The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-07-11
A TERRIBLE REAL STORY

| a 1Ghh16I6 NEAL SGOhX.
Nine DAYS after storm in the Gulf Of
Mexico, traveller, finding his way from
the salt-panS of western Louisiana, tool
little fshing-craft. There was that
fresh purity in the air and the sea which
follows the bursting of the elements.
| The numerous " bays" and keys that
incident the shore looked fresher and
brighter, and there was that repentant
beauty in nature which aims to soothe
us into forgetfulness of its recent angry
passions. The white-winged sea-birds
flew about, and tall waterfowl stood
silently over their shadows like picture
above and below. The water sparkled
with salt freshness, and the rowing
winds sat in the shoulder of the sail
resting and riding to port.
| The little bark slipped along the
shores and shadows, and in and out by
key and inlet, seeing its shadow on the
pure white sand that seemed SO near its
keel. The last vestige of the storm was
gone, and the little gI1lf-world seemed
fresher and glRdder for it. The tropi-
cal green grasses and water-plants hung
their long, linear, hairlike sheaths in
| graceful curves, and patches of willow
palm and palmetto, in many an intricate
curve and involution, made labyrinth
of verdure. The wild Ioveliness of the
numerous slips and channels, where
never q boat seemed to have sailed
since the Indians water logged canoe
was tossed on the shadowy banks, was
| enhanced by the vision of distant ships,
| their sails even with the water, or bro
ken by the white buildings of sleepy
plantation in its bower of fig and olive
and tall moss-clustered pine S.
| Suddenly the traveller fancied he
heard cry, but the fishermen said no,
it was the scream of waterfowl or the
shrill call of an eagle far above, drop
| ping down from the blue zenith; and
| they sailed on. Again he heard the dis
| tant cry, and was told of the panther in
the bush and wild birds that drummed
and called with almost human intona-
ton and they sailed on again. But
again the mysterious, troubled cry arose
from the labyrinth of green, and the
traveller entreated them to go in quest
| of it. The fishers had their freight for
market, delay would deteriorate it's
| value but the anxious traveller bade
them put about and he would bear the
loss.
1t was we'll they did. There, in the
dense coverts of the sea-swamps, amid
the brackish water -growths and grasses,
they found a man and woman, ragged,
torn, starved. For nine days they had
had no food but the soft pith of the
palmetto, coarse mussels, or scant pol
son-berries, their bed damp morass, and
their drink the brackish water and
they told the wild and terrible story of
Last Island.
Last Island was the Saratoga and
Long Branch of the south, the souther-
most watering-place in the gulf. Stu
ated on fertile coral island enriched
by innumerable focks of wild fowl, art
had brought its wealth of fruit and
flowers to perfection. The cocoanut-
palm, date-palm, and orange orchards
contrasted their rich foliage in the sun
shine with the pineapple, banana, and
| the rich soft turf of the mesquit-grass.
| The air was fragrant with magnolia and
orange bloom, the gardens glittering
with the burning beauty of tropical
| flowers, iessamine thickets. and voluptu-
GUS grape arbors, the golden wine-like
| sun pouring an Intoxicating balm over
| it; graceful white cottages festooned
| with vines, with curving chalet or Chi
nese roofs colored red; pinnacled ar
bOrs and shadowy retreats of espaliers
pretty as coral grove and fair
shining hotel in the midst, with arcades
and porches and galleries, the very
dream of ease and luxury, as delicate
and trim as if made of cut paper in
many forms of prettiness. Here was
the nabob's retreat; in this balmy gar
| den of delight all that luxury, art, and
voluptuous desire could hint or hope
for was collected aud nothing harsh or
poor or rugged Jared the fullness of its
| luxurious ease.
Ten nights before, its fragrant atmos-
| phere was broken into beautiful ripples
| by the clang and harmony of dancing
music It was the night of the. g hop.
| The hotel was crowded. Yachts and
pleasure-vessels pretty as the petals of
| a flower tossed on the water, or as grace
full shells banked the shores and the
steamer at twilight came breathing
short, excited breaths with the last re-
lay, for it was the height of the sum-
mer season. In their light, airy dresses,
As the music swan and sung, bright
| eyed girls foated in graceful waltzes
| down the voluptuous waves of sound,
and the gleam of light and color was
| like butterflies ball. The queenly,
|
| strolled in lamp-hghted arcades, and
| dreamed and hoped of life like that,
| the fairy existence of love and peace !;
and so till, tired of play, sleep and rest
came in the small hours.
! Hush All at once came the storm,
not, as in northern latitudes, with pre-
monitoly murmur and fretting, lashing
! itself by slow degrees into white heat
and rain, but the storm of the tropics,
carrying the sea on its broad, angry
shoulders, till, reaching the verdurous,
| love, clustered little isle, it flung the
| bulk of waters with all its huge, brawny
| force right upon the cut-paper pretti,
ness, and broke them into sand and
| splinters. OF all those pretty children
with blue and opalescent eyes, arrayed
like flowers of the field; of all those
! lovers dreaming of love in summer dali
| lance, and of cottages among figs and
! olives of all the vigorous manhood and
ripe womanhood, with all the skill
and courage of successful life in them,
not tithe was saved. The CHASTITY
nav of the waters covered and swal-
lowed them. A few sprang, among
crashing timbers, or a floor laden with
impetuous water; the many perhaps
never walked at all, or woke to but one
short prayer. The few who were saved
hardly knew how they were saved, the
many who died never knew how they
were slain or drowned.
1t has twice been my fortune in life
to see such a storm, and to know its
sudden destruction once, to see a low,
broad, shelving farmhouse disappear to
the ground timbers before my ewes. as
! if its substance had vanished into air,
while great globes of electric fire burst
| down and sunk into the ground; once,
to see pine forest of centuries growth
cut down as grass by the mowers
scythe. do not think it possible to
see third and survive. and I do not
wish my soul to be whirled away in the
vortex of such a storm