National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-05-03
The Wreck at Sea.

sAhn I says, you've been hard
and a bitter mother to me and yet
it goes again the grit to turn ones
back upon You. I've tOiled on, and
lived hard, and yet you have al
ways showed me a cold cruel face :
and as | said that, feeling quite
heart-sick, / leans my elbows on the
side o the ship, and my chin on my
hands, and has long, long look at
the old country as we was leaving
perhaps to see no more.
looked round, and there stood
plenty, tearful-eyed and sad with all
the lines of sorrow marked III their
foreheads, while l could see lips
trembling and hearts working with
the pain they could hardly keep
down. Aud then | don't know how
1t seemed to me that we thought to-
gether the same sad things, and
that 1 knew their thoughts and
they knew mine. There was all the
old life-plain as could be and
then came the long, long struggle
with sickness, and death, and want;
and knew that people said such
poor folks should not marry, and
many another bitter word, as if it
was wrongful to Lore and try to be
/ happy. The wind whistled 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.
wont do, my lad | says, rousinG
up and wetting both hands as if |
meant work and then ! goes down
/ in the steeragc to try and make
| things Il bit comfortable, for you see
/ all the poor things were in most
( miserable condition. Some was III,
/ some down-hearted, some drunk
aud foolish, some drunk and noisy,
some drunk and quarrelsome. Then
/ there was children crying, and wo-
men scolding, and altogether it was
anything but a cheering prospect
for the night, for as you may say,
! we were not shook down into shape
yet.
Good time coming says cheeri-
/ lY ; and having no young ones OF
my own, | set 10, TO help them as
had. / got hold Of young shaver
about two and a half, | should
think-and he was letting 2 90 right
away as if he'd got all the trouble III
the ship in his precious young head.
But he soon turned quiet, playing
with my knife. and all at once finds
as he had made a hammock of me,
and had gone off as sound as cher
ub. During the next three days It's
mother was very i'll, poor thing, and
had to regularly mind the little
one; and | did, too. Well, tisn't a
very pleasant life in the steeragc OF
an cmigrant ship bound for New
Zealand. esneciiaa!iy i the weather's
a bit rough and so we found 1t,
For the next morning, when | went
on deck, there was a stiff breeze
blowing. the ship hecling over and
as | thought the night before, so 1t
was,-there was nothing III sight
but waves all around. One sailor
did point to something which he
said was home, but it might have
been cloud.
The fourth night had come, an
as | lay in my birth listening to 4 .
wash wash of the water past it
side of the ship, the cracking and
groaning of the timbers, and every
now and then the heavy bump o'
wave against the side, couldn't
help thinking what little there was
between lis and death and some
how or other that thought kept mt
wide awake.
1t was two bells, think they cal
it, for they don't count time as the,
do ashore, when all ut once l coult
hear there was great hustle up OF
, deck, where all through the nigh
cverything's mostly quiet. Thel
there came a good deal of trampins
, about and running to and fro so
y gets ont of my berth, slips on one o
two things, and goes cautiously NJ
= the ladder and gets my head aboy
, the hatchway, and then i'll momen
| saw what was up, and it gave mt
;. such shock that | nearly let go m.
), hold and fell back into the steerage
There was n thick cloud Of smok,
issuing out from behind the hatcl
es, right in the centre of the ship
and almost before | could thorough
C lv realize it all, or make myself b'
lieve as it was true, /? woman IA
= shrieking along the deck in he
night.dress, and calling o II thos
fearful words on board ship,
'Fire! fire T. fire !
Hundreds of miles from lane
standing on few nailedtogethe
pieces of wood, and them burnlD
r beneath your feet.
d couldn't help it all my bite
feelings of being i'll used came bacl
), and says to myself:
y. your usual luck, mate; wOuldn
be you if you wasn't unfortunat,
But never mind, you have yo,
choice, fire or water And then
thought of the danger, and | ketcl
n es myself such thumpin the ches
cr and rolls up my sleeves, and GOO
', to the captain as was busy givin
orders.
nm what shall do ? l says.
VI Pump 2 he shouts; 'and fetch
-. dozen more up
I'd Lord bless you ! had 'em up