Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1872-07-27

I kAAlEu vi houAAGAAg aAAA
procured some water, though twas
by no means cool, and dashed it in
to the face of the fainting woman.
| She was soon restored to conscious
ness. Then / turned again toward
| the ferecastle. A dense volume of
smoke was issuing therefrCm, and
| several voices screamed ''Firep
| The truth was, one of the cap
| tain's bullets had pierced a case Of
| phosphorus, shattering the glass Jars
| in which it was contained, thus per-
mitting the water to escape, when
| it Immediately took fire.
The alarm rang from the jib TO
the spanker.
VIII and 1 hastily directed the
sailors to bring out the hose, and 90
to the pumps, and the captain came
out again, staggering and swear
ing. He appeared TO me like the
evil one himself.
A dense volume Of smoke rolled
out from the forecastle, then
burst Of flame.
"Get the hose, quickl'
eve can't, !" was replied. 'fThey
are in there where the fire is"
Heavensl We were at the mercy
of the famesl
"The bucketsl the bucket''
! But the fire gained strength so
rapidly that buckets of water dash
ed upon it seemed like nero tear
drops.
The wounded sailor, the victim
of Captain Stones brutality, did
not appear, and realized, with q
siekenIng horror, that he was roas- |
ting. / never saw him again, for
his spirit went up in that roaring
cloud of smoke and flame:
Orders were given the man at the
wheel to put the ship before the
wind. 1t was a respite, but not
preservation. All our efforts were |
insufficient to subdue the flames, |
and it became clear to every one
that the Castle was doomed. The |
forward part Of the vessel was
wrapped in flames that licked the !
yards of the foremast clean, sending |
burning fragments of canvas float |
ing through the air, and presently |
the lower maintop-sail caught and |
became a sheet of flame.
The heat became insufferable, and |
all hands prepared to abandon the |
vessel. Two boats were lowered |
and hastily stocked with provisions. !
One of these boats was u life-boat. !
which was presumed to be the cap
tain's boat in extremity, and the !
other a yawl. There were two
boats toward, ON the roof of the !
"house on deck" but they were |
already wrapped IN flames.
The hot breath of the deVOuring |
element was keenly felt, and it was
evident that we could not remain on |
board five minutes longer.
The captain begun giving directions |
as to the manning of the two boats, |
ordering that Mrs. Burden be con- |
signed TO the life boat. OF course |
it would have been natural to sup
pose that VIII would be placed In |
the same boat. r. .T-
The carpenter and four sailors |
were next ordered into the liIe-boat /
while the remainder Of the crew |
were hastily embarking in the |
yawl. rrra
The flames came nearer, and the |
heat was almost scorching. |
''Mr. Burden" said the captain, /
'fyou will take charge of the yawl."
The persecution and tyranny Of |
Cnptain Stone did not even cease at /
this trying time. With spirit of 1
devilishness that l had never seen /
before, he intended deliberately to
separate husband and wife-set |
them ahoat on the wide sea in two /
different boats, that the fortunes OF /
the ocean might send far apart be- (
fore many hours:
tsBut SIR" said VIII, "my wife"
.'Do as / tell you'll This is no !
time for argument exclaimed Cap
tain Stone.
ssBut you do not mean to separate /
nv wife and ma22 said VIII.
'I viii be obeyedp' Numbered the
captain. ''Do as j tell youl Go
down into the yawl instantly.
Captain Stone, will you not
change your order?" asked VIII, |
with a strange calmness. (
:, "Then"-With the same calmness
-''you shall not separate my wife
WHAT Dare YOU disobey me2
Do Won hear me, wretch? Obey in
stantly, or your life will pay for
itP' .f--.
And the captain put his hand in
his pocket where his pistol was.
Mrs. Burden, who sat in the life
boat at the ships side, uttered a
scream, and struggled TO climb back
into the burning ship.
The captain uttered terrible
oath and drew his revolver. l had
noticed a look of peculiar signii-
canee in Wills eye, and now | un-
derstood what it meant. His time /
for action had come. So quickly (
that could not realize it, he snatch
cd the pistol from the captains
hand and turned it upon the tyrant.
had not time to think before the /
sharp report rang out, and Captain |
Stone fell on the deck, with the !
blood flowing from his breast,
"GoodT' l could not help exclaim- !
ing. ''Right, viii. Get 10 the boat |
now-quiekp'
Dashing the weapon from him,
Will climbed down to the Gfe-bOat, !
where his half-fainting wife clasped |
him historically in her arms; in a /
moment l was with him. Both |
boats then, with every living soul !
on board, pushed off from the burn
ing ship, leaving the body of the ty-
rant commander to be burned, like
that of his victim in the farecastle.
What might have been our fate in
those open boats, two hundred miles
from land, it is difficult to say; but
luckily we were picked up, before
three hours, by a Cuban schooner,
from Maceyo, Brazil, bound for Ha-
Vana,
Al week later we were all safely
landed in Havana, where we took a
steamer to New York.
A faithful report was given of the
captains brutality and the loss of
the vessel, but no charge of mutiny
was ever made against the mate.
VIII Burden has a happy family
around him now, at his home on
Long Island. He lives a quiet and
serene life, in a new occupation, for
he neYero1FeHt to sea again, after his
trying experience on the Castle.
PerssFverRRce.
BOYS should never give up, but
ramon her and act nnOD the old uaot-