The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-07-12
A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

The most beautiful and affecting Incl
dent know associated with shipwreck,
is the following: t5
. The Grosvenor, an East Indiaman,
homeward bound, goes ahore on the
coast of Cafrai. 1t is resolved that the
officers, passengers and crew, in number
one hundred and thirty-fve souls, shall
endeavor to penetrate on foot across the
trackless deserts, infested by wild beasts
and cruel savages, to the Dutch Settle
ments at the Cape of Good Hope. With
the forlorn object before them they fin
ally separated into two parties-never
more to meet on earth
There is solitary child among the
passengers little boy seven years old,
who has no relations there; and when
the first party is moving away, he cries
after some member of it who has been
kind to him. The crying of the child
might be supposed to be little thing
to men in such great extremity; but it
touches them, and he is Immediately ta-
ken into that detachment . --.-.
From which time forth, this child is
sublinely made sacred charge. He is
pushed on little raft across broad riv-
ers, by the swimming sailors they carry
him by turns through the deep sand and
long grass, Che patiently walking at all
other times) !; they share with him such
putrid fish as they find to eat; they lie
down ard wait for him when the rough
carpenter who becomes his special friend
lags behind Beset by lions and tigers,
by savages, by thirst and hunger, by
death in crowded religion Vi chastity
shades, they never-O Father of all
mankind, Thy name be blessed for it for
get this child. The Captain stops ex-
hausted, and his faithful coxswain goes
back and is seen to sit down by his side,
and neither of the two shall be any more
beheld until the great last day; but as
the rest go on for their lives, they take
their child with them The carpenter
dies of poisonous berries eaten in starva-
ton, and the steward succeeds to tho
sacred guardianship of the child
+ God knows all he does for the poor
baby; he cheerfully carries him in his
arms when he himself is weak and i'll /;
how he feeds him when he himself is
griped with want; now he folds his rag
ged jacket around him, lays his little
warm face with womans tenderness
upon his sunburnt breast, soothes him
in sufferings, sings to him as he Gmps
along, unmindful of his own parched aud
bleeding feet. Divided for few days
from the rest, they dig grave in the
sand and bury their good friend the
cooper-these two companions alone in
the Wilderness the time comes
when they are both i'll and beg their
Rretched partners in despair, reduced
and few in numbers now, to wait for them
one day, They wait by them one day
they wait by them two days. On the
morning of the thHsd, they move very
softly about in. king their prepara-
tions for the resumption of their journey,
for the child is sleeping by the fire, and
it 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. 90 ~
His faithful friend the steward, lin
gers but a little while behind him.. His
grief is great, he staggers on for few
days lays down in the wilderness and
dies.-But he shall be reunited in his
immortal spirit-who can doubt it p
with the child, where he and the poor
carpenter should be raised up with the
Words 2" Inasmuch as ye have done this
to the least of these, ye have done it to
Mo- .ft t-4- --- ~ -'tl p d.