The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-02-09

would see us again upon our native shores.
Hitherto our voyage had been almost eY
entless. Few of the vicissitudes OF ocea1
life had been encountered. True, we nao
experienced several storms, but none iha'
were sufficiently violent to cause any danger
to ship OF. crew, Or, to drive US from OUT
course. The delays we had eneou 20 ,o hau
markets, or the lndolehee Vi native ueaielo
with whom we traded.
/ Rnt9we were not to reach home as safely
and prosperously as we had hoped. II
I "A severe gale sprung up as we crossed the
Indian Ocean, and for days our stout ship
was tossed upon the boiling waves complete
ly at its mercy. We lost one. of our masts,
and the standing rigging was so strained and
injured that we had difficulty in making the
little sail that the ship was able TO besr The
gale continued for several days, and the cap
tain, being unable to get an observation, did
not know where we were, though Theardl
him tell the first mate, on the evening of the
fourth tiay, that we must have been carried
several hundred miles out of our course.
There were sad and anxious faces on board
the good ship Helena as the twilight fell up
on the stormy ocean that night. And yet
there was not one of all the crew who was
not ready to do his duty and to die, if die he
must, like man, patient and courageous to
the last. Night deepened and closed around
us. The wild sky, from which the rain fell
in torrents, was utterly black and rayless.-
The phosphorescent CLEAN of the waves
above lighted our course rs we went plum
ging nadiY before the gale. No one thought
Of sleeping that night. Two of our stoutest
men stood constantly at the wheel, for the
slightest change of course would cause the
Il Oh Ia 1rrnc
surely have been swamped in that fearful
sea. As it was every fourth or fifth wave
swept over the deck, from which every nova
BILE object had long since been carried away.
To add to the horror of the darkness and
the storm, was the uncertainty of our posi-
tian. The captain felt sure that there was
no land near, but | heard some of the older
sailors talking of islands that rose from the
waste of waters over which we were being
hurried, and knew that they feared being
driven upon some nnknown shore. "a
IS 1t must have been an hour past midnight
when. as | was clinging to the ships railing,
| I saw a line of light that seemed suddenly to
rise out of the darkness. 1t was scarcely
more than twice the ships length from MS
when first saw it, and we seemed rapidly
driven past it. had scarcely time to call.
the attention of the man who stood by my
side, an old sailor, to the phenomenon, when
a sound such as had never heard before
solemn, and seemingly low, but still distinct
above the mad rush of the waves and howl
ing Of the gale-struck upon my ear. The
next instant the man to whom | had spoken
suddenly cried out. in tones of horror, that
rose shrlll and loud, that there were breakers
ahead and, even as he spoke, with a crash
and shiver that shook every stout timber in
her frame, and snapped the great main mast
as If 1t had been tube of clay. the ship
struck upon sunken rect
Ten of our strongest men, among whom
was one of the mates, were hurled away into
the black abyss with the falling mast and
yards. The sea swept our decks, and the
ship Lifted on the crest of every roller, was
thrown further upon the rocks. Every in
slant we waited for death, through the re-
mainder of that long night. But morning
dawned at last, and we were able to look
again into each others taces-we who sur
vived the horrors of the night-and behold
our fearful situation. The captain aud two
mates, with eight seamen- and myself. were
all who remained. We could see a low island
lying beyond the reef on which we had
struck, but no signs of human habitation.-
Between us and the shore was the long line
of breakers, booming solemnly in their eter-
from all hope of salvation. ~-
But the storm was dying away, and we
began to look about for some means By which
we might attempt to reach the shore. The
boats had all been carried away or were
stove, The ships how lay high upon the
reef but she had settled so much amidships
that the captain was confident that we could
launch raft from thence. This we at once
set about constructing from such spars. hat
chlngS and gratings as were at hand. be
fore noon our task was completed, and we
only waited for the storm to abate, before at
tempting to reach the shore. r .z.
But though our raft. was made ready, 1t
was never launched. About two hours be
fore sunset the captain held a consultation
with his mates and the elder seamen, and it
had Just been determined to commit it and
ourselves to the waves, with the hope of
reaching the shore before nighttall, when
suddenly a party of half naked savages
made their appearance upon the beach,
They possessed a light species of boat some
thing like the canoe of our American Indi-
ans, which they launched into the surf, and
presently a party came dancing over and
through the white foam line towards the
ship.
They made gestures of friendliness, as
they approached, which we were fain to con-
fide in, though there was fierce restlessness
in their look and manner that made US sus-
pect even while we accepted their proffered
aid. Before night we had all been trans
ported to the shore, and the ship was left,
with all her rich cargo, to the mercy of the
waves.
Beyond thievery and gluttony we found,
however that our entertainers had none of
the worse vices of savage life. And we'had
good opportunity to learn both their faults
and their virtues, for upon that island, where
the storm had cast us, we were destined
each Of us who survived, to remain more
than two years.
We were far out of the track of vessels
trading with the Indian Archipelago or the
main. No vessel visited our island, which was
Inhabited only by sayages, and small and is
0lated, had no commerce. One by one our
| men sunk under priyation, the diseases Incl
dent to a tropical climate, and an indolent
life, or wasted away with the sickness of
hope deferred, until of the eleven souls, who
found refuge there; but four remained.
We aided the savages in tillng their team
ing soil, and stroye to teach them, with little
success, however, so indolent were they,some
of the simpler arts of civilized life. But we
never neglected, in all those months. to keep
a watch from the highest point of the island
for any passing sail. AT length, just at the
close of our second year, a vessel suddenly
appeared off the island. She, like our own
Inflated ship, had been driven far from her
course by storms. She saw our signals from
the shore, and approaching as near as prac-
ticable, knew that we were saved
Whence she came, or whittier she went, we
cared not, so that her decks might bear us to