New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-02-16
NUMBER 298.

have thought that the aogging had taken away his
senses, had not some of the men assured me that
they had heard him not hour before, talking to
himself did not trouble him again until morning |
After breakfast went to the hatchway and called |
out to him once more. heard nothing from him. |
nor could see him had not seen him since put
him down there. called out several times, but he |
would make reply, and yet the same men told |
they had heard him talking that very morning. /
He seemed to be calling on them for help: He |
would ask them for help, but he would not ask
I meant to break him into it. "Hell beg before
he'll starve." thought, and determined to let
him stay there. ! supposed that he had cr2wled
forward to the forecaste bulkhead, in order to
make the sailors hear him. Some of the men
asked leave to go down and look after him, but |
refused. l threatened to punish the first man who
dared to go down.
me this time resolved that he should come to the
hatchway and ask for ere went any more. The
dag passed away and when evening came again,
began to be startled thought of the many good
qualities the boy had, and OF his widowed mother.
He had been in the hold thrty.six hours, and all
of forty without food or drink. He must be too
weak to cry out now. 1t was hard for me to give
up but if he died there from absolute starvation,
it might go harder with me still. So, at length,
made up my mind to go and see him. 1t was not
qnite sundown when had the hatch taken off, and
nmped down upon the boxes alone. A little way
forward saw spare where Jack might easily
have gone down, and to that point crawled on my
hands and knees. called out there but could
hear no answer. A short distance farther was
wide space, which | had entirely forgotten, but
which now remembered had been left open on
account of q break in the flooring of the hold
which would have let anything that might have been
slowed there rest directly on the thin plank of the
| ship.
| To this place made my way, and looked down.
| I heard the splashing of water, and thought |
could detect sound like theincomng OF tiny jet
| or stream. At first I could see nothing. but as
| soon as became used to the dim light, ] could
| distinguish the faint outlines of the boy at some
| distance below me-. He seemed to be sitting upon
+Io t,aTp p,,f
| cask. called out to him, and thought he looked
| up.
Jack, are you there?
And he answered me in a faint, weary tone
| Yes help me For heavens sake, help me
Bring men, and bring lantern-tho ship has
| sprung leak!
hestated, and he added, in more eager tone
| Make haste-I will try to hold it till you come
| back
| waited to hear no more. but hurried on deck
| as soon as possible and returned with lantern and
three men. | leaped down beside the boy, and
! could scarcely believe the evidence of my
Senses Three Of the timbers were completely
worm eaten to the very heart, and of the outer
planks had been broken, and would burst in any
! moment the boy might leave it, whose feet were
| braced against the cask before him. Halt-a dozen
little jets OF water were streaming in about him,
| and he was wet to the skin. saw that the plank
| must burst the moment the strain was removed
| from it, so made my men brace themselves against
| it before I lifted him up. Other men called
| down with planks and spikes and adzes, and, with
| much care and much trouble we fnaly succeeded
in stopping the leak and averting the danger. The
| plank which had been stove in was six feet long
by eight inches wide, and would have let in
stream of water of that capacity. 1t would have
been beyond reach long ere we could have dis
| covered it, and would have sunk us in very short
time. l knew it must be where the iceberg struck
Jack Withers was taken to the cabin and there
| he managed to tell his story Shortly after put
| him in the hold, he crawled forward, and when he
became used to the dim glimmer that came
through the headlights looked about for snug
sore. He went 10 sleep, and when he awoke he
heard a faint sound, like water streaming through
o small hole. He went to the open place in the
cargo, and looking down, he was sure that he saw
a small jet Of water sprnging up from the ships
bottom. He lcaped down, and in few minutes
found that the timbcrs had given wholly away, and
that the stream was increasing in size. He placed
his hand nnon the plank, and found it broken, and
also discovered that the pressure OF the water
without was forcing it inward. He had sense
enough to see that if it gained inch more it must
all Co. and the ship be lost, and perhaps al! hands
perish. And he saw, too. that if he could keep the
broken plank in place. he might stop the incoming
flood. So be sat himself upon it, and braced his
feet against the Cask, and then called fer help.
But he far away SO low down. with such Il
dense mass of cargo about him, that his voice
scarcely reached other ears than his own. Some
of the men heard him. but they thought he was
talking TO himself
and there he sat, with his feet braced, for four
and-twcnly dreary hours, with the water squirting
in tiny streams all over him, drenching him to the
| skin. He had thought several times OF going to
the Matching and calling for help; but he knew
that the broken plank would be forced in if he left
it, for he could feel it heavG beneath him. His
strength was failing him, his limbs were rnCkcd
with pain hut he would not give up. I asked him
if he should not have given up if had not come as
l did. He answered that he could not have done
it while he had life in him. He said he thought
not of himself--he was ready to debut he would
save the rest if he could, and he had saved us,
surely saved rs ALL from watery grave
The boy lay sick in the cabin for many days
sick almost unto death; but nursed him with my
own handa-nursed him all through his delirum;
and when his reason returned, and he could sit up
and talk, bowed myself before him and humbly
asked bis pardon for all the wrong | had done
him. He threw his arm about my neck, and
told me If | would be good to him he would never
give me canso for oflanse: and added, az he sat
up again, Il am not a cOWard-l couldn't be
a dog
From that hour never forgot those words; and
from that hour have never struck blow on board
| my ship. | make my mon feel that they Are
men, that ! so regard them, and that ! wish to
make them as comfortable and as happy rs posi-
BILE: and have not failed to gain their respect and
confidence. I give no undue licence, but make
my crew feel That they have friend and a sure-
riOr in the same person. For nine years sailcdin
three different ships with the same crew. A man
couldn't be hired TO leave me save for an oihcer's
berth.
And Jack Withcrs remained with me thirteen
years. lie was my cabin boy; one Of the fore
mast hands, my second mate and the last time
he sailed with me refused the command OF new
bark, because he woud not be separated from me.
But he is captain now and Of the best this country
ever afforded. Such, gentlemen is my experience
in government and discipline on shipboard.
FANrLIAR1TY OF Young. ELEpnANrs.--The Bu-
chas, little sucking elephants Of four or five feet
high, are lndicrnua little mOnatGrs they become
troublcsom"y famiiar after about two days initia-
!, | ti0n iii the ways of civilized life. stranger ar
irving in HOwclls camp, ard proceeding in all IN