship, and to fall backwards. as had
before. lay still to listen; there was a
roar at my ear, as the water rushed madly
by; a roar above my head, as of winds, or
rather thunder, and a roar around me, to
which could give no name. was sens
ible, however, that the Captains predic-
ZION was true. The ship rolled and plum
ged as if she were going at fearful saie
through the wafer. A thousand terrible
Sounds were around me-the waves, winds,
ropes, sails, bulk-heads, masts, beams,
Jlanks, cargo, all were united in making a
tiscord to which could give no name
Another effort, and gained my feet no;-
wthstanding the oppression ON my chest,
md dizziness in my head, which caused
me to plunge from side to side, like drum
Ken man, gained the deck, where my i
eas of sea-storm were realized to their
all extent. Clouds daShing over the hea.
,ens with amazing velocity waters whirl-
ng and boiling about the ship in one wild
mass Of foam and waves and winds clam