The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-04

But he was not sure he was taking
the best or safest course. The cutter
might be saved, after all, and the long
boat lost.
Meantime he was not sorry of an ex.
cuse to shake off the cutter. She con-
tanned one man at least who knew he
had scuttled the Proserpine and there
fore 1t was all important to him to get
to London before her, and receive the
three thousand pounds. which was to be
his reward for that abominable act.
But the way to get to London before
Mr.. Hazel, or else to the bottom of the
Pacific before him, was to get back into
the sea-road, at all hazards.
he was not aware that the cutters
water and biscuit were on board his
boat; nor did he discover this till noon
next day. And, on making this fearful
discovery, he showed himself human :
he cried out, with an oath, "What have
1 done? 1 have damned myself to all
eternItyw
He then ordered the boat to be put
before the wind again; but the men
scowledi and not one stirred finger ;
and he saw the futility of this, and did
not persist, but groaned aloud; and
true sailor, he got to the rum, and
stupefied his agitated conscience for a
time.
While he lay drunk, at the bottom OF
the boat, his sailors carried out'his last
instructions, beating southwark right
In the winds eye.
Five days they beat to wlndward, and
never saw u sail. Then 1t fell dead
calm and SO remained for three days
more.
The men began to suffer greatly from
cramps, owing to their number and
confined position. During the calm,
they rowed all day, and with this, and
l;1h N n
they got into the sea.road again: but
having now sailed three hundred and
fifty miles TO the southward, they found
a great change in the temperature: the
nights were SO cold they were fain to
huddle together, to keep little warmth
in their bodies,
On the fifteenth day of their voyage
it began to rain and blow, and then
they were never a whole minute out of
peril. Hand forever on the sheet, eye
on the waves, TO ease her at the right
moment: and, with all this care, the
spray eternally flying balf way over
her mast, and often a body OF water
making clean breach over her, and
the men bailing night and day with
their very hats, or she could not have
lived an hour. u
At last, when they were almost dead
with wet, cold, fatigue, and danger, a
vessel came in eight, and crept slowly
up, aDOuIt Two miles 10 Wl0Q"hTu OF IQe
distressed boat. With the heaVe of the
waters they could see little more than
her sails; but they ran up a bright
bandana handkerchief to their mast
head; and the ship made them OUT
She holsted Dutch Colors, and-contin-
ued her course.
d. Then the poor abandoned creatures
wept, and raved, and cursed, in their
frenzy, glaring after that cruel, shame
less man, who could do such an act, yet
hoist II color, and show of what nation
But one Of Them said not a word.
This was Wylie. He sat shivering, and
remembered how he had abandoned the
cutter, and all on board. Loud signs
broke from his lAboring breast; but not
word. Yet one word was ever pres
ent to his mind; and seemed written in
fire OH the night of clouds, and howied
in his ears by the wind-Retributionl
And now came dirty night-to men
on ships; a fearful night TO men in
boats. The sky black, the sea en- fire
with crested pillows, that broke over
them every minute; their light was
washed out; their provisions drencned
and spoiled: bail as they would, the
boat was always filling. Up to their
knees in water cold as iceI blinded
with spray, deafened with roaring bill
lows, they tossed and tumbled in a
fiery foaming hell of waters, and still,
though despairing, chung to their lives,
and bailed with their hats INCREASINGLY.
[To BE CoSTISUED.1