Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-09-19
A MAN OVERBOARD.
BY IKE MARVEL.

l
ming gales at night, when, for moment,
all would bo as light as day, and mo.
ment after, so dark. that you could not see
an oars length from The vessel. The cap.
tain was forward, and all lbe hands, ex-
cepl The cook and myself, was aloll.
The ship was pitching madly, and The
waves were toppins up sometimes as high
as The yard arm, aud then dipping away
with whirl. under our kneel. that made
every timber in The vessel quiver. The
thunder was roaring like ten thousand
cannons. and every now and then, as
said, half the sky would split up in a
stream of fire, that slared over The tops of
the waves, and glislened on the wet deck,
and The spars-lightnipg up every thing
so plain, that could see the mems faces
al the main>top, and catch glimpses Of the
REFERS on the yard arm, cliugng like
death-,hen all would be horrible dark
ness.
You could hear the spray spllins
against the canvas. and the great waves
breaking on the weather bow, and the
howl Of the wind through the rigging, and
now aud then, when gaskel gave way,
and the sail bellied out to leeward, you
could hear tho canvas splitting like the
crack of a muske,. You could hear. too.
the captain for'ard, screaming out orders,
and the mate in the cross.trees screaming
'em over, till The lightning came, and The
lhunder-both together. and deadened
their voices, as if lhe'd been pair lille
chairping sparrows.
Ii was in one of the flashes, that saw a
baud on the yard-arm lose his loothold, as
the ship gave plunge, but his arms were
cleuched round the spar. Before could
see any more, the backness came over
me. and the thunder broke with crash
that half dcatened me. thought heard
something like .liny howl, as it died of.
and sure enough, al the next flash Of light
nilg which came in moment, what should
see on the top, Of one oflhe waves along
side, but Tom, Meeks; the lightning g lar
ed on his face, 30 that l could see the
look in the poor fellows eye.
As good luck would have il, he had
caught hold Of Que of the sluddng sail
Sheets, as he fell, and as We pitched. 1
could see il slipping of the coil upon The
shouted like mad-".Man ouerboard!!"
aud had JUST time to catch the rope, when
we could see nothing again. ! was u boy,
then, and couldn't hold by the ropei the
sea was too.high, and the man too heavy
for me.
shouted, and shouted, and shouted. and
felt the sweat starting all over my FORE
head, as the rope slipped out through my
hands. Poor Tom had been our NESS
mate for a year, and we all loved him.
Presently the captain felt his way aft,
and toot hold with me, jus, as tho coil was
nearly spent, AMI we pulled upon him.
aud the cook came, anJ we three hauled
together upon him.
Poor fellow! il must have been des.
perate work fer him; for the ship was drift.
Ing at prcdigious rate, and we pulling
al the Same time; but he clung like mar.
By and by, at FASH we saw him on a
crest three oars length away from the
vessel.
Hold on, my man." shouted The cap
tain.
"For Gods sake, be, quick" said the
mau, and he went down in trough of the
sea. And we pulled the harder; and The
captain kept all the while calling to him
10 keep up courage, and hold strong. But
in the hush we could hear Tom say: IL
canl hold much longer-I'm most gone ~
We called OUT the more TO him 10 hold
on; and presently got him where we could
almost lay hold Of him. and were only
waiting for good lift ofhe sea, 10 bring
him up, when The poor fellow sroaned OUT:
''ll's no use, cau'', good bye!!" and a
wave tossed the end Of the rope clean up
upon the bulwarks.
AT the uex flash we saw him going
down under Tho water.
never shall forget how he Looked, for
we saw him plain, when he said Good
bye!" aud let 80 lis hold.