The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-04-28
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| heard him say

who will marry May Bradstone
now?" and then his feet went rapidly
up the stairs.
called aloud for help; the uproar Ot
the storm drowned my voice. l paus>
ed. just then the wind lulled, and I
heard an order to push off the speaker
was Jacob Klel. / again shouted in
my agony; but my voice and the wind
rose tOgether--I was not heard.
continued to shout like madman,
though l knew that all hope was gone
that was alone, like trapped rat, in
sinking ship.
FuriOusly 1 beat the door, all the
while painfully conscious that rescue
was impossible and death certain, for IL
was night, and, as no doubt the storm
would separate the boats, my absence
would not be discovered until the yes.
sci had foundered.
Could expect aught else, when in
the occasional hull of the hurricane {
heard the rush of the deadly waters in
the hold, and felt the ship iurch moro
heavily each moment as she plunged in
the trough of the sea?
Suddenly she gave terrible heel
over, and wave came rattling down
the companion ladder like thunder,
rushed under the door, and inundated
the cabin.
shrieked in agony. believing that
all was over-that was to die thus,
not even with the chance of battling
for life.
1 felt that could meet death calmly
Is l were on deck, with the heavens
above me; but my very hair stirred at
the horrible thought of being buried in
the sea, as it were, in a box. Was
there really no way of escape? / looked
round, and gave cry Of Joy, then leap
ed forward, careless now that the water
mounted higher and higher.
Fool Idiot % I exclaimed. "Why
did you not think of IL before You are
your own murderer !"
My eyes had rested upon my revolv-
er. In second had fired two of its
barrels into the lock of the door, shiver.
ing it to atoms, and the next minute I
was upon the deck, only just in time,
for the vessel was settling fast. 1t
would have settled before, but that the
storm had abated.
With wild hope 1 looked for the
boats. Near or far, all was alike
darkness hid the waters. But having
succeeded so far, resolved not to des-
pair. One by one discharged the re-
manning barrels of my revolver, and
then plunged into the sea, to swim as
far as l could from the ship before it
sank, hoping that should find some
pieces of wreck.
did so before had proceeded far
a mast, with cordage attached. This
helped me, for, after lashing myself to
the mast as we'll as could, the waves
bore me away. Suddenly, however, a
fearful rush of water seized me. was
drawn rapidly back, and then down as
In pool-fung, it seemed, here,
there, and everywhere, after which l re.
membered no more. When l came to
was in one of the boats, with May
BradstOne leaning over me.
1t appeared that directly morning
dawned the boats were called together,
and the captain went over the names,
when mine was found missing, upon
which he resolved to row back, and see
II he could not find me, urged thereto by
many of his companions. wto wonder-
ed, as did not Jacob Klel, what could
have prevented my getting into one Of
the boats.
The sea was nearly calm, the sun
shining, and their search was not dffi-
cult. They soon perceived dark object.
Approaching it,they found it to be my.
self, clinging liSe grim death to the
wreck, but laughing and yelling like a
maniac. In fact l was mad, and for
some time after they had managed to
get me into the boat l remained SO;
then became calmer, though / was
delirious for whole day and night.
! Directly senslbiity returned l told
my story, filling every one with horror,
especially May BradStone.
81 see i. ALL" exclaimed the captain.
"The villain! Last night our boats
separated in the darkness; this morning
the one boat bearing Jacob Klel and
the worst of the crew was missing.
lie has either steered the boat into a
different track, or paid the fellows to
desert us, fearful of the punishment
that might have awaited him when we
touched land"
Whether this was 80 do not know,
for we never heard of Jacob Klel again.
That day we wera picked up by
ship homeward bound, and in due time
were landed, when May and l were
married.
Ny wife will not hear of crossing the
ocean again, as she cannot forget, as
indeed cannot, that most terrible mo-
ment in my life.