The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-26
WASHINGTON, D. G..
For the National Era.
A PALACE IN GEN GA.
BY EDWARD SPENCER.
NI-Coacluied.

There were Otner SOUNDS, DOtn tnere where the
struggle was kept up, and further of, where
there was no struggle-though there was muir
der there, too-sounds which are complementa
ry to the voices. Oh, mercy of Heaven, the
fury, the woe, the despair, the death, the hell,
that those voices told about again we have
to go to Dante; he alone has fully painted the
horrors of sound
'Quvi sospiri, pianti, alfri gudi
Rsouavan per lasr senza sielle,
Is-e-se liasss errisiE 6sr,Hs,
Parole di 6olcre. accent d'irG,
vocs ALrE FIocHR Z SOON MAN ELLE
Facevanio un tumal'o, il quail sa9gza
Sempre in Qxap ia tempo iiata,
Come la quando ii tutbo spira.'
"Quiv lie sirida il compisnto il lamento:
Besteannian qiivi Ia VIM divina."
DInts Lafsra al. 22-3o atqus, " 3S-36
Note this! What e stupendous Fugue it is
upon the one theme of pain giving voice |
Here "sighs, plainings, deep walls, resounded
through the staress air!" {" outer darkness"
namely, to which is assigned weeping and
wailing, and crashing of teeth.") Strange
tongues, horrible gatherings, land T" horrible
meant more, then, than it does now,) words of
pain, (chronic groans,) tones of wrath, voices
deep and hoarse, from intensity of agony,) and
sounds Of hands amongst them, combined into
a tumult which turns itself unceasing (Fugue-
Eke) in that air,'timeless Dyed Externally stain
ed with darkness, namely)-like the sand when
the Simeon wreathes it, Unto an in6nity of
forms.) The peculiar place, in fact,
OF strained and violent outcries, (strida,) of
querulous meanings, also, and of lamentation I;
the place, as is said emphatically elsewhere,
which stings to mailing "-che pugns a guaio-
that portion of the valley of the Dolorous
Abyss" which, like mighty ear-trumpet,
l"gdthers by its onJormation-" infinite ,oaa-
ings into ONE thunder y" and here, blasphemy
Of Gods 0irtue ererySOhere ioas rife"
Such was the chorus of those voices, coming
up to Beale Lloyd, as, in his dream, he lay and
shivered, till he was forced to stop his ears and
close his eyes, lest he should even see what was
so terrible to the ether sense-voices of strong
men, fighting, cursing, dying, smothered chok-
ed; voices of women and children, lying apart,
and wasting their remnant of life in low means,
nail, among the foremost; or else, crushed I'M
der foot amid the press and throng, beating
their feet in the last culver of departing life,
throeing and hiccoughing out the death-ratte.
Oh was too horrible for him who heard, yet
strove not to listen-would give his life not to
Istenl The nightmare of it seized him-lock-
ed hun there-no motion in his tongue-nO use
10 his limbs-all sense stunned, save only hear
&l-ra her.
they hammered, and kept up the regular clink-
clank OF the pumps, be could hear the voices OF
men talking carelessly-the enlivening jest went
round, and the loud burst of laughter! Did
they hear it below there, this laughter, and did
they fancy themselves in hell already, and that
this struggle they had gone through-were go
ing through now-was Death, and, after death,
nothing being like it in life ? Hand
spikes there all of you forr ed-stand by-open
the hatches!" so ran the cry along the deck
moment after, and there was a cold shiver be
meath him-a sound as of one, unused to 1t,
plunged suddenly under the showerboth, and
this sound from hundreds of notes.-the strug-
Cling ceased-ihere were twenty heavy falls
upon deck" watch there Over he goes y
plunge into the water" stand by-there goes
another! Knock him down." Yet,
though the matches were opened, and the strug-
on, ever the same, with, every now and then in
termingled, a silent, low laugh, that was more
fearful to hear than anythng--or, shrill, hys-
teric scream broke out now and then, sporadi-
cally. Again. from the deck, came the word
" Forred there Go down--you-and hand
'em up--quickl And you, keep count there.
Form l;pe to the gangway From
below came a dolorous voice: " Here's m .ss
Been fighting. Half dead. reck'n. Pass him
up, Bill" A new voice cried: One! and a
heavy body was plunged into the sea. p" Two!
another plunge. "ThreeI" mot super huous
word plunge. "Four!" plnnge. ITALY ="
Plungei Not was IN valn-he
dug his fingers into his ears. he
writhed. he turned. he hummed, he talked aloud,
he whistled-yet it ,cOuld be heard, that regu-
lar plunge of the heavy body into the sea, seem
ing TO keep time with the regular clnk-cank OF
the pump, and with the regular pulse of the
water upon the deck, scupper-ward. 1t aoontd
be heard, that systematic, awful count-for
every plunge-one-two-th ree-four-1dly!
0ne-two-three- four-Tdlly! Till
at last he got to feel a fearful sort of interest
in the matter-how large would be the score
how long before they would cease.
And, was the fellow keeping his count right
Did he note every plunge? Did he not score
single plunge twice, sometimesY tie would
keep the count himself. How many were there
already-Thirty-6ve Plunge-and score one !;
punge-and score two; plnnge-and score
three ;punge-plunge-two bodies-"on one ana
halt do you call that, or two? asked the tel
Ter. every head counts" was the answer
-Four tuy "-plunge--and score one-lt
was mother and her baby who had been hand
ed upl Still counting-the pumps
have ceased, while the men take breath, and
splice the main brace;" but the teller has no
respite. X Still those sullen, monoto-
nous pluppes. y y followed by: Score
Standardization One-two-
three-four-TALLYi One-two-Hallol All
out, by II y = And the number
"Out," according to the dreamer's count, was
exactly One Hundred and Eighty.seyen
Stunned, dismayed, with mind all set aJar
and aching by these horrors, which the dark
ness, his propinuuity, without exact partlclpa
ton, aud his unstrung nerves, combined to rem
der yet more terrible, more grit with madden
ing suggestions, he resolved to seek 81 iesse
that companionship which might alleviate the
supernatural intensity of his awful fright On
deck were still heard the cheerful voices, the
laugh, the Jest. He sprang from his berth, felf
his way to the ladder, and, lifting up the hatch,
appeared upon the forecastle. 1t YES about
sunset, and the sunset after fierce war Of the
elements. The clouds, torn, rent, wasted,
moved along in lurid lines towards the black
horizon beyond The sea is heaving sluggish
| ly, like the chest of some giant, weary with the
burden of combat, and who, hinging himself
down, pants In long-drawn breaths to free his
tense lungs. In the trough, between two
mound-like waves, the schooner rolls, and,
along the hollow of this valley, streams the gold
and crimson sunset, like battle track of blood.
The waves, here kissed with rose-hues till they