The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1877-08-10
A SKELETON OF THE WRECK.

While Sir Michael Seymour was In
command of the British Amethyst frig-
ate, and was cruising In the Boy OF His
cay, some twenty-five years ago, the
wreck of q merchant ship drove past.
Her deck was just above water; her low
er masts alone standing. Not soul
could bc seen on boards but there was a
caboose on deck, which had the appear
ance of having been recently patched
with old canvas and tarpaulin, as IL TO
afford shelter 10 some forlorn remnant
of the crew. It blew ut this time strong
gale, but Sir Michael, listening only TO
the dictates of humanity, ordered tho
ship TO be put about, and sent OF boat
with instructions to board the wreck,
and ascertain whether there was any be-
ing still surviving whom the help OF his
fellow-man might save from the grasp
Of death. The boat rowed toward the
drifting mass, and, while struggling with
the difficulty of getting, through q high
running sea, close alongside, the crew
shouting all the time as loud as they
could, an object resembling in appear
ance a bundle of clothes was observed
to roll out Of the caboose, against the
Ice shrouds of the mast. W
With the end OF a boat-boOk they man
aged TO get hold of it, and hauled it into
the boat, when it proved to be the trunk
OF man, bent head and knees together,
and SO wasted away as scarce To be felt
within the ample clothes which had once
fitted it in state of life and strength.
the boats crew fastened back to the
Amethyst with this miserable remnant
Of mortality; and so small was it in bulk
that "a lad OF fourteen years was able,
with his own hands, to lift IL into the
ship. When placed on deck il showed
for the first time, to the astonishment of
all, signs of remaining life /; 1t tried TO
move, and the next moment muttered,
in a hollow, sepulchral tone, g There Is
another man" The instant these words
were heard, Sir Michael ordered the boat
to shove of again for the wreck. The
sea having now become somewhat
smoother, they succeeded this time i'm
boarding the wreck; and on looking into
the caboose they found two human
bodies wasted, like the one they had
saved, to the very bones, but without
the least spark of life remaining.
They were sitting in shrunken.up
posture, a hand Of one resting on a tin
pot, in which there was about a gill OF
water; and hand of the other was
reaching to the deck, as il to regain bit
of raw salt beef of the size OF walnut,
which had dropped from his nerveless
grasp. Unfortunate men They had
starved on their scanty store, till they
had not strength remaining to lift the
last morsel to their mouths
The boats crew having completed
their melancholy survey, returned on
board, where they found the attention of
the ships company engrossed by the eff
forts made to preserve the generous skel-
eton, who seemed to have had just life
enough to breathe the remembrance that
there was still another man." his COM
panion in suffering, to be saved. .tr
Captain ). committed him to the spe-
cial charge of the surgeon, who spared
no means which humanity or skill could
suggest, to achieve the noble object OF
creating anew, as it were, fellow
creature whom famine had stripped Of
almost every living energy. For three
weeks he scarcely ever left his patient,
giving him food with his own hand every
five or ten minutes, and at the end of
three weeks more the skeleton of the
wreck" was seen walking on the deck of
the Amethyst, and, to the surprise of all
who recollectcd that he had been lifted
into the ship by cabin.boy, presented
the stately appearance OF man nearly
X feet high.