Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1850-08-24

| MS attof cahin was Iflur,l siffalgGr, ,sbIt
far more luxurious than the other. 1t was
adorned with everything that taste could
snggest, Or wealth afford Ottomans ran
completely around it, forming kind Of
divan. AT one side was harp, and be1
side it some rtitisit was scattered on the
floor. Bit after the first llasty survey,
saw nothing but group OF beings befors
me. One of them was gray lisIiret man,
apparently about sixty-hve, dressed iii the
gentIemanIy costume of Il fofmef day
He was bei,ling wildly over the almost
innilln,ate form of fair girl, - reclining on,
the cushions Never have [ seen a being
more beautiful than that pale, half fainting
creature seemed at that moment One
arm supported her on the diyan, and the
other WIS thrown around her fathers neck,
the blue veins jnst discerhibIe rs they stoIs
| along beneath the ivory skin, Her head
rested on the bosom of her parent, and the
hair, loose and unbound, sreaned in dark.
glossy ringlets, over her snowy shoulders
At the noise made by my entrance she p
started, raised her head, and | could see
through the fears that glistened on her
lashes, one cf the sweetest hazel eyes |
had ever looked upon A quick flash shot
over her face. crirnsoting II like ross
as she beterd a stranger, and half starting
to her feet, she essayed moment to speak
aud then stood with half open lips, gazing
almost wildly upon mo
For Gods sake fly, =" ] cried the ship
ls on fire i'll every part--we can barely
escape by the companoil-way in another
instant she will blow up-why hesitate
For heavens sake come -
"Oh. sir. God bless you for your Kind.
ness, there is then hope exclaimed the
old man-~" but Isabel has tainted he
continued, ego, fly, [ will die with her. /"
he added i'll Il voice OF agony yhinly essay
ing to raise in his enfeebled arms the
seemingly liieless form of his daughter,
looked into her face. The transition
from calm despnit to hope had been too
great ard she had indeed tainted 1t was
10 time to hesitate. Hastily raising tha
beautiful stfuhgef in my arm. called upon
the old man to follow, dhshed into the front
cabin, hurried up the companion way and
to my utter horror found the flames had
just crossed the entrance. For but second
/ paused. Death was behind, destruction
perhaps before.
Laying my hand upon the old mhh's
shoulder | urged him ahead, hurriedly
threw the shawl Of the fair girl around her
face and form, made desperate push for
life, and i'll another instant, amid the cheers
of my men, had gained the quarter deck.
The boat shot to the side and dozen arms
were extended to receive my burden. |
carefully gave it in charge to the nearest,
almost flung the Old man after, and spring.
ing with II bound into the stern sheet
waved my arm and shouted
"Shove oH-Aboafd--give way---afld If
ever yon pulled before, pull now, for your
lives, my men"
With one soul the men bent their
brawny arms to the task. and while tho
aslen blades almost snapped made the
boat whlrl from the quarter, and then sent
her with the velocity Of q sua gull oves
the deep. Not word was spoken. The
old man sat beside me in the bewildefmens
of gratitude, astonishment. and only half
dissipated fright-Wlle the form OF his
still inanimate child was extended
unnided, for the nome mt, by his side,
1t was indeed no time to delay. Every
man knew we were pulling for life or death.
The other boat was nearly Il mile ahead.
skimlng swiftly along from the devoted
ship. Far off on the fnoonlit horizon Icy
the brig, with all her exquisite tracery
reflected in the wave beneath. and seeming
with thin, taper, raking masts like some
Drial vessel floating half way between sea
and sky, Down 10 the right was ths
burning ship, presenting vast body Of
lurid fire, that roared along her sides,
streamed ont Of her ports, eddied spirally
up the masts, and leaped in huge niassss
straight out into the sky. Now and then,
as her guns became heated, they went OFF
with roar like thunder Meantime, The
dense smoke gathering i'll thick cloud
above hung like pail over the consuming
ship.
For some instants the flames appearedso
die i'll part away; but all at once u stream
of intense fire that almost blinded the eyes.
leaped perpendicularly upward from her
decks; the horizon for miles around was
ilnmined with light more vivid than That
of the brightest MONDAY; II part of ths
foremast lifted bodily out, shot like an arrow
almost a cable length ON high5 a conclusion
ensued that made the boat shiver like
reed, and rock moment frightfully about;
and then stunning roar followed, shaking
the frmament to its centre, and sounding
as if thousand broadsides had been dis
charged at once For moment ms tho
burning fragments sailed aloft, falling
on every hand about, we held our brea,Is
in momentary expectation Of death, and
voluntarily CALCULATED
The Lord have mercy on us all -
But we were again almost miracuIously
preserved. The offing we had gained.
though not sufficient to- insure safety.
proved great enough TO relieve us from
inevitable destruction. Had any Of tho
falling timbers, however, struck us. we
should have gone down together.
The defcaning nproar, however, recalled
the sensesof the fair girl at my side. We
were soon on board, where the captain
deIicately resigned his own cabin to the
strangers.
ABSENCE or MlxD.-.A man in tho
country fewSlays ago led blooming
tfr FfSt,n nj IorLn4