The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-11-20

had thee in her gentle care that she might lead thy
pure soul to a Just knowledge Of thy Creator That
cross cometh of Mercedes, II II be not mercedes ne.
self and thou dost well in loving IT, and in blessing t.
Place the chain around thy neck, Ozema for the pre-
cious emblem may help in preserving thee, should the
gale throw US on the coast morning. That cross
Is a sign Of undying lore
The girl understood enough OF this, especially as
tne direction was seconded by little gentle aid, on
the part of our hero, TO comply, and the chain was
soon thrown around her neck, with the holy emblem
resting on her bosom. The change in the tempera-
ture as well ms of propnety, had induced the
admiral TO cause ample robes Of cotton to be furnished
all the females and Ozema's beautiful form was now
closely envcloped in one and beneath lis folds she had
hidden the jewel which she fondly Rugged to her
heart as gift of LUIS. Not SO DID the young man
himself view the matter He had merely meant TO
lend in a moment OF extreme peril that which the
supersttous feeling of the age seriously induced INN
to fancy might prove substantial safeguard. AS
Ozema was by means expert IN managing the en-
cumbrance of dress TO which she was unaccus'oneo
even while native had taught her TO throw u
around her person gracefully the young man had hail
unconscously assisted in placing the cross IN its new
position, when a violent roll Of the vessel compelled
him to sustain tho girl by enclrcng her waist win MS
arm Partly Welding TO the motion of the carave
which was constantly jerking even the mariners from
their feet and probably as much seduced by the Ten
dcrness of her heart Ozema did not rebuke TINS
liberty the first hero had offered but stood
m confdng innocence upheld by the arm that OF all
u
destined TO perform that Office for life In another
moment her head rested on his bosom, and her face
was turned upward with the eyes fastened on the
countenance OF the young noble
Thou art less alarmed at this terrific Storm Oze
ma than | could have hoped Apprehension for
thee makes me more miserable than ] could have
thought possible and yet thou seemest not to be DIS
turbed.p
90 zcma unhappy-no want Hayu-no want
Mattinao-no want anything-Ozema happy now
Got cross
Sweet guiIeless innocent, may st thou never know
any other feelings --confde in thy cross"
Gross, Mercedes-Luis, Mercedes. LUIS and
Ozema keep cross for ever"
1t was perhaps fortunate for this high priced hap
piness of the girl, that the Nina now took plunge
that unayoaby compelled hero to release his hold
of her person. or to drag her with hun headlong to-
wards the place where Columbus stood slelterlng his
the tempest When he recovered his feet he perceiv-
ed that the door of the cabin was closed, and that
Ozema was no longer to be seen
Dost thou find our female friends terrified by this
appalling scene, son Luis ~ Columbus quietly de-
manded, for, though his own thoughts had been much
occupied by the situation of the carave he had noted
all that had passed so near him They are stout Of
heart, but even amazon might quail at this tenn
pest"
"They heed it not Senior, for think they under
stand il not. The civilized man is much their So
peror that both and women appear to have every
confidence in means Of safety. have just given
Ozema cross and babe her place her greatest reliance
on that
"Thou hast done well it is now the surest proiec
tor of all Keep the head of the carase to
the wind may be, Sancho when it lulls, every inch
oil shore being much gained in the way of se".'',
/ The usual reply was made ana then inc CONVERSE
ton ceased ,ho raging of the clements and the fear
full mannor in which the Nina compelled to strug-
gle literally to keep the surface of the ocean, af
fording ample matter for the reflection Of all who wit
messed the scene.
1 r, "a. A.. ,...ts A..
broke it opened on scene of wintry violence. The
not visible that day, the dark vapour driving
low before the tempest to lessen the apparent al
tude of the vault of heaven enchalf but the ocean
was an undulating sheet of foam. High land coon
became visible nearly abeam of The caravel and all
the elder mariners Immediately pronounced TO be the
rock of Lisbon. As soon this important fact was
ascertaned the admiral wore with the head Of the
caraye in shore and laid his for the mouth of
| the Tagus. The distance not great some TWEEN
~ miles perhaps but the necessity of facing the tenn
pest and of making sail, wind, in such storm,
rendered the situation of the caravel more critical than
it had been in all her previous trials. AT the moment,
the policy of the Portuguese forgotten, held to
be entirely asecondary consideration port ship
wreck appearing to be the alternative Every inch OF
their weatherly position became of Importance TO the
navigators, and Vicente Yannez placed himself near
the helm to watch its play with the vigilance Of expe-
rience and authority No sail but the lowest could be
carried and these reefed as closely their
struction would allow.
In this the tempest tossed little barque strug-
glcd forward now sinking low in the troughs that
land, ocean, and all but the frowning pillows with
the clouds above their heads, lost to view and
now rising il might be, from the calm of sombre
cavern into the roaring, kissing and turbulence of a
tempest These latter moments were the most criti-
cal. When the light hull reached the summit of a
wave falling over to windwaId by the yielding of the
element beneath her, it seemed if the next billow
must inevitably overwhelm her; and yet, vigant
was the eye of Vicente Yanez, and ready the hand
of Sancho, that she ever escaped the calamity. To
keep the wash of sea entirely out was, however i'm
possible and it often swept athwar the deck, for
ward, like the sheets Of cataract, that part of the
vessel being completely abandoned by the crew.
All now depends on our canvass said the admi-
raj with sigh " if that stand we are safer than
when scudding and think God is with US. To me
seemeth if the wind little less violent than
in the night"
Perhaps it is, Senior. ! believe we gain on the
place you pointed out to me"
/ f" II is yon rocky point. That weathored, and VIC
are safe, That not weathcrcd and our com
mon grave"
"Thc caravcl behavcth noby, and will still hope"
An hour later and the land was so near that human
beings were seen moving on If. There are moments
when life and death may be said to be equally present.
ed to the scaman's sight On side is destruction
on the other security. As the vessel drew slowly in
towards the Shore not only was the thunder of the
surf upon the rock audible, but the rghtful manner
in which the water tossed upwards in spray gave
additional horrors to the view On such occasions ii
is no uncommon thing to see jets d'edu hundreds of
feet in height and the driving spray is often carried
great distance inland, before the wind. Lisbon has
the whole rake Of the Atlantic before it. unbroken by
island headland; and the entire of Portugal
is of the most exposed of Europe The south
gales in particular, drive across twelve hundred
leagues of ocean, and the pillows they.s send in upon its
shores truly appalling Nor was the storm we
are endeavouring to describe, of common occur
renee. The had been tempestuous seldom lea
wing the Atlantic any peace and the surges produced
by gale had not time to subside ere another drove
up the water in direction, giving rise to that ir
regularity of motion which most dstresses vessel
and which is particularly hazardous to small ones.
"She looks up better Don Christopher exclaimed