True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1855-03-01

as if they pendulated between shadow and
sunshine.
question, however, if Milman took in
the whole of this reply, for suddenly a wild
terrific shock lifted our steamer out of the
water, and dashed her backwards up the
stream with fearful violence. Another
and another shock, upturning tables and
chairs, destroyed every thing like perpen-
dicularity in our cabin; and at the same
time mighty boom, like the roar of ord
nance, rose, cleaving the darkness, and
leaping in long and laundering reverber-
ations out upon the sullen waves of the
Mississippi. Then succeeded slow ca
reening from side to side, like the rocking
motions Of a settling ship, which produced
the most sickening and deathlike sensa-
tions.
Instantly all was confusion and distress !;
wild shrieks broke from many pallid lip.
Some, who had been thrown PROSTATE, re-
manned kneeling with clasped hands, in all
the apathy Of despair; others, frantic with
alarm, few in purposeless agony up and
down the cabin, while few found relief
from fear in the embrace of insensibility.
1t flashed upon me in a moment that no
time was to be lost in reaching the guards.
The only hope for safety was, that the
cabin would part from the hull and float
of, in which case our sole refuge was the
deck above Already it seemed to me
that could hear the gurgling of the wa
ters rising beneath my feet; another mo-
ment would bear Eternity upon its wings.
| could not have stood mOtionless for more
than a second of time, but in. that tiny
atom Of measurement, my whole past life,
like a vast and many-colored panorama,
flew in rapid review before my vision,
which seemed suddenly endowed with
fearful ubiquity, for its very minutest de-
lineations; while seemed spiritually to
stand afar of upon some invisible emf
nence and behold my own destruction,
as swift and wild as the melancholy absorp-
tion of some unrecorded meteor in the faith
omless depths Of midnight chaos.
shuddered. Loudly exelaiming "The
deck, the deck !" 1 rushed out upon the
guards.
Milman pressed out behind me, leading,
almost bearing, the lovely form of Alice.
"Fear not" l heard him say, crust to
me; I will save you, Or we perish togeth-
er."
We stood, all three hesitating a moment.
To our eyes, blinded by the glare We had
just left, wave, sky and shore were alike
undistinguishable. The keen, cold wind,
clustering around us, dashed the mad
spray in our faces, and pressed the wild
thought upon our hearts, that their warm,
ruddy currents would soon become as geld
as that fearful tide which flowed around
and beneath us.
"The deck is our only hope" said I
"let us breathe one prayer, commending
ourselves
"You are right" interrupted Milman
"let me lift you, Alice"
He raised her as easily as a feather
weight, and, springing upon the guards
was about to place her upon the dOOl
above, when caught his arm.
"Stop," I exclaimed, "look, look !"
Just at this moment, balancing in un
cloudcd brightness above the dark stretcl
of Mississippian forests, the moon ROLLED
suddenly and serenely up the eastern skies
: The dark clouds were seen flying like rou
ted genii, before her victorious march
, broad sheet of refuigence burst upon tn
, waters, while out on the west, sharp lin
t of living light defined the white sand shor
| of Arkansas.
l had already taken in the surroundin
objects, and never can l forget the fea
lures of that terrible scene. We we're a
. most in the middle of the river, more tha
t q half mile from either shore. Beneat
s us a score of white, upturned faces an
s dark forms were struggling for existenC
: amid the battling waves, while despairin
= cries Of "Save me, save me )" rose frol
a the gurgling foam and pierced our lister
! ing hearts with anguish, Just below OF
PROV the battered chimneys and hal
It submerged cabin of gallant steamer wei
l. rocking on the waves mOurnful wrecl
II Her gorgeous chandeliers were still swinl
W ing in melancholy mOckery above the W
% ter's; her hull had gone swiftly down vii
t, many perishing mortal