The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1877-10-12

hlln a-gIgglIng and slapplng his hand on
his thigh, he felt so good. I went over
and leaned my knuckles on the table a
minute and looked the governor in the
face, and says /, Mister Gardner, don't
you know me?' He stared, and 1 stared,
and he stared Then all of sudden he
sings out, Tom Bowling, by the holy
+ poker Ladies, its old Tom Bowling,
that you've heard me talk about,-ship-
mate of mine in the Mary Ann He
/ rose up and shook hands with me ever
so hearty sort of glanced around and
took a realizing sense of my mate saucer
j eyes-.ind then says the governor, PLANT
yourself, Tom, plant yourself; you can't
cat your anchor again till you've had a
/ feed with me and the ladies / planted
myself alongsiae the governor, and canted
4 my eye around toward my mate. Well,
7 sir, his dead-lights were bugged out like
! tompiors and his mouth stood that
wide open that you could have laid ham
in it without him noticing it."
There was a great pause at the conclu-
sion of the old captains story then,
after a moments silence, a grave, pale
/ young man said
Had you ever met the governor
+ before +"
The old captain looked steadily at this
/ inquirer a while. and then got up and
walked aft without making any reply.
/ One passenger after another stole a fur
( tive glance at the inquirer, but failed to
make him out, and 80 gave him up. II
/ took some little work TO get the talkma-
/ chinery TO running smoothly again after
this arrangement; bat at length q con-
versation sprang up about that important
and iealously guarded instrument, a
I snip's time-keeper its exceedingly deli
cate accuracy, and the wreck and de-
struction that have sometimes resulted
+ from its varying few seemingly trihing
moments from the true time then, in
due time, my comrade, the Reverend,
got of on a yarn, with a fair wind and
. everything drawing. IL was true story,
too-about Captain Rounceviues ship
wreck-true in every detail. It was to
this effect
Captain Rounceville's vessel was lost
in mid Atlantic and likewise his wife
and his two little children. Captain
bonneville aud seven ,seamd4 escaped
with life, but with little else. a small,
rudely constructed raft was to be their
home for eight days They had neither
provisions nor water. They had scarcely
any clothing; no one had a coat but the
captain. This coat was changing hands
all the time, for the weather was very
cold. Whenever a man became ex-
hausted with the cold, they put the coat
on him and laid him down between two
shipmates until the garment and their
bodies had warmed lite into him again.
Among the sailors was a Portuguese who
knew no English. He seemed to have
no thought Of his own calamity, but was
concerned only about the captains Bit
ter loss of wife and children. BY day he
would look his dumb compassion in the
captains face and by night, in the
darkness and the driving spray and rain
he would seek out the captain and try to
comfort him with caressing pats on the
shoulder. One day, when hunger and
thirst were making their sure inroads
upon the mems strength and spirits,
floating barrel was seen at a distance. 1t
seemed a great find, for Doubt as it con
tained food of some sort. A brave fellow
swan 10 it, and after long and exhaust
ing efforts, got it to the raft. 1t was
a barrel of magnesiai ON the fifth day
an onion was spied. \ sailor swan of
and got it. Although perishing with
hunger, he brought it in its integrity and
put it into the captains hand The his
tory Of the sea teaches that among starry
ing, shipwrecked men, selfshness is rare,
and q wonder-compelling magnanimity
the rule. The onion was equallydivided
into eight parts and eaten with deep
thanksglvings on the eight day dis
tant ship was sighted Attempts were
made to hoist an oar with Captain
Rounceville's coat on it for a signal.
There were many failures, for the men
were but skeletons now, and strengthless.
At last success was achieved, but the
signal brought no help. The ship faded
out of sight and left despair behind
her. By and by another ship appeared,
and passed so near that the castaways,
every eye eloquent with gratitude,
made ready to welcome the boat that
would be sent to save them. But this
ship also drove on, and left these poor
men staring their unutterabe surprise
and dismay into each others ashen
faces Late in the day, still another
ship came up out of the distance, but
the men noted with pang that her
course was one which would not bring
her nearer. Their remnant of life was
nearly spent; their lips and tongues were
swollen, parched, cracked with eight
davs' thirst their bodies starved; and
here was their last chance gliding re-
lentlessly from them they would not be
alive when the next sun rose. For
dav or two past the men had lost their
voices. but now Captain bonneville
whispered, "let us pray" The Por-
tuguese patted him on the shoulder in
sign of deep approval. All knelt at the
base of the oar that was waving the sig
nal-coat aloft, and bowed their heads.
The sea was tossing the sun rested,
red, rayless disk, on the sea-line in the
west. When the men presently raised
their heads they would have roared
hallelujah if they had had voice; the
ships sails lay wrinkled and Tapping
against her masts, she was going about
Here was rescue at last, and in the very
last instant of time that was left for it.
No, not rescue yet,-only the imminent
prospect of it. The red disk sank under
the sea and darkness blotted out the ship.
By and by came pleasant sound,-oars
moving in a boats rowlocks. Nearer it
came, and nearer,-within thirty steps,
but nothing visible. Then deep voice:
+" Hol-lo," The castaways could not
answer; their swollen tongues refused
voice. The boat skirted round and
round tho raft. started away-the agony