New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-05-26


There now began dreadful silenceAmong u.s. 20 that
began to doubt il many lived save i the French
man and his niece. and M old sailor who was on one
Of the mizen yards This man, whose name was
Ephran sat dropping. and apparently very detected,
for several days hut one day looking towards bin,
soon after daybreak, found his eyes fixed upon me
/ in manner that perplexed me. He was a man OF
hdeous cast of counsenance. his face being furrowed
with scars II 1t had been at time burnt with
| gunpowder and his upper lip being slit in way
that showed all his front teeth when his mouth
was closed He had low forehead. and long. black
hair like Malay, and he regarded me with scows
that az snch lime would have terrified the brayest.
/ could not Dim unless turned towards him. BUT
al first curiosity, and finally an impulse which
could not control, compelled me TO meet his eyes.
For, when did not look felt them upon nie--nay,
even at night when could see him no more, / felt
that he was still looking towards me- and bending for
ward II striving to discern my figure in the gloom.
Sometimes he regarded me with grimace, which
was at once iudcrous and terrible bat be spoke no
word only uttering now aud then dismal cry, not
like the sound OF any human voice.
All this 50 fretted me in my weakness and depFes-
sion. and so filed me with kind of shame, that |
sat one night 10 my place and omitted to creep down
TO my box. When day dawned. IL was relief TO me
to find our ship enveloped in mist; and Just at
that time heard moan either from the Frenchman
or his niece in the tops. Touched with sudden
pity, which in my selishness and fear had not
known until then, crepf up the slIruuds 70 where
1 they lay, and there found what might have moved
on;ts co,, but III oonpan,.n. who had been epvel-
oped in cloak and heap Of sailcloth evidently by
! his hand was living STILL 1t was her means that i
haa heard sbe could not have eaten anything for
| some days nor had they had any water for longer
! time save few drops OF rain which they might
| have collected 10 the sail-coth- turned and crept
down again to my box where I had still some bis
| cults a piece OF raw pork, some grocers' pums a
bottle containing in the bottom o little rum and
another small bottle containing water With some
drops Of the spirit and water mingled in the palm Of
her a little though still insensible-a happy thing
For finding the Frenchman unite dead. moved his
body to the edge of the ton and let il down into the
sea- which now covered the mid-deck above the bull.
warks
She remained in this weak halfsenseless state for
some DAYS. during which the mist continued and
shgonded me from the terrible gaze OF old Ephyaim
but heard him still. By what dreadful means he
sustained his lie, only guessed Sometimes he
shouted ont nv name and then beran again To inter
those cries thai I had heard before II was evident
to me that be felt some spite against me- WHY. |
knew not. for be could not have discovered nv Sc.
cret II he had he might have riled nv boy long
before This idea however induced me To remove
il by night into the ton where finally withdrew
mysef and now sought in cberishng nv moor com.
uaniop to find relief from evil thoughts Once
when she opened her eyes looking round, as if in
ouest az her former protector she shnddered and
turned her face 70 me imploringly, as ii she knew
that had power TO save him vet but at other
times. even when conscious of nv care--as when !
wetted some biscuit into paste and put to her ps
me seemed "a have forgotten the horrors of the
r nlace s'~ss 'es''-
Hour by hour felt an interest in the fate of this
ori GROWING within me more deem than an feeling
| had ever Known / reduced NV own share Of nv
little store Of food and water to the lowest ooint that
| might sustain her the longer watched her face
as she Law sleeping and it seemed to me SO beautiful
| that sometimes / faucied that nv snfferings had
brought upon me a kind Of delirum, In which ship.
wrecked men see visions which mock their horrible
with no thought but that Of saving her from DEATH
It seetd to me as il ia hiding nv store of proys-
Ions had but unconsciously prepared means of
rescuing her from that dpeadful end which had be-
fallen our companions. Sometimes indeed the idea
would come UPON me that if she should ESCAPE She
would remember that had had the power TO prolong
her uncles fe-that had marked his snfferings and
had yet held my hand. Would this make her hate
me The thought was now more terrible to me even
thaa death.
One night. having shrouded myself in sail-cloth--
worn out with tending herr dropped asleep
dreamed Of warm and sheltered places of walking
in gardens in which the sunlight fell on an ancient
red brcked wall where fruits were ripenng: and with
me was my dear companon--she my wife and no
longer poor horny seaman but a gentleman
as thought to be before ran from home. This
and many such places, l had dreamed of-she with
me In them all. ] was suddenly awakened by
shriek and starting, found a hand at my throat In
an instant, felt wound as from knife upon my
arm but grappled with my antagonist in the dark.
ness. A cry that he uttered told me in moment
that il was old Enhraim
TO the devil = ne exclaimed, as he struck at me
again with great force why should eat yultures'
food
He was a man OF great strength / struQqled hard.
| had no weapon and il had not warded off his last
blow he had struck me dead But the top was slip
perry with the misty night dews and his foot tripped
and be staggered over the rope and sacioth IN which
| had been wrapped. Following IN nv advantage
quickly, thrust him from me, and be iell. heard
a dull splash in the water below slipped down the
shrouds some distance and listened. but could hear
| nothing. Old Ephraim had persisted.
Grey light was dawuing, and the msts had cleared
away, when FASTENED up again to my companion,
calling TO her by the way for her silence made me
| think she had fallen into a swoon. She gave no
answer, nor did she speak as raised her from the
ground and found TO my horror that there was blood
| upon her. My box, in which had still some bis
cults remaining. had made resting place for her
head, but it had been pulled out and the sailc0th
| which covered her had been drawn aside. The mad
man or devil who had assailed me- had reused her in
endeavoring to remove the box, and when she
| shfieked had stabbed her. She was still warm and
gave some signs OF breathng bat they grew fainter
spoke to her by name calling aloud as would call
TO some one at distance; but she already in the
/ distance OF eternity.
4 VI all that wretched band none now was living ex
cept l. Careless of all, and with snpersttious feel
ing that the box had somehow brought this fate upon
me- arose and cast its contents out into the wind
and sat down upon the edge OF the top, with my feel
A.n