The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1864-01-15


iag to himself | did not trouble him again
till morning. After breakfast went to the
hatchway and called TO him once more |
heard nothing from him, nor could ! see
him,-I had not seen him since | put him
down there. called out several times, but
he would make no reply,-and yet, the same
men told me they had heard him talking that
very morning. He seemed to be calling on
hem for help, but he would not ask for me-
| meant TO break him into If. He'll beg be-
fore he'll starve, | thought and so deter
mined to let him stay there. l supposed
that he had cravled forward 10 the forecas-
tie bulkhead, in order TO make the sailors
hear him. Some of the men asked leave TO
60 down and lock for him, but refused, and
threatened TO punish the first man that dar-
ed to 60 down.
At noon went again, and as he did not,
answer me this time, l resolved that he
should come 10 the hatchway and ask for me
ere | went any more. The day passed
away, and when evening came again, / began
to be startled. thought Of the many good
qualities the bov had, and of his widowed
mother. He had been in the hold thirty
six hours, and all of forty hours without
food or drink. He must be too weak to CRY
4. arl -Dr h,,-
if he died there from actual starvation, it
might go hard with me still. So al length
made up my mind TO 60 and see him. It
was not quite sundown when | had the hatch
taken of, and jumped down upon the boxes
alone. A little way forward saw a space
where Jack might easily have gone down,
and to this point | crawled on my hands and
knees. | called ont there, but could get no
answer. A short distance further was wide
space, which | had entirely forgotten, but
which now remembered had been left open,
on account of break in the footing of the
hold, which would let anything that might
have been stored there rest directly upon the
thin planking of the ship. To this place |
made my way, and looked down. / heard
the splashing of water. and thought l could
detect sound ike the incoming of a tiny
JET or stream. AT first | 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 on the broken fioOr,with his feet
stretched out against cask. called out 10
him, and thought he looked up. Jack, are
you there ?
He answered me In a faint, weary tone,-
Yes! help me! Do help me, Bring men
and bring lantern,-the ship has sprung
aleak
l hesitated, and he added, in more eager
tone, Make haste,-I will try and hold it
till you come back
L waited TO hear no more, but hurried on
deck as soon as possible, and returned with
a lantern and three men. leaped down be-
side the boy, and could scarcely believe the
evidence of my own senses. Three Of the
timbers were completely worm-eaten TO the
Yer. heart, and one of outer planks had been
broken, and would burst in any moment tie
boy might leave it, whose feet were braced
against the plank before him. Halfa-dozen
little jets of water we're streaming in about
him, and he was wet 10 the skin. | saw the
plal must burst the momen; the strain was
removed from il, so | made nv men bracs
themselves against ii, before / lifted him up.
Other men were called down with planks,
and spikes, and adzes, and, with much care
and trouble, We finally succeeded in stopping
the leak and averiins the danger. The plank
which had been stove IN was SIX feet long
by eight inches wide, and would let in a
stream Of waller of that capacity. 1t would
have been beyond our reach long before We
could have discovered ii, and would have
SUNK Us in very short time. | knew It
must ne where the iceberg struck rs.
Jack Withers was taken TO the cabin, AMI
there he managed 10 tell his story. Shortly
after put him in the he,d, he crawled for
ward, and when he became used TO the dim
gllmmer that cam. through the Geal-Eghts
he locked aboat for sang place in which To
lie, for his limos were very sore. lie Wen,
10 sleep. and when he Woke. he heard faiat
sound Ike Sate- streaming through a small
hole lie went TO the open place in the car
go, aad looked down, and was sure that he
saw small Jet Of wafer springins up through
the ships bottom He leaped down, and in
few moments found that the timbers had
given wholly away, and that the stream was
increasing in size He plaoe. his hand
upon the plank, and found il broken, and tais-
covered that the pressure Of the water with
out was forcing i inward. He had sense
TO zee that II Ii gained an inch more it must
all go, and the snip be lost, and perhaps all
hands perish. And he sew, too, that if he
could keep The broken plank in It's place he
might stop the Incoming flood. So be sat
himself upon i, and braced bis feet against
the ca>k, ard then called for help. But he
was TOO far away; so low down, with such a
mass of cargo about him, that his voice
scarcely reached other ears than his owD.
Some Of the men heard him, but thought he
vas talking to himself And there he sat,
with his feet braced, for four-and twenty