The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1841-10-08

: wandcrer. Pardon was impored for him; Il
wrath ofan offended God deprecated, and ferve
petition put up TO the throne of mercy that he mig
be preserved from the gathering storm and be lie
to hcHrly and sincere repentance. Such was til
influence of that simple invocation, every evil fee
ing toward the intended murderer was banishe
from the hearts of those who listened to it. Coul
their voices have reched him, they would uniledl
have echoed the mercifu injunction-'Go, and 81
no morc!'
But the prayer of the good man did not avail tn
wretohcd offender The storm came upon bin
long before he reached the place of his destination
which lay n score of miles or more to the wind
ward. As he beheld its approach his coward
heart at first prompted him to run back to the roc
and take of his Intended victim;-but moment
reflection convinced him that long ere then he mus
have been washed away by the rising waters. No
daring to return to the cove, for he well knew HI
could frame no plausible excuse for Irving's alb
sence, he strove with the reckcssness of despair t
work his way along-carrying sail for this purpose
until his frail masts bent like rods and at the per
ilous risk every moment of th4 struggling boat
capslzng. The wind still continuing to freshel
and the sea TO roughen, he was obliged to reduc,
his sail. Ere long the gale ragged with such VIC
lcnce his little boat was tossed like playihn.
amid the angry surges AT last he lost all con'ro
of her, and shaking with guilt aud fear, he foun,
himself drifting rapidly towards the precipiiou
rocks that lined the shore, forming an unbfokel
and inaccessible wall, against which the huge bill
lows Numbered and rccoed in a seelhng mass o
foam.
The horrors Of his hopeless situation were now
fully realized, and with an anguish of mind, which
the pen can but family describe, he saw that thu
miserable death to which he had doomed another
greater he had dccrecd TO himself lie would
have prayed, but when he lifted his eyes towards
the black and frownng heavens, conscience was
busy at his heart with her worse than scorpion
slings, ard the hnli-uitcred words died upon hi.
whed and trembling lips. Even he felt that il
would he blosphcmous to appeal to lin who has
said, thou shalt moi, kill while the blood of fel-
low mortal dyed his soul.
On and on driGcd the Gra bark, now whrled
amid the foam that crested the black pillows; and
now rushing down the watcry hollows, " whose
awful depths the rack and tnmult Of the storm was
unIeIt. Oh, in those momcniary pauscs-in that
brief, dread si'cncc--hemmed in by liquid walls,
and plunged into gloom as fearful as that Of the
eternal abyss; not daring to call upon his God, and
scourgcd by the unrecn,ing monitor within; who
can portray the soulrending agony endured by that
poor wretch
Rackcd quite to frenzy by the horrors that thick
cned around him, ut last he lnncied he could hear
amid the iumult of the elemental uproar the glib
herring of uncarlIy voice: mocking his fears, and
us no drrcd near the fatal rocks and caught sight
Of The angry gleam of the spray as it dashed high
up the sides Of the black clii, his imagination con-
,cr,cd the sheets of foam into spectral forms beck
oning him on 10 destruction.
A loud piercing horl, rather than shrek of an
gdish lose high above the noise of the tempest, as,
lifted upon huge roller, the boat was borne with
lishlning-likc wpidiiy toward the jagged rocks
Twice arose the fearful cry; once on the wave and
once high in the air, whittier the miserable wretch
was thrown like weed by the shock of the giant
wave as it burst on the shore--and all was over!
4 fearful rclrbuion had been cyacted. Who will
question the dealings OLA just and ishteOus God!