Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-01-06
~ OF T G. n " g
OR,
Ehs wreeker's Beacon
CHAPTER 1.

otEA d2.aH CHAPTER I.
BEFORE THE GALE.
The good ship PATHFINDER, of New York
and bound to Copenhagen, had entered the
q. North Sea, having left the Straits of Dover
= two days behind,
ASA The commander of the ship was young
-; Eaa, not over eight-and-twenty, and his name
+ was MAuRIcE LESTER. He stood by the taft
I, rail, gazing off upon the horizon to the east
.dwards ever and anon raising his hand above
his head to feel if there was any wind stirring
and as often casting his eye aloft to see how
bs the canvass hung. As he stood thus his mate
approached, and spoke to him ssl.a..rs
-4.s1I..aW What dye think Of this Captain :"
.7s II think we're in for a Storm sir" the mas
ii ter replied. And | tell you what it is, Grif
-. 6n," he added, after sweeping the horizon
ia again with his eye, "when it comes it will be
-..a an earnest one None of your broad Ocean
= puffs, with nothing bat water to hatch wind
from but we'll have it right fresh from some
-oi Of those places where they know how to make
n things blow. "iss.5 zs..s.- -
10 Then you think we'll have hard one ?'
% said Griffin. ii = .44.s~.-ea sf -
;n,11ia Aye" answered the Captain. with almost
bf, . shudder, Il 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 grow
,.. ing more pal5able every moment. The sun
49, was going down in thick bank, giving to the
whole western horizon dull, purplish-red,
bloody hue, with here and there spots of a
cloud, looking upon fearful blackness be-
hind
"Do you see how strangely it looks of
there 81 said the captain, raising his finger to-
wards the point where the sun was setting.
AYE" returned Griffin, Il have been watch
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 go below sad the captain, as the
men of the last dog-watch left their station.-
"This calm can't last great while You
had better battcn down the matches now.
while there is nothing else to do; for | am
.4 sure there will be need of having them close
before the coming of another day
The men had had no thoughts of going be-
"a low, for they could see and feel !; and they
were not wholly ignorant of what was coming:
y 30 they went at work and secured the matches
with thick tarpaulins and when this was done
those who had no particular station collected
about the wheel. Another hour passed away
and another Ten O'Clock came, and still
nat a breath. The ship lay upon the water
lile d 4,d thing, with the ropes, and blocks,
and sails, rattlng and Tapping she was
swayed to and fro by the lazy swels of the
sea.
Ea "What does it mean o. cried Griffin, as the
boy str-ck five bells
.Hark p said the captain, almost instantly.
81 guess you'll soon Did you not feel
tiat? Ha !-and that ?"
1t was puff of wind and light flying of
spray or, perhaps it was spit of rain. AT
all events, the puff was felt and the drops OF
water fell upon other checks than Maurice
10 LISTERS and other ears than his heard the
dull moaning which came over the dark wa
ters. So other cars heard the roar which fol
lowed, and other bodies quiyercd beneath the
shock of the storm giant when he came in his
might.
...,-o Aye-the STORM had come 1t came with
t,sF wind and rain. and with an angry heavlng o
ss the sea. 1t caine with darkness like Ere6us
h.. and with the voice Of thunder The gale con-
tinued to increase in fury as the long night
a,, passed away. When the morning came the
scene was one of awful grandeur. The wind
was bowling with terrific fury; and the broad
sea was lashed into huge mountains, that
foan,ed, and tumbled and leapcd along ovel
= A 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
..ts would continue through the day, and so hi
- told his men The sky wore hue of horror
l. min
8 ling with the lashing sea- AT noon it wal
still worse.
$ i At length night set in again, and not sigl
vet of the passing away of the storm! 1h
So friehtfaf bowling of the tempest seemed rathe
to have increased than abated The men gath
nd cred upon the quarterback, clngng for sup
ora mort to the racks and rails-for the lifeline
,d' swayed SO much that they were afraid of then
gathered as near to the light of the binna
sg+ ele-lamp as they could. as though even iron
such feeble beams they might find som9 com
fort. But not all were there No--not all
Four stout true-hearted men had been swep
rs ID awav by the storm. Near score were left
but how many shall see the light of anothe
day?
At nine o'clock Captain Lester went below
He took down a chart of the North Sea, an
having spread it upon the table, he sat down
examine it. He was thus engaged when NJ
Griffin came down but he did not look u
-, until he had finished the calculation.
E allow is it ?" the mate asked, as he saw
commander lay down the dividers.
~ II have been making reckoning, ana Ill
that we have but little more sea-room lett
q The course we have made since we wore, ha
been as near as can calculate, northwest
west, so that we must have been driving t
wards the coast of Northumberland. l thin
we have plenty of room to stand on until NIL
night but we cannot stand on much lohge
If the gale does not abate by that time Ikno
7-i. not what we shall do"
The captain started mp from his chair al
would probably have walked across the cabl
but at that moment heavy sea caught u
ship, and gave her pitch forward, wh
caused him to catch his seat quickly as pc
sible As soon as the food had gone from t
deck, and the vessel had struggled up from Il
shock, he looked into his companions face, al
sad said, in voice made tremulous by deeper EN-
ton than he had before manifested
- .Grifin, l have something on my mi
more than you know and l am anxious
..s,q communicate it, too. l must tell it now for
sd sg have a strange foreboding of coming ILL.,
, q Something is to happen that will bear gre
calamity to some of us. l am not croaking
am only reading what the Unseen has WI