Sentinel of the valley. [volume] (Woodstock, Va) 1841-1848, 1844-12-05

in search of some other fool to scream
at.
II soon became half indolent, and
quite Indifferent about fishing; so /
stretched myself at full length upon the
rock, and give myselfup TO the luxury Of
looking and thinking. The divine
exercise soon put me fast asleep.
dreamed away couple Of hours, and
longer might have dreamed, but for a
tired fish hawk, who chose TO make my
head his resting place, and who walked
and started me to my feet.
"'Where is Tim Titus'' I mutter~
ed TO myself, as strained my eyes o.
yer the now darkened water. Bat hewas
not near me to answer that interesting
question, and nothing was to be seen
Of either Tim or his boat He should
have been herelong ere this thought
/, sand he promised faithfully not to
stay long-could he Eaye forgotten or
has he paid too much devotion 10 the
jug''
81 began to feel uneasy, for the tide
was rising fast, and soon would cover
the top of the rock, end high water
mark was at least foot above my
head. | buttoned up my coat, for Ell
Their the coming GOODNESS of the eve
ming, or else my growing apprehensions
had set the trembling and chattering
most painfully. / braced my nerves,
and set my teeth, and tried to hum
sBegone dull care" keeping time with
my fists upon my thighs. But what
music! what melancholy merriment! |
started and shuddered at the doleful
sound of my own voice. | am not
| naturally coward; but should like
to know the man who would not in
such situation be alarmed. 1t is a
cruel death to die! to be merely drown
ed, and to go through the ordinary
commonplace of suffocation; but to
see your death gradually rising to your
eyes, to feel the water rising, inch by
inch, upon your shivering sides, and
to anticipate the certainly coming, cho-
king struggle for your last breath, and
when, with the gurgling sound of an
overlooking brook taking new direct
ton, the cold brine pours into mouth,
ears, and nostrils, usurping the seat
and avenues of health and life, and
with gradual flow, sitting, smothering,
suffocatingl-it were better to die a
thousand common deaths.
"This is one of the instances, in
which it must be admitted, salt water
is not pleasant subject of contempla
ton. However, the rock was not yet
covered, and hope, blessed hope, stuck
faithfully by me. To beguile, if pos
sible, the weary time, put on bait,
and threw out for fish. | was sooner
successful than could have wished
! TO be, for hardly had my line struck the
water, before the hook was swallowed,
and my rod was bent with the dead
! hard pull of a twelve feet shark. I let
him run about fifty yards, and then
reeled up. He appeared not at all a.
Harmed, and could scarcely feel him
pull upon my fine hair line. He fol-
lowed the pull gently and unresisting-
ly, came up to the rock, laid his nose
upon its side and looked up into my
face, not as if utterly unconcerned but
with a sort of quizzical impudence,
as though he perfectly understood the
precarious nature of my situation.-
The conduct Of my captive renewed
and increased my alarm. And well
it might; for the tide was now running
over corner ofthe rock behind me,
and small stream rushed through
cleft, or assure, by my side, and form
ed puddle at my feet. l broke my
hook out Of the monsters mouth, and
leaned upon my rod for support.
Where is Tim Titus!' | CRED a.
loud. Curse on the drunken vaga-
bond! will he never Gomez
"My ejaculation did no good. No
Timothy appeared. 1t became evident
that must prepare for drowning or for
action. The reef was completely COW
covered, and the water was above the
soles of my feet. | was not much of
a swimmer, and as TO ever reaching
the island, | could not even hope for
that. However there was no alterna-
tive, and I tried to encourage myself,
by rejecting that necessity was the
mother of invention, and that despera-
ton will so@etimes insure success
Besides, too considered and took
comfort from the thought that l would
wait for Tim, so long as I had foot
hold, and then commit myself to the