The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-02-20
Tia, wss four weeks SINCE" The nsu said.
y Fpur vseksy Ia ~ ,,...;hi.sv


-Four wsehsr IL it possible ?"
at is jus, 30, and we arc On the opposite sids o.
Africa nowi We dSnblcd the 'esps -alr1oa, two
weeks ago. Du, the story Is Only short ono, and
as you will Of course wish to hear 1t all, let me
commence at the bcginniDg."
lassen,ed, and he began al follows;
You are now IN the cabin Of tho ship Name.
lake, irin New York, and arr the frst mate.
Several hours after passing Asesnsi,n Island, the
captain detected with his glass, q spcck upon the
water far of to the southeast; and after exar,iu-
ing IL for some time, he proncuncsd Il boat. ]
looked through the glass, aud wss Of the same
opinion and the ships course .t once ehsosed
in direction Of the supposed boat.
"In rather less than az hour we were alongside
of il, aud We then made the discovery that II was
raft, with small, raised covering in che centre
Upon boarding the raft. and entering this house, a
| deplorable sight met my eyes. The body Of nan
was lying near the entrance, extended at full
length. He must have been dead several hours
for the hands were perfectly cola and std. but
the appearance Of his face instantly arrested my
attention. II was back--and from this know
that be had died Of the terrible cuastever and not
from starvation exhaustion, as was at frst nat.
urslly led to suppose"
ibid you ascert lin his name ?" | Gag rly ssked
YVES; upon his left wrist there was the name
Robert Flanders marked with India ink"
1t was terrible retributionl" ssid, in low
voice. . But there was another, was there not p
3" / was just on the point Of telling YOU of him.
Another man sitting near by, with his back prop.
ped up against the side Of the hatch and this one
~ in Ia ,S a. Al.
or had seiEed Upon him also!"
Poor Watson !" ! murmurcd, and my eres
filed with tears. IL was just beginning t. hope
that he had escaped"
Yes, his name wGs Watson, as he told Us but
he did not live an hour, although long enough to
save your life. he was almost gone when we
found him. ard he had only strength to give US his
story IN az few words as possible, and with weak
voice, before he brcaihed his last But he besourM
US with his last words t, lose no time in repairing
to the place On the coast which he described, and
rescuing y'ou. According to his stry they had
been ahoat upon the raft for day asd night, and
the fever had attacked i",n before they lost sigh,
OF the coast.
Our captain was at frat disposed to disbclieve
that part OF Wstson's story which related to YOU,
but was firmly impressed with the truth Of all he
I'D, AM Welding ~ my representations, he order
cd the ships head to be directed shoreward |
WaE instaauy struck with Waison'E description of
the place where he had left you, for recorniz, ID
the ledge upon which the Queen Anne had ron. to
pi ccs, as one upon wnch mys slf had once b,en
wreckel
We easily found the place, and anchored Just
outside the dangerous obstruction. / Immediately
repaired to the beach with host's crew. and there
surt enough, We found you, just as You had Lain for
most tweniy-four hours. You seemed 10 be dead
and your appearance was almost exactly like that
Of FLANDERS We brought you aboard, however,
and as We happtned to have doctor among our
paSS 'ReeFS, you we're immediately put into has
hands
AMI have been very sick ?"
Enough so, should say, to last you through
the rtst Of your lite DuTmg the two weeks which
followed, you rayed incesSunt V, and more thar
once We thought you would need aotIng more ,r m,
us tan sheet and fifty pound weight! Lu. y,u
have recovered, and it seems almost like miracle
While pour Wa.son sleeps his last slcep."
srS wui!y whispsFcd "ilcay,a rest his sou! !
He was a true and faithful friend. His voyages
are euded, snd may the biilows roll lightly over his
heads But lorg's did yop bury him in the sea ?"
Yes both of them. There E'ere R.any spass
aud timoerS in the makeup Of the raft that our
captain intended to transfer to his vessel, but he
yIs!de4 to snpersttiois notion Of the crew, and
torebore to doGo. The fact Of the raft coming 70
us with such strange and fearful burden, impress
SD the sailors with profound awe. they became
possessed with the idea that the ghosts OF the two
dead na'n would not fail to haunt any ship which
might appropriate any part of the raft-ther prop.
erty Accordingly the tao bodies were permitted
to remain within the hatch and after our carpen-
ter had wAter-logged it, it sank slowly from our
sight, bearing its strange freight with ii. Never
before, imagine, was a sailor buried in coffin
made by his oRn hsnds!" M.sirated funay Pa
per.