Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1851-03-18

ildu louifu Fenu, III raged Wlth re
doubled fury, uni til now the shrouds
the foref mast, the bowsprit, the yards
: every thing was sheeted with fire
which, W hirIing round and round, as
cending spirally to the masthead
shooting its forky tongues out OF
every hi md, and streaming like ;
meteor away up into the calm blue
SKY. Meanwhile the flames had
broken out from the after hatch, and
catching at once to the ratlins, leap
ing from rope to rope, ran wildly up
the rigging, spread almost instantly
to the huge lower sails, kissing, flash
ing and roaring as they went, until
at length the whole ship S seemed a
mass flurid flame, and nothing was
left untouched but the narrow quar-
ter deck on which the now despairing
crew had gathered in crowds, some
eagerly endeayoring to lower the on
/ ly boat that had escaped the flames,
some franticaIly crying out for mer-
ey, some curslng and blaspheming
awfully in their agony, and some
stretching out their hands imploring
for help
GIVE WY, my men, give way
will YOU see them miserably burned
to death before your eyes?' /
shouted, raising the boat and waving
my hat to the sufferers, forgetting in
the excitement of the moment the
ilnminency Of our wn danger in case
Of an explosion The poor wretches
on the quarter of the burning ship
answered back with a hysteric shout.
Our gallant tars started like mettled
hounds at the cry, and with few
vigorous strokes we dashed up to the
quarter.
SKeep off there, 7 l shouted, seeing
that we should be swamped by the
eagerness of the sufferers to escape;
keep her off,-jump overheard and
we will pick you up | continued as
I'VE fell off from her quarter again:
and in less than three minutes the
deck was bare, and our boats full of
the rescued crew.
'IAlr. Danforth, = at this moment
shouted Jack, from the other boat
ahead. ''there's a lady andher father,
they say, here-still on boa rd-lor
Heavens sake let US try to save
them
For ode moment as | remem-
bered my orders, and the extremity
Of our danger, | paused; but when |
reflected that, bydeparting, We should
abandon two human beings to horrid
death, | hesitated no longer Hasti-
" learning from the mate of the yes
sci that they were their only passen-
gers, and having taken refuge in the
hold during the late chase, had since
beep forgotten-aDd not feeling war
ranted in ordering any one on so
dangerous q service, I gave the boat
in qhargeto Irwin, who had luckily
smhggled himself on board, sternly
bid one or two of my crew who at
tempted to follow, to keep their, sta
tions, mounted on her side by a rope
that HI ing over the quarter, rapidly
trayerse ed the deck in the midst of a
tremendous heat, and dafting down
the companion, way, leaving the
flames roaring not five feet from its
entrance.
The cabin was a large one, and
fitted up with taste. The decorations
were even luxurious, and such as
had at that time rarely seen in mer-
chantmen. The state rooms were of
mahogany, inlaid with ebony, and fin
ished off with the greatest elegance.
Curtains, apparently of dalnask, hung
around, and the show of silver and
cut glass by the companion was even
brilliant. The cabin, however, was
as still as death. A lady's glove lay
on an ottoman, and beside it was an
open book; but no other traces Of
human beings were discerna bic around
Where could the owner of that small
delicate French glove be? Was she
already victim to the frlghtful ele-
ment? had the mate deceived HIM
self in srlpposing She had been re-
moved from the hold; was there no
hope, if she still lived Of reaching her
in time TO save her from a horrid
death? All these questions flashed
rapidly across my mind, and my
heart sickened as | owned | could
notanswerth them. The danger, mean
while grew more and more imminent.
] was standing, as it were, above a