The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1856-11-26

must De uone speedily. we hurried forward.
Rimmer rushed to the cabin. l went forward
to descend into the hold. descended the lad
der. | walked into the engineers room. All
was empty here-all was water. The waves
Of the ocean had entered, and were sporting
with the works of man. I went into the freight
room. Suddenly was startled by an appal-
ling noise upon the deck. The heavy footsteps
of some one running, as though in mortal fear,
Or most dreadful haste, sounded in my ears
Then my heart throbbed wildly; for it was a
fearful thing to hear, far down in the silent
depths Of the ocean.
Pshaw! it's only Rimmer.
I hurriedly ascended the deck, by the first
outlet that appeared. When speak of hurry,
| speak ofthe quickest movement possible when
numbered with so much armor. But this move
ment of mine was quick; rushed eupward; l
sprang out on the deck.
1t was Rimmer!
He stepped forward and .clutched my arm.
He pressed it with convulsive grasp, and point
ed to the cabin. | attempted to 90 there. He
stamped his foot and tried to hold me back
He pointed to the boat, and implored me, with
frantic gestures, to go up.
It is appalling to witness the horror struck
soul trying to express itself by signs. tits aw-
full to see these signs when no face is plainly
visible and no voice is heard. l could not see
his face plainly, but his eyes, through his hca
Wy mask, gIowed like Goals of fire.
Il will go!'' I exclaimed. | sprang from
him. He clasped his hands together, but dared
not follow.
Good heavens! [ thought what fearful thing
is here? What scene can be so dreadful as to
paradise the soul of practiced driver? | will
see for myself
| walked forward. came to the cabin door.
A feeling of contempt came to me. Rimmer
shall not come with me again, thought. Yet
| was awestruck. Down in the depths of the
sea there was only silcnce5-oh, how solemn! |
paced the long saloon, which had echoed with
the shrieks of the drowning passengers. All,
there are thoughts which sometimes fill the soul!
which are only felt by those to whom the scenes
of sublimity are familiar. Thus thinking [
walked to the after-cabin and entered
Oh, God of heaven! Had not my hand
clenched the door with grasp which mortal
terror made convulSive, should have fallen to
the floor. I stood nailed to the spot. For there
before me stood crowd of people-men and
women-caught in the last death struggle by
the overwhelming waters, and fastened to the
spot, each in the position in which death had
found him. Each one had sprung from his chair
at the shock of the sinking ship, and, with one
common emotion, all had started to the door.
But the waters of the sea had been too swift
forthen,. Lo! thcn-some wildly grasping the
table, others the beams, others the sides of the
IL, Ill, 7
crowd of people, heapcd upon one another
some on the floor, others rushed over them
all seeking madly to gain the outlet. There
was one who sought to Chamber over the table,
and still was there, holding on to an iron post.
So strong was each convulsive grasp, so fierce
the struggle of each with death, that their hold
had not yet been relaxed; but each one stood
and looked frantlcally at the door.
To the door-good God! to me, to me they
were locking! They were glancing at me, all
those dreadful, those terrible eyes-eyes ii
which the fire of life had been displaced by the
chilling CLEAN of deatb-eyes which still glared
like the eyes of a maniac, with no expression
They froze ME with their cold, icy stare. They
had no meaning, for the soul had gone; and this
made it still more horrible than it could have
been in lic for the appalling contortion of their
faces, expressing fear, horror, despair, ,and what
ever else the human soul may feel, contrasting
with the cold and CLASSY eyes, made their va
cancy yet more fearful. He upoa the table
seemed really more tiendish than the others;
for his long, black hair was dsheveled, and float
ing horribly down, ,and his beard and moustache,
all 'oosened BY the water, gave him the grim
ness of demon. Oh, what woe and torture!
what unutterable agonies appeared in the de-
spalrng glance of those faces-faces tw iSted in
to spasmodic contortions, while the souls that
lighted them were wrthing and struggling
for life.
| needed not the dangerous sea which, even
when we touched the steamer, had slightly roll
ed. Down in these awful depths the swell would
not be very strong, unless it should increase with
tenfold fury above But it had been increasing
though had not noticed it, and the motion Of
the water began to be felt in these abysses.-
Suddenly the steamer was shaken and rocked
by the swell. At this the hideous forms were
shaken and fell. The heaps of people rolled
asunder. That demon on the table seemed to
make spring directly toward me. | fed,
shrleking All were after me, thought. |
rushed out, with no purpose but to escape !
9NNS'4O " 'hi ~" oi III virgins ana az 'ioe.
My weights could not be loosened; pulled
at them with frantic exerlions, but could not
loosen them. The iron fassenings had grown
stiff. One of them wrested of: in my convul-
sive efforts, but the other still kept me down.
The tube, also, was lying down still in my pas
sage way through the machine rooms. | did
notknow this until had exhausted my strength,
and amoslmy hope, in vain efforts to loosen
the weight, and still the horror Of that scene in
the cabin rested upon me.
Where was Rmmer? The thought flashed
across me- He was not here. He had return
ed Two weights lay near, which seemed
thrown off in terrible haste Yes, Rimmer had
gone. looked up; there lay the boat, tossing
and rolling among the waves.
L rushed down into the machine-room, to 60
back, so as TO loosen my tube. had gone
through passages carclessly, and this lay there,
for it was unrolled from above as went on. [
went back in haste to extricate myself; | could
stay here no lenger; for if all the gold in Col
conda was in the vessel, would not stay in
company with the dreadful dead! -
Rank-ft.or 1apt twin To f.pt | burrIuH