The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-12-31
WOLFGANG;
Or. THE WRECKER'S BEACON.
CHAPTER 1.
BEFORE THE GALE.

tered the North Sea, having left the Strait
of Dover two days behind.
The commander of the ship was youn:
man, not over eight-and-twenty, and hi
name was MAURICE LESTER. He stood b.
the taffrail, gazing off upon the horizon t.
the eastward, ever and anon raising hi
/ hand above his head to feel if there wa
any wind stirring, and as often casting hi
eye aloft to see how the canvas hung Al
he stood thus his mate approached, ant
spoke to him:
"What dye think Of this, Capt'n?'
" i think we're in for a storm, sir, the
master replied "And / tell you what i
is, Griffin" he added, after sweeping tn,
horizon again with his eye, when it comes
it will be an earnest one None of YOU
broad Ocean pufts, with nothing but water
to hatch wind from; but well have II
right fresh from some of those place;
where they know how to make thing,
blow"
"Then you think well have a hare
one?' said Griffin.
AYE" answered the captain, with al
most a shudder, . feel it in my bones.
In the meantime, Captain Lester had
been watching the sea and sky as before
and he fancied that the signs of the storm
were growing more and more pal lpable eve
ry moment. The sun was going down in a
thick bank, giving to the whole western
horizon dull, purplish-red, bloody hue
| with here and there spots of darke,
tinge, like openings, through the fiery
cloud, looking upon a fearful blachness be
/ hind
a. Do you see how strangely it looks of
| there" said the captain, raising his finger
towards the point where the sun was set
/ ting.
AYE" returned Griffin, II have been
watching those dark places"
And others noticed the same thing, and
/ spoke of it, too.
Seven o'clock came and went Eight
! o'clock came and the first watch was set
/ Don't 20 below" said the captain, as
the men of the last dog-watch left their
| stations This calm can't last a great
while You had better batten down the
matches now, while there is nothing else to
do; for | am sure there will be need oi
having them close before the coming oi
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 at work and secured
! the matches with thick tarpaulins; and
{ "l4tli TINS was uDlc those VINO Hslu no par
. ticular station collected about the wheel
+ Another hour passed away-and another
+ 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 tapping as she was
swayed to and fro by the lazy swells Of
! the sea
"What does it mean p cried Griffin, as
the boy struck five bells
Hark! said the captain, almost instant
ly. Il guess you'll soon see. Did you
feel that? Hai-and that?'
1t was a puff of wind, and light flying
of spray; or, perhaps it was a spit Of rain
At all events, the puff was felt; ana the
drops of water fell upon other cheeks than
Maurice Lester's; 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 qui-
vered beneath the shock of the storm giant
when he came in his might
Aye-the storm hal come. 1t came with
wind and rain, and with an angry heaving
of the sea. 1t came with a dark ness like
Erebus, and with the voice of thunder
The gale continued to increase in fury as
the long night passed away. When the
morning came the scene was one of awful
pidIItcuE Ing NIllt was uOWHlg Will
terrific fury; and the broad sea was lashed
into huge mountains, that foamed, and
tumbled, and leaped along over the bosom
Of the deep, seeming every moment ready
TO whelm and engulf the frail 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
/, t1lI H. IL l.,
of horror, and rain was now driving down,
minglng with the lashing sea- AT noon it
was still worse
At length night shut in again, and not a
sign yet of the passing away of the storm !!
The frightful bowling of the tempest seem
ed rather to have increased than abated
The men gathered upon the quarterback,
clinging for support to the racks and rails
for the life-lines swayed so much that
they were afraid of them-gathered as
near to the light of the binnacie-lamp as
they could, as though even from such fee
BILE beams they might find some comfort
But not all We're there. No-not all =
Four stout, true-hearted men had been
swept away by the storm. Near n score
were left; but how many shall see the
light of another day?
AT nine O. clock Captain Lester went be-
low. He took down chart of the North
Sea, and having spread it upon the table,
he sat down to examine it. lie was thus
engaged when Mr.. Griffin came down; but
he did not look up until lie had finished
the calculation.
How is it?' the mate asked, as he saw
his commander lay down the dividers.
u have been making a reckoning, and
find that we have but little more searoom
left The course we have made since we
wore, has been, as near as | can calculate,
nortl-west-by-wcst, so that we must have
been driving towards the coast of North
umberland. l think we have plenty of
room to stand on until midnight but we
cannot stand on much longer If the gale
docs not abate by that time l know not
| what we shall do
The captain started up from his chair,
and would probably have walked across
the cabin, but at that moment heavy sea
caught the ship and gave her pitch for
ward, which caused him to catch his seat
as quickly as possible As soon as the
flood had gone from the deck, and the YES
sci had struggled up from the shock, he
looked into his companion face, and said,
in voice made tremulous by deeper emo
| ton than he had before manifested:
| Griffin, / have something upon my
mind more than you know; and l am
anxious to communicate it, too. | must
tell it now, for have a strange foreboding
of coming ILL., Something is to happen
that will bear great calamity to some of us.
/ am not croaking-I am only reading
what the Unseen has written in my soul.
However, you shall hear my story. You
have heard that my parents were both lost
at sea p
ayes" said the mate
"And perhaps you knew that they were
lost in this sea?'
al have heard so, sir."
"Aye--so it was / was n boy then