The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-25
you. Gently, my Wanda, gently. Thou dost il
well. They go as would have them!"


In the Greek tragedy, Chorus stood apart,
irresponsible yet sympathetic witnesses of what
ever action and passion informed the play
furnishing, In some sort, precedent of that
share which NJ. Kossuth wished our country to
take in the great European struggle he pur-
posed to iriaugurate. Their diction. lyric in
character, was toned to the requirements of the
mtse en- scene so that the progressive intensity
| OF the acton could be read on the face of the
choral commentary and Accompaniment With
something Of the same intent, we have framed
| the foregoing rhapsody, which let the reader
receive as chorus to our drama, its rhythm the
wild melody, the fierce hymning of the winds /;
its dance, the unceasing changes, convolutions,
rushings up and black magnificent gestures of
| the storm clouds; for stage, the universe-to
| these men, if they be actors and play part,
ate-instructed, yonder tossing ship is stage,
Tor spectators, whatever all-seeing ones are con-
| eerned, even the One Great All-Seeing
Let us drop these syllable strides, and return
! to prose. Yet the scene deserves lofty die
| ton. Picture to yourself proud clipper ship
essayipg to double the tenebrifc Cape Horn.
A storm such as Nature reserves for that fegion.
Black midnight, through which the gully hor-
rors of the tossed deep and the gloom of the
| lowering clouds so indistinctly peer, as Just to
| stimulate the fancy into application and hy-
! perbole of awe and dread
The wind chaunts its own sad music through
the cordage, slack with incessant strain, and the
ship tugs and groans like a PROSTATE giant who
has not yet yielded, though his antagonist kneels
| upon his breast
Soothly had this gallant clipper held her
course, prosperously voyaged from her northern
| port, straight on from the faig bay of Me-
trepolis past the Antilles, never hurt by tornado
nor belated in calm. A clipper of fame and
| proof was she, and there were bets pending that
her time "out" would be shorter than any on
record. On she had sped, making by hall
day the best time to Bahia, where she had re-
plenished her casks; on she fed, with the stiff
gale swelling her widespread canvas, white and
lovely, like the broad-winged albatross. So pro-
pitious had the winds been, that the captain had
held on with it longer than usual, passing inside
the Falkland Islands, close down by Staten Land
with its bleak, glistening, Alpine barrenness
and desolatiOn, so strange, and cold, and lovely,
in its icy glittering pinnaces, and its mountains
shouldered white with snow; with its great milk
hued albatrosses ever winging their noiseless
way between the mounting waves, or sleeping
head under wing, upon the crest, as the child
| would In an air-rocked hammock-so strange
and lovely, that the voyager, suddenly casting
his eye to starboard upon it, would fancy him
self awakening once more in an Alpine valley
and looking up at the wondrous white brow OF
Jungfrau, or the diamond-sprinkled glories OF
Chamounix only there was no hint here Of
| ripping Staulbach, nor of Lauterbrunnen's blue
evening haze, nor of peasants singing the Rd,,z
des paches on the beautiful meadows that reach
to lnterlachen, nursed soceacefully in the arm.
OF Its wide spreading trees, and placed so loving
ly beside its own chosen turbulent Aar
After making sufficient "southing," the
Iupper spars were ordered down, strong new
sails bent on the yards, topsails reefed, every
thing clewed down ship-shape, and the shil
headed westerly, attempting the region of the
Father of storms But a fierce gale set IL
from the west, and beat them back. In vain
they tack and tack about, onward progress i
denied them. The wind heads them, fences
with them, drives them back at the point of the
sword. Now it veers, and for while dashes
on them from the south, "with icy breath from
kissing of the Pole" and mist that freezes upon
the stiffened ropes and sails, and snow the
lies the decks up till they resemble Canada
barn l';lrd in February. A week drags by thus
with the gale alternately from the south and
west; now lying to, now lacking, now trying
| to eat up in the winds eye and, as near as car
be reckoned, they have advanced but fifty miles
Suddenly the wind lulls the sun shines out
calm and bright, the air grows piercing cold
and the ship is pitched from top to top of long
CLASSY waves. They are "becalmed off the
Horn, and there is nothing to do but with in
finite stirring about to keep the blood in circu
lation, and "whistle for gale" for the calm
may last for day, or may keep by them, or rather
keep them by it, for weary month or two But
such was not to be their fate. Soon q little rip
| pie is seen over the smooth swell huff thai
H.. H.. Il. L
another, another, and in an hour they are bowling
onward with elose-reefed topsails, while an in
creasing southery gale is bowling in the rigging
and bending down the dainty Clipper before it
until she leans like horse in the circus ring
| With so much southng," and week lost, the
Captain who has also some money cup" on
the result thinks he can spare himself little
of westerly steering, and at once cut off corners
save many miles, and make all safe, by heading
/ west-northwest, much more northerly than is
the custom. 1t was his first voyage round the
Cape, and he was skeptical of the Storm King
awful power. The gale increases at night, the
SHOWS begin to fall, and here and there is seen
a cake of floating ice, but the Captain will not
lie to until the crash of the ships bows through
a field Of" slush ice reminds him of his danger
in manner not to be disregarded. BY morn
ing, the tempest is over, but the fog and rain
and floating ice, keep by them still, and they
dare not try their speed.
The Captain chafas mpatiently.
g We are right abreast of the old storm breed
er, now, Matey," says he, but way to the
south ard. That's why we have so much ice
about us. Oh, if this fog only will clear away
we'll bowl along, and win it YET by long odds
I'll put two or three more points on her. Matey
and we'll drive along before this ten-knot breeze
and turn the corner like a race-horse. We're
ten days ahead 50 far, and we're bound 70 hold
our own.
His hopes seemed to Intend realizing them
selves. Before night the fog had lifted the sun
shone out and the southerly wind blew steadily
at ten.knot rate They had not, however,
| been able to take accurate observations, and
the reckoning was not reliable. The Captain
said
"We're two degrees south the Horn, and one
west Camden Island, very near the corner, but
we'll west little yet, for the currents &c: very
strong about her. Matey."
They now sailed on a due northwest course,
going about twelve miles an hour, with the
wind to1erably fair, the heavens clear, and the
bright southern CONSULTATIONS cleaning like
diamonds in the deep-blue ether. In the morn
ing, with the breeze more to the eastward, and
hence still more favorable, the ship sped on.
There were two stout fellows at the wheel One
weather-beaten old tar of fifty years, with a
broad honest face, brown as tanned leather,
scaEred and wrinkled; gray beetling eyebrows,
scraggy white whiskers, blue eye, rather
fat and deepsunken, but very honest looking,
and a wide, square-cornered mouth from which
oozed drop of tobacco juice, the chewing of
which weed had worn the teeth all down to
stumps, like the hearts in cob Of rGas,ng corn,
after the grain has been cut off for the table.
A short, square built fellow he was, with long
nervous arm, huge sinewy hand, slight stoop