The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-06-27

the next great wave came on the sea
where was floating, struck out with
all my might, rose over 1t, and h0ated
gently down the other side.
For the hext four days-putting 1t as
drowning man striving for bls lie IKE
true-hearted fellow-lt was like great
foaming waves coming to wash over me,
but the shore still in sight, and me try
ing hard to reach 1t.
And it was grim, nard fight; dozen
times i could have given up, folded my
arms, and said good-by to the. dear oio
watching face safe on shore; but look
at that always cheered me, and fought
| on again and again, Til at last the sea
seemed to 60 down, and, in utter Wearl-
ness, / turned on my back to 1oat,re
fully, with the tide bearing me Shore
ward, till touched the sands, crept up
them, and fell down worn out, TO sleep
in the sun-safe!
| That's curious way Of putting 1t, you
may say, but 1t seems natural to me 10
mix 1t up with the things OF seagoing
| life, and the manner in which I've seen
SO many fight hard for their lives. IL
| was Just like striving in the midst oil
storm to me, and, when at last fell into
a deep sleep. felt surprlsed-iike to ma
myself lying in my own bed, with Folly
watching by me; and when l stretched
out my hand and took hers, she let loose
that which she had kept hidden from me
before, and, falling ON her knees by my
bedside, she sobbed tor very joy. ...
"As much beef-tea and brandy as you
can get him TO take,' the doctor says
that afternoon; and 1t WASN'T long be-
fore got from slops TO solids, and then
was sent, as / told you, into the country
xxrh fl,a hnn nfar mi N n q N
OF praise for the cure he made.
never said WORD though, even to
Polly, for he did his best; but l don't
think any medicine would have cured
me then.
was saying little while back that
pulled my wife regularly out OF the
hands OF death, ana of course that was
when we were both quite young, though
for the matter of that, l don't feel much
different and can't well see the change
That was in one of the Cape steamers
when / first took to stoking. They wert
little, ramshackle sort OF boats in those
days, ana how it was that more weren'
lost puzzles me. 1t was more due to Jne
weather Than the make or finding OF the
ships, Can tell you, that they used tt
find their way sale to port; and yet th'
Ipassengers, poor things, knowing M
better, used to take passage, aye, ant
make q voyage too from which they nevel
got back.
; Well, / was working on board +;
steamer, as they used to call the Equator
ana heavy-laden, and with about twent,
passengers on board, we started dowi
Channel with all we'll till we got righ
: down Oft the west coast of Africa, wher
there came one Of the heaviest storms
was ever in. Even for a well-tounC
steamer, such as they can build to-day
would have been hard tghL, but witt
our poor, shaky wooden tub, il was
hopeless case from the first.
Our skipper made brave fight Of II
though, and tried hard to make for on
: Of the ports; but, bless you, what can
man do when, after ten days knocking
about, the GOALS run out, and the fire
that have been kept going with woot
and oil, and everything that can bt
thrust into the furnaces, are drowned
when the paddle-wheels are only in tn,
way, every bit OF sail set is blown clear
out of the boll-ropes, and at last the shil
begins to drift fast for lee shore?
That was our case, ana every hour thu
sea seemed to get higher and the wine
more fierce, While l heard from NOR,
gaining below.
My mate and didn't want any telling
though. We'd been driven up out OF th'
stoke-hole like pair OF drowned rats
and came on deck to find the bulwark
{, ripped away, and the sea every now ant
then leaping aboard and washing tn
/; lumber ABOUT in all directions.
a The skipper was behaving very well
q and he kept us all at the pumps, tur
q and turn in spells, but we might as we
:! have tried to pump the sea dry, an
when, with the water gaining last, W
:, told him what we thought, he owned
+ was no use, and we gave up.
Il We'd all been at it, crew aud passel
1 gers, about forty of US altogether, incll
a ding the women-fve OF taem they wer
3 aud they were all Oh one deck, lashed
o " sheltered place, close to tue poo
Q And very pitilul 1t was TO see them figh
q ing hard at first and clinging to the SD
'e Dut only to grow weaker, half-drowhe
as they were; and saw Two slnk dow
e at last, and hang drooping-like fro
their lashings, dead, tor not a soul cou
'e do them a turn.
s Twas holding on by the shrouds wht
~ the mate got to the skipper's side, and
saw in his blank, While face what
was telling him. or course we eonldL
a hear his words in such storm, but v
p didn't want to, tor his lips said pla
~ enough:
70 "She,s sinkingW
ie Next moment there was rush ma,
u for the boats, and two of the passenge
8. cut loose couple of the women; pla
20 was made for them before the first bo
NJ was too full; she was lowered dow
g, cast off, and big wave carried her Gle
'e of the steamer. L saw her for "a m ONE
W on the top of the ridge, and then 8
8 plunged down the other side out OF o.
sight-and that OF everybody ell 81
how long she lived, who can say? S
ne was never picked up or heard of agai
Lo Giving a bit OF cheer, our cha
turned to the next, and were getting
when there came a wave like mou
IS tain, ripped her from the davits, all
iy when l shook the water from my eye
se there she was hanging by one end, sto
q, in, and the men who had tried TO laun
= her gone--skipper and mate as well.
u, There were only seven of us now, al
could see besides the three won
az lashed to the side, and only one OF the
was alive; and for d bit no one move
10 everybody being stunned-like wi
OF horror; but there came lull, and, fe
IN ing that the steamer was sinking und
lg our feet, shouted out TO the boys
~ come on, and we ran TO the last bo
in climbed in, and were casting off, VIII
l happened to catch sight Of the wom