The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-19
we return to the cutter, and her living

.
CHAPTER NIX. SIS
We return TO the cutter, and berliyinI
After an anxious, but brief consulta
ton, II was agreed that their best chanc
was 70 traverse as many miles of wate
as possible while the wind was fair; b,
TINS means they would increase thei
small chance of being picked up, anC
also OF falling in with land, and wonId
at all events, sail into a lovely climate
where intense cold was unknown, ant
gales OF wind uncommon.
MF. Hazel advised them to choose ,
SKIPPER and give him absolute power
especially over the provisions. TheI
assented to this. He then RECOMMEND
ed Cooper for that post. But they hai
not fathomed the sterling virtues oftha
taciturn seamau; SO they offered thI
command to Welsh, instead.
/ Me put myself over Sam Cooper p
said hes mot likely" -
/ Then their choice fell upon Miehae
Morgan. The other sailors name,
were Prince, Fenner and Macintosh
Mr., Hazel urged Morgan TO put the
crew and passengers on short allowance
at once, viz. two biscuits a day, and
Jour table-spoonsfulo fwater: but Nor
gan was a common sailor, he could mo-
see clearly very far ahead and, more.
over, his own appetite countert @ ed thi,
advice: he dealt out a pound OF biscuit
and an ounce OF ham TO each person
night and morning, aud pint OF water
in the course OF the day. a5ats. ~.
Mr.. Hazel declined his share OF the
ham, and begged Miss Rolleston SC
earnestly, not 10 touch Ii, that she Yield
ed silent compliance. a.
On the fourth day the sailors We're all
In good spirits, though the provision
were now very low. The even sang,
and spun yarns. This was partly ow.
ing to the beauty of the weather.
On the 6fIh day Morgan announced
that he Gould only serve out one biscuit
mar day and this sudden decline caus
ed some dissatisfaction and alarm.
Next day, the water ran so low that
only teaspoonful was served ont night
and morning.
There were murmurs and forebod,
ings. l-l 'i,'l.l-fsi-
In all heavy trials and 'extremities
some man or other reveals great quail
lies, that were latent in him, nv, hidden
from himself. And this general obser-
walton WAS verified on the present &C.
casiOn, as 1t had been in the Indian
mutiny, and many other crisis. Hazel
came out.
He encouraged the men. ont Of his
multifariOus ST. res OF learning. He re.
lated at length stories of wrecks and
su1erings at sea; which, though they
had long been in print, were most OF
them new TO these poor fellows. He
told them, among the rest, what the
men Of the Dona Dea, waterlogged at
sea had suffered, without
any food but rat and n kftten,-yet
had survived He gave them some de-
tails of the Wager, the GrOsvenOr, the
Corbin, the Medusa; but, above all, a
most minute account of the Bounty,
and Bligh's wonderful voyage in an
open boat, short of provisions. He NOR
allied on this, and showed his fellow
sufferers Il was discipline and self de-
NAL from the first, that had enabled
those hungry spectres 10 survive, and
10 traverse two thousand eight hundred
miles OF water, in those very seas; and
that in spite OF hunger, thirst, disease,
and rough weather.
By these means he diverted their
minds in some degree from their own
calamity, and taught them the lesson
they most needed.
The poor fellows listened with more
interest than you could have thought
possible under the pressure OF bodily
distress. And Helen Rolleston's hazel
eye dwelled on the narrator with un-
ceasing wonder.
Yes, learning and fortitude, strength
ened by those great examples learning
furnishes, maintained a superiority,
even in the middle of the Pacific; and
not the rough sailors only, but the lady,
who had rejected and scorned his love,
hung upon the brave students words:
she was compelled to look up, with
wonder, to the man she had haITd and
despjsed in her hours OF ease.
On the sixth day the provisions failed
entirely. Not a crust OF bread; not
drop of water.
At p. NJ several flying fish, driven
into the air by the dolphins and cat
fish, fell into the sea again near the
boat, and one struck the sail sharply,
and fell into the boat. 1t was divided,
anu devoured raw, in moment.
The next morning the wind fell, and,
by noon, the ocean became like glass.
The horrors OF a storm have been
ofteti painted; but who has described,
or eau describe, the horrors of calm,
to boat.load of hungry, thirsty crea'
lures, whose only chances of salvation
or relief are wind or rain?
The beautiful, remOrseless sky was
one vault of people, with great flaming
Jewel in the centre. whose vertical rays
struck and parched, and scOTched the
living sufferers; and bltsteEed and
baked the boat itself, so that 10 hurt
their hot hands to touch il: the beauti-
full, remorseless ocean WIS one sheet of
glass, that glared in their blood shot
eyes, and reflected the intolerable heat
OF heaven upon these poor wTetches,
who were gnawed to deRth with hun
ger; and their raging thirst was fiercer
still,
Towards afternoon OF the eighth day,
Macintosh tipped vessel in the sea,
with the manifest intention of drinking
the salt water.
"Stop himI" cried Hazel, in great agi
tation; and the others seized hun, and
overpowered him; he cursed them with
such horrible curses, that Niles ROLES
ton put her fingers in her ears, and
shuddered from head to foot. Even
this was new to her, to hear foul Ian.
guage.
A calm voice rose in The midst, and
said: 'tLst us pray"
There was a dead silence, and Mr..
Hazel kneeled down and prayed loud
and ferYently; and, while he prayed,
the furious cries subsidized for q while,
and deep groans only were heard. He
PRAYED for food, for rain, for patience.
Ihs men were not SO far gone but
they could just manage to sa- Amen.g
He rose from his knees, and gathered
the pale faces of the men together in
one glance; and saw that Intense ex-
preston OF agony which physical pain
can mould with mems features: and
then he strained his eyes over the
brassy horizon; but no cloud, no veil
ofvRpor was visible.
HWater, water everywhere, butnot drop TO
drink"
1--WE must be mad" he cried, "to die
ofthirst, with all this water round Us"
His invention being stimulated by
this idea, and his own dire need, he
eagerly scanned everything in the boat
and his eyes soon lighted on two sub
fects disconnected In themselves, but it
struck him he could nse them in com