St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-11-17
VOLUME 4O---NUMBER 2O51

} confinement. In Il world full of hurt
) ing winds we. helpless, locked up with
: death. gasped for one mouthful of air
More than one in the low cabin Law in
Il death-like swoon long before mora
ing, but while despair is a narcotic.
terror Is II powerful stimulant. and the
most of us stitling and painting as we
were. were vet Intensely alive to every
sound
Nothing can convey to the ear that
has not heard them. the awful dread
INSPIRED in the helpless passenger of 4
storm tossed ship. by hcarngthc strange
sounds whose cause he cannot see. The
tortured grOanS of the strainiup tim
herS; the shrieks of the shrinking
c"idage the rushing, maddened whirl
ana flap OF the riven sails like nothing
:" much as the wild scream of terror
'lazcd animal {; the hurried. stumbling
| llead OF storm beaten men, brayely
| iiohtlhg an unseen terrible force; the
sharp crack of Il breaking spar: the
snllen thump of the vessel as it falls
back upon its cruel bed or the pom
urrOus blows of the waves as they fall
HriNerInS srrc>. dr, s..,.......... .,...>,.,
more dreadful to the useless pissenge /
than would he the most horrible dan
gels which he could see and face.
Underneath these sounds, common to
every ship i'll IA furious storm, we heard
a sound for which none of us could ac-
count. long, thunder-likc roll and il
sudden blow, then sharp knock and
! heavy fall ; again the roll and blow
again the knock and fall. EndleSsly
repeating itself, this sound, which was
below and not above lis. or on either
side. acquired IL momotonous awfulness
like the pangS of Il useless remorSe. 1t
conquered all other sounds. and with
them all thoughts or emotions not con-
ncctcd with itself. Life DEATH hone,
fear. pam. >orloW, were aS nothing COM
pared with that one undcItone of mVs-
ferrous menace. We cNcn-and this is
much more wonderful than that we
should have forgotten the greater things
forgot the petty discomtoIts of our
situation. the dIiZZlcS and sometimes
streams of water that poured through
the dlought-shrunken boards of the
celllng. the heat. and the many knocks
and bruises. Small things aS we'll as
great passed unhrclcd under the night
mare oppression of this uncomprehcud-
eel terror.
Afterwards we learned its simple
meaning. Besides the brandy and gun
powder. We really had on boar,i a nun
hel of the unmOuntcd cannon which,
with the balls. we had been told in
LIverpool formed our cargo. One of
These. Il monster, more ln>ccuIelN lash
eel than the others. had broken loose
during the storm. and rolled and tum-
hcd from side to side over its Slumher-
lng fellows. IN Sullem reScuttulnrsS try
mg To beat its way ont of its unquiet
prison III the lower hold. down to the
region unveNcd 10y storms. 1t was Il
real danger. this vaglaut cannon. but
had We known just how real and i'm
mincnt wa> the danger of lis heating Il
hole through the ships bottom | think
We should have suffered less than we
did through that long night of darkness
and fciI. The unknown is mmeasur-
able; and the unreasonable detics cour-
age. while it rrIShc> reason.
Was ii only one night. that long
agony of >utfocatinn and dread They
told us 80 aftcrWald. the captain and
others to whom the fierce battle had
made the night seem short: but we
never believed them.
Through that time-whcthcr it was
one night or twenty-five watched our
poor little Joe ;IS well a$ we could amid
the tumult and dismay: but when the
morning came. and the storm had ragged
away from us, leaving the gay Arethusa
torn. battered. and half wreck. and
"" were once more permitted to let in
the daylight and the irc>hcned air, we
SAW coming glaze and set of the brave
eyes and mouth. and IL diStreSStnl hcav-
ing of the noble little frame, that told
lis all care WAS vain.