The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1843-10-27

failed him. The deck was with the
dashing waves; the captains foot slipped
and he fell into the lee scuppers with vio-
| lence, stunned for moment, and severely
bruised When he rose to his feet, the
wretched sufferer was far aslern, be-
yond the reach of any such aid
Slill the boys unearthly scream,
--''lhe babbling cry.
OF that strong swimmer in his agony, -
was wrlnglng with dreadful dlstincness
| in orr ears, at intervals half obscured as
he descended into the hollows of the
mountain sea, and then pealng cut again
with redoubIed power at the next rolling
wave lifted him TO its loaming top for
moment. AS fingered waiting for the
sounds to cease, suffered almost the
horrors Of death itself, in lhus counting
each Misunderstanding degree of misery and
aggravalng despair which knew were
coming over him every moment, as he
found the vessel receding, his strength
and heart failing, and his apprehension
of certain death increasing. lie was a
native Of Turks Island in the Bahamas,
where he was broughiup on the sea shore,
living one half the time in the water,
throughout the year, and like all his almost
! amPhbIous cOuDtrymcn, winning like a
! fish have no doubt that the wrelched be-
ing swan for more than an hour after us,
| until at last the awful certainty OF his
terrible doom came over him ; and there,
alone amid the pi,iless waves-ALoNE,
alone in the wide waters of the cold oc-
cean. abandoned by man, with no hope
! for heaven or earth,
''ile sunk into depths with buhhling groan,
! Without a grave, unknellcd, uucotiined, and un-
known.
The night was perfectly dark--so that
/ he was not once TO be seen after he fell
/ We could not sec 50 far as the breadth Of
the vessel. A drer ching rain, coming on
a! the same moment added to the conlu-
sion Of the furious gust that was already
bowling through our riggIngs, and laying
the vessel almost on her side--the tops Of
the waves being swept by the wind into
sheets of spray, and raising their voice as
II in triumph over their helpless victim
But over all, yet sounded that dGspairing
death cry, shrill though fainter, telling us
that still he struggled agau,t prolongucd
though certain destruction. | could bear
/ it no longer, and rushed down into the
cabin to escape the sound. But, incred-
bic as 1t may appear | still heard it dis
tinc,Iy erea there, though he mast have
been nearly mile off from us. ne
yer can forget that sound. Il was like
nothing else that ever heard. Ishuddcr
now. in recalling it. have since seen
death in many shapes, but never in form
so terrible.
The sound Of the sailors rcsuming their
lsbors on deck, called me up again; and
when came out of the cabin they were
lowering and slowing the man-sai-a
measure which had already become ur-
gent y necessary. The cry was heard no
more-no more for ever. We flew on,
in our gloomy way before the blast; and
there were dark and hardened faces among
us wet with something else than the rain
and spray.
thought and studied all the circum-
stances over, many times, with deep.
ening conviction OF our total ina5iliaty to
help him. Our small boat was hauled up
astern, and parbuckled,' and dashed with
many iastcningS that would have much
delayed an attempt to save him in
smooth cain sea in broad day light. IT.
would have required four men to row the
boat, and one to stear her IN the proper
direction. This would have taken every
man from us except the captain and the
cook, if every circumlance had favored us
An accident to the boat, then, would have
left the brig totally unnamed. The boat
itself if lowered would have struck the
sea 'broabside on which, with our vclo.
city would have swamped her, and torn
her TO pieces. Our long boat was out Of
the question, of course, being slowed
bottom upwards on deck, between the
masts, laid athwai ships, To accommodate
the emigrants,) requiiing our whole force
for half "a day, when in port, to get her
into the water.
The result was, painful conviction of
the utter hopelessness Of relief to any
person that should fall overheard on the
the passage, while we were making such
heaiway.
Under such circumstances, the most en-.
viabIe would be that of one who could
not swim and who would go down immg.
diRlely.
Tha, day according to custom, the lost
boys chest was brought up on deck, and
bis clothes and other little property put