Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-09-09
family Gittk.
MOT.

w Hi w lOu w dfoSC tA0S
a gentleman TO a young lad who was bu-
silly employed in breaking up a fresh roll
and moulding the pieces between his
thumb and finger into different shapes
The boy hung his head, and was about to
leave the table, when the gentleman tax
ing him kindly by the arm, said, See
here, l want to tell you q circumstance
which occurred on board nay whalng
ship, q few years ago and which made
such an impression on my mind that | can
v again endure to see q crumo OF food
wasted.
ga few years ago, when l was in New
Bedford, preparing for my last whaling
cruise, my aunt came to me requesting
that | would take her son, a very inter.
esting boy Of about fourteen years to sea
with me.
alt will be very hard for me to part
with Willie said the mother, for he is
all I have but his health is so poor, and
he is so delicate, that | fear to keep him
at home, lest lose him by death. Had
his father lived he would have taken him
to sea long before this time
Il readily consented to the mothers
REQUEST, and Willie's health improved
daily and his amiable disposition made
him a favorite with all on board.
We had been out nearly three years,
and would, with two or three more whales
have completed our cargo. Willie was
now able to engage in whaling. One day
it had been unusually dull; towards night
the man on the lookout cried
GA whale a whale /"
81 went and looking in the direction
indicated, saw a large whale making to.
wards US. 1t was too late in the day for
us to entertain the hope Of capturing her,
SO I ordered the ship to be put about
we'll knowing that q whale will moi attack
a vessel under ordinary circumstances.
Having seen my orders o5eyed, ! went be.
low deck, where Willie and some more of
nv companions were Willing away the
time by song and jest when, suddenly,
something struck our ship with such force
that every timber quivered. A loud cry
from the men on deck and ere we had
time to think, we received another shock,
and the water came rushing in upon US.
"sTo the boats, to the boats | cried.
"In less time than I can tell it to you,
the boats were lowered and snatching
such articles as lay in our way, we en-
barked in them.
"Scarcely had the last man left the
| wreck ere our gallant ship went down.
The whale, | think, must have been mad
dened by other pursuers, and wreaked her
vengeance upon US. The boat in which
it was my lot to be cast, contained some
ter persons, among whom was my young
friend Willie. Our hope was that we
might fall in with some whaling vessel.
and by it be secured. Our stock of pro-
| visions was very small, and from the first
was dealt out in r~ations, with great care,
that one should not have a crumb more
than another. When the fifth day dawn
ed we had not one particle of food. and
the little that we had eaten for the few
days previous had been far from sufficient
~s~fy tho nravinee. of hunger. to say
nathing of keeping up the strength of men
who were toiling at the oars day and
night. The small jug of water that we
had with us was nearly exhaused, and
yet no friendly sail hove in sight. AS far
as our eyes could reach there was nothing
| to be seen save the sky above and the sea
beneath and yet we toiled On, hoping
that each succeeding morn would reveal
to US a sail.
"But no. the tenth mora dawned, yet
no land had been discovered hope had
nearly deserted US. The men were fran
tic and .clamorous for food. One had
! suddenly thrown himself overheard, pre-
ferring drowning to the lingering death
of starvation ; and the sea, like some huge
monster, opened her insatiate jaws and
swallowed him. Now the men whispered
to one another, and their eyes glared like
maniacs. At last, one holder than the
rest, spoke ont.
"'There is no denying the fact, starva-
ton stares US in the face. To go longer
without food is impossible. l propose
that We shall cast lots to see who shall
die first, and by the sacrifice of one, per-
haps save many
For a moment a death-like stiffness
hung over the little boat and nothing
but the convulsiye tremor OF the oars in
the water betrayed that those fearful
words had been heard. At length the
oars resumed their usual beat, and the
proposal was seconded by another, and
assented to by ALL. The lots were soon
cast-alas, that | should live to tell the
lot fell upon Willie. And now the ques-
ton arose. Who shall slay him No one
was willing to do the dreadful deed, and
yet they were dying for food.
We can cast lots to see who shall do
it, at last spoke out one of the most fero-
cious of the crew.
"No sooner proposed than done and
the lot fell upon me.
81 will not do it, | cried | will
give myself in his stead. He is the only
son of his mother, and she is a widow
1.-The lot tell upon him. was the reply,
and if you won't kill him some one else