The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-08-30
EAR AT SEA.
From All the Year Round.

|.
"Ah!' says I, you've been a hard and
bitter mother to me; and yet it goes agin
the grit to turn ones back upon you. I've
toiIed on, and lived hard, and yet you We
shown me a cold, cruel face ;" and as | said
that feeling quite heartsick, leans my ell
bows on the side Of the ship, and my chin
on my hands, and has long, long look at
the old country as we was neutrality-suspicious.
to see it no more.
looked round and there stood plenty
fearful eyed and sad, with all the lines of
sorrow marked in their foreheads, while !
could see lips trembling and breasts work
ing with the pain they could hardly keep
down And then | don't know how it was,
but it seemed to me that we thought to-
gether the same sad things, and that knew
their thoughts and they knew mine. There
was all the old lite-plain as could be- and
then came the long, long struggle with
sickness, and death, and want aud | knew
that people said such poor folks should not
marry and many another bitter word, as if
il was wrongful to love and try to be hap
by. The wind whisted through the ropes
above our heads, and the clouds seemed
gathering, too, in our hearts, for though
the bitterness was gone, could see plenty
of sorrow and sadness all around.
won't do, my lad" | says, rousing up
and wetting both hands as if meant work;
and then | goes down in the storage to try
and make things bit comfortable, for you
see all the poor things were in most mis-
cradle state. Some were i'll, some down
hearted, some drunk and foolish, some drunk
and noisy, some drunk and quarresome. =
Then there were children crying, and wom-
en- scolding, and altogether it was anything
but a cheering prospect for the night. for
as you may say, we weren't shook down
into shape yet
GOOD time coming" I says, cheerily +;
and having no young ones of my own, set
to help them as had. | got hold of a young
shaver-about two and a half, l should
think-and he was a letting go right away
as if he had all the trouble in the ship in his
precious young head. But he soon turned
quiet, playing with my knife. and all at once
/ finds as he'd made hammock of me, and
had gone off sound as church. During
the next three days its mother was very i'll,
poor thing, and had to regularly mind the
little one and did, too.
Well, it isn'ta very pleasant life in the
steerage of an emigraDt ship bound for New
Zealand, especially if the weather's bit
rough aud so we found it. For the next
morning, when l went on deck, there was
a stiff breeze blowing, the ship heeling over;
and as | thought the night before, so it was
there was nothing in sight but waves all
round. One sailor did point to something
which he said was home, but it might have
been cloud.
The fourth night had come and as | lay
in my berth listening to the wish wash
of the water past the side of the ship, the
creaking and grooming of the timbers, and
every now and then the heavy bump of a
great wave against the side, | couldn't help
thinking what little there was between US
and death and somehow or other the serious
thoughts that came kept me awake.
1t was two bells, l think they call it, for
they don't count time as we do on shore,
when all at once [ could hear as there was
q great hustle up on deck, where all through
the watches of the night everything's most
" quiet. Then there came a good deal of
tramping about and running to and fro, so
| gets out of my berth, slips on one or two
things. and goes cautiously up the ladder
and gets my head above the hatchway, and
then in moment l saw what was up, and
IT gave me such shock that | nearly let go
nv hold and fell back into the steerage,-I
There was thick cloud of smoke issuing
out from between the matches, right in the
centre of the ship; and almost before | could
thoroughly realize it all, or make myself be-
eve as it was true, woman ran shrleklng
along the deck in her night dress, and call
ing out those fearful words on board ship
''Fire! fire! fire!"
Hundreds of miles from land, standing on
a few nailed together pieces of wood, and
them burning beneath your feet.
l couldn't help it; all my bitter feelings
of being ill-used came back, and | says to
myself :,
Your usual luck, mate; wouldn't be it
YOU werpt unfortunate. But never mind
you have your choice, fire or water" And
then thought of the danger, and ketches
myself such thump in the chest, and rolls
up my sleeves and goes up to the Captain
who was busy giving his orders.
s'What shall | do ?" says.
sPump!" he shouts and bring dozen
more up "
Lord bless you! | had 'em up in no time
from amongst the crying women and !
found time, too, to get the women and
children up on deck in the poop, which was
farthest from the matches, where the smoke
kept pouring out, besides which, the wind
took it away from them.
There was plenty of shrieking and scream
ing at first; but they had got the right man
in the right place when they chose that
Captain, for he runs to the poop, where all
the shiveriug things was a standing, and
with few words he quiets them. Then be
runs to the men as was scutfilng about,
here, there and everywhere, and gets them
altogether; and then at last he gets line
of fellows with buckets, lot more at the
pumps. and some more at the little engine
as was there and when all was ready and
every man standing still at his post, he goes
with some more to the matches and Drugs
up a couple, when up rose regular pillar
Of fire and smoke, with snaky, quiet move
ment, and in a moment every face was lit
up, and there was quite g. are spreading
far out to sea. Sails, cordage masts, every
thing seemed turned to gold For mo-
ment l couldn't help forgetting the danger
and thinking what beautiful sight it was;
when directly after with a regular ringing
cheer, the engine and pumps went ''clang
clang," and the water was teemed into the
burning hold from bucket and engine noz-
zle.
How the water Kissed and spluttered,
while volumes Of smoke and steam rushed
up where it had been all flame but mo-
ment before, and as we saw this we cheered;
it was only the fire gaining strength and
then, as though laughing at the water we
poured in, it came dashing and crawling
and running up, licking the edges of the
hatch~ ay, and setting on fire the tarpaulins
at the sides, and then it began to leap up as
if to catch at the cordage and sails.
Pour it in, my lads!'' shouted the Cap
tain. Don't be afraid, we ashanti run short
of water, like they do at your London fires )
Mo- said a chap at my side, 'and there
amt no running away into the next street.
Then saw the Captain run to the mar
at the wheel, and he changed the course o
the ship, SO that all the smoke and ham