The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-09-11

l.,
j and sail, stay and shroud. had bee
, swept away; her bulwarks, figure head
/, binnacle, and tatfrail, razed by the furi
Gus sea, anu only her lower masts and
u bowsprit remained standing. On tho
, deck, huddled together like frightened
/ sheep, were the passengers, with som,
. two or three sailors at most mingled witt
them.
"What has happened on boardp
called out through the speaking -trumpe
which l had snaLched from the shaking
hand of the drunken skipper. "Whert
is your captainW
"Drownedw answered man, whit
looked like q steward, speaking through
ing to prevent the crew from taking tt
the boats, which were swamped as soof
as they got clear of the ships side. He'll
US, sir, or we shall 60 upon the r0cksP'
But to give efficient help was at thai
moment impossible, and the Henry Clay
Went past us, on the road, as it seemed,
to swift and certain destruction.
Meanwhile, many Of the junks floated
rapidly by, their ialeen sails of plated
straw or striped cotton torn and tapping
While the wretches on board wallowed
on the deck, in abject fear, calling on Fo
to have mercy, and to drive away the
| OA bu0 tcuptbbs pOmo
of these unlucky craft were dashed
against one anoLher until they settled
down in the water; others were hurled
against the rocky shore and battered to
pieces. Some escaped the fatal rocks as
| by miracle, and drifted on, rotating
| before the force of the typhoon, which
gradually veered toward the south. BY
this time we had managed to get up from
The hold spare anchor, and to bend on
1t another cable, 80 that we had hopes OF
riding out the storm. The American
ship, which had brushed so closely by
the cliffs that a biscuit might have been
tossed on shore, came drifting past once
more, and again the pleading cry was
heard for 'help! oh, helpv' I.
81 can not bear thisl" I exclaimed,
turning to those ON board OF our own
vessel; 81 can not see Christian men and
women drown thus miserably for want
of bearing hand. VINO volunteers to
man the jolly-boat, and board the Amer
ican ship" Jerry and two English fore-
castle Jacks were the first to ans swer the
appeal; then came a fair-halred Swede
and red -whIskered Dane, and mulat-
10 lad whom 1 had saved from punish
ment for some trifiing breach Of duty
during The voyage, and who was CRATE
ful.
Six oars, all told. There was nothing
to be expected from the Lascars, be-
numbed by terror and the drenching
sprays or from the Chinaman, stupeied
in part by superstitious alarms, and in
part, too, by the drugs to which they
mad resorted as physical means oflull-
ing fear. The rest of the crew were not
bold or ready.witted enough to back US;
but although Captain Harris offered a
growing opposition to my putting '.his
best hands" into unnecessary danger,
some spark of manly generosity was al
last kindled in the old toper's breast, land
he waved his gold-laced cap as grasped
the tiller ropes and bade the men push
of, calling out, hoarseiy: "Well, done
my ladl II I'd been twenty years
younger, IL
l heard no more; but I have never
forgotten that picture during all the
years that have since elapsed; the ves-
sci straining at her cables, the boat ris.
ing ON the crest Of u giant wave, the old
man, his gray hairs pared, leaning over
the shattered bulwark, and waving his
cap toward us ia sign of adieu. But
at the time I thought little Of it, having
need Of all my steerman's art to keep the
frail boat from being swamped in the
terrible sea through which we had to
pass. We had a desperate struggle, too.
with the rollers, before we could reach
the American, for the mulatto boy and
jerry were both too weak TO be efficient
rowers, and we were tossed and tumDled
to and fro, as if the boat had been a
shuttle-cock banded about between two
monstrous battie-dores, until cncour-
aged the men to q supreme effort, and
reached the ship. Scarcely had / set
foot upon the deck Of the Henry Clay
hnf tnA .hns,
varied the elemental war. The bowling
wind ceased, and dead calm succeeded,
during which the wash of the sea, deep
and hoilow,an the far-of cries of perish
ing sufferers, were alone audible. There
was something perplexing in the sudden
transition from q shrieklng hurricane
TO absolute stiffness.
"Irs, only the heart Of the typhoon; 1t
won't last, sir" observed Jerry, grufiy,
and lost not a moment in doing what |
could for the security Of The vessel. A
jury-mast was rigged, a storm-sail end
jlb was set, and two of the sturdiest men
posted at the wheel. Hardly had this
been done, when, with q hldeous shrek,
the tempest burst upon US again, this
time blowing from quarter opposite to
that from which had last made its force
felt, and bore us resistlessly before 1T.
lue lduy passengers, Wuo udu tllL tueu
believed themselves to he saved, and
had been giving thanks to Providence
tor their rescue, now recommended their
walls and lamentatI0ns-and indeed the
situation was one OF no pleasant char
acter. The storm now begun again with
fury unsated, and wherever the eye
turned, there were laundering vesse.s
and a mad, white sea. We were being
hurried toward rocky headland, the
most northernly port Of the natural har
Dor OF Lima, and beyond which lay the
storm-beaten ocean, with its low-lying
canopy OF Nvid cloud seeming almost
toN NhingleN 20 the driving scud. Were
we once outside this stony barrier, a
chance of safety, though but a poor one /,
remained to ~; whereas, ii driven upon
the reef, ,sour doom was certain. i made
up my mind at once to face the open sea.
'haul away at sheet and braceP !
ceted; 'set another jlb, forward there !;
and you at the helm, keep her away,
yet polnt way, do you hearW
SAY, ay, STRIP ahswered the steers
men, with the mechanical obedience OF
trained hands; but only Jerry exclalm-
ed, cheerily, as he helped to set the new
canvas: "Mr. Harland's right. Moth
ing like sea-room, my-ladsl Haul away
with will, every one U you, and get
steerage-way upon her." BY the mercy
Of Heaven, we rounded the headlaud,
narrowly escaping the fatal contact with
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