The daily crescent., 1851-11-12


still light, we had little doubt Of success especially
as some precious minutes must be lost to the SNUG.
ger in getting under way, neither jib nor fore sail
being as yet set. The watermen bent fercely to
their oars and heavily laden as the boat was, We
were beginning 10 slip freely through the water,
when an exclamation from one Of the men an.
nounced another and more peril0us trick that the
Barpabys had PLAYED US. Old Barnaby, in pre.
tending to tumble about for his jacket, had con-
trived to unship large plug expressly contrived
for the purpose of sinking the boat whenever the
eXigencies of their vocation might render such an
operation advisable; and the water was coming in
like sIuice. There was no help for it, and the
boats head was Immediately turned towards the
shore. Another vociferous shout rang in our ears
as the full success of their scheme was observed
by the Barnabys replied to Of course by the furious
but impotent execrations of the watermen. The
boat sank rapidly, and we were still about hun.
dred yards from the shore when we found ourselves
srlashihg about in the water which fortunately was
not more than up to the armpits OF the shortest of
u.s. but full of strong and tangled seaweed, that
swimming YVES out of the question; and we had to
wade slowly and painfully through it, step on a
spot of more than usually soft mud flumping us
down every now and then over head and ears.
After reaching the shore md shaking ourselves,
we found leisure to look in the direction of the
BIue-eyed Maid, and had the exquisite pleasure of
seeing her glide gracefully through the water as
she stood down the river, impelled by the fast
freshening breeze, and towing the watermen's boat
securely at her stern.
There were no means of pursuit, and after in
dulging in sundry energetic vocabes, hardly worth
repeating, we retreated in savage discontinue to-
wards Weston, pentifully sprinkling the grass and
gravel we slowly passed along; knocking up
the landlord Of public house, and turning in az
soon as possible, happily exchanged our dripping
attire for warm blankets and clean sheets, between
the soothing influence Of which l, ior one, was
soon sound asleep.
Day had hardly dawned when we were all three
up, and overhauling the mud and weeds (the tide
quite gone QUIT for the captured boat and tubs.
They had vanished utterly; the fairies about Wes.
ton had spirited them away while we slept lsav-
ing vestige whatever of the spoil, to which we
had naturally looked some trihing compensation
for the nights mishap and the loss of the water
mans boat, to say nothing Of the sousng we had
got 1t was bad business, certainly, and my
promise to provide my helpmates with another
boat, should their own not be recovered, soothed
but very slightly their sadly ruf1ed .empers. But
lamentations were useless, and after the lugubri-
Gus expression of dismal hope for better luck
| next time, we separated.
This pleasant incident did not in the least aba.s
my anxiety to get once more within hailing dis
tance Of the Barnabys; but for long time my ef-
forts were entirely fruitess, and began to think
| that the Blue-eyed Maid had been permanently
transferred to another and less vigilanly watched
station, when slight inkling of intelligence dis
| PEELED that fear. My plan was soon formed.
caused it to be carelessy given out on shore that
the Rose had sprung her bowsprit in the gale day
| or two before, and was going the next afternoon
into Portsmoth to get another. In pursuance of
this intention, the Rose, after noon, slipped
her moorngs and sailed for that port; remained
quietly there till about nine o'clock in the evening,
| and then came out under close-reefed storm can.
vas, for it was blowing great guns from the north
ward, and steered for the Southampton river. The
night was as black as pitch, and but for the
| tinuous and vivid flashes of lightning, object
| more than hundred yards distant from the vessel
| could have been dscerned. We ran up abeam of
Hythe without perceivng the object Of our search.
then tackled, stood across to the other side, and
| then retraced our course. We were within short
distance of Hamble river, when a prolonged fash
| threw ghastly light npon the raging waters and
plainly revealed the Bue.eyed Maid, lying to un-
der the lee of the north shore, and it may be about
/ half mile ahead of us.
Unfortunately she saw us at the same moment,
and as soon as way could be got upon her she
| luffsd sharply up, and minute afterwards was
flying through the water in the hope of yet escap.
ing her unexpected enemy. By edging away to
leeward oontrived to cut her off effectually from
running into the Channel by the Needles passage
| but, nothing dauned, she held boldly on without
attempting to reduce inch of canvas, although,
from the press she carried, fairly buried in the sea.
Right in the course she was steering, the Donegal,
huge eighty. gun ship, was riding at anchor of
| Splthead. Old Barnaby, who could discern by
his streaming white hairs, was at the helm, in his
anxiety to keep as we'll to windward of us as pos
sbe, determined, suppose, to pass as closely as
he prudenty could under the stern of the lineof.
battle ship. Unfortunately, just as the little cut.
wind tore away her jib as if it had been cobweb
and pressed by her large mainsail, the slight vesse
| flew up into the wind, meeting the Donegal as the
huge ship drove back from strain which had
| brought her half way to her anchors. The crash
was decisive, and caused the instant disappearance
L NI,o Of III.
| drowning men, if they had time to utter one, was
| lost amid the raging of the tempest; and though
we threw overheard every loose spar we could
| lay hands on, it was with scarcely the slightest
hope that such aid would avail them in that wilt
sea. Tracked speedily as possible, and repasseC
the spot but the white foam of the waves as they
leaped and dashed about the leviathan bulk of the
Donegal, was all that could be perceived, eagerly
as We peered over the surface of the angry waters
The Rose then stood on, and in little more than
hour afterwards, was safely anchored off IIythe.
Ten minutes had not elapsed, when the mother
accompanied by Johnson, and sobbing convus
lively, appeared. Roberts hailed her, and after
brief explanation, she ascended the steps with tot
terlng but hasty feet, to embrace her son. quar-
of hour, she had been told, would be allowe,
| for the interview.
The allotted time had passed, and was gettin,
inpatient, when cry from the summit Of the for
or tower, as if for help to some one at distance
reused and startled us. As we stepped out of tn
| gateway, anu loOkeu upwards 10 aScefT1ln tn
meaning of the sudden cry, the lad darted out an,
sped off with surprising speed One of the mel
instantly snatched pistol from his waist belt, bu
| at gesture from me, put it back He canno
Escape" said. Follow me, but use no unneces
sarv violence" Finding that we gained rapidly
4 upon him, the lad darted through a low marrow
] gateway, into the interior of the abbey ruins
trusting, imagined to battle us in the darkness
and intrcacy of the place. l just caught sight G
him as he disappeared up long flight of crumbline
row aperture upon lofty wall, some five or 81
followed in terrible anxiety, for feared that i
his desperation he would spring off and destro
himself shouted loudly to him for Gods sake t
, stop He did so within few feet of the end {
the wall. l ran quickly towards him, and as
neared him he fell on his knees, threw away hi
hat, and revealed the face of-ElIen Dible I!
} stopped, bewildered, dizzy, paralyzed. Doubt
less the mellowing radiance Of the night softene
7 or concealed the ravages which time must hav
l imprinted on her features for, as gazed upo
the spirit beauty of her upturneA beseechin
countenance the old time came back upon me wit
a power and intensity which an hour before coul
! not have believed possible. The men hailed II
peatedly from below, but was too bewilderet
too excited, to answer their shouts and the youn
mothers supplicating sobs (shs seemed scarosl
,, older than when parted from her) sounded in m
ears like the far-of cries and murmurs Of bewi
: : dering, chaotic dream. She must have gathere
hope and confidence from the emotion doubtlei
| exhibited, for soon as the confusion and ringin
in my brain had partially subsidized, could he,
, her say, You will save my boy, my only son, Fl
u