The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1866-10-03
A MAN OVERHEARD.

"A LAIN Wv V6hBOARO.
The wind howled and roared, and act
ually seemed TO press Inc over against the
shrouds as | ran up, and then with furl
more was laying out on the mainyard
trying 10 fur! the great sail. Trying
in'leed, with the stiff, heavy canvas belly
ing and swelling out like so many gigantic
bubbles, while the great irisatc seemed to
le; p over first one and then another, b
only to plunge bows under right into the
next, deuglng the deck with water, 50
that it ran in cataracts from the scupprrs,
while the good ship rose, shaking herself
clear of the briuy storm, and leaping
again from wave 10 wave. L. wasn't
dark, for there was wild, strange, lurid
light shining up from the foam capped
waves; but it was an awful night, and
in some Of the plungcs the frigate made it
almost seemed rs though she meant the
bottom. But not She AS sail after sail
had been reduced she labored less, and : t
last, under Il storm sail, went scudding
away at a terrible rate.
Wed been taken aback that night in Il
squall in the South Atlantic, and the
watch seemed dumbfoundcd. Up came
the captain, and then DOWN he went
caught by falling bock-and there he
lay stunned but old Stunsiil. our first,
was there at the same moment in his
nshtsnirt, just AS he'd leaped from his
cot, and Jumping upon the pnnace, he
roared out like thundcr-"Iet 20 every
thing-let 90 there. If You weather this
you'll weather the last day." But he
was a shocking old fellow to swear,
though as fine sailor as ever walked the
quarter-deck.
And they let 20 most everything, and
we did weather it, and got all pretty
snusly furled except the mainsail, which
was done 80 in Il hurry that we were
doing it again, last of all, when somehow
| cant say how it was, just rs the ship
gave lurch, lost my hold, AMI was
away to lceward in that boiling surf,
striking out madly, and half suffjcated
before l rose again to the surface. There
was the sea lcaping and roaring around
me now Kissing and now thundcrng in
my ears; bearing me up so that | was on
the top of great wave, and then down |
went-down-down-as it into great
valley that had no bottom and all the
while with a great fear and dread on me
that was drowning, for knew that the
ship could not heave 10, while boat
would have been swamped in a moment.
Its strange sensation that of droNn
ing, for it seems to creep over the body
like, and rob man OF every bit of strength
and energy, so that he strains his face up
grasping like towards the sky, and for
getting his swimming, begins TO beat the
water franIicalIy like dog | can feel
1t all now, any time, when | shut my
eyes and think There's the running and
laundering SEA tie shrieking wind; and
the binding spray cuts oii'lh tops Of the
waves. and sweeping along on the gale (;
and the horrible feeling Of dread, while
ali sorts of strange thoughts come hurry
ing through ones mind, TIL the fear robs
you more and more of the strength. ms it
Gid me then, and after Il desparing look
for the ship felt that | must 20 down,
when saw a ight "A bit Off and knew
well enough what il was; how the cry
would run through the whole ship, "A
man overheard" and how they would
cut away the ile-buoy and send it over
tue side with the blue light blazing to
show its whereabouts.
The sight of that dim star gave me
new strength, and | struck ont again
calmly and slowly for the buoy; only
every now and then, the feeling would
come over me that | was worn out and
weak, and should never reach it or else
that the light would burn out and
should never find it in the pitch darkness
between the waves. Every time these
thoughts came my courage failed, and
my strokes grew faster and faster, so that
Tired myself; while every time | got
the better of my fear kept swimming ON
slowly, and seemed to get a bit nearer to
the blue s;ar-a star of hope 10 me then,
Now | was down the hollow, with the
salt water bubbllng at my lips and dash
ing up my nose till | WAS half strangled /;
then was mounting the hi Of water
again, and cou'd catch sight of the
light, but directly after was in the dark
again and then when rose on the next
wave there was no light but The faint
lurid glare from the waves, and a cold
hard seemed to get hold Of my'heari, for
! | felt that II WAS all over
Then there seemed to come over me a
sort of mad, ob,linate, fght-to the Last,
fit, and though knew that there was no
chance Of being picked up, it was swim
to the last. But the last soon came, but
without the horror and fear expected,
for was worn out and breathless, and
already half dead, as tried to mutter q
part of n prayer, and turned over on my
back to float, ir my arms had not anoth-