The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-25
len. and he spoke with considerable

len, and he spoke with considerable
difficulty.
What could Hazel reply2 The judg.
ment is sometimes ashamed to contra
dict the heart with cold reasons.
he only said, with a sigh, that he
saw no signs of land, and believed they
had gone on wrong course, and were
in the heart of the Pacific.
Welch made no answer, but a look
of good contempt. The idea of
this parson contradicting Sam Cooper !
The sun broke, and revealed the
illimitable ocean, themselves tiny
speck on 1t.
Mr.. Hazel whispered Miss Rolleston
that Cooper must he buried to-day,
At ten +. NJ. they passed through
more sea-weed; but this time they had
to eat the sea.spinach raw, and there
was very little OF it.
At noon, the sea was green in places.
WEIGH told them this was sign they
were nearing land.
AT four P. NJ. bird, about tho size
and color OF a WoodPecker, settled on
the boats mast.
Their glittering eyes fastened on it F.;
and WEIGH said, "Come, there's sup
per for you as can eat it."
mo, poor thing l" said Helen Roles
ton.
"Y0u are right" said Hazel, with a
certain effort of self-restraint. "Let
our sunerings make us gentle, not saw
age; that poor bird is lost like us upon
this ocean. 1t Is land-bird."
GLOW do you know"
"Water-birds have webbed feet,-to
swim with" The bird having rested,
flew TO the northwest.
Helen, by one of those inspired i'm
Eulses her sex have, altered the boats
HfFaptlv and fOllnyypH the bird
Half an hour before sunset, Helen
Rolleston, whose vision was very keen,
said she saw something at the verge of
the hOriz on, like hair standing up
right.
Hazel looked, but could not see any
thing.
In ten minutes more, Helen ROLES
ton pointed it out again; and then Hazel
did see II vertical line, more like a ships
mast, than anything else one could eX-
pect to see there.
Their eyes were now strained TO make
it out, and, as the boat advanced, it be-
came more and more palable, though
1t was hard to say exactly what it
was.
Five minutes before the sun set, the
air being clearer than ever, 1t stood out
clean against the sky. Atree,-a lofty,
solitary tree; with n tall stem, like n
column, and branches only at the
top.
4 palm-tree-in the middle of the
CHAPTER XIV.
And but for the land bird which rest
ed on their mast, and for their own
mercy in sparing it, they would have
passed to the eastward, and never seen
that giant palm-tree in mid-ocean.
40, let us put out all our sails, and
fly to i'll" cried Helen.
lnI,
ye mustn't. Lord love ye; what! run
on to land ye don't know, happy go
lucky, in the dark, like that? Lay her
head for the tree, and welcome, but you
must lower the mainsel, and treble-reef
the foresel; and SO creep on Il couple of
knots an hour, and, by day break, you'll
find the island close under your lee.
Then you can look out for safe land
ing place" u,
"There is no island, or L should have
seen it."
40, the island was hull down. Why,
you don't think as palm trees grow in
the water? You do as / say, or you'll
get wrecked on some laundering reef
or other"
Upon this Mr.. Hazel and Miss ROLES
ton set to work, and, with considerable
difficulty lowered the mRinsail, and
treble-reefed the fOresail.
morrow, you'll land in safety, and bury
my messmate and me-"
40 mol" cried Helen RollestOn. 1--WE
must bury him, but we mean to cure
YOU"
They obeyed Welch's instructions,
and SO crept on all night; and, SO we'll
had this able seaman calculated dis
lance and rate OF sailing, that, when
the sun rose, sure enough there was an
island under their lee, distant about a
league, though 1t looked much less
But the palIn-tree was more than twice
that distance. Owing to wind and cur
rent they had made Iee.way all night,
and that tree stood on the most wester-
ly point of the island.
Hazel and Miss ROllestOn stood up
and hurruhed for joy; then fell on their
knees in silent gratitude. Welch only
smiled.
But tho breeze had freshened, and,
though there vera no great waves at
sen, yet breakers, formidable to such
craft ns theirs, were seen fOauling over
long disjointed reefs ahead, that grim
ned black and dangerous here and
there.
They then consulted VTelch, and he
told them they must tack directly, and
make Il circuit of the island; he had to
show them how TO tack; and, the sea
rising, they got thoroughly wetted, and
Miss Rolleston, rather frightened; for
here was peril they had wonderfully
escaped hitherto.
However, before eleven o'clock, they
had stood out to sea, and coasted the
whole south side OF the island they
then put the boat before the wind, and
soon ran past the cast coast, which was
very narrow,-in fact, a sort of bluff
head,-and got on the north side of the
island, Here the water was compare
lively smooth, and the air warm and
balmy. They ranged along the coast
at about miles distance, looking out
for good landing.
Here was no longer an unbroken
line of cliffs, but: an undulating coast
with bullying rocks, and lines of reef.
After a mile or two of that The coast ran
out seward, and they passed close to
n most extraordinary phenomenon of
vegetation. Great tangled woods CROWN
ed the shore and the landward slopes,
and their grand foliage seemed to flow
over into the sea for here was a broad
rocky flat, intersected with thousand
little channels of the sea; and the
thousand little islets SO formed, were
crowded, covered and hidden with
luxuriant vegitatiOn. Huge succulent
leaves of the richest hue hung over the
water, and some of the most adventu-
rous showed, by the crystals that
sparkled on their green surface, that
them at high tide. This ceased and
they passed under Cliff, wooded
nearly to the point.
This cliff was broad and irregular,
and in one of its cavities cascade of
pure fresh water came sparkling, leap
ing and tumbling down to the foot of
the rock. There it had formed a great
basin of water, cool, deep, transparent,
which triCkled over on to a tongue OF
Mini So06 and want in two crpEtnl