Plymouth advertiser. [volume] (Plymouth, Ohio) 1853-1988, 1855-05-11

cra>hiusth; THU plinks, ,lor til IA as undcr
rs il made of paper. Patrick saw the
danger. knew what impcmlci over them.
and with an mistaken hand he again hRrl-
cd lance at the enemy and pierced its
eyc--but he conld not save the boat
The ma'llencd brute probably did not
feel the new wound in the death struggles.
For, blowing out tie thick, black blood,
and ouly thirsting for revenge, it tore the
boat in pieces, and the foammg, blood
stained waves soon closed over mass Of
fragments and swimmers, vino only tried
To clutch at plank in the instructive feel
ing of self-preSeyation. Patrick had,
quite unconciously Y, seized thcline TO which
the harpoon was fastened. winding itround
his arm; the whale dragged him along
E through the diScclored waters and he
woull inevitably have been drowned had
the fish liNeI a few moments longer. But
the first cast had gone home, aud rising
again to the surface, the whale swan once
or twice in circle, lashc,l the trembling
waves with its gigantic ilukcS, and then
iloated slowl ly and dead uponthc blood
stained sea. Patrick; who had risen with
it, md had been so nnwillingly taken in
tow with the whale, swan quickly up to
the floating monster, and selling the har-
poon still sticking in it, raised himself up
at the very moment when a piercing shrek
sounded close behind him. In horror he
turned round; the cry for help was too
agonizing; but he felt as If stabbed to the
heart when he saw, at no great distance
from him, the dark dorSas fins of two
sharks, which the gurgling in the water
Just behind him and the la>Eing of the
waves, betrayed the spot vic c one of his
comrades was fighting the fight or death
in the mcrcicss clutches OF q third
brute.
Here and there few of the unhappy
men belonging TO the boa, were still floating
on oars and planks, but only three left of
the merry fellows who, but few minutes
before. had boldly looked danger in tie
face, and now the hyenas of the deep were
rcvcling beneath them Of what avail
was lhepowerless blow Of the Al m aimc It
them, or the yell Of despair? 1t was music
in the ears of the cold, fearful monsters,
with thcircat~likc eyes and giant strength;
, and the bloddy foam which ut the next
moment noatcd on the surface of the water,
was the ccrccoth of theunhappy men, and
reveal d their graves.
, This is frnrinln Srnannd Patrick, wllc
had hardlystrcnSth enough to keep on tn,
t back of the whale that still olltlel hin
| protection fearful thus to die and ne
t help? And his eye sought desperately
- across the wately waste for the saving
c ship, which was lacking to pick up the
, other boats, far, far away on the holizon
5 And when they missed him, and sought
t for him. and could not find the boat will
, the < lass, and sailed about for days il
f search of him, Of what availwoull that ht
= to him" Only holrrs--miniutcS, perhaps
were allotted to him. and his murlcrcr
/ were boundng in their insai,tc greed af
1 ter their prey. Shuddering he conceale,
p his face in his hands, almost lo.pe.tin.
his own peril, to see the death struggles o
- his comrades around him, which was on
y u counterpart Of what awaited him, bu
Q the Kissing and beating the waves com
= PEELED him at last with that instinct of sell
preservation which clings to straw, t
= think of his own salvation, or ut least
$ defer his fate as long as possible, in orlc
g oleayc room forany possibility Of help
V The haipoon in the back Of the whah
Q which drove still deeper into blnbbcr, o
Il lered him a support to keep him on tn
h smo>th mass, For, although he though
u once or twice about cutting out the hea
If andusing it as weapon ordcicncc again>
n thc greedy sharks, Sti,l he immcdiatc
e gave up the idea again. Once waShc
C into the sea, even the sharp steel would b
sc noProte zion against the agile shark, ,wnic
II would seize its plcy, eventually. and the
lc draw him down i'll spite all the wound
is it mi yht receive. But one thing he coul
le do. The handle Of the harpoon, Il shar
IL stout oak stick of about two inches in d
le ameter, was still firmly fixed in the stec
This he pulled out. cut away from the lii
i, with the lanyard knife every sailor wca
Iy on his person, and then fastened the co,
- to the ling Of the harpoon Anl viii
ip he twiStel The cord tightly around his le
IN han to have Il better hold, he seized Il
it. shaft with renewed confidence. and awai
he ed with tightly clcnchcd teeth and Has
- ing eyes, the attack ofthc foe, which no,
" ever was deferred for some time.
H. The sharks were satiated for Will
cr and played in the streams of blood whi
he stained the water around, rather than c
Int fresh prey; they tried at times to catch ho
il of the slippery, broad carcass of the whaI
rat Or SWAIN lazily or rslcepily a Quad amol
,c. the broken fragments Of the boat, scizi1
ed plank and holding it for a while b
RS tween their teeth, and then pushing it b
b- fore them with theirround spade-shapc Il
en- jaw. The weather, unfortunately, ~
to quiet and calm, and the ripping wav.
to in which the water rose and sank, was
of cd over Patrick, but not one of the shal
cd had come near enough to scent him; a
asst perhaps, that he would he able to hold
on own massaicd until the ship could cot
he up to save him, or, at least, send its boat
nd But where was the ship? Father Of nj
sh- cy there was no prospect Of release 10
ose long, long time. For even at the iii. ia
, it he then was, it could not escape the 81
eel or's practiccd eye that it was keep
oe away from him. The other boats tn,
to fore, had caught their fish, and with ii
49, bon+,, a nre;lo .,c.,ll a, - ~ n ~