The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1864-03-03
The ArtlC PrfsOn...A ThrllliDg
story Of the Seu

nc ATvlC kDEIOOD.esA anEbIlIUS
| story Of the Sea
The ship swung heavily to and fro
the long ards creaking and shivering
upon the masts.
The wind whistled with shrill weird
( sound among the shrouds; and the
shrouds bent inwards as though unseen
/ hands Of heavy. footed men were as.
cending them. 1t was dark night,
yet not so dark but what we could see
the lofty icebergs by which we were
surrounded, looming up like spectres
through the gloom. We were tossing
about on tn. waters Of the Artic Ocean,
and-subjec,ed to heavy sea and a
gale Of wind-our position was dan.
gerous one. We had already begun to
prepare rafts, and to hoist our chests,
on deck--expecting every moment that
the ship would be stove by the ice.
Heavy masses were continually crushing
against the bows, and laundering under
the counter, causing the vessel to shake
and qniver from stem to stern, asthough
every timber was about to give way.
At times the conclusion would be so
violent that all hands would be thrown
off their feet, and tumble on top Of
each other, in manner that was far
from agreeable. Suddenly a white
face, with wild glarirg eyes and quiver.
ing lips. appeared among US It was
that Of the captains wife. She had
her hand upon her husbands arm, a.
he stood near the bow.
"Lilian Lilian!" she gasped, "where
is our Lillian ?"
LILLIAN 7? Good heavens! wife, what
do you mean? l left her with you in
the cabin -
"Shc is not there now-Ihav looked
in all the rooms. Oh, God my child
my child - and the mother rang her
hands in anguish, while her white face
grew still whittier.
"Nife! wife - exclaimed the captain
half sternly, LILLIAN was with you when
! left the cabin surely you did net let
her leave your side at such time as
| this -
"Yes! YES - cried his wife, in ac
cents of the most piercing grief, ut is
all my sault-she is lost. Ny little one
Is lost, and | am the cause..'
''For Gods sake, explain yourself!"
gasped the captain.
II left her down in the cabin fal-
tered the agonized mother, s'and came
on deck, as wanted to speak to yon.
thought yon were in the waist so l
groped my way there and tried to find
You. Not seeing yon, started on my
return, fearing to leave Lillian SO long
alone. But when l reached the cabiu
again she was not there-gone! gone!
God only knows where.'
LILLIAN I! Lillian! has any one seen
Lillian ?''
Fore and aft, from every lip, in start
ling accents, the cry went up amid The
storm!
But the loud wind only answered
with deeper howl. The long yards
still creaked upon their rusty rivets.
The heavy icebergs crashed upon the
bows; and then groaned and shook as
they had done before. The silvery &C.
cents oflille Lilian's voice came not to
our ears, and we felt as though it was
hnshed forever. But the waillng tones
of the poor mother, and dispairing
shouts of the fa;her--both of whom
could not bear to give up their child II
continued long after our own voices had
ceased. Then we - rough hearted,
childless men that we were-forgetting
our own danger, gathered about the
afflicted pair and tried to console them
| don't think We succeeded very well,
for our voices trembled great deal
and the tears would come to our eyes,
though We kept wiping them away with
the cuffs OF our heavy jackets. No
one Of us but had loved little Lillian
almost as well as the parents themselves.
She was but seven years Of sge; yet
the earnest glance Of her large blue
eyes would 60 to our hearts, and make
US kind and good towards each other.
To utter an oath when she was near
would have seemed like sacrilege. II
Like lily, she had bloomed in on,
midst, shedding heavenly influence
about her.
S,rong-oh strong is the power Of
innocent childhood over a sinful hearth
1t was while we thus stood. clustered
near the binnacle, Offering what conso.
lation we could, to the captain aud HE