Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1860-01-12
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of life, they started on" But the boat moved
heavily, and at the end of another hour, spent
In rowing, drinking and jabbering, alternately,
and sometimes altogether, they had made but
triaing progress.
600"
The sound came from distance, over the
water, like the winding up of loud cali.
"Hark !" said Genaut, poising his oars to
listen
"Halloo-o!'' came now distinctly over the
water from the east, and the outline of large
white skiff, and the human forms seated within,
were clearly defined against the dark bank,
mile distant.
" Who" shouted back Genaut
Chick WALTERS come-out- here,"
was the answer that came rolling back, evident
y delighting Genaut, but anything but agreea-
BILE to Howard.
" Ha ha ha laughed Genaut, keeping
up an inceSssant rattle of Canada French, with
Antoine and heading the canoe for the white
skif in the distance.
The company proved to be a small party of
fishermen, who now that they had been so for
tunate as to meet went in for glorious drunk
together. Notwithstanding Howard used every
exertion it was three o'clock in the afternoon,
when the canoe parted with the skiff, and they
again pursued their course.
"Come, my good friends, said Howard, as
the dark clouds began to shoot over the western
mountains, and the distant muttering told too
plainly of the storm approaching " come, we
shall never get to St. Penelope at this rate for
Heavens sake, shove ahead"
80, yes, yes by gar, me tink So One big
storm come over de hill. "Venery done, An
tOine, said Ganaut speaking to his man.
For time they worked manfuly and the boat
moved again. Slowly, it is true, but with
speed, which, if it did not assure him, at least
led him to hope that they might reach the shell
ter Of the island before the storm came on. But
it was too late The time which they had frit-
tered away would have been priceless now
Long before they had reached the island whose
shelter they sought, to protect them from the
storm, crash, as if the mountains were reeling
in their foundations, and hurricane that tossed
the lake into foam and pillows as it passed, told
but too plainly that the shower had overtaken
them
Situated within about mile from the west
ern shore, and twice that distance from the
eastern, grew, as it were, from the deep waters
that surrounded it, an island of rocks. It was
a barren, desolate place, filled with caves and
subterranean passages, and connected to the
main land by reef, or chain of rocks, over and
through which the waves now dashed with re-
lentless fury. There was but one place in the
whole distance, deep and broad enough to admit
Of the passage of the smallest water-craft
The management of even canoe in such
storm requires great care and skill, and though
Genaut and Antoine might have succeeded in
plotting their little craft safely through, had
they been sober, they were wholly unable to do
it now. As the storm increased and strength
ened as it advanced, the Frenchmen drank deep.
er and deeper, that they might meet in insensi-
bility, what they dared not meet in calm and
sober reality. The boat drifted rapidly ahead,
borne on at the mercy of the billowS, on, near
er and yet nearer, unmanaged and unmanagea.
bic.
John Howard was paralyzed with fear, and
his companions, who should have been his pro-
servers now, were paralyzed by something
worse
The thunders rolled and reve erberated through
the mountain caverns and the lightning glared
and shot forth It's lurid tongues of fire, and the
wind howled and whistled, and drove them on
and on, to their destruction The rain fell in
torrents, shutting out from view the rocks that
stood ready to dash them in pieces.
"Omy G-l! my God !" exclaimed Howard,
as the boat lifted on huge swell, andthe rocks
in plain view, only ten feet distant sis this the
lastl God have mercy The next moment the
boat struck, with the terrible impetus lent it by
the mad waters, and the shrilI shrek of its in
mates mingled with the noise of the storm, as
the mighty deep swallowed them up!
To BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.
---s.o.e----------
REToRT DREcT.-A clergyman from a
neighboring town and one of his elderly parish