The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-12-29
A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

The most beautiful aud affecting incident
wc know. associated with shipwrsck, is
the following
The Grosvenor, and Est Indiman, homo.
ward bound, goes ashore on tho coast OF
Cofraria. It is resolved that the officers,
passengers, and crew, in number one hun
drcd and thirty.fvo souls, shall cndeavor to
penetrate on foot, across trackless deserts
invested by wild beasts and cruel savases.
to tho Ditch settlement at tho Cape Of
Good Hope. With this forlorn object before
them they finally separate into two parties,
never moro to meet on earth.
There is solitary child among the pas
sengers, little boy Of seven years old,
who has no relation thero and when tho
first party is moving away ho cries after
some member Of it who has been very kind
to him. Tho crying Of q child might be
supposed to bc little thing to men in such
great extremity; but it touches them, and
he is Immediately taken into that detach.
ment: from which iimo forth this child is
sublimely made sacred charge. lie ,is
pushed on little raft across broad nveEs w
the swimming sailors; they carry him by
turns through the deep sand and long grass,
he patiently walking ut all other times;
they share with him such putrid fish rs they
find to cat they liz down and wait for him
when tho rough carpenter. who becomes his
especial friend, lags b,hind. Bcset by lions
and tigers, by thirst and hunger, by death
in crowd Of CHASTITY shapes, they never
oh, Father Of all mankind, thy name be
blessed for it!-lorgot this child. Tho
captain stops exhausted. and his faithful
coxswain gocs back and is seen to set down
by his side, and neither Of tho two shall DO
any more behcld until tho great last day:
but, rs the rest 60 on for their lives, they
take tho child with them. The carpenter
dies of poisonous berries eaten in starvation:
and the steward, succeeding to tho com.
mand of tho party, succeeds to tho sacred
guardianship Of the chill.
God knows all he does for the poor baby.
IIo checrfully carries him in his arms when
he himself is weak and III how hQ feeds
him when hc himself is griped with want;
how hc folds his ragged jacket around him.
LAYS his little wnsm face with woman's
tenderness upon his sunburnt breast, soothcs
him in his sutierings, sings to to him rs no
limps along unmindlul Of his own parchod
and bleeding feet. Divided for n few days
from tho rest, they dig grave in the sand
and bury their good friend the coopcr-,hess
two companions alone in tho Wilderness
and tho tmo comes when they nrc both i'll.
and beg their wretchcd partners in despair
reduced and few in number now, to wal. by
them ono day. They wait by them ono
day; thcy wait by them two days. On tho
morning Of tho third they move very softly
about in making their preparations for the
resumption Of their journey, for the child
is sleeping by tho Ere, and II Is agreed with
one consent that he shall not be disturbed
until the last moment. The moment comes;
the fire is dying; and the child is dead.
His faithful friend, tho steward, fingers
but little while behind him. Ills grief Is
great. lie staggcrs on for fow days, down
in the wilderness, and dies. But he shall
be reunited in his immortal spirit-who can
doubt it with tho child, where he and
the poor carpenter shall be raised up with
the words "Insomuch as 20 have done it
unto tho least Of these, 20 have done 1t un-
tn me-