The Kenosha telegraph and tribune. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1859-1860, 1860-03-15
G Ell R II s n oN I'll s Ne " f.
IN THE sMUGGLER's CAVE.

Our frigate was homeward bound to England
from the Halifax station, and during frsi
fortnight on the Atlantic we had pleasant wealth
er. Nothing remarkable occurred until one al
tevno0R, when Mr. Murray our first Lieutenant,
directed my attention to the very singular ap.
pearance of the sun. There was great and
most remarkable halo around it not all ordinary
reguar-shaped halo, but one winch if may
expression was TGndgkt d or split into divisions
ike the points of The compass, and these section
were jagged at the edges, and KEPT ffuctuating il
-hade. There We're not MANY clouds, but alt
.lnrg the horizon TO windwa.d dull red mist
had hung all day lorg, and steadily albeit slowly
IhcreAS ed in magnitude ard density. There was
very little wind. and it came iii uconstart puffs
The ar was unusually warm for the latitude ami
the time IF the ear, and ii had queer Cypress
i've feel
Mary others On board kernIy noted the strange
aspect of the Sul and sky ana tow ards sunset
there was sudden and portentnuS change thai
could not escape the observation If the most Stu
id or inexperienced The halo entirely disap-
peared, as Ihurgh II we've mere dissolvIng view
drawn by the hand # man, ald was succeeded
almost directly, by shapeleSs mass If vapor
through which the sun shonc like a huge, din
globe of molten fire, red as red could be. When
the sun touched the edge Of the horizon, its ap
parent magnitude visibly shrunk and dwindled
| as though the vapor thickened and contacted,
50 that when the orb finally Disappeared it was
reduced to spark, ana its plsce waa al
NJ. st immediately file by d'nse curdling mis-.
The lurid vapor 10 windwad hal deepened MA
serial ), and now rose ;aridly TO the height Of
forty i've degrees. Tie wind died away TO a
light cats-paw after sunset, aud the ship had
barely stecia2e way. Yet, to the astonishmeni
Of everybody, the barometer kept steady.
Our captain was an old and exIerit need MARIN
er- Although not easily frightened, he was pru-
dEapf EtAG I'll, rrI I. I
and sent down roy al masts, and took in the stud
ding sail buonIs and the flying gib-boom. That
done, The men were sent to supper, and IN anx>
lous broOdmg silenc1 ensued, By-and. BY, the
qnaIterma,ter at the wheel announced that the
ship had no longer steerage way. I he breeze,
III fact, had sighed itself entirely TO rest like a
wearied child; and our lower canvass Mudded
heavily and li,tIes~ly, ard the yards cracked at
every slight roll OF the null I he "fre.uiSt," as
ali old seaman called it in my hearing, expand
ed all around and overhead and tbickened to
such degree ,hai an unearthly darkness tnsued
ray "uneaithly,' because it was not a good
commoI place natural Cb-curiiy, but rather u
dense, namtless, laipable vel not honestly black
but stieaked and interviewer with dim, muddy
CLEANS. 1he,e was rot the slightest glimpse of
ky, nor atom Of a genuine cloud; and the warm,
dampish ali felt sichlier Than ever.
For couple OF hours after sunset, the phe
much the same; and then there came peIcept-
lbe change for the worse The duh reddish fakes
faded out of the sonbre mists and most mary
eious sight epsued. hardly know how 10 des
cribe it nteligibly and faithfully; but if the rend
Ell will on Y conceive the vast canopy Of darkness
nstantaneousIy spnnkled with tens Of thousands
OF minute spai king points dating and flashing
appearing and Disappearing contracting and
xlanding-singly ard in clusters, he will form
Il faint idea Of the startling spectacle, unpara-
leled lii the experience OF the oldess seaman of
the crew Captain lngledew came on deck. and
issued pre- else orders in a low tone TO the first
lieutenant He, IN turn. communicated hem TO
his subordlnates i'll suppressed voice aud they
were executed with celebrity and silence that
never saw equalled either before or since on
any similar emergency. The topgaliant masts
were struck, and The spars eascd Of all the top
hamper that could be dispensed with. The
courses We're iurled The fnie and main topsails
were closely reefed-this, when not an air of wind
was blowing! Extra lashiugs were put on the
boats, the ports and matches were secured, and
every conceivable piecautiou adopted 10 pres
Paie the ship tor the expected storm. lands
man would have imagined our cap ain had taken
have If hlS selses. by thus making ready his
ship for action with an enemy as ct invisible and
untett.
Another sudden and subtle change in The ele-
ments enSued. The sparkling points became
fused together with an audible crepi;ation, aud
assumed the form of Pickering lightning. THIS
lightning spread itse from the horizon all
points. and culniEated at the zenith, where it
formed superb corona Of living fl me. envi-
roned by long tongues Of crimson fire. Low
gtowls of thunder aiar off. now faintlw struck the
ear; and brighter and brighter flashed he light
ming Yet, SO sill was the atmosphere at this
bro"di"g moment, that the flame Of candle held
up at AIMS length by way of experiment, AS
cended perfectly straight.
Moe and more vivid grew the lightning
carer AID louder r0aied Heavens dread artillery;
aud an indescribable low creeping moaning beto-
kened tina, the surface Ot the great deep was be-
ginning 10 partake OF the nervous agitation OF the
elements.
At length the great crisis was evidently at
hand. Sea and ship were literally iiumil ed by
binding lighinIng-not mere narrow fa hes bu,
mighty fakes or streams IF subtle electric fluid
that moml ntafily swallowed TAP the "blackness
of Darkness" aid that d;.rted foiked tongues oi
blazing hre, as though to lick up The impoent
human being exposed to their tell wrath. The
color vi this lightning was not. As is ordinarily
the case, liyid white, but was red ss blood
at least il seemed so to the excited iancles and
feafal,y did it uplight the pale. ghas ly.lookihe
faces of our awc-sIruck ere W. Ever and anon the
appalling thunder beloved and crashed like the
blended Tetort of a thousand pieces Of heavy az
tlliery; and every moment We expected the sliE
wuIrd be shattered to pieces beneath Uur feet.
A pause ensued, as though the demons Of ths
storm were taking breath In this brief interval
II bail OF fire sci, ed ON the caps Of each Of tas
masts-sD omen much dreaded by mariners, VIII,
cali it corpasanr. When only one ball appear
1T is termed Corpo Canio, or ST. Helena: il two
Castor and Pollux if three, 81. Elno's fire
Another GREATNESS pause.and then with fear
lful ushing, kissing roar. the storm nind burs
upon our devoted vessel, ard although II STRUCK
u tern such was It's terrific force that ever,
sail but the cOse-Teefed foretopsal and The storm
say Gail blown out of the bolt-ropes, and the
ship plunged forward headlung iutu the seethine