Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1842-09-29
MISCELLANEOUS.
For Tie Gazst
THE sHyPwRECK.

ihE ShltV NEtks
In the year of grace -, led a
sad life. filled my purse out of the
purses OF others and sometimes, although
| aver, not often, cut the throats OF those
whose purse-strings cut. pursued my
avoce.on upon the high seas, and the
opinion OF The world placed me in the first
rank of the buccaneers. made the Gulf
of Mexico the theatre Of my operations,
and my haunis of refuge were amongst
the Bahamas.
10 the summer of the year which have
mentioned above, under the mystery Of
blank, | had put money in my purse"
and adven,ured on shore with an unusual
purpose. My adventure was love one
and ! laid siege to the Lady Roxanna,
the widow oil an Engllshman, and the mis-
tress OF Tilton, stately mansion, COM
manding the arc Of the blue bay Of Quo
Ia. How sped matters not. The great.
est Captains are not oveT-c' mmuncatve
concerning their defeats. Tue two days,
the occurrences of which am about to
chronicle, were a segment of the circle OF
that happy time during which occupied
Tliton with my forces-t tfrontery and
pertInacity-a pressed the siege of the
human citadel which irowned down upon
me--the Lady Roxanna. Circles in ge.
ometry have no end-in this regard, my
circle Of felicity did not resemble them.
1t wss on the first of these days-somc-
what alter the middle stage ofit-that stood
at the window Of the great hall of Tlton
which overlooks Quiols. A tempest swept
the ocean and obscured the sky; and
recognized in its fury that peculiar spirit
Of the waters whose dread counteuance
had learned in my sea.faring life ever to
quail before. The widest of the genil of
the storm was abroad. But the nrm
plsuks beneath me gave assurance of my
safety, and what rocked for the ocean
craft with their rent wlngs-wlth their
cries to the elements for succor- with
their hearts of despair? would have
said in that moment Of my security, that
| rocked nothing; but should have erred
the sailor was alive within me, and long
habl,ude had touched my heart with some.
thing akin TO humanity. had acquired
amidst the troubles of the seas, by means
of drear and frequent endurance on my
own part, no scant capabilily of sympa-
thy. 1t had sprung from a selfish root
but what mattered that? Human feeling
is thing Of fair brow and open eye bul
when happened it that its loet were not OF
clavl
The wind blew hurricane. The wa
tiers OF the bay were high and foamy, and
only depressed when mighty gale swept
heavily above them. No one could have
told that sun hed ever been 10 the sky, i,
was so massive and so oppressivey black.
At times great fragments of cloud came
heavily waterward-Hke fragments torn
from the masses Of a high mountain. But
the wind took these up and pulled them a.
way like thistle-down. The troubled sea
the mod wnd--the shore groanng under
its weight OF waters, the atmosphere lurd
with the blaze and the arrowy flight of
the universal lightning, and Keeling to the
shock Of its bursting thunder bolts, inspr.
ed even my accustomed spirit with the
Weddings of awe and terror.
retreated from the window-my point
Of observation. A moment after, sud-
den gust drove il in, and column of rain,
as huge as water spout, gushed through
the opening. A crash followed, and then
a whizzing fall, and the house shook to
its base. An oak that had stood through
a century of storms, had been torn up by
the hurricane and hurled like batteriug-
ram against its walls. The Lady Rox.
anna was at her prayers; and made an
effort TO remember my own.
An hour passed away, and the hurr.
cane had wholly subsidized. light gale
sprung up on its subsistence, and now Sob