Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-05-30
nliscclinllp.
From Chambers Journal.
Going Ashore.

Going Ashore.
t' There she is, sir f; that's she just of the
pint there. She's a-comin stem IN and in
arf an hour. if she amt on Bunk Sands, I'm a
Du CT man.
VI companion was no native of dam-land
fog there was Brton written in every feature OF
hs bronz9-red face, IS be stood by me in Bay
thorpe ore. IN his canvas trousers. heavy FISH
sr'~ boots, blue Jersey shirt, and tsrpaun hsr,
tied on win . bit OF oskum band, while the
f4n b-hind beat about in the tremendous wind
hat raging in our faces.
b. Bang - went the dull smothered report OF
2 heavy gun and 10 the shade of the coming
night Just caught of faint fash Of light
Where We stood The spray came rushing in like
a heavy storm Of rain while The whstling of
the wind, and the thumb ring II of the huge
rollers as thy curled over and over upon the
sands, tearing 1t out from among the ciays, and
scrapIng It away by tous, made standing in the
fee of such a storm extremely confusing and
yet hundreds out upon the shore close
under he great sand bank ,drencned to the SIX in
with the spray, for the news nd spread
through the village that three-master was GO
ing ashore.
Going ashore Simple words to a lands
mans ears but what do they mean The
noble va>se. tearing and plunging through the
broken warer-now down in the troug of the
waves, now rising Ike cork upon the white
crests, aud t1en d shock she strikes upon the
sand, and seems immovable a shuddering
quIver through plank and beam and then
cra>t crash crash-mast after mast gone by
the board snapped Ike brittle twigs a dead
stem while huge ropes part like burned
twlue /; then he rising Of tie apparently im-
movable vessei, as she is lifted by the waves 10
tal. crashing again upon the sands, parting 10
in the middle; rushtng billows pouring tuns
uyOn tuas # Xater over the deck a wild =,
wild cry for help and then the shore strewed
with fragments, casks, bodies, as the mercie.s
waves sport WI hem, tossing them on to the
satd- and then curling over TO drag them back.
Gong a-Lorz not safety from wild stoI M,
but death.
80 An said the old salt by my side shouting
at With hi hand to his mouth, g DID yer
hear that gun p
1 nodded.
There goes another" he continued stretch
ing Gu, his h4nd, and pointing to where the
fash could De seen. while directly after came
an, her dull, heavy report. :. Can't yer see
her nov, sir ?''
Mine not sea going eyes and it no
easy task 10 NIKE out distant object through
the binding storm OF spray which beat dead
in my fac but just managed 10 make out
a d ,rk right out among-t the boiling
waves, and [ stu dered | thought of the
fate of those on DO .rd.
She must come 20 it," said the man ;
she ii come IN usi there y and he pointed to
a spot amongst he ~av-s where they seemed
toughest =" she'll b. there in less time than !
said ard then, Lord have mercy upon 'em !
Amen -
As he said this, the old man reverentIy took
off his tarpaulin sou 'wester aud stood with the
strm tezrIrg through the remains of his grizzly
hair; bald. rugged and weatber-beaten, Inc
cDarseness of his features seemed for the mo-
ment subdued-stftened by the feeling within
his brea-t-as ne stood there inapt repre-
sentation of of old.
i there no chance for them ?" | shouted.
The old man hook his head and shrugged
his shoulders. "Precous little " he said, ''un-
less them Gaps come down with the life-ooat !;
Who'd go out ?''
a,,.,.,! To- desperate venture, indeed, to
go - '-unch boa, with such on,
aud z NJ out C se..
Bang! -
There vas another flsb, ana a,,tber dulI.
ech5iess report, and as the veil q sn-av
seemed to clelr during !ul in the stori.
cou'd perceive large three-masted vessel abo.
nVe hundred yards from the shore and once Il
as she keelsd over, aud showed her deck, |
cou d see 'hat It was crowded with people
I'D hrp them ~ muttered
Amen said The old man and lust then.
away 10 our LETT, the life-boat carriage
coming down at a trot, drawn by two stout
horses; while loud a ID prolonged "hurray T'
welcomed its arrivals another fash, and its
following heavy report, seemed TO come from
the ooom-d vessel Ike a groan of pain in its
hour OF distress.
Tney 3! never go out to her," said the old
man, shouting IN my ear, for after the lull the
storm came down W III isdoubled fury-the
wind shrieking and howiing past, cutting the
creSts o! The waves of as 1t came tearing over
the hill of waters, and dasbiLg the salt spray in
my face till it almost seemed 10 cut the flesh ;
while al times the women who had come down
were completely held back against the stetp p
sand bank.
"Tneie look there r' cried the old man
suddenly Sc zIng my arm. Catching at straws
Why there 5 . boat-load coming ashore
Tn. re don't on see-now atop O. that break
er ?7'
| caught sight of small boat crowded with
figures, and then there seemed to be a tall wave
curl over il, and l saw it no more
Gone - said the old nan q" knowed it !
Nothing could live in such a storm"
:" LIT 5 20 to the boat, and see if they
are going f." said but the old man was in
tenly gazing out TO sta.
There Just as | said )" he shouted hoarse-
ly, Just In NE Place Enes suuck. Ano
then, above the yelling of the storm, We could
hear a rash, aud a Wild si.Iiek, that seems to
ring through now upon a stormy night,
when tar inland listen to the howiing wind.
lt's DOW or never - said the old man, as
NJ ran down towards where the life boat stood
upon It's Carriage, with a crowd OF men and
women around, the wo len banging on to their
husbands, and apparently begging that they
would not care tue perlls before them.
lhe lad looked fearful enough from
vhere ae had stood before but here, close
as We dared 60 to the breakers, it looked per-
fectiy awful, while the attempt to launch q