The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-09-24


Oh can't OF you, and to my amazement
gave me an exact description OF you-hair
shade lighter than mine-even to your
rapid walk and short steps ! hope the
ship we come home in will go to Liverpool.
Love 10 my sister. brothers, aud all kind
friends Oh how ! weary to be at home
again! Wcare such queer looking figures
here, with IA few clothes ne we can posi-
bly, do with, lazy and weary-the sen il
such dreary, monotonous life. 1 cnn't
think how any one can choose 1t. Charlie
IL quite satiated with his experiences OF
II. IL II were not for home-sckness, |
ut Indian life. To-day 1t is nearly calm.
what little bretze there Is being in the
wrong direction. We sighted Sumntra
two days ago. My life here is this: Get up
ut seven, bath, So, breakfast mt eight;
and then, after having worked everything
there was to work, and read everything
there was to read, "A little writing Is all
can do. | expect this erralic mode of
writing will account for some OF the ram
bling. Dinner Mt twelve; sleep au hour;
then after that the heat Is simply intoler-
able Tea Mt I'VE; go on deck TO see the
nine or 80. A glass OF eau sucrfc, and go
10 bed. An 1t is tiresome. Bed, indeed
our ideas OF bed are usually associated
with thoughts of rest; but on the Strath-
more we had fieas, on the whaler cock
reaches, In this ship we have pleasing
variety OF rats. The heas and Iuts
rats run all over mo at night in friendly
way. merely give them slight shake
and weak SHOOT / Will never recover my
figure my back Is so bent and weak the
salt bathing is doing 1t some good. How
wish was steamiDg away to England /
expect you will all be very much aston
ished when you get our telegram. Unless
anything very exciting happens. VIII not
write any more TIL we are sailing up the
lrawaddyl
When people are dead n great many vir-
tues are generally found out about them
unknown before. | trust ours will be re-
memDercd now, even though we
nre automatically in life. Iii though
was, | felt ! couldn't die on that
desolate Island. But must not abuse II.
daresdy we were healthier there than we
should have been on more favored
island. We are now in the Audaman Sea.
Ii Is as calm rs ldke-scarcely "A breath of
wind. How lovely the sunsets arel and
the moon aud stars, how dazzling ana
bnlliantl Lightning PLAYING about all
night! People at home have no idea of
lightning or rain; here 1t comes in sheets,
not drops. lam IN great pain with rheuma-
tism all down my spine and right side. and
such dreldful throbbiug ut my heart. l
can hardly breathe.
24th March Arrived ut Rangoon; peo-
pie most kind. Just gong To post. With
love from both. Your affectionate
mother, FRANCES WORDSWORTH.
EXTRACTS FROM MR.. wORDswoRTHs STORY
NEARLY SEVEN MONTHS ON a BARREN ROCK.
On her voyage from London to Otago. y.
H., the Stlathmore of Dundee, Capt.
u Donald, struck on one of the rocks OF
the Twelve Apostles which are COM
prised III the CrOZet group-a very danger
ous set of Islands, and not much known
about them-July |, 1873 There had been
no sun taken ;or several days back, the
weather beng overcast. The Captain ex-
n
the southwark, instead OF which he went
to the northward. little bad steering on
the part of the man At the wheel would
have cleared us. The weather was fine,
except for the fog. aud the ship was "short-
ened down to her malntopgallant sail, in
order not to pass out OF sight of the land
before daylight. The accident hap
pened ut 3:45 A. NJ, beng quite
dark and thick. The man on
the lookout reported breakers ahead,
and seeing the rocks looming through the
mist Oh the stnrboard side, shouted 10 the
man at the wheel to put his helm hard
a-stnrboard; but the mate, seeing land on
the port bow. ordered the man to port his
helm, but all to no purpose. We were right
INTO Dlght OF "A lot or rocks, with break
ers all around us; aud the unfortunate
Strathmore hrst grated and then gave three
bumps, Shaving IN her bottom. The water,
ru,hing into the lower hold. burst open
the tween decks; her bows damned them
selves in between two rocks; while the
after eud of the ship was lower, and was
soon swept by seas, tearing up the poop
and completely cutting that end OF the
ship. Tue captain thought ut first that she
might clear herself, aud told the man at
the wheel not to leave his post which he
q d not, bravely standing there waiting Tor
the word 10 save himself, though the seas
were now washing over the poop; aud one
taking him, wlth the wheel broken to
pieces in has hand, swept him overheard.
NV mother was hoisted up 10 the rock in
a bovine, "A knot she now firmly believes
III. We sat huddled together GA a ledge OF
rock, wet, cold, hungry, and miserable.
some lat "A iirc, and Others got birds sea
FOWL, young albntrosS &c.-which were on
the Island, and cooked them; and to us
starving crea ures they tasted well. In the
meantime the gig and dingey, which the
Others had launched from the wreck, made
trips To aud from the ship 10 take the sur
Nlvors oil, though we did not
manage them all that day but were
two days picking the half frozen wretches
from tue rigging or yards, they having to
drop from Inc yarus INTO the water, AS the
Doat could not get near on account of the
heavy sea. When every one was got from
the wreck, the boats made excursions TO
the site of the wrrcN-il having gone down
IN deep water the night after Inc last of
the survivors had been taken on-and
picked up what they could. As far rs |
remember. the following were what we
EOt: some kellers COufection tins,
wnlol we atterWard USED Tor cooking
~; some cases . spirits ana n casa OF
port, some bottles OF PICKLES. IA few Dlan-
kets. spoons, anu forks, two kegs Of gun
powder two plrasOls small clelv"r, "A
bucket or two, one tin of preserved meat,
some wood, aud few odds aud
ends thrown of The fOreCastle head. WITH
the help of these riches we managed near
~ seven months. 1t came on To blow hard
tue same ulght, and we lost our boats, as
there was no means OF hauling them on
shore any where; and though some might
thiuk the boats could have been saved DV
people keeping III Them, yet how could any
OF Us manage 10 Keep tnem safe, broken up
and leahy as the boats wcTe even II We
had gone 10 the lee side OF the island, aud
kept pulling in shore against IA terrible
gale FOR TWO or three days, exhausted for
want OF food, wet, aud most likely frozen?
1t could not nave been kept up for TWO
hours. We saw the boats utterward on the
other side OF tho island sun attached TO
each other by their paluters, but smashed
ana bottom up, they having been driven
by The gale through tunnel that rnu uu-
dernelth the ISLAND and eau .ht tor "A tims
IN some seaweed IA mule or 80 OF the land;
aud We had the mobilization 10 see them
drft out to sea without the possibility OF
saving Them.
From the Strathmore forty were drown
ed anu forty-nlne got ashore, my mother