Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1842-09-08

determined upon possessing the wealth of
the profit. was likely to acquire from it
most honor. 1t was only discreditable.
like any ether speculation, the poor emf
grants, contrived to battle their purpose
OF landing upon the shores which seemed
to them SO nigh and inviting. 1t was not
difficult for him SO To manage his vessel.
as TO convince them that landing was i'm
possible until the ensuing day. The
hope deferred which maketh the heart
sick, drove the greater part of them to
their hammocks. Their baggage, with
the unhapplly exposed wealth. was
again restored to the interior of the
ship. But few young men sat npon
the deck, watching the faint lines of the
land. until swallowed up in darkness e.
ven then. with eyes straining in the dI-
rection Of the shore for which they yearn-
ed, conversed together in their language,
in hope and confident expectation of their
future fortunes. While thus employed,
the captain and his crew. in another part
of the vessel, were connecting their fear
full scheme of vilainy. The hour grew
late, the night deepened the few Ger
mans who remained on deck stretched
themselves out where they were. and
were soou composed in slumber. While
thus, under the peaceful cope and cano-
ply of heaven-in a slumber, which the
solemn starlight, looking duwn upon,
seemed to hollow, the merciless murder
ers. with cautious footstep and barred
weapon, set upon them. The cabin door
of the vessel had been fastened, the en-
frances to the hold closed. Each sea-
man stood by his victim, and at given
signal they all struck together. There
was no chance given for struggle. the
murderers had planned their crime with
consummate deliberation and skill. A
spasmodc throe Of some muscular frame,
IA faint cty,-a slight groan may have
escaped the victims, little more. At
least, the poor sleepers below were not
aroused by the event.
The deck cleared of the murdered
men, the mur1erers descended stealthily
to the work below. Passing from berth
to berth with the most fiendsh GOODNESS,
they strnck,-seldom twice,-almost al
ways fatally. men, women, children the
old, the young,-the tender and the
strong,-the mother, and the poor angel
innocent but lately sent to earth,-all
persisted or were incapable of arresting
the objects of the criminals. We may
fancy for ourselves the horror of such a
scene. We may imagine some one or
rf{ i,,, toti L ,,,,I tho
ill-directesl knife,-awakining to vain
struggle, -unkindly alarming those in
consciousness who had no strength for
conflict. Perhaps a mother may have
to arise to her knees, imploring mercy
for the dear children of her heart and
hope, and may have been suffered to live
sufficiently long to see its death struggle,
its wild contortions in the grasp of the
unrelenting assassin. Art may not de-
scribe such scene truly, as Imagination
can hardly conceive it, They persisted
one and all that little family of emf
grants land the the murderers, group
ed around the treasures which had damn
ed their hearts into the worst hell of COW
etousness and crime. were now busted in
the division of their bloody spoiIs. How
they settled this matter among them
selves, what division they made. and
with what temper they carried on the con-
ISOLATION, is, Of course, only matter of con-
lecture. But tradition. which is always suf-
ficiently courageous for conjecture, that
asserts having possessed themselves of all
was valuable in the ship,-and that could
be easily appropriated, they detcrmin-
ed to set her on fire, as the only mode 20
conceal thoroughly the bloody testimo-
MES of their crime. Their boats were
accordingly launched at midnight. The
night was still calm, still beautiful, still
looking down as innocently as if there
were no crimes if death had never
been born among the children of men,
Having transferred their spells to the
boats, and completed their preparations,
the vessel was set on fire. The fire. fed
BY tar and other matter, seized instantly
upon the combustible fabric. The flames
rose triumphantlyin the air, gushing from
stem to stern. from keel to bulwark, from
the deck to the highest point of the tow
ering mast, involving shroud and sail,
rope and line, spar and stancheon, in
one general blaze but, to the astonish-
ed eyes of the murderers, these objects,
soon became distinctly articu'ated. each
in its own outline, by the bri ght burning,
but unconsurnlng fire.-Fast as they fled
-stoutly as they pulled for Iand-they
gazed with borrow and CONSERVATION up
on the wondrous spectacle behind them
"a ship on fire that would not burn a
fire that would neither destroy its object.
nor conceal, in its smoke, the form which
it so completely enveloped Strange
and wondrous spectacle indeed.
1t continued all nigt to burn-speed
ing on with the wind-now passing out
from sight. and anon, visible, flaming
forever, back again, on the very spot
where the crime had been committed.
With the dawn of day it had ceased to
burn-but there it stood. erect as ever,
with the spars, sails, masts, unconsumed
every thing in its place. but every