The southern aegis, and Harford County intelligencer. (Bel Air, Md.) 1862-1864, 1862-10-11
HARTFORD COUNTY, INTELLIGENT
Be Uehs Of tge 9ag, 9grituIturs, gitsraturs,
AIR. SATURDAY MORNING OCTOBER H. 1862

of pretty serious nature. This annoyed
his companion, and hard words passed be-
tween them, since which time silence
had been preserved.
When about two miles above the La
chine rapids, some of the rigging aloft
gave away, and the night pilot mounted
the upper deck with ladderand attempts
ed to make it fast. The wind blew fierce
ly, and while exerting all his strength to
stay the mischief, he lost his hold and
fell, the ladder coming down directly upon
the head of our government aid, wounding
him pretty severely. Not pausing to
look at the mischief, he seized the unfor-
tunate man, and with almost superhuman
strength he lifted him above the boat
railing. The other quickly guessing his
meaning, wound his arms around the neck
of his companion, they fell together in the
boiling food below We lowered the life
boat as quickly as possible, ropes were
thrown out and every effort put forth to
save them-but in vain. They rose to
the surface of the water, still locked in
each others arms and then sunk from our
view forever.
The boat rushed rapidly on, coming
nearer the frightful rapid, while terror
struck faces were around US, at the
thought that no master hand was near to
guide us through the dark passage below.
The scene'which we had just been caused
to witness only made our situation more
terrific, while wild and fearful eyes around
us bespoke the agonizing apprehension of
the passengers and crew as we went madly
plunging to destruction, scarcely half
mile from the gulf, whose dashing waves
we could distinctly hear.
The captain had frankly told us of his
inability to guide us through the peril
Ous passage, while deck, gangway and cab
in were filed with men, women and chill
dren, some of whom were praying, some
weeping, others intensely crazy with agony
too intense for utterance. Women eager
ly clutched their children, and husbands
pressed their wives to their bosoms, with
only the hope of dying together. The
captain stood at the wheel assisted by one
of the passengers, vainly endeavoring to
hold out to the last and guide her until
every effort should prove fruitless, while,
with strained eyes and looks of despair,
they gazed through the almost binding
storm upon craggy rocks lifting hig
their gray, bare heads out Of the water,
and upon which they expected every mo-
ment to be dashed to pieces i
just as frenzy had begun to calm down
into sober, earnest preparation for the
doom which awaited them, there came out
of the state rooms fair young creature,
over whose head scarce sixteen summers
had passed. She was of medium height,
and fair as the lily Of her northern cline.
She donned a dress of plain black stuff,
while the coat of one of the deceased pi-
lots was buttoned tightly around her
slight form. Her face was ashy pale as
she mounted the stairway, and with her
hair disheveled by the Yind, she exclaim-
ed, in voice which rang clear as the
notes of "a bugle above the storm:
81 know something of this Lachine
rapid, and will use my best endeavors to
guide you, although we have everything
against us. Let two of you who are the
strongest and the most self.possessed stand
by me at the wheel, while the rest invoke
His aid who ever stilleth the tempest, to
guide our life-laden back safely through
the troubled waters.p
AS ifin derision of her matchless cour
age, the mad waves dashed higher, while
the thunder pealed loud defiance to her
words. With pallid face and lips COM
pressed she took her station at the wheel,
while two powerful men stood by to aid il
possible. With a firm hand she raised
the glass and swept the scene before her (;
then bidding them to have courage, the
boat entered upon its fearful course,
bounding onward as if conscious of the
hand that guided its destiny. III
Her orders were given in clear, loud
tones, while she stood proudly erect, her
eyes Frightening into darker blue, until
one would have fancied her the ruling spir-
it Of the storm. The water dashed against
the boat, browning her fair head with gilt
tering drops; yet still she stood .unheed-
ing, while not an eye mall that group that
gazed not in mingled awe and confidence
upon that delicate form. Once again the
spoke ofthe wheel skipped from the grasp Of
him who held it, buta fair jeweled hand ar.
rested its progress, and when darkness shut
the last rock from our sight, one deafen-