The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-17
RY G.s. RAYMOND.

80 .,n, ron,nass, rendering IL almost i'm
to.'.a y, 10 nrsyent the ship from being caught
..,ore .ha l. Ali the light sails had been
t.,r-.y sarled, and the heavy courses were
L.,le5 mn snug. 81 that The noble craft lay
,, I,as a riant gladiator stripped Tor battle.
80 midway between the southern edge
.,.o,.ei sandy hav of San Borombom, upon
,, h,s,n, ot the mighty, ocean-like RIo de la
p. Fv,, since We had left Buenos AYres,
,~,. nrcyinuslv, this strange, gloomy,
-,. ,,,,fber Ind continued, and we had
.... marie two hundred miles progress towards
the ocean.
,,:',~ bDt This was his first voyage 10 the river
rl,ia. aqd when went on'deck at ten O'Clock,
..,nA HIM. pacing hurriedly 10 and fro, and
,trsyI, ranlounded by the unusual appearance
E,aeveathsr The night as have SAID, was
;n,sn.el ly dark; and there was Indlstnct mur-
,,,,,r;u,, nil arouud,us in the gloom, that sound
"a Ike the wings of monstrous birds tanning the
air in rapid fight. Far away in the southern
h.gr5 could lie heard the low and almost con-
.o,i believing of muttured thunder, while all
aIony towards the shore of San Borombom,
sr3,II. uiry threads of chain lightning seemed
% dary np from the surface of the water, and
catch The Numbered warnings Of the storm
Lju- rnon ins black scroll OF night in HERO
g.ypnc< oiiiying fire.
VAS hut & passenger in the Ship but | had
I.en an old cruiser in the ryer Plata, aud
knew that all these appearances were but the
herald OF i coming tempest by my advice,
ff.4 Irzzen topSai yard was settled away
rnon the cap, the reef-tackle hauled out, and
t.yo or iaree men were already in the rigging,
~. ,heIrwav aloft TO reef the SAIL when the
ce0Isiu CAM on deck, aud alter glance out
iato the gloom, came the long hurried orders
.Clew up that main topsail! Down out of
tie rigging, there, everybo y, and lap on TO
tlf lines and buntllnes Let go the sheets
AMI uN Win him with a will. SO! Belay
eyerythh5 and now Law aloft there for your
lives md roll him up. UpyOu 60, my souls,
and be handy it'il be down here upon us IN
FIVE minutes : and thus encouraged and urged
on 10 ,her duty, the ready sailors flew 10 in
the main rigging, and out on the topsail yard
lnr cat>.
Who's -kuIking here 2 exclaimed the mate,
as his eve encountered dusky figure crouch
ing afubuE the ropes about the maIn-SaIl /;
who's this, say :! and he dragged the delln-
ouenl away from the mast towards the weather
main rigging.
'Me, sir boy Diego" replied deep musi-
cal voice. which | recognized in a moment as
belonging to a beautiful Brazilian boy, per
hlps sixteen years old, who had joined the
ship the very day before she sailed, and came
uaOurd in company Nth noble looking POr-
tuguese sailor, to whom he appeared to be par
iCutdI!S attached, anu "IOi L Hdu oDeeifcu'
was always the first aloft when the order was
given to take in sail.
Boy Diego yelled the excited mate; well,
~hy the devil don't you go aloft and help turl
that sail 2
.Nao possa, Senor Piloto,' replied the
frightened boy-'Ea sou rapez que Serac co
no do nair0.' Literally 1 am the boy that
serves the sailors.
The poor lad wanted to tell the officer that
L., l-h,r kOy nrlI
and he dare not 60 alott but in his fright he
had forgotten the few words OF Eng lish which
he had picked up, and so he spoke it in Portu
guese.
BE done with your jaw breaking lingo, and
60 alofr, or I'll start you with ropes end'
The bov di0 not understand the words, bu
ne knew it was a threat Of some kind, and
dreoding its fuIflment he sprang towards the
rigging, and would have gone aloft or tried to-
batl laid my hand upon his arm and held MIN
back, while | said TO the mate
DON'T send this boy aloft, sir, I'll 60 IN his
place.
Before he could reply, the captain shout
iold on, there, Mr. Vibert! don't send thai
AIp there. he should fall and be killed
ss& overheard, it would be downright mur.
Geo r0s guarde y Heaven preserve
sOs, exclaimed the boy, as he bounded for
ward, and grasplng the captains hands, eager
ly pressed them to his lips.
Al that moment strange lurld glare lit UP
the heavens, and every object about the shL
vas plainly visible as though it had beer
MONDAY. Ii was not lightning, but seemed
rather 10 proceed from the muIky atmosphere
ITSELF and appeared to roll in from all psrts o
the compass towards the ship, in undulatin!
Wayes, like the beautiful coruscations of bri!
liant aurora boreais. Ii was just such ligh
as one would have imagined TO light up ths
dark recesses OF the Russian forests from t..
midnight flames of burning Moscow.
On the topsail yard the men Were strainins
syery nerve TO furl the sail The yard arm,
were rolled in, and the gaskets half passed
when the rushing noise like the escape of pen
up steam, arrested our attention and turning
our eyes IN the direction from which il came
We beheld not mile astern Of us, the who'll
surface of the water converted into a mass U
boiling driving foam, by the hoarse breath O
the coming tornado. Long spiral wreaths O
nIu's were caught up from the leaping waves
and came driving on, white as the whrlins
drifts from the SUBMITS of the hills, hurried on
ward 10y the winter hurricane.
Come down! down from aioft, there ever.
soul Of We, and down for your lives? Do yol
nearF Let the sail go and come down!
Thus yelled the excited captain, and il
came the men off the yard. and down TO TN
deck by the back stays; and the last man ha'
Just cleared tie rigging, when the hurrican
burst upon the ship in all its wild, yelling
:dry. said the last man had game the deck
did not mean that, for there was one VIII
needed not the captains warning, and still
'emolned on the yard. That one was Manuel
the noble looking Portuguese suilor, the fIien
OF The boy Diego.
Ohsiinately he clung 10 the almost furle
sail, after all the others had ien the yard.-
VICE the capiaIn screamed TO him after tn
Others han reached the deck: but he heede,
ann no., and was there alone when the ierri6,
gust broke m wrath upon The quivering ship
men commenced the most desperate strug
sie had ever Sitnessed--the puny arm O
man battling with one of natures inigh,ies
elements. In an instant the bunt of the beay,
topsaII hitrd with wind, and heIiied out for
ward ~ The yard like inflated balloon bu
HE darling sailor sinoihered il ia with II giao,'
strength, aud hud almost secured II. Te
secoibs more, or the aid Of another pair G
nhHds, aud the sail would have been saved. =
But second blast, wilder aud more furiou
'"ah me hrsI, tore the canvass from his eraaI
and Tie next moment il was rent from the var