The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1868-12-04
0he0rtelligenter:
FOULPIA9
A ov L.
ny cnAs. READE AND DION nOuctoAULr.
CHAPTER MI.


sat benumbed, as IL awaiting their turn
to be engulfed.
They seemed SO little, and the Pros
erpine SO big; yet she was swallowed
before their eyes, like a crumb. They
lost, for few moments, all idea of es'
Gaping. ....
But, true it is, that, "while there's
life there's hope:" and, as soon as their
hearts began to beat again, their eyes
roved round the horizon, and their elas-
tic minds recoiled against despair.
This was rendered easier, by the won
derGul beauty of the weather. There
were men there, who had got down
from u sinking ship, into boats heaving
and tossing against her side in gale OF
wind, and yet been saved, and here all
was calm and delightful. To be sure,
in those other shipwrecks, land had
been near, and their greatest peril was
over. when once the boats got clear of
the distressed ship without eapsizlng.
Here was no immediate peril; but GER
tain death menaced them, ut an uncer.
! tain distance.
Their situation was briefly this.
| Should il come on TO blow gale, these
open boats, small and loaded, could
not hope TO live. Therefore they had
two chances for life, and no more; they
must either make land-or be Picked
up at sea-befOre the weather changed.
But how? The nearest known land
was the group of islands called Juan
Fernandez, and they Iay somewhere to
leeward; but distant, at least, nine hun
bred miles; and should they prefer the
other chance, then they must beat three
| hundred miles and more 10 windward;
for Hudson undertaking the leak, as is
supposed, had run the Proserpine fully
that distance out of the track OF trade!
Now the ocean Is a highway-in law;
| but in fact, it contains few highways,
and millions ofaby-ways; and once a
cock lie. shell gets into those by.ways,
small indeed is its chance of being seen
and picked up by any sea-going vessel.
| Wylie, who was leading, lowered his
sail, and hesitnted between the two
courses we have indicated. However,
on the cutter coming up with him, he
ordered Cooper TO keep her head north
east, ard SO run all night. He then
made all the sail he could in the same
direction, and soon outsailed the cut
ter. When the sun went down, he
was IA bout mile ahead OF her.
| Just before sunset, Mr.. Hazel made q
discovery that annoyed him very much.
He found that WEIGH had put only one
bag of biscuit, n ham, n keg of spirits,
and a small barrel oil water, ON board
the cutter.
He demonstrated with him sharply.
WEIGH replied that 1t was all right the
cutter being small, he had put the rest
of her provisions on board the long
boat.
"On board the long boat" said Hazel,
with look of wonder. lyon have
actually made our lives depend upon
that scoundTel Wylie again. You
deserve 10 be flung into the sea. You
have no forethOught yourself: yet you
will not he guided by those that have
it,"
Wclch hung his head little ut these
I,n
rather sullenly, that it WAS only for
one night; they could signal the long
boat in the morning, and get the other
bags, nnd,the Cask, out of her. But Mr..
Hazel was not 10 be appeRsed. 1.-The
mornings! Why she sails three feet TO
our two. How do you know he won't
run away from us? l never expect to
get within ten miles of him again. We
know him; and he knows we know
him." .a ~
Cooper got up, and patted Mr.. Hazel
on The shoulder, soothingly. "Boat-
hook ait," said he to WEIGH.
He then, by an ingenious use of the
boat. hook, and some of the spare can
vas, contrived to set out a studding- sail
on the other side Of the mast.
Hazel thanked him warmly. "But,
o Cooper Cooper!" said he, "I'd give
all have in the world ifthat bread and
water were on board the cutter instead
Oi the long boat"
The cutter had now two wings, in
stead OF one; the water bubbling loud
under her bows marked her increased
speed; and all fear of being greatly
ouIsailed by her consort began TO sub
side.
A slight seal fret came on, and OBJ
secured the sea in part but they had q
good lantern and compass, and steered
the course exactly, all night, according
to Wylie's orders, changing the helms
man every Jour hours.
MIR. Hazel, without a word, put n rug
round Mics Rolleston's shoulders, and
another around her feet.
40, not both, sir, please" said she.
Am l to be disobeyed by every
body2" raid he.
Then she submitted in silence, and in
| a certain obsequious way TINT was
quite new, and we'll calculated to dis
| arm anger.
Sooner or later, all slept. except the
AT daybreak, Mr.. Hazel was Weakened
by loud hail from a man in the bows.
All the sleepers started up.
Long boat not in sight! |"
1t was too true. The ocean was
blank; not a sail, large or small, in
sight.
Many voices spoke at once.
HE has carried on till he has cap
sized her."
"He has given us the Slip"
| Unwilling TO believe So great a ca
laInity. every eye peered and stared all
over the sea. In vain. Not a streck
that could be boats hull, not a speak
that could be sail.
The little cutter WAS alone upon the
ocean. Alone, with scarcely two days.
provisions, nine hundred miles from
land, and four hundred miles to lee
ward of the nearest sea-road.
| Hazel, seeing his worst forbodings
realized, sat down in moody, bitter and
boding silence.
OF the other men some ragged and
cursed. Some wept aloud.
The lady. more patient, put her hands
together, and prayed TO Him who made
the sea and ali that therein Is. Yet
| by nature more tlmid than the men,
yet she must share their desperate
| peril. And then to be alone with all
these men, and one of them had told
her he loved her, and hated the man
she was betrothed to! Shame tortured
this delicate creature, as we'll as fear.
Happy for her, that of late, and only
flate, she had learned to pray in earn
est. "Qui precari novit, premi potest,
non potest opprimi."
It was now a race between starvation
and drowning, and either way death
stared them in the face.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE long-boat was, at this moment,
| a hundred miles to windward of the
cutter. ,-..-F
The fact Is. that Wylie, the evening
before, had been secretly perplexed as
| to the best course. He had decided to
1 run for the island, but he was not easy
under his own decision; and, at night,