Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1860-01-05
WOLFGANG;
THE WRECKER's BEACON
CHAPTER 1.-BEroRE THE, GALE.

The commander of the ship was a young man,
not over eight and twenty, and his name was
MAURICE LESTER. He stood by the taffrall gazing
off upon the horizon to the eastward, ever and
anon raising his hand above his head to feel if
there was any wind stirring, and as o1ten castlng
his eye aloft to see how the canvass hung. AS
he stood thus his mate approached, and spoke to
him:
ssWhat dye think of this, Capt'n p
81 thing we'er in for storm, sir, the master
replied ssAnd I tell you what it is Griffin he
added, after sweeping the horizon again with his
eye, " when it comes it will be an earnest one.
None of your broad Ocean putfs, with nothing
but water to hatch wins from; but well have it
right fresh from some Of those places where they
know how to make things blow"
tThen you think we'll have hare one p said
Griffin.
=" Aye answered the captain, with almost a
shudder, I" I feel it in my bones"
In the meantime, Captain Lester had been
watching the sea and sky as before, and he fanci-
ed that the signs of the storm were growing more
and more palpable every moment. The sun was
going down in a thick bank, giving to the whole
western horizon a dull, purplish-red, bloody hue,
with here and there spots Of darker tinge, like
openings, through the fiery cloud, looking upon
fearful blackness behind.
Do you see how strangely it looks off there?''
said the captain, raising his finger towards the
point where the sun setting.
"Aye," returned Griffin, " / have been watch
ing 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 as the men
of the last dog watch left their stations ''Ths
calm can't last great while. You had etter
batten down the matches now, while there is
nothing else to do for l am sure there will be
need of having them close before the coming of
another day.
IoIl oI b.
for they could see and feel; and they were not
wholly ignorant of what coming; so 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 not breath The
ship lay upon the water like dead thing, with
the ropes, and blocks, and SAILS rafting and flap
ping as she was swayed to and fro by the lazy
swells of the sea.
"What does it mean?' cried Griffin, as the boy
struck five bells.
Hank !" said the captain, almost instantly.
~ guess you'll soon see. Did you feel tia. p
Ha!-and that p
1t was puff of wind, and light flying of
spray; OF, perhaps it spit of rain At all
events, the puff was felt, and the drops of water
fell upon other cheeks than Maurice Testers: and
other ears than his heard the dull moaning which
came over the dark waters. So other ears heard
the roar which followed, and other bodies quiy-
cred beneath the shock of the storm giant when
he came in his might
Aye-the storm had come It came with wind
and rain, and with an angry heaving of the sea-
1t came with darkness like Erebus, and with the
voice of thunder. The gale continued to increase
in fury as the long night passed away. When the
morning came the scene was one of awful gran
deur. The wind was bowling with terrific furv
and the broad sea was dashed into huge noun
tains, that foamed, and tumbled, and leaped along
over the bosom OF the deep, seeming every mo-
ment 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 would con-
tinue through the day, and SO he told his men.
The sky wore hue of horror, and rain was now
driving down, mingling with the lashng sea. At
noon it was still worse.
At length night shut in again, and not q sign
yet OF the passing away of the storm ! The frigh-
full bowling of the tempest seemed rather to have
increased than abated. The men gathered upon
the quarter deck, clngng for support to the racks
and raiis-for the life-lines swayed SO much that
they were afraid of them-gathered as near to the
light of the pinnacle. lamp as they could as
though even from such feeble beams thcy might
find some comfort. But not all were there. No
not all Four stout, true hearted men had been
swept away by the storm. Near score were left
but how many shall see the light of another day ?
AT nine o'clock Captain Lester went below. He
took down chart of the North Sea, and having
spread it upon the table, he sat down to examine
it. He was thus engaged when Mr.. Griffin came
down but he did not look up until he had fin
ished the calculation.
" How is it?' the mate asked, as he saw his
commander lay down the dividers.
81 have been making reckoning, and I find
that we have but little more sea-room left. The
course we have made since we wore, has BEEN as
near as can calculate, north west-by west, so
that we must have been driving towards the coast
of Northumberland. think we have plenty of
stand m Int ~
stand on much longer. II the gale does not abate
by that TIME l know not what we shall do"
The captain started up from his chair, and
would probably have walked across the cabin, but
at that moment heavy sea caught the ship, and
gave her pitch forward, which caused him to
catch his seat as quickly as possible. As soon as
the flood had gone from the deck, and the vessel
had struggled up from the shock, he looked into
his companions face, and said in voive made
tremulous by deeper emotion than he had before
manifested
Griffin, I have something upon my mind
more than you know, and am anxious to COM
municate it, too. l must tell it now, for have
strange foreboding of coming ill. Something
is to happen that will bear great calamity to some
of us. am not croaking-I am only reading
what the Unseen has written in my soul How.
ever, you shall hear my story. You have heard
that my parents were both lost at sea?''
Yes" said the mate.
"And perhaps you knew that they were lost in
81 have heard so, SIR
Aye--so it was 1 was boy then They were
on their way to Copenhagen, as we should be
now. My father commanded the ship--she was
called the Clara Jane She was named for m,
mother and she was staunch, noble craft
was at school then, in Troy and when l knew
that my parents were dead L was well nigh mac
with grief I fancied then, in my first hours Of
osphanage, that my heart would break and, ]
think such would have been the case if they had
kept me at school. But some of those who cared
for me came to see me- and it was finally arranged
that should go to sea. And prospered-pros-
pered SO well that when was twenty years old
they gave me command of ship.
The man who owned the ship which 1 first
commanded was named Thornton. He had a
daughter named Carrie-one of the sweetest, pur
est, and loveliest creatures that graced this
poor life of EARTH She was four years Younger
than myself; but even when first knew her
and she was not more than fourteen-shc was a
woman in intellect and grace, though a child in
simplicity of love and confidence Mr.. Thornton
did not object to my suit so loved her with ali
my soul, and was blessed to know that she loved
me in return. 1t had been erranged that wa
should be married when she was twenty years old
that had been our plan for more than two wears
Mr.. Thornton having set the bounds himself. II
lacked two months of the time, and l had arranp.
ell to remain at home until we were married But
Thornton had heavy ship freighted for Copen
hagan, and her captain was dying. He could fine
no one to take his place but me, and he asked m,