The weekly sun., 1861-10-19


cham ed Their minds ~ 90 90 touching ihere.
As for WostpOO1, IA, joined quietly IN the fun
with lance now and then acro,s t1 ne; hove
ever, pretended TO be Z, o busy with tho salt
bei, ard wss merely lookir g up again Tor mo.
meni, whom my eye chSuc'd to Cstch on tho
swinging barometer that hung IN the rsi Q sky
light, right over the midst u our nols-. Bs
George ma'am, what was my horror when |
saw ~" quitl Ill, cr had sunk 20 far bslOs the
max, probably ycd there that mornin,., as to
le alm,et -hrunk in the tall.
Whatever the M reliant scrvico might know
ab'ui the instrument in those days, the African
coast was the place to teach its right 70 to us
in the oli Iris.
laid dow n my knife and fork as carelessly a,
could. and went straight on deck
Here sought out the mate, who was forward,
watching the lind--and at once took him asi1,
10 tell him tie fact.
"well, sir. said he co,lly, "ard what of
tha'7 a sign Of wind, certainly, before long;
but in the meantime we're sure 10 have 1t of the
land."
That's one oi the very rolsons, said |, "6r
thinliD his will DO from seawarl-sIc1 to-
warls evening the landll have penty Of ayr
without it But more than that, air, said l.
II tell you, Mr.. Fiuch, knIw the west coas;
Of Africa pr-tty wrll-and ~ far south as this
the glss falling 80 lOw as tceHty. .seren alw sys
tho sign Of u nor westerly blow. If you're a
wise man, sir, you'll not only got your upper
spars down on deck, but you'll see your aucnOrs
clear
Finch had plainly got furious at my meddln ns
! sgan and saId h.:
| lus cad Of ,hAt sir shall hold on ~, ryDiag
aloft, to stand out when got the breeze
| "Dyc really think, SAID | pOlnlng TO tho
iartl ct of streak oIlaud, trcndlng away 10y this
time astctn VI ", faint as il was, 'dO you think
/ you could ever woa her that lint with anything
like strong nor wcstor, bcsIdos "A current head
B ing Vuu in, a. YOU rot tair hold Ut II nutiuI'
! tlgfIaIts htld he WluCiup A ltt les As lie
/ glanced at II, "but you happen Always to -up
/ pre- what there, a tnOu ind to ono agaiu'', sIl
| Why, SIR, you might ~ well take the commsnd
at once. But, 10y c.! slr, If 1t did come tnthit,
/ I'D rather-ld rather sec the ship iD,i-l'd rath-
or 20 to the bottom with all in bor alter hiud-
! ling her ~ | know we'll how, than Id sog tho
y chance given tu yuU =!
The Young fellow islrly shouted this last wo.d
into my very oul--hc W as III a regular iufiOus
I passi u.
YOU'D L.iter lct mo aiouc that al I've ct
! TO say 70 Ntu, cir troNltd ho Is, lac G.. rued
| away; 50 thought itT' uae 10 sly moe, aul
| lcant over tht bdlwaTks RS. lNed To go II oh.
The iaCt was thn farther We gOt OIL the lrd
~. thc wors, seeing that # what dreaded
| sheuld prove uuc, WY, We were prOba ly III
thirty OI forty Etthums water, whcrs no anchor
could hold Tor len minutes tin,c-h 1t ever
caught ground.
NV way would have been, to got out oyery
bpat at once, and tow in tit YOU could -eo I %
c,lur uf somo shosl or other tum alott, then lake
| my Ckauco there to ride out whatever might
come, 10 The last cable aboard OF US. According
" | wasn't sory 10 sec tuAt by this time the
whole hight OF ihs coast was slowly rising Off
our beam, tttViNt the highlands lI astofn and
the brad Dluif- upon huJ .tlbniri how which
last came out slteady Of a sanity redd sh TIM,
and the lower part Of a clear blue, as tho sun
got wei tward on our other side.
