The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-05-31
she sbode many months in the voy-
age through tropical waters, as choice
ly taken care OF and waited upon as


where she lay impaled and helples
Fortunately they were not far fro
land, and in the ships boat thu
reached a fiat, low-lying shore, vii
8 thick, green Jungle only few ro,
back from the sea. Here the captal
landed his wife, her pet dog, and
few animals from the ships live stocl
which he had not the heart to leay
ON board to perish. Then leaving he
one of the ships boys for protection
he took to his boats and crew, an
went back to the wreck, which sti
held fast to the rocks, to see if q
could save the mcst valuable part {
his merchandise
In the full glare of the burnin
sun, beating down on that white stri
OF sea-beach, the captains wife wait
ed, not daring to seek the deliciou
shade of the jungle, lest there nigh
be wild beasts or deadly malari
lurking in its green Businesses A
dark drew near, and the boats di'
not return, the two or three goat
rand pigs who had been saved iron
the ship wandered from tne beach
apd were seized upon by two hug
tigers, which rushing upon then
from their covert in the jungle
clutched and bore their prey away
with them. / imagine the horror o
the lady and the ships boy, who wert
near enough to the monsters to set
the yellow glare of their fierce eyes
The little dog, as if he had a human
sense OF danger, would not approach
the Jungle, but ran up and down fol
hours in little circuit close about
his mistress, uttering all the time 6
sharp, quick bark, which she always
believed helped to frighten the wild
animals away. Perhaps the feline
part OF them were awed by the bark
of even so small canine; perhaps
they did not care to attack human
beings. AT any rate, although the
tigers appearl twice or thrice to take
away the pigs and goats, they made
no motion to approach the lsdy and
the frightened boy. When the boats
returned with the best part of the
ships cargo SAFE, they made huge
fires on the hot sand to keep away
the beasts, and slept soundly in their
boats, drawn up on shore. The next
day they sought out a native town,
and shortly after found an American
ship, winch took them back to Boston
harbor again.
I think 1t was an uncle of hers that
nv grandmother used to tell story
OF shipwreck, which always made US
cry. The preliminary circumstances
have faded from my memory up to
the fac. that a crowded boatload OF
men were afloat upon the ocean with
out water and without food. They
had cnawed to rags the leather OF
their shce soles, and the leather OF
their belts. A friendly rain, whose
blessed moisture they had sucked
from their handkerch:efs and cloth
Ing, had kept them from going mad
with thirst while they lag thus for
DAYS on a becalmed and dreadful
ocean. Now hunger had begun to
get the better of the brayest OF them,
and at first with hints, and finally
with spoken words, it had been made
known that one must die to furnish
food for the others. They cast lots
for him, and the lot fell on the elder
of the two brother, who was q mar
ried man, and had a wife and live
little children at home. Then the
Younger brother, who had no tie to
hold him to life except the bare love
of it, besougbt his elder brother to
let him die in his stead, and reminded
him so knowingly of the wife and ba-
bies who were his cause TO live, en-
treating all his other comrades to
accept him as the substitute for lite
better worth preserving than bis own,
that even the hunger-maddened men
were moved to tears, and the dew oil
a blessed pity molstened the fever Of
their parched brains. And while
they paused sail appeared on the
horizon, neared them with the help
of a fresh up springing breeze. and
before twilight (bless GodD they
were safe and succored on board
vessel which bore them swiftly home
This sounds like an incident from an
old black-letter book of voyages, ye'
INV grandmother had it from the lip:
of him who was one OF the heroes o.
the story.
There are 80 many OF these stories
crowding the past with visions o
, sbipwreck that they make the crawl
, ing. hungry ocean seem like grea
, charnel- house with aisles on aisles o
! Grave, hidden under its arching bi.
: lows. No beauty in it at its best
: hut the cruelest thing in all nature
!, even when it lies most peaceful sno
E serene under the smiling sky. 4
e thousand ghosts from the old winter
tales rise up, hardly to be laid, when
ever l think OF it, but / copjure ther
t down, and end with a little inciden
C of shipwreck which happened only
a few wears ago while the civil war wa
, raging among US. The story wa
q told me by friend whose siste
l. called on a steamer bound for th
o Pacific coast. They were wrecke
?. inst eff Florida, On Roncada reef. o
y . part of this reef, only little abov
B. the sea-level, and SO nearly sui
IN merged that a violent storm migt
,r lash the waves all over the wretchc
N foothold they found there, three hui
is dred people clung to q bare hope
at safety. They had something to ca
I'd a meager allowance, and they ha
Or constant hope of being seen by We
~ sells, which were sure to pass tn
,g way. Thus they dragged through
ne dreadful week till succor reacne
rs tbem in the form of United Stat
ct steamer of Farragups fleet, whi'
ne came to take them off. During III
r time baby had been born there
is this bald rock, and named from
p Roncadora, in compliment to Il
e. poor succor which the reef had CIV
,h the mother in her bitter hour OF ira
o, all. When the steamer found The
ID out and the officers and men fro
k the fleet came to bear the shl
I'd wrecked sufferers on board, they we
er so weakened by misery and want
st food that the strongest men were II
,g babies. and hsd to be carried a"
,g in the strong arms OF the ssilors.
on This shipwreck interested me gre
ix ly. and | cherished it too as one
ug which no one 1 had known or loV
ce had suffered or borne any part;
10 wear later l was telling it 20 a III
lst company among whom was my 8,
to wart cousin, who sailed In ADM
a Farraput's fleet, the youngest OIL
he amone them all. As 1 spoke
gh started up crying, "That was
old steamer. We helped these poor CT
'sel lures off the reef. l carried In
DOR arms to the ships boat men
the were too weak to walk even :, III
had excitement of being saved" Z
W. with many graphic words ne ,
ugh anew the story Of the rescue
and shipwrecked men and women \, : |,
8 of tears of ioy on the breasts OF !
rev nreseryers; - and how tenderly
sailors nursed them, till they c'
as = a q bring them safe to land.
On THE origin OF the phr:se,, = .
He eoose hangs high, IS saio " Y.
und ooose honks high," referring ':