The Republican journal., 1874-10-01

Siidlt WAS weak, anu dlltduy Ildu Hi 4
dangerous flaw And he said, Il eX-
pect every minute that thing will snap
so, if YOU can't ease the ship, we'd best
| disconnect the screw"
| didn't like the thought of trusting al
together to my holding tackle. for | felt
that the gale was increasing, and was
doubtful if anything would hold against
such wind and sea but it would be still
worse to be left helpless to the chapter OF
accidents, as would be the case if the
screw We're rendered useless. 50 bade
the engineer disconnect the screw, but
to keep up a full head of steam, ready to
stand out to sea if our tackle gave way,
But as | left my cabin to take a turn OF
two upon deck, | saw that the fog was
breaking rapidly, SO that the sky to wind
! ward was quite clear, and the stars shin
| ing brightly, whilst a great wall OF mist
was marching away from Us, rolled up be-
fore the wind Just like carpet In few
minutes saw lights twink ling on the
coast here and there, and before long |
was able to make out exactly where we
We're | had run my course to a hair
| breadth almost Those Were the lights of
Sulina and that break in the long, low
coast-line was the mouth of the Danube
1t was rather a risky business running
into a strange river at dead of night with
out pilot, with such wind as now was
| blowing but | felt that the risk was
| greater i'll remaining at my anchorage. !
| didn't wait to weigh anchor, which might
| have been difficult business, but buoyed
and slipped my cable, and with foretopsail
and bit OF toresal set. made straight for
| the bar | had no fear of sticking, our
vessel being light. and the easterly winds
| having piled the water up, SO that there
was greater depth than usual upon the
bar; but did dread that the Orient would
become unmanageatle, and drift helpless
ly on the shore.
However, it was all over in 4 few min
utes. By good luck we got smartly over
the bar we found ourselves in water com
paratively still, meeting the strong river
current, that formed great eddies with the
waters OF the sea, making steerage diff
cult in the channel It's Just at moments
like these, when the safety of a ship may
depend on the smart handling Of a sail,
that you feel the difference between an
English crew and the mOngrel set you pick
| up at eastern ports | believe we should
/ have made a wreck of it, after all, Just be-
cause | couldn't get my toretopsail turled
quickly enough, when the wind took the
matter in its own hands. and blew it clean
out of the bolt-ropes, and rent it to tat
| tiers, that went sailing away, looking
| against the dark purple sky like SO many
seabrds, My mate out OF his senses
| almost at this, and chased the crew down
into the forecastle; we We're we'll into the
| channel of the river, and the engineer and
| bA tbi hot n
| had some notion that there was a
! quarantine establishment at Sulina, and
that | ought to have obtained pruttque
| there but | had a clean bill OF health
and it was their business to stop me if they
wanted to do so. At any rate, thought
| that a few hundred piastres would set the
matter right, So steamed slowly up the
river towards Galatz, congratulating my
| self on having done this business so neatly
Then began to wonder what my mate
was doing down below so long, and | sent
| my lad forward to see.
Presently the lad and he returned to-
gether and as he came within the light Of
the pinnacle lamp | saw that he looked
deadly pale.
EsWhats the matter, Sims | said.
Have tuuse rascals peen mutInous!
Come below, captain he whispered !;
I've got something to tell YOU"
What is it, man2 Speak out, | cried !;
Il can't leave the deck"
It's the Italian fellow who was skulls
ing as we thought"
'.Well, what of INN -
| "Hes very bad, dying almost and its
cholera. cap'n I've seen it before He
| brought it on board at Trebizonde."
The first thing | thought Of was my
voyage, my ship, and my owners. The
| illness of this Italian sailor might be the
ruin Of my prospects OF course, as soon
as it was known that we had sickness on
board, we should be kept in quarantine
| till the man recovered or died, and pr0ba-
| bly, for months and months afterwards,
couldn't bear the thought of it, lying idle
! in this Wretched river, not earning pen
ny, with the ship expenses running on,
| and machinery and stores deterloratlng as
fast as possible. 1t was now October In
a couple of months, il the winter We're at
all severe, we should be frozen up in the
river So that, in fact, it might be March
or April of the following year before we
could get away. And what, | asked OF
myself, would become Of June meanwhile
| That thought struck me the keenest of all
! She expecting her trouble to come on in
February, and all alone in strange
foreign place; | couldn't bear the thought
was not long in making up my mind
| would run out Of the river in the morn
ing, at the first appearance OF daylight
and make my way home in ballast, touch
ing at Constantinople to pick up Jane and
my belongings at Pera. Perhaps the man
might recover on the open sea. | ordered
the anchor to be dropped, the spare one,
and brought to III the middle Of the
stream, waiting ;lnXiously for the morning
light. As soon as the ship was made snug,
| went down below with Sims, to see the
sick man All his shipmates had shrunk
away from him, and he was lying in a
bunk in the forecastle- could see the
CLEAN of his white, dying face. that
seemed almost phosphorescent in the
darkness. went up to him and felt his
pulse. 1t tiuttered teebly as | held his
wrist; presently it stopped altogether,
and | felt a slight shudder pass through
his frame.
"What do you think Of him, sir ?7 asked
Sims
He'll be better tGr more air." | said,
looking round at the narrow, close fore
castle, with its dirty hunks and bundles
Of trowsy clothing. "We'll put him in The
deck house, Sims, and that will give him
a better chance"
We called the engineer and between rs
we carried the man upon deck and placed
him in the deck-house on a mattress.
Hes vera still, sir" said the engineer
looking at him compassionately.
! turned the key in the door, and called
Sims and the engineer aft. The mans
dead" said
Poor fellow" said the Scot LAY.
thought he was over quiet to be aliye,"
"What did he want to come on board al
all for" grumbed Sims, ''if he meant tc
die like this?"
Then | told them what would be the
consequence of having this death OF
board how we should be laid up il
quarantine, and be kept prisoners fol
months and months. What was to do:
To hoist the yellow and black flag, and
| orivo ont hot xua uara iDtantaH on bO9 Td