I What sifu \ nc was that tue tace Of the VIA
ter vLi"h was all over wrinkles and winding
, lu~, wilh here AMI there quick ripple, "hcn
Z went below, had got On "A sudden qutte smooth
! a. far ~ you could -ee, Ss If th,yd sunk down
like 80 many cells; long uneasy ground swell
was beginning 10 hcavc in from scawdrd on
which the ship rose once or twice | ltnciod
I could observe tho color different away towards
the land, like the muddy chocolate Spreading
out near river mouth at ebb-tiue-llen again
IL was green rlthcr; and AS for the look Of the
coast, bad no knowledge of II. | thought
again, certainly, Of the old quaromastors &C &.
count IN the In' but there was neither anything
like It to bc seen, LOr any sign Of break in tho
coast at all, though high he.ldlands enough.
The chip might have been about twelve or
fourteen miles from the northeast p 'iut upon her
starboLd b0w, high rocky range of bluifs-
and rat or loss from the nearest Of what lay
away OFT her soam--but after this you coull
mark mol hing more, except il were that she
cdgcc farther from the point, by the way its
bcariI Is shifted CT got blurred together; either
,be sioJd still, or sho caught some eddy or
urd,r-drilt, and the mate walked about quite
| lN ely once more.
The matter wa how to breathe, or bear your
clOthc,-when all Of a sudden heard the second
mate sing out from the lJrccaslle:
"Ssni by the traces, therel Look out ir
the topsl hawlyairds!
lie came shuhlng alt next moment as fast as
his foundored old shanks could carry hun, and
,uld Mr Finch there was squal coming oil tie
land.
The mate sprang up on the bulwa.i', and SO
did l-Catchipg glance from HIM as much as
to ,py-1hercs your gale from seward, you
uotentiOus lubboi! The lowest s Teik OF G iast
bore u, present lciore our s'arDOard quarter be-
twiNt east and south ard, with some pretty
high Land running away up from il, and u + ut
OF dim blue haze hanging beyond As 'twerc.
just Us Macleod spoke, could sc dusky
dark vapor thickening aud spreading in the
haLn, til il lose black along tho tlaf, out Of the
sky Lehind it, whi:oned and thin dTkened
again, like heavy smoke floating up into the
air.
AL was confusion on deck fer a minute or two
It'll went all the awnings - and every hand was
ready at h.s station, listing the ropes when
looked again at tho cloud, thon at the mates,
thea at ii again.
"By George said I, noticing a pale wreath
Of it cmlinE ON the pale clear ky over it, ii to
puff OF air,--it is smoke. Some niggcrs, a.
they so Of,en do, burning the bush -
So il was; and MS soon as Fn.ch gave in, all
hanGs quietly called up tho ropes. 1t wa, scarce
five minutes a!tor, that jacobs, who was ,oilinL,
up u rope beside me, gave me quiet touch with
one finger:
"Mr' Collins, sir fail hc in low voice,
looking almost right up, high over towards the
ships laIOOaId bow which Le couldn have done
before, for the awnings 90 lately above u.s.
"look ,ir-theres an oT-eye ~
| followed his gaze, but It wasn't Tor a few
soct nds that found what it pointed TO- in the
hot far OIL Ike blue dimncss OF the sky overhead,
oompal ed TO the white glare Of which to west
ward our canvas alCft W4s but dirty gray and
yellow.
Twas what none but a seaman would have
observed, and many q seaman wouldn't have
dure sC--but a man. o war; man is used to look
out at all hours in all latitudes-and 10 a man
that knew its meaning, his would have been no
joke, even out Of sight Of Land as il was, tho
thing gave me perfect thrill OF dread.
| High aloit In the heavens nOfthwaTd, where
they were ireest from the sun-now standing
/ over the oNen horizon amidst tho wide bright
, | pool OF light-you managed to discern small
| Slvery speck, growing slowly as II were out Of
the faint blue holtw, like a star in the daytime,
till YOU felt as If it looked at you from God
/ knows what distance away. Ono eye after an
other amongst the mates and crew joined Jacobs
and mine with the same sort Of dumb fellow %
ship TO be seen when a man in London streets
watches the top Of a steeplc; and however hard
to make out at first, ere long mono Of them could
miss seeing IT, as il got slowly larger, sinking
| by deer till tie skV close about il seemed tO