Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-01-23

0tHihai toHhOupidCtS VI suuoChkpH ;
but to see your death gradually rising to
your eyes, to feel the water rising inch
by inch, upon your shiverng sides, and
to anticipate the certainly coming, chgk-
ing struggle for your last breath, when,
with the gurgling sound of an overflow.
ing brook taking now direction, the
cold brine pours into mouth, ears, and
nostrls, usurping the seat and avenues of
health and life, and, with gradual flow,
sitting, smoihering, sufIoeatng lit were
better TO die thousand common deaths.
This is one of The instances, in which,
il must be admitted, salt water is not a
pleasant subject of contemplation. How.
ever, the rock was not yet covered, and
hope, blessed hope, stuck faithfully by
me. To beguile, il possible, the weary
time, put on bait, aud 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 twelve feet
shark. let him run about fifty yards,
and then reeled up. He appeared not at
all alarmed, and could scarcely feel him
pull upon my fine hair line. He followed
the pull gehtly and INTERESTINGLY, came up
to the rock, laid his nose upon It's side,
and looked up into my face, no, as If ut
terry unconcerned, but with a sort of
quizzcal impotence, as though he per.
lecty understood the precarous nature of
my situation. The conduct OF my cap
tive renewed and increased my alarm. -
And well i, might; for the tide was now
running over corner of the rock behind
me, and small stream rushed through a
cleft, or fssure, by my side, and formed
puddle a, my very feet. broke my
hook out Of the monsters mouth, and
leaned upon my rod for support.
"Where is Tim Titus p cried aloud.
Course on the drunken vagaoond will he
never come p
My ejaculation did no good. No Tim
othy appeared. 1t became evident that |
must prepare for drowning, or for action.
The reef was completely covered, and
the water was above the soles ofmy feet.
was not much oil swimmer, and as to
ever reaching the ISLAND, could not ever
hope for that. However, there was no
alternative, and tired to encourage my
self, by rejecting that necessity was the
mother Of invention, and that desperation
will sometimes insure success Besides,
too, | considered and took comfort from
The thought that | would wait f,r Tim, so
long as 1 ha foothnld, and then COM
NIT myself 10 The uncertain strength of my
arms and legs Tor salvation. SO | turned
my bait box upside down, and mounting
upon that, endeevoured to comfort my
spirits, and to be courageous, but submis.
sive 10 my fate. thought Of DEATH and
what II might bring with 1t, and tried to
repent of my multiplied inIquiti' n my
almost wasted life; but | found that it
was no place for sinner 10 settle his &C.
couuts. Wretched soul pray could
not.
The water had not got above my an
cles, when, II my lnexpressble JOY,
saw a sIoop bending down towards me,
with the evident intention Of picking me
up. No man can imagine what were the
sensation of gratitude which filled my b.
som at that moment.
When she got within hundred yards
of the reef, sung out to the man at the
helm TO ud up and lie by, and lower the
boat; but to my amazsment, could get
no reply, nor notice of my request. |
enireat-d them, for the love of heaven,
tn take me off, and promised know not
what rewards, that were entirely beyond
my power of bestowal. But the brutal
wretch Of a captain, mutterlng something
to the effect of "that he hadn't time to
STOP" and giving me the kind and sensi-
bic advice to pull off my coat and swim
ashore, put the helm hard down, ard away
bore the sloop on the other tack.
"Heartless viliani"-l shrieked out, in
the torture Of my disappointment, "may
God reward your InhumanIiy." The crew
answered M prayer with coarse, loud
laugh; and the cook asked me through a
speuking trumpet, "lf wasn't afraid OF
catching cold, THE black rascal
II was now time TO strip; for my knees
felt the cool tide, and the wind dying
away, left the heavy swell, that swayed
and snook the box upon which | was
mounted, so that / had occasionally TO
stoop and paddle with my hands against
the water, in order to preserve my per
pendicular. The setting sun sent his al
mos; horizontal streams OF fire across the
dark waters, making them gloomy and
terrific by the contrast Of his amber and
purple glorles.
Something glided by me in the water,
and then made a sudden halt. looked
upon the black mass, aud as my eyes ran
along its dark outline, saw with horror,
that il was a shark-the identical mon
ster out Of whose mouth had just broken
my hook. He was fishing now for me,
and was evidently only waiting for the
tide to rise high enough above the rock,
to glut at once his hunger and revenge.
As The water continued to mount above
my knees, he seemed to grow more hun
CRY and familiar. At last he made des-
perate dash and approached within an
inch OF my legs, turned upon his back,
and opened his huge jaws Tor an attack
With desperate strength, | thrust the end
ofmy rod violently at his mouth; and the
brass head, ringing against his teeth,
threw him back into the deep current,
and lost sight of HIM entirely. This,
however, was but momeniary repuIse 4;
for in The next minute he was close be.
IL -. I'll. a,,R n,ll,n p n. tho eli rts nj