Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-01-11

who were under water-mark seemed-f you
will pardon q slang term in consideration Of its
grateful, for the danger Of collision was very
real Probably the mouth Of the Thames lie IA
milar To y0n, but If not, know that vessels en-
ter il by a number Of roads, duly buoyed ont ana
Ii ght-h0used. These roads or channels being
narrow, and the number OF outward and home
ward bound ships very great, thick fog or
snow storm is q serious peril.
Abont noon the wind increased in violence,
and blew the fog away, 90 that we were able to
70 on fearlessly; and by and by, when the ex-
eiteme mt had claimed down, my old man grew
The sea ran rather high; but as neither OF us
suffered from sea-sickness, this tended to raise
our spirits, as the strong air sharpened our ap-
petites; and though every now and then big
wave would ehiver itself against our weather.
low, and send a shower Of It's fragments sweep
ing across the deck, we got wen under the shell
ter Of the paddle-box, and enj oyed It.
To my surprise, on one occasion when he want
ed 70 draw my attention to something, hap
pening to be looking another way, my cOmpan-
ion spoke to me by name.
s'You know me?" asked.
Certainly he replied; lyon sold nae some
jewels FIVE years ago. even remember the cir
cumstances. property had to be divided
amongst the various members Of your family,
and the diamonds were too valuable to be allOt-
ted to any individual, 30 that it was TO
turn them into money; and you had the man
agement of the transaction, which was carried
out through my agency"
He was perfectly accurate in the account
which he gave me, even recalling to my mind
certain minutise which had forgotten, though
surely they ought to have impressed me more
strongly than him. i presently remembered his
face, however; indeed, it had struck me as
familiar when the lamp-light first fell upon it
the night before. But his hair had turned from
black to white, and the loss of his teeth had
caused his cheeks to fall in-changes that alter
the Physiognomy more radically than any other
he had made inquiries about me at the time
when the business alluded to was transacted;
and that their result was such as to inspire him
present affairs with a freedom which surprised
me, though had done him good turn. For,
in truth, be had that on him which it was wen
not to biab about. He carried in the inner pocket
Of his waistcOat no fewer than twenty five rough
diamonds, emeralds and sapphires, which he
was taking to Holland to cut az am too old for
such business now he said. elf You had not
come to my rescue last night, and those rascals
had got hold of the stones, should have been
ruined, runed!'
whether they were his own, or he had but a
trusted to him, cannot say; he did not tell me;
but the hints he threw out Of their value, which,
if the diamonds were at all worthy Of the ex-
them, must have been ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in
the ordinary, not the Monte Cristo or Lothian
sense-it Is not probable they were entirely the
While we were converting, the wind was
growing in violence, till at length we could not
make ourselves heard without difficulty, and
the Paddle-bOxes no longer afforded much pro-
lection against the spray, which searched the
whole deck.
The skipper of passage-boat always takes
the freedom of a passenger from sickness at
dinner time rs personal compliment; and as
our present captain had helped each of US to the
everlasting boiled mutton twice, We had right
to his good opinion. So he came up to us. and
told the dIamond-merchant that he thought
would be more comfortable below. On the old
man acquiescing, he took him in tow, and
guided him safely TO the cabin stairs, to my
great relief, for feared that duty would de-
volve me; and my legs not being so nautical
as nv stomach, We should infallibly have rolled
together in the lee-seuRpers, (whatever they
presently; and as he passed me, he shouted i'm
my ear: "I'd go too, il were yOu."
presently roared in reply. .'This is
new sight to me: just I'VE minutes more"
No need to bid me ''hOld tight, was cling
ing to the rope grasped with great tenacity,
for every and then the deck became so
steep that my feet slipped from under me, and
the wave-tOps that left their own element and
came flying across US, struck me with force
which had not hitherto attributed to water,
1t was a grand scene. had never witnessed
anything like it before. had indeed seen more
than one storm on bold coast, but there Is all
the difference between q wave breaking on the
shore, and wave in the open sea, that there is
between a Gagged lion and a lion in the desert.
1t is great thing in these nal admirari days to
satiOn. Nature seemed SO vast, 50 irresistible;
man, 30 puny and weak. 1 had read many
descriptions, both in prose and verse, Of
storms s at sea, but had never eanght an idea of
able to express what i felt. 1t was so absurd
that had ever reckoned the little lives and his
tories Of my kind so highly. l caught a glimpse
OF the fact that we men, who give ourselves
such airs, are but as mites in a cheese. Doubt
less, there may be good mites and bad, wise
mites and foolish, but when they are mashed up
fInw r%
a knife, they are merged in equal insig-
nificance.
As an individual mite, however, began to
menced a series of acrobatic performances
having for their object the attainment, first of
the cabin stairs, and then of my berth. In time
some bruises; then, perched on my shelf, I sue
ceeded in getting rid Of my wet outer garments,
and rolling myself up In a blanket, was soon
rocked to sleep. (;
was awakened by a violent conclusion
Have You ever, when going upstairs in the
dark, expected another step when Won were on.
the Level and got eT5 Sach tried
Whether i was thrown out of my berth, or
jumped down in panic, i don't know. 1 re-
member trampling on something, which must
have been the diamond merchant; stumbling
into the saloon, catching Q glimpse Of three
viid-eyed passengers, PROSTATE hitherto with
sea-sickness, but now cured by fear; struggling
up the cabin stairs against a torrent Of water
reaching the deck.
The day was breaking. The wind had gone
down somewhat. A low line of coast was visf-
bic in the distance. The steamer was aground,
heelIng over ON her port side, and the waves
were bufeting her to pieces. i managed to
climb to the starboard side of the funnel, the
base of which prevented me from slipping along
the steep deck, while the bulwark and paddle
box behind formed barrier against the vio-
lence OF the waves.
But this latter advantage did not last long;
MS MI hy mis- hov md b1,lxw he
torn to pieces and the loose splinters were a
fresh source of danger. A sailor, clinging to
the skylght over the engines, not far from nv
station, had his arms broken by a mass Of wood
and iron which was hurled against him; and
then the waves, which now washed the deck
without opposition, had him at their mercy.
They rolled him back, away from me, then
threw him forward almost 10 my feet, 20 that I
could see his pitiful, appealing eyes; but be-
fore could clutch him, they snafched him awav
again. So they worried him to death, and then
sported with his corpse. = 49,
There were two boats; the captain and crew
attempted to get one ah0at; but the gear was
ont of order, or they were clumsy, or the situa-
ton was unfavOrable. ANY way, the boat was
capsiZed, and some of these who were trying to
launch II were, think, crushed. judging by the
cry heard. The other boat, which was near
me, had side stove in, but amongst the ruins
OF IL I saw the yellow rim Of life buoy, which
1 determined to have. 1t was task Of peril
and nj fcuif To he 4