Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-05-01
abe aaig SPY: aa1sster, aatonesoap yonng ag 1879.

A BURNING SHIP.-0h that sighti can ever
forget it? The fire was squirting from every
crevice of the black hull, her great maiumast
was gone, the mizenmast lay with several great
white sails surging about in the water, and she
was dragging it along with her. The foremast
only stood, and its rigging and sails had not
yet caught. dead silence had succeeded now
10 the commotion in the vessel; men were stand
ing stock-stll, perhaps waiting for their orders.
and my uncles were the only eyes that were
not strained 10 follow the leaping and dazzling
spires.
Every moment we approached. Now the first
waf. of the smoke came in our faces now we
could hear a cracking aud rending, the creak
and SILVER, and the peculiar roaring noise made
by mastering fire.
"a fulrigged ship heard Brand whisper
TO his wife. "Elcyen hundred tons at the
least"
'Merciful heavenp she whispered in reply.
81 hope she won't blow no. Anyhow, thank
the Lord we've got master in command him
SELF
never saw anything like the horrible beauty
of thar red light. 1t added tenlold TO the ter
ror OF the scene 10 see her coming on so majes-
hcally, dragging with her broken spars and
great yards and Sprawlng sails. She looked
like some splendid live creature in distress, and
rocked now a good deal IN the water, for every
moment the wind seemed to rise, bringing up a
long swell with il.
The moon went down, and in few minutes
dark sky and black water. l saw the Two little
dark boats nearing her, knew that my brother
was IN the foremost, and shook with fear, and
cried TO God TO take care of him; but while
and all gazed in awful silence on the sailing ship,
the flames bursting through the deck in n new
place, climbed up the fore-rgging. and in one
single leap, as if they had been living things,
they were licking the sails off the ropes, and,
shooting higher than her topsails, they spread
themselves out like quivering fans. | saw every
sail that was left in an instant bathed in flames;
a second burst came raging up from below,
Dlackening and shriveling everything before it;
then saw the weltering fire run down again,
and still the wreck, plunging her bows in the
water, came rocking on and on.
How near does our old man mean to go?"
whispered Mrs. Brand; and almost at that in
slant | observed that he had given some order
to the man at the helm, and | could distinctly
hear murmur of satisfaction; then almost di-
reety cry of horror roSc-we were very near
her, and while the water Kissed with strange
distinctnesS, and steamed in her wake, her blaz-
ing foremost fell over the side, plunging with a
tremendous crash into the sea, sending up dan
gerous showers OF sparks and burning bits of
sail-cloth, and covering our decks with falling
finder.
The black water took in and quenched all
that blazing tOphamper, and still the awful
Kissing was audible, till suddenly, as we seemed
to be steering of from her, there was thunder
ons roll that sounded like the breaking of her
mighty heart, and still glorious in beauty she
plunged head foremost, and went down blazing
into the desolate sea.
In one instant that raging glow and all the
fierce illumination of the fire was gone; dark
ness had settled on the face of ii deep. | saw
a few lighted spars floating about, that was
all; and smelt the fire and felt the hot smoke
rushing past my face as the only evidence that
this was not a dream.-FrOm OF the .SbetligS,
by Jean LagelOD.