The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-11-15

II Topioiy ociOEc u uOTtuWcst Soics
On the morning OF the 18th Of jun
several fights of birds were seen, bl
eyes were vainly strained to catch
sight of land. Parr announced hi
opinion that that they had passe
Ascension Island; shirts were presse
into service to form sprit.sail, and tn
course was altered in the hope of maxi
ing Rio Janeiro. BY this time thei
slender store of provisions had sadl
diminished, and they resolved to !imi
themselves to an ounce Of bread an,
two mouthfuls of water per day for eacl
man. Day by day their strength sank
and their spirits with it McKinnor
being the saddest of that sad crew. re
preaching himself with being the frs
cause of the suffering he shared. Blu
worse was to come the last morsel O
bread was eaten, the last drop Of water
drank, no sail could be seen, no signs Of
land appeare to impart little hope to
the enfeebled, wasted, despairing men,
Some sought to relieve their infiamed
Threats by sucking pieces of bamboo
Browne, recalling some sea story to
mind, soaked piece Of his shoe in salt
water, but was glad to throw it away
after tasting it. He then cut up the
inner sole. dividing it with his comrades
in misfortune, but no one received any
benefit from his generosity. The weary
days and wearier nights sped on, and
yet they lived, having existed eight days
upon an ounce Of bread and few dr.. ps
of water, and for FIVE days upon nothing
at all. Then Parr contrived to catch a
dolphin, for which they all thanked
God devoutly. The fish lasted them for
four days; when it was finished, Parr,
Browne, Brighouse and Conway were
for scuttling the boat, and thus ending
their misery. The other two objected,
arguing, that "God, who had made
them, always found them something to
eat; but their faith failed them at last,
and then
49,, One whispered his companion. who
W INSPIRED another. and thus it went round.
And then into hoarser murmur grew,
An ominous, and wild and desperate sound:
And when his Comrades thought each sufferer knew
And oa t tey n ,.o own m he found
And who should die to be his fellows food
Parr was not allowed to take his chance
with the rest because he had but lately
recovered from an infectious disease.
He numbered five pieces of paper, fold.
ed them up, and threw them into a hat,
from which the others drew them; upon
opening these, the fatal number, five,
was found to have fallen upon McKin. |
non, the suggester of the lottery. He |
quietly took up sharpened nail. open.
ed three veins, and was quickly out of
his trouble. The Mortified lookers-o
were in no haste to make the meal for
which they had provided, but turned
heir eyes away from their dead friend.
hungry necessity at last oyercame all
cruples, and before KcKinnon's corpse
vas cold piece was cut off the thigh,
nd small portion served out among
hem. Every two hours the body was
Tipped In the sea, to preserve it from
,utrefaction, and spite of the disgust
hey felt at the horrid food, it answered
Is purpose, of keeping little life in
hem, and the sacrifice was not made
! vain.
Three days after the acting of this
'agedy, Browne observed at daybreak [
change in the color of the water, and
hen the daylight grew stronger land
as discerned. Revived by the whole. I
me sight, all exerted themselves to
leir poor utmost, and by eight o'clock
icy were close on the shore they
ere mad for land. and thus their course they
Thoagh right ahead the roaring breakers Law:
reef between them also now began
10 show its boiling surf and bounding spray: Q
At nndinf no place for their landing better, c
icy ran the boat for shore-and overset her,
I'd in moment were battling for dear ]
q with the angry waters. Browne, !
'nway and Parr, after hard struggle. :
It safe footing on land, but the other =
70 were swept away by the waves and h
owned.
Sore in body and sad at heart, the Il
rec battled survivors dragged their .
hing limbs to a hut upon the beach. :.
ID exchanged dismal congratulations. y
1T fortune had not yet dealt her last +
fet. The hut was tenanted by an old :,
dian woman and her son, the former a
whom disappeared Immediately after :,
intrusion Of the strangers into her ii
micile; and in less than two hours :,
ne the place was surrounded by :,
med men. Before the objects of the l.
mmotlon could think of resistance, !.
~. found themselves seized, tied by W
hands and feet, slung upon BAN. :.
os; and on their way to some unknown a.
'tination. After travelling in this un- =
fashion for three miles or ~
their captors halted at village or y,
all town, unslung their prisoners, IN
1 put them into a rude sort of prison, a.
ere they lay, half dead with hunger -;
exhaustion, exposed to the derision az
brutal sightseers. This state of tor. Il;
mt, however, did not last long. The AZ
vernon of the place paid them visit, al
!, a. soon as he discovered they were r,
Frenchmen, ordered them to be -
ried to his own house, where a few ~
70 Of kind and judiciors treatment ~
rked WondAra They loarp al f.e.,. ~