Wabash express., 1860-01-04
WOLFGANG;
THE wRECKER's BEACON.
CHAPTER I.
BKPoRE THE GALE.

BEFORE THE GALE.
The good ship Pathfinder, of New York,
nd bound to Copenhagen, had entered the
'ortL sea, having left the Straits of Dover
wo days behind.
The commander Of the ship was a young
nan. not over eight-and twenty, and his |
,ame was Maurice Lester. He stood by
he taffrail, gazing off upon the horizon to
he eastward, 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 the canvass hung. As
he stood thus his mate approached, and
spoke TO him:
"What dye think OF this, Capt'nr"
IL think we're in for sloim, sir" the
master replied. "Aud I tail you what it
is, Griffin" he added. after sweeping the
horizon again with hi. eye when it comes
it will be an earnest oue None of your
broad Ocean puffs, with rutbing but water
to hatch wind from; but well have it right
fresh from some of those places where they
know how to make things blow"
Then you think wc'll have a hard one?"
said Griffin
Aye, answered the captain y ith almost
a shudder, 81 feel it in nv bones.
In the meantime. Captain Lester had
been watching the sea aud sky as before,
and he fsncied that the signs of the storm
were growing more aud more palpabie ev.
cry moment. The sun was going down ia
thick bank. giving to the whole western
horizon dull, purplish-red, bloody hue,
with here and there spots OF darker tin &c
like openings, through the fiery cloud
lookir 2 upon a fearful blackness behind.
do you see how strangely it looks of
therei" said the captain, raising his finger
towards the point where the sun was
setting.
AYE, returned Griffin, 81 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 go below" said the captain, al
the men Of the last dog-watch left thei
stations. "ThIs calm cant last a gres
while. You bad httter batten down th,
/ matches now, while there is nothing els,
/ to do; for / am sure there will be need o
having them close before the coming of an
other day."
The men had had no thoughts of goin,
below, for they could see and feel; an'
they were not wholly ignorant of what wa
coming; so ;hey went at work and secured
the hatches with thick tarraulins; an,
when this was done those who had no par
ticulsr 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 des'
thing, with the ropes, and blocks, and sails
d. H. IA
aud fro by the lazy swells Of the sea.
"What does il meaDf" cried Griffin, a
the bog struck five bells.
"Hark" said the captain, almost in
stantly. 81 guess you'll soon see Di
you feel thats-Hsi-apd that?"
II was puff of Wind, and light fiyin
OF spray; or. perhaps il was a spit of rsiI
At all events, the puff was felt; and th
drops of water fell upon other cheeks tia
Maurice Testers; and other ears than hi
heard the dull moaning which came owe
the dark waters. So other ears heard tn
roar which followed. and other bodie
quivered beneath the shock of the storm
giant when he came in his might.
Aye-the storm had come. 1t can
with wind and rain. and with an aDgr
heaving of the sea. II came with derl
: ness like Erebus, ard with the voice
, thunder. The gale continued TO increa.
in fury as the long night passed away
When the morning came the scene was or
ofawful grandeur. The wind was howlit
with terrific fury; and the broad sea WI
. lashed into huge mountains, that foameC
and tumbled, and leaped along over II
bosom Of the deep, seeming every momeI
ready To whelm and engulf the frail bar
! that struggled within the demon grasp.
, When Captain Lester had observed IL
signs of :he morning, he feared that II
storm would continue through the 6a,
and so he told his men. The sky wore
) hue of horror, and rain was now drivin
down, mingling with the lsshing sea.
noon it was still worse.
At length night shut in again, and nj
a sign yet of the passing away of n
the STORM The frightful bowling of ii
tempest seemed rather to have increase
than abated. The men gathered upon Il
. quarterback, clinging for support to ii
, racks and rails-for the life-lines swaye
so much that they were afraid ef them
gathered as near TO the light of the binni
Gle lamp as they could, as though eve
: from such feeble beams they might fin
some comfort. But 70, ali wero there
No--not sll -Four stout, truebeerte
men had been swept away by the storm
Near a sccre were left; but how man
shall see the light of another day!
At nine o'clock Captain Lester went b.
low. He took down a chart Of the Mort
Sea, and having spread it upon the tabl
he sat down 10 examine it. He was tht
, engaged when Mr.. Griffin came down; b,
he did not look up until be had fnishe
the calculation.
"How is it Z" the mate asked, as he sa
his commander lay down the dividers.
IL have been making reckoning, an
find that we have but little more SCI
room left The course We have mac
since we wore, has been, as near as ca
calculate, north.west-by west, so that v
must have been driving towards the Goa
Of Northumberland think We have plel
ty of room to stand on until mid dnight;-
but We cannot stand on much louger
the gale does not abste by that time
know not what we shall do"
The Captain started up from his chai
and would probably have walked aero.
the cabin, but at that moment a heavy sc
caught the ship and gave her pitch 70
ward, which caused him to catch his Sc,
, as quickly as possible. As soon as II
flood had gone from the deck, and the ve
sci had struggled up from The shock, /
looked into his companions face. an
SAID, in a voice made tremuious by deep,
emotion than he had before manifested I:
"Griffin. / have something upon m
mind more than you know; aud am an,
ious 10 con municate it, too. must tell
now, for l have u strange fsrebodiug
coming ill. Something is to happen tbs
will bear great calamity TO some of Us.
am not croaking-l am only reading whs
the unseen has written in my soul. How
ever, you shall hear my story. You hav
heard that my parents were both lost s
seal"
"Yes," said the mate.
"And perhaps you knew that they wei
lost in this sesf'
81 have heard 40, sir"
"Aye--so it was. was = boy then -
They were on their way to Copenha hager
as we should be now. BY father cor
manded the ship--sho was called tn
Clara Jane She was named for m
mother; aud she was a staunch, nobl
craft. was at school then, in Troy; an
when knew that my parents were dea,
was we'll nigh mad with grief. / fapce,
then in nv first hours Of ornhana0o tbs