The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1865-01-03

had fallen from aloll, injuring him 80
badly ihai reason deserted bin.
Scarcely had he disappeared, When
The men, who had completed thei
work on the foreyard, came 'tumbling
att 10 q body 10 bear about their ship
mate.
It's no use, said the mate, not dar
ing to raise bus eyes 'bou will neyel
see poor Ton again He let 90 the
rope the moment | was about to seiz,
him | think when the ship lurch ed
Il must have struck him on The head !
This explanation satisfied The men,
who returned to the forecaslle 10 bold
mogrnful discussions upon the fate o.
their shipmale.
Shortly s,terward, the other watch
was called, and when the men com
posing it were made acquainted with
the fate Of Tom Leawsrd, the melan-
cboly news cast shadow over the
spirits OF all, while many old seamen
actually shed tears, so much was the
young sailor beloved by the crew.
The Iarb0ard watch having been
relieved, they went below but not
one Of the men could sleep SO soon sf.
ter the sad event which had taken
place.
At the end OF five hours they were
again on deck to relieve their ship.
mates. The weather had not chang.
ed since they went below. The gale
continued TO sweep with dismal shrek
through the shrouds, and the old ship
plunged wildly through the heavy
seas. The gloom would have been
intense, but for the strange, e,phosopho-
resent light emitted by tbs waves
Sparks of fire seemed TO fash along
the white clouds Of foam as they drill :
ted over The SCI, A child to have
seen the spectacle might have fancied
that the stars he'd fallen from the sky
into the ocean.
Poor Tom Lesward His grave is
among these iire-fies of the sea I iho't
the sailors, rs they gazed upon the
wild waters.
Suddenly they were started by cry
from the mate, who had been leaning
over the quarter rail 7.ih his eyes fix
ed on the turbulent billows.
'0h, heavens ! heagens
Tie men rushed aft in a body, when
by the light of the ships lantern, they
beheld their officer staggering toward
the mizzen mast like a drunken man,
his lips colorless, and his eyes bullying
from his head, with an expression Of
trrrur.
What is the m-ttsr, sir! inquired
one o. ne men.
There, there r gasrad tie mate,
pointing % The weather rail 'under
The sI,ps qua ter ! saw it ! saw
III CHI heavens /
Tie men sprang TO the bul Sarks,
and 1e2aad eyer them isto tie s.a.--
AL iret they colid SIC nothing, but
the ra2t moment, ss huge wave
swept against the side Of the vessel,
ard scattered into liquid fragments,
'hey altered a Simultaneous cry Of su-
itious horror; for they row dis
tiaciiy behell 'ohie bend raised
above the waieri
Shudderingly they started bHck, and
stood gazing At each other, with pale
faces and wondering eyes. Ect q
word was spoken fer some NONE. Is,
when one of them, an old sailor, shook
bis head o.4a.ously, anl remarked, i
feaf hat it means no good TO the old
.ast, ny Ids. ] tase il as sort OF
wcrniug ir,.n poor TONS 5p..ii1
Tie rcn nov ventu.ed to look over
the rail aga.n but this time the hand
was no; . be s.en'
'It's gone, sir, said the old sailor,
surn.ns to The ma.e. 'What dye
think wes the meaning Of III
! don't know, said the mate in a
husky voice you had better 60 for
wa.i--go iorvard, ,aIl Of yor 7 be add
ed, almost fiercely.
The men oJeyed, when The mate
commenced TO salk the deck with rap
id strides.
-. could not have been mere fen
cy, he nuitered; for they saw it,too.
Heavens that fearful sight, 1t vas
his hand-his hand as | bcheld it
when
lie concluded, with a groan, and.
advancing fcariuIly to the rail, again
pecred into the sea. Ru. nothing now
vas to be seen, except the wildly his.
sing waters snd he breaihed sigh
OF relief.
Perhaps shall never s,e ii again +
he muitered. May Heaven grant
that such may be the case
And be resumed his nervous walk
uponihe quarterback, occasionally ad-
yancing to the rail TO cast frighten-
ed glance into tie water, and. mutter-
ing a low Thank heaven r. when be
perceived the vision was not there.
a few hours afterwards. the dawn
OF hight began TO steal upon the wa
iers, and The other watch was called.
OF course the men did not fail to re-
late the affair oi the hand V their won
der-strieken shipmates and, as many
Of the listeners were suPerstliious, the
effect eau be better imagined than de-
scfibed.
All seemed 10 agree that il was
warning from their drowned messmase
Ia dark warning OF shipwreck or
some other calamity. Even the cap
tain, who pnded himself on bis y is-