The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-02-01
SUIMNING FOR LIFE.
A THRILLING ADVENTURE.

About twenty years ago a nan-of wal
Was ly Ing at anchur IN the principal harbur
of Antigua, which, aS most people know,
tuIus one III tne group Called The West
lnuIa Islands. 1t WAS Il hot, sultIy day III
IL t beg inning of June. Ihe heavy fog
whIch at that tine Of year occasionally
hangs like Il curtain over everything, had
been dispersed 10y the heat oi :he suns
rays. aut., like Il IetieatIug enemy, was
rolling slowly back to the hoiiz,n. Not /,
bitatn al Wind stirred the water, not "A
sragull tiarp.d It's wings round The siup.
The long enn"n diUuprd laZIiy from the
mast, as though sharing III liIe general
lauguur of u.uule. the surface of the SEA
WAS IKE miiror, only dIs, III bed by an &c
ca>n'nai black tn chat ripplrd lazIiy
thrrugh tie wafer for "a little Il .staucr, aud
disappeared a. Its p'.>seSsUI sunk again
mo The depths b,u,ath. As the sun,
however, lose iCwauis the MERIDIAN, Il
breeze began - sfIIng up-not cool aud
steady, but coming now aud then in ITreg
u!ar puHi, aud hot as the breath of All
oven. \ twIth>tandmg the Suspicious ap-
ptaiance of the water, and the RAPID fall
OF the barometer, a party of mId>iIIpneb
asked permission To take tie pnu,ce for Il
few houis' sail, aud ubiaIued 1t, but on
c"nditIon that they should not go far from
the ship. The party, Consisting of AK mud
dIc> aud two mates, started. accordingly
in good spntS, noi wIihstandIng the warn
ing gI"w l. of some oi the old tais.
Thnu. .htiesS aud fearless. Is >,Iiprs gen
orally are, they paId lnIie attention To The
fr.shenIng wind and the fast altering ap
Iearauce Of The SKY. The tide WAS run
nIug out With great force, and they we're
soon GU side the mouth Of The harbor, and
slipping down the side of the island with "A
fan wind, and with the full strength of the
ebb. One Jf lie mates was at the helm "A
mIddy with the sheets, the rest stretched
lazily atJTTdt he boat, smoking and talk ug
when. like a thumde, bolt. Il violent suuuiI
sIruck them, and the lightbuat caI,sIZrd
All IT. crew we've immersed, buI S.,un made
their appear auce again. sw iunuiuy like
cnkS an the surface, aud u, il short time
we,e collected, like a II .ck Of waterfowl
on ihe keel "f their uI,tu ned boat When
they had shaken the " ttcr out OF their ewes
looked about them lItIc. aud found then
number un6InIIshed. They held Il cousulta-
tiun on heir cun'iI,ion. and the chances
for and against their rescue.
The prospect of affairs was certainly NOT
insriI iIIng. aud to people possessed of les,
bu"yant dispositions than ih nIs-lves
Mould have appeared hopeless. The,
we've cliuging {" the wreck of a small
boat, then ship was hidden from Sigh, b,
cluu,ls of iaiu-f,r ilir storm had now come
on in all IT'S fuity-and tie lst,d was invi~Ihl,
from the same cause. The sea was Rising
fast, the wind blowing peifrc: huri icanr.
and worse than all, they were drifting
with full foce of wind and I de in - the
Caribbean Sea /; once there. out Of ih.
wake of vessels aud far from any land
their ia e would be certain. Such being
the state of things, many hopes were ex
pressed that the ship would send boats H.
sea'ci, of them Comfortable suggestions,
but with too littlr f,unda,inn.
Al las. the two oldest determined upon a
Han. which u" hing bu the desperate em
rrgrncy OF the cas-" could have suggested
1t was to a,tempC - swim ashore. The
land was about three miles from tfrn.
they were both frs, rate swim mers, and as
far as the distance was concerned. might
have attempted it ou calm day without
mnch fear of failure, but in heavy sea