The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1875-12-22

bear without shakin,' flIrled the foresa
up snug, and laid the foret0p sail to tn
mast Then the word was for volunteer
for the boat, and every man jumped fol
ward.
ST WERE ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES
to be chose, and givin' the key IF m,
chIst to chum of mine, / off with every
THU but my drawers, and the other tire
chaps done the same. 1t wern't no joke
mind you, gittin' a boat in the water
but with the foretop sail aback she la
Just lead in the water. and SO made |
tolerable good lee. We fitted the oar
and rudder with trail lines, and putin 1
couple of chaps into her, one 70 ard ant
one aft, for to unlock her, we stood b
for the word to lower away. The ole
man was a watchin, and when he seen q
a good chance be gave the word and they
Stacked away on both tackles by the run
As she touched the water, the afterfal
was let go altogether and strain held
ON the forard one till her after end was
clear then the for'ard one wal
letgo and unlocked and she fioated free.
Tie mate catched BY line over the side
and swung hisself down onto her; the
other two of Us done the same, and in q
| jiiEy we was off. While we KEEP in the
lee of the ship we was well enough, but
as soon as we got clear, where the sea
could have a rake at US, it were frightful.
She were patent life-boat and a good
sea boat, but afore we got down to the
other boat we took two combers over the
quarter, filling US up to the threats. She
soon freed herself, however, and in about
ten minutes arter leavin' the ship we
roHnded-tO to leeward of the whale boat,
which were a-foatin' in the sea as light
and dry as a cork. As we come to and
pulled up to her, we heard distinct above
the roar of the wind and the sea the faint
cryef baby. l tell you, sir, if should
live to be as old as Methuselum, L
shall never forget the start it give me for
to lear that baby cry in the midst Of this
wild hubbub of wind and sea.
s'HoLY MOSES ~ SAYS THE MATE.
"There's a live infant there and its moth
er ;.give way strong, and stand by to hop
a better boat than ours in this sea, and
its no use tryin' to shift that poor Great
ure out here in this bubble.
"Accordin' we cast off our trail lines,
pitched our oars into the whale boat and
watchin' chance, scrambled into her
ourselves. We had a couple of spare
oars, and one of them the mate took for
steerin' oar.
Can't we take our boat in tow says
one of the chaps.
mo says the mate, I'VE haven't a
a second to lose ] don't know whether
this poor lass is alive or dead, but we
must get her under the doctors hands as
soon as possible, so give way for dear
life,'
t'He didn't attempt to disturb the wo-
man in any way, leavin' the little baby
in her arms tryin' with all his little might
to git some fodder from a font that had
well nigh run dry.
Ps'He didn't need to tell us to pull the
sight of that pretty creature were enough,
ahd we bent our backs till our oarblades
buckled agin. We were in a boat now,
too. Built of seasoned cedar and light
as cork, she would drowned out most
of the ships. All times. when big fell
low oDsne aiopg, she would rise to it and
seem almost to stand ON end, then dash
in through the foam at its crest she
would sink headlong into the hollow agin
to rise triumphant over the next wave.
1.-THE OLD SHIP WE'RE A COMM DOWN
to us about as fast as we was a pullin up
to her, so that it were not long afore we
was under her lee. were with one
galoot once that fell in with a wreck.
hove to under her lee, and then sent a
boat to take off the crew. There were
eight of 'em in all, and they loaded the
boat pretty we'll down, aud afore they
got 'em in, our ship, with all her spars
on end and with her n ain topsail to the
mast, driftin' twice as fast as the wreck,
which was low down into the water, had
got long distance away and was adriftin'
and forgin' ahead nigh onto as fast
as the boat COULD La pulled, and it was
over aa hour of hard pullin' afore they
got alongside.
"Never heave-to to leeward of a
wreck, my lad, and never heGVs,to with
your maintopsail 10 tne mast ifyou want
to stop your ship. Old Captain Jack
Eldridge know'd what he were about, and
consequently we didn't have half SO far
to pub goin' back as We did COMM off.
They had the companion ladder over the
side, and the mate catchin' the hahY from
its mothers breast ruined UP the ladder
with it like a cat. There were a woman
among the steerage passengers what had
a nussin' infant of her own and she pitch
ed her baby to a woman for TO hold, and
takin' this one from the mate she unkiv-
cred and put him to the tan end he took
hold and swigge9 away like an Old Sailor
at rNm bottle.
THEY'D RIGGED A WHIP
onto the main yard arm and slingd one
Of the big cabin chairs, and now they
filed away the fore and squared in the
mainyard. We got the chair down into
the boat, unhookin' the whip from it, and
then we lifted this poor cretur into the
chair, lashin' her solid. Then we stood
by and as the boat rose onto the top of
sea, we hooked on the whip, and as the
boat fell the chair was danglin' in the air
for second or so, and then pulled gently
in on deck. The young woman was
quickly passed down into the cabin, and
the doctor and the women went to work
at her. 1t were hard job, for she were
near gone, but at last some faint signs
of life were discovered and by mornin'
she were out of danger. We had nigh
hand drifted down atop of our boat by
the time we got the woman on board, so
We went and got that afore we filed away,
and We got it hysted up without stavin' it,
then we hooked onto the whale-boat with
the whip ON the main yard and got that
IN, and then we weared round on our
heel and went an our courSe aOin
"AND HERE WERE THE FUNNIEST PART
of it all. That young woman, of course,
got all right In the course of two or three
days but not a word would she tell Of