The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1859-12-31
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The W.rscksr's Desc -
CHAPTER 4
nssolm rnx aAlx.


ii nxsonx THx GALE ess
The good ship PATnrnDsa, Of Nov York, 4,
boand q Copenhagen, had entered the Nor
Sea, having left the straits Of Dover two al
i The commander Of the ship was young ma
not over eight-and twenty, and his name =
Maurice Lsister. He stood by the taiirail IN ii,
on upon the horizon to the eastward ever Al
anon rising his hand above his head to feel
thefe was any wind stirring, aud as Off
casting llis W alrtt ~ zee how the canya
hung Asl'c stood thus his mate approache
1 and spoke to him: q
What dye think of this, capt,nsr
think we're in for storm, sir. the ma
i yer replied. And tell You what it is, Griffin
ne asRied, after sweeping the horizon again wi,
n'sey when it comes it will be an earne
one. None Of your broad Ocean puffs, with n,
snis's but water to hatch wind from; but we
nave 1t right fresh from some or thnsc ,Ia.,s
where they know how to make things l,low.r
| Then Won think wcrl have hard ono >
said Griffin
| Aye, said the captain, with almoss slut
der, II feel it in my bones
In the meantime captain Leister had lee
watching the sea aud sky a. before, and he far
cied that the signs Of the storm were CROWN
| more and msre palpable every moment. III
sun was going down in thick bank, giving I
tne whole western horizon dull, purp!ish-red
bloody hue, with here and there spots Of darl
or hnge, like openings in the fiery cloud, look
ing upon fearful blackness behind.
DO you see how strangely it looks off there,
said the captain, raising his finger towards IN
point where the sun was setting.
Aye returned Griffin, 81 have been watch
ing those dark placesn
And Others noticed the same thing, and spok,
Of it too Pa
seved o'clock came and went. Eight o'c,ocl
came, and the first watch was set.
Don't go below" saidthe captain. az the mer
OF the last dog-watch left their stations. 9TH,
calm can't last a great while: You had bette,
batten down the matches now, while there i.
nothing else to do; for / am sure there will he
need OF having them close before the coming OF
another day.
The men had had no thoughts Of going below
for they could see and feel; and they were NOT
wholly ignorant Of what was coming SO they
went to work and secured the matches with
thick tarpauins; and when this was done those
that had no particular station collected about
the wheel. Another hour passed away-and an.
other. Ten o'clock came and still not breath.
The ship lay upon the water like a dead thing.
with the ropes and blocks, and sails, rafting and
Mapping rs she was swayed to aud fro by the lazy
swells of the SEQ.
What DOES it mean ?" cried Griffin as the
boy struck FIVE bells.
Hark! !" said the captain, almost instantly
II guess youT soon see. Did YOU feel that -
Ha and that?'
u WAS pun Of wind, and light Aying SPRAY:
or, perhaps IL was a spit of rain. At ali events,
the pull and the drops of water fell on other
cheeks than Maurice Testers; and other ears
than his heard the dull moaning which came
over the dark waters. So other ears heard the
roar which followed, and other bodies auivercd
beneath the shock of the storm-gant when he
came in his might
Aye-the storm had come 1t came with
WIND aud rain, and with All angry heaving of the
sea II came with darkness like Erebus, and
witt, the voice Of thunder. The gale continued
TO increase in fury as the long night passed away
w hen morning came the scene was one of aw.
ful grandeur. The wind was bowling with ter
rifle fury; and the broad sea was dashed into
huge mountains, that foamed and tumbled, and
!esped along over the bosom of the deep, SEEM
ing every moment ready 10 whelm and engulf
the fraii bark that struggled within the demon
grasp.
When Captain Lester had observed the signs
OF the morning, he feared that the storm would
continue through the day, and so he told his
men. The sky wore hue of horror, and rain
was now driving down, mngng with the lashing
sea. AT noon it was still worse.
At lengtl~night shut in again. and not a sign
yet of the passing away of the storm! The
Frightful bowling of the tempest seemed rather
10 have increased thsn abated. The men gath
cred upon the quarterback, ciinging for slpport
10 the racks and rails--for the ife-lines swayed
80 much that they were afraid of theni-gathered
IS near to the binnacle-lamp as they could, as
though even from such feeble beams they might
ind some comfort. But not all were there. No
not all! Four stout, true-hearted men had
,een swept away by the storm. Near a score
we're left; bat how many shall see the light of
.notler day:
At nine O'Clock Captain Lester went below.
dc took down a chart OF the ror;h Sea, and
having spread it upon the table, he sat down to
'xamine it. He was thus engaged when Mr..
iriiiin eame down; but he did not look up until
re had finished the calculation
How Il IT, the mate asked, as he saw his |
o'nmanier lay down the eiviiierS
- have been making reckoning, ard find |
hat We have but little more sea-rooHl left The |
curse we have made since we wore has been. |
Is near as can calculate, north-west-by-west, so |
hat we must have been driving towards the |
cast of Northumberland. l think we have |
'ienty OF room to stand on until midnight; but
re cannot stand on much longer. If the gale
oes not abate by that time know not what we |
hall do"
The captain started up from his chair, and |
'ould probly have walked across the cabin, but
that moment a heavy sea caught the ship and
ave her pitch forward. which caused him to
atch his scat as quickly as possible As soon
8 the food had gone from the deck, and the
essel had struggled up from the shock, he look
4 into his companions, and said, in voice
lade tremnlous by deeper emotion than he had
efore manifested:
griffin, ] have something upon my mind
.ore than You knew; end am anxious to COM
lunicate it. too. must tell il now, for have
strange forebodng of coming ILL., Something
to happen that will bear great calamity to
Dme of us ] am not croakng-I am only read
~ what the Unseen has written in my SOUL
Iowever, You shall hear my story. You have
card that my parents were both. lost at sea-"
Yes" said the mate.
And perhaps YOU knew they were lost in
his sea-"
II have heard 50, SIR"
"Ayc-so il was. l was a hoy then They
ere on their wayto Copenhagen, as should
e now. Ny father commanded the slip-she
AS called the Ga,u .faae' She was named for
" mother, and she was a staaacE, noble craft
was at school then, in Troy; and when knew
nat nv parents were dead was well nigh mad
it'll grief. | fancicd then, in my first hours of
rplianage, that my heart would break and /
link such would have been the case il thev had
ept me at school. But some of those who
ared for Inc came to see me, aud it was
nally arranged that l should go to sea
md prospered-prospered so well that when
'as twenty years old they gave me command of
ship.
''ihe maa who owned the ship which first
was named Thornton. He had
aughter named Carrie-one of the sweetest,
urest, and lOveliest creatures that ever graced
ais poor life of earth. She was four years
munger than myself; but even when first knew
she was not then more than fourteen
she was woman in intellect and grace, though
child in simplicity oflove and confidence. Mr.
homton did not object to my suit, so loved
er with all my soul, and was blessed to know
hat she loved me in return. 1t had been ar
anged that we should be married when she was
wenty years old,-that had been our plan for
,ore than two years, Mr.. Thornton having set
he bnunds himself 1t lacked two months of
he time, and had arranged to remain at home
mil we were married. But-Thonton had
eavy ship freighted for Copenhagen, and her
aptain was dying. He could find no one to