The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-07-31

thing but the bitter agony of thirst
could SO. have sparchedi that tongue.
INought but the cruel pangs and
drawings Of unsatisfed hunger could
thus have withered that once strong,
handsome face, and turned that
thick, young hair to the snowy white
ness of age. ,h
But how-how could these things
be?
The mystery was soon solved.
Looking down ut his wrists, I per-
ceived. from under the sleeves of his
pilot-cloth jacket, the bright steel
rims of pair of handouts. The
short chain connecting them was fas-
tened down to the table by stout
iron staple driven through, and
clenched on the under side. His
feet were similarly secured to the
deck.
This, then, was doubtless the fiend-
ish work of his drunken and mutt
nous crew; for, to all appearance, he
was the captain. He probably had
forbidden their abandoning the yes
sci, knowing that she could have
been saved, las indeed she might well
have been;) and they, having taken
the management into their own
hands i'll their cowardly drunken hu-
NOR, had thus prevented his ever
leaving the vessel
The edge of the table had been
gnawed and bitten, and the oil-cloth
that covered it was eaten away rs far
as the poor wretch could get at it.
His left arm bore the marks of his
teeth, where he had sought to as
suage with his own blood the burn
ing thirst that was killing him. Both
wrists were black and swollen with
his writings to get free from the
cruel irons that SO firmly restrained
him from seizing the food which lay
everywhere around, and the clear,
cold water that stood so near, and
which together were his very life.
Think of that starving man, sitting
watching the rats at his feet gorging
themselves on the food that he was
dying for want of, with the suns rays
streaming through the sky-light upon
the decanter of ruby wine, making
liquid-looking purple lights dance
upon the table before him, as if in
bitter mockery of his fearful thirst
Think of him dying of drought, with
his longing, upturned eyes eagerly
fixed on that delicious, sparkling
water that hung within few feet of
his poor parched lips. Think of his
last dying, starving moments dis
turbed by the incessant rattling and
rolling of those canisters of food.
touching him even rs they rolled
backward and forward across the
floor of the cabin with every motion
of the vessel. Think, in Short, of
the agony of man dying for want
of that which is at his feet. Those
who have never known real hunger
nor thirst, cannot conceive the suffer-
ings of that man thus starving in
the midst of plenty.
There were ominous sounds of
burstings of pent-up air in the hold
OF the vessel, which confirmed nv
suspicious that the wreck could not
float many minutes longer, so 1 has
tened on deck. I hailed the cutter,
which was lying off at a little dis
tance, to come alongside, and I had
hardly done speaking when the bark
suddenly lurched over and fell on her
broadside. This rendered it impos-
sible for the boat to come alongside,
and whilst she was pulling round to
the stern, from whence I could have
dropped into her, felt the wrecked
vessel stagger two or three times;
there came the usual rush of wind
bursting up the hatch-ways, then,
with q mighty plunge, she sank to
rise no more, and 1 found myself
struggling for life in the kissing sea.
For an instant I battled with the
fierce waves that dashed in my face,
at the same time binding and chok-
ing me; and then the whirlpool
caused by the ships sudden sub
mersion, drew me with overwhelm-
ing strength into its angry, roaring
vortex.
AS the world OF waters closed over
my head, I felt sucked down and
down by this irresistible force. 1t
was an awful moment. My brain
was in q whirl, caused by the fright
full rapidity with which I had revolv-
ed while being dragged down by this
terrible eddy. was painfully aware
of an overwhelming pressure that
exerted itself on all parts of my body,
but principally on the eyes, seemino