The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1872-03-15


A light air from the south induced me
70 abandon the awning and sst the sail. 70
spare the men from laboring at the oars
A light tapping Of the ripples at de bow
and faint line Of f5am and bubbles ~
her side, wers the only indications tb&t
the boat was In motion 4.
The Fanny Skinner was a mile asssrn.
and all around partook Of the stiffness Of
death. The weather was intcnssIy hot,
and even the light air that urged as al
most insensibly Onward, had something
oppressive In its flaws of heat. Tho sky
was unclouded. save by few faint clouds
in the North, sweeping plume-like % II
the sun had consumed the clouds, aud the
light wind had lifted their ashes The
glitter from fhs water. with it's muItituds
Of rehectors. for each ripple like mirror.
contributed much 20 our discomfort, yet
the water was transparent, but of the color
OF q diluted absinthe. or Of the prevailing
sint OF . Persian opal The sun. we felt.
was glaring upon Us, bat the eye dared
not 10 take cognizance, for the force blaze
would have blighted the powers of vision.
as Ssmale was consumed by the unvciled
divinity Of Jove,
The black chaslns and rough peaks. EN-
bossed with grimness, were around and
above as, yelled in a transparent mist, like
visible air. that made them seem unreal
and 1900 feet below, our sounding-lead had
struck upon the buried plain of Sidhina.
shrouded in slime and salt
While busted with such thoughts. my
companions had yielded to the oppressive
drowsiness. and nowlay before me IL, every
attitude Of sleep that had more of stupcr
in it tnan reposs In the awful aspect
which this represented, when we first be-
held il, / seemed ~ read The description
over the gates of Dante's Inferno - Ye
who enter here, leave hope behind" Since
then, habituated TO mysterious appear
ance, in journey so replete with them.
and accustomed 10 scenes of deep and
thrilling interest at every step of our pro-
gress, those feelings of awe had been IN
sensibly lessered or hushed by deep inter
terrst in tie Investigations we lad pars
sued.
But. now, az sat alone in my wakeful-
ness, the feeling OF ave returned and -
l looked upon the sleepers, felt
hair of my flesh stand up" as Jobs did
when spirit passed before his face, for.
20 my disturbed Imagination, there was
something fearful in the expression of their
- a,nod sxyo1I o., xx;cooaz Tba e.~<.<. 4. ..
gel of disease seemed lowering over them.
and read the forerunner Of lis presence
in their flushed and feverish sleep s.. Ae
with their bodies bent and dangling over
the abandoned oars, their hands excoriated
with the acid water, slept profoundly,
others, with heads thrown back and lips
cracked and sore. with scarlet flush on
their cheek, seemed oycrpowered by wear
mess even in sleep; While some. upon
whose faces shone the reflected light from
the water, looked ghostly, and dozed with
a nervous twitching of the limbs. and now
and then starting from their sleep, drank
deeply from beaker and then sank back
again TO lethargy. The solitude, the scene.
my own thoughts was too much felt,
as sat thus, steering the drowsily NOV
ing boat, as if Iwere a Charon, ferrying.
not the souls, but the bodies of the depart
cd and the damned, over some internal
lake, and could endure 1t no longer, but
breaking from my listlessness, ordered the
sails to be furled and the oars resumed
action seemed better than snch unnatural
sleep.