Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1855-02-10

glim.
Well, Vangs," cried the ever-ready Burton
"it'S blowing an Irishman's hurricane on deck
: isn't lt--straght up and down, like pigs
eyeE"
g 1t is all quiet yet" replied Vangs but
the sky has queer look, and there will be a
hurricane of different sort before you are
many hours older, Mr. Charles"
8 Is there then really any prospect of wind?"
, asked the midsiipman whom we have called
Derrick.
There is something brewing in the clouds
we none of US understand" answered the old
man, i'll his low quiet tone. eve shall have
more wind than we want before long, or | am
out in my reckoning"
= Let it come butt-end foremost, if it chooses.
and the sooner the better" said young Burton
laughing; any weather rather than this, for
this is neither fish, flesh nor red herring. Let
it blow Fangs, and | wouldn't mind if it were
such breeze as You had in the old Charlotte,
you know, when it blew the sheet-anchor into
the foretop, and it took three men to hold the
captains hair on his head"
The old quartermaster turned a grave and
thoughtful look on the round face of the lively
boy, and seemed meditating an answer that
might repress what probably struck him as un-
timely mirth; but even while he was in the act
! OF speaking, the tempest he had predicted burst
III sudden fury upon the vessel. The first indi-
cation those below had of its approach was the
Wild rushing sound of the gust, which broke
upon their ears like the roar of a volcano The
heaving and rolling Of the ship ceased all at
once, as if the waves had been subdued and
chained down by the force of a mighty pres
sure. The vessel stood motioncss an instant
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GUS fear of the approaching strife; the tempest
/ then buSrt upon her, butt-end foremost as Bur
ton expressed it, and the stately mast recled
and fell over before it, like tower struck down
| by a thunderbot The surge was so violent,
| that the ship was thrown almost on her beam
ends, and everything on board not secured in
strongest manner, was pitched with great force
! to lecwarp. Midshipmen, mesS-tablc hammoeks
and the contents of the mess lockers fell rust
ling, rattling, and mixed in strange disorder, to
! the lee scuppers; and when the ship slowly
righted, straning and trembling in every plank, |
/ it was u moment or two before those who had
I been so unexpectedly heapcd together in the
bends, could eXtricate themselves from the con-
fusion and make their way to the upper deck
! There a scene Of fearful grandeur was pre-
sented The sky was of a murky, leaden hue,
and appearc to bend over the ship in a near
er and narrower arch, binding the ocean in so
small round, that the eve could trace, thro' |
the whole circle the line where the sckly look |
ing heavens rested on the sea. The air was
thick and heavy; and the water covered with !
driving sn0w-likc foam, seemed to be packed
and hattened down by the fury of the blast, |
which scattered its pillows into spray as cut
ting as the sleet of a December storm The /
wind howled and screamed through the rigging |
with an appalling sound, that might be lkened |
to the shrieks and wailing of angry fends; and |
the ship fled before the tempest like an alright
ed thing, with velocity that piled the water |
in a huge bank around her bows, and sent it |
whirling and sparkling in lines of dazzling |
whitcness soon lost in the general hue of the |
ocean, which resembled wild waste of drift |
ing SNOW
There was one on deck, however, who had |
fOresecn this awful change, and made prcpara-
tons to meet it; and when the tempest burst |
in full swoop, upon his ship it fouud nothing
but the bare hull and spars to oppose its ire /
mendous power Every sail was closely ard ,
securely furled, except the fore storm staysal |
which was set for Il reason that sCamcn Will !
understand; but being hauled well aft hy both |
sheets, it WIS stretched stifliy amitlships, and
presented nothing but the bolt-rope for the |
wind to act upon The masts and yards, with |
their snug and wcll-bound rolls of canvas alone
encountered the hurricane. But even these
were tried to the utmost. The topmasts bent
and cracked before the blast, and the royal
poles OF the top@allant masts, which excited
| above the crosStrces, whipped and thrashed
about like plant rods The running rigging
ratified against the spars, and the shrouds aad
| backStays strained and cracked as if striving
to draw thu strong bolts which secured them
to the vessel
For more than an hour did the Active fec
along in this way, like a wild horse foaming
and stretching at his utmost speed, driven on
ward in the van Of the tempest, and exposed
to its ierccst wrath. Al length, the first fury
| of the gale passed away, and the wind, though
still raging tempestously, swept over her with
less appalling force. The ocean, now, as to re-
vcnge itself for its constrained inactivity, rouS
ed from its brief reposc, and sweled into bill
lows that rolled and chased each other with
| the wild glee of ransomed demons. Wave up
on wave, in multituduous confusion, came roar
| inc in from astern; and their white crestS,
eaping, and sparkling and kissing, formed a
striking feature in the scene. The wind, for
tunately, issued from the right point, and drove
the Active towards her place Of destination
The dumb pail of clouds, which from the com
mcnccmcnt Of the gale, had totally overspread
Ethe heavens except in the quarter whence the
blast proceeded, now began to gyeway, and
reddish light shone out here and there, in long
horizontal streakS like the glow of expiring
| Goals between the bars Of furnace. Though
the first dreadful violance Of the storm was
somewhat abated, it still raved with too much
ferceness and power to admit of any relaxation
Of vigilance The commander himself still re-
tanned the trumpet, and every officer stood III
silence at, his station, clinging to whatever
might assist him to maintain his difficult foot
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