Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-07

breast. al love YOU he said. "anI you shall
| be mine; and will XIII him. and him. and all Of
| them-pOinting TO the Officers cab rs" II You
Will say the word. But If you tell them about
| me, shall Kill you too. But will come again;
| and take this for love gift" and this black
bearded miScreant snatched from her meek one
| OF Captain Sprouts white silk handkerchief;
and disappeared in the dark as he had entered
The girl was too terrified 10 tell any one what
nad occurred; besides. she did not even know
the mans name: and i've minutes afterwards.
When captain Sprou entered the cabin. he
found her wipfng oil of the floor. and for the
first time spoke TO her sharply about her care
lessness: and imagining that her tears and
trembling were occlsoned by his reproof. re-
turned on deck again. But another event Oc-
CURED which did not pass of 50 smoothly. The
next evening during the dog-watch, Sholto
Shaw. the young seaman who had found Helen
In the hold, went boldly TO the cabin doors and
/ under pretence OF asking for medicine, took the
opportunity OF presenting her with dainty
pair OF canvass shoes, which he said had been
made On purpose for her; and she was question
ing him as TO who was the sender: bat Captain
SprOul was too sharp for them, for ar that mo-
ment he darted ont of his cabin and Selling the
shoes. remarked :. You asked for medicine,
Think when dragging Shaw on deck, and lk-
ing UP a ropes end, he logged him for stealing
the ships canvas; and promising him stronger
dose il the offence was repeated. the captain
sent him forward.
Entering the cabin. the captain called Helen
to him. ..YOu have broken my orders and am
disappointed; but as have punished the sailor,
must also punish YOU; and producing a pair
OF scissors, the captain deliberately cut off all
her hair. remarking that he might not be so
lenient second time.
As for Helen, nature less innocent mist
have been blunted by such treatment; bat she
only shed few tears, and made much lighter
OIL the matter than my eomrade Hawke. who
tremOled with indignation when he heard OF
the occurrence. Black On the contrary laughed
Ike hyena at the fate OF the canvas Shoes
and 10 our amazement put the white silk hand
kerchlef round his neck, which he said the Eay-
lish Miss had given him.
OF Hawkes. history knew nothing; bat there
which showed that he had come down greatly
in social status: in fact, he admitted that he
was In forecaStle through his own folly. He
was very reserved; but there was cool self
possession and pride about him which made the
other seamen keep alOOf from him and the
officers dislike him. Sharp words ensued be-
t tween these two men about the ownership of
the handkerchief, which would have ended in
blows; but the weather being squally, we were
plped away TO reef topSatlS. The reef-tacKleS
OF the main tOpSail were hauled taut. and some
or us were upon the yard picking up the points
when Black came up the weather-rigging, and
getting on the foot-rope, seized Hawkes. points
and gave him shove which nearly sent both
OF US OIL the yard and caused US to let go the SAIL
and the others were compelled to do likewise
In an instant the sail bellied out; and Black,
who was still holding on. was dragged over the
yard; but no human power could save him for
what with the wind and the rain, we were
almost blinded. Suddenly he gave loud Shrek
ana as he did so. he fell feet foremost, and with
tremendous crash went half through life
DOat which was lying on the SktdS He had
been caught in his own trap, and when eytri-
cat Gated by the carpenter was found to be dead,
The Foreigners left the yard and commenced
Screeching and screaming and crossing them
selves, and even the mate could not get them
;tlolt again that night. The captain seemed
more surprised TO see one of his own handker-
chiefs round the neck OF the corpse than con-
cerned at the mans untimely end; but after
recovering the article. fortunately made no in.
QuirieS about it,
After voyage of ninety days we reached Cal
cutta, where after seeing his agents. the first
thing that Captain SprOul did was to take Helen
on shore Then driving to the adjutant gen
eralS Office, he made inquiries for her father
and was told that captain Muir had sent in his
papers three years previously.
All advertisement ELECTED the information
that Captain Muir, widOwer at a time when
ne was nopelessly insolvent, had married an
with the banks and struggling TO get out OF it,
had fallen into worse difficulties, resulting i'm
ms death at the debtors jail, Calcutta; and his
widow. much impoverished, declined to increase
her responsibilities by receiving Step-children
IT was when Helen thus found herself with
our home and frendless that Captain Sproul
ana was less abrupt i'm his manner of speaking
10 her and from treating her as child had
although he hardly knew 1t. commenced to love
nef as a woman. But il was the mendaciOuS
statement OF the diSrated steward i'm the police
court which precipitated matters and caused
the captain thus TO address his ward: Like
myself. Helen. you have served and are now
entitled 10 command: and if you will return
on board La Belle Helene with such q title
mat none can question:, will make you my
WIFE,
Extremes will meet. In spite of his severity.
Helen greatly respected the captain. His stern
sense OF justice. manly ways and the terSe yigor
tlat characterized his utteranceS made him
seem 10 her man TO look up to; besides She
now regarded him as her protector and the ship
her home, and she accepted him.
few days after this speech CAPTAIN SDrorl
came on board in great good humor. for he had
been married that morning, and had left his
oI1de at the house of friend prior to going
. nnfn
cobb. ~ WI
Some days previous to the wedding my com
rade hawke had applied for and obtained his
discharge, the captain remarking that he did
not care TO have brOken-dOWn gentleman on
board his vessel, and advising Hawke to try to
ind more congenial employment On shore But
on this the captains wedding morning terrible
event occurred which nearly lost his Wife his
snip and the lives OF every one ON board inclu-
dlng his own. The barometer had fallen and
when the captain came on board il was blowing
fresh. We had Just sent down our light yards
When the breeze increased TO strong gale aud
at noon, Just as the great tidal wave was due
the wind shifted with the force of a hurricane
bringing with It the 'bore" or storm wave
IRON IRON the sea Then commenced to blow such a
cyclone that for destruction has hardly been
equaled during the century In that cyclone
5000 people persisted, and l13 villages were
swept away; and out of a fleet OF 500 of the
finest ships and steamers in the world only one
escaped without damage.
Mhen the great wave came rolling up, La
lItiit ulTbCllS SEr was struck.
dragged from her mooringS, While the force OF
the wind was so terrific that we could not stand
upright. Two vessels locked together had
druted against U.s. smashing our boats tomatoh-
WOOD ana swapping our peaked yards as though
they were plpe-StemS. The conclusion caused
us 10 collide with another vessel, reducing her
10 the same state as ourselves: and thus fOu.
vessels locked together were swept out into the
stream. WeWere carried stern first with almost
railway velocity, the captain and Mr. Cobb
Valnly trying To give orders, while holding on
10 the miZZen-nlaSt; when suddenly the vessel
nited up with tremendous crash as thourh
her stern was stove in, and in less than a min
ute her DOW swung round head upstream and
she lay over on her beam-endS. We had stru:,;
on Sunkcn wreck, and in addition to lOSinr
the ruudef, mad Knocked large hole in our
quarter, through which the water was rlShinr
IKE waterfall, and we were filling fast This
disaster, however. cleared us OF the other
vessels. which like chips in a mlll-streln
swept past. leaving us complete Wreck
with bIlwarkS stove in and fore lover
mast alone standing. AS the vessel set
tled Dy the stern, with great difficulty
we craWied and made our way 10 the bow
spirit, which seemed each minute to stand more
upright; While with a roar like the blast OF a
furnace the wind increased in force. or screamed
Ike an 4Eoiian harp through what remained of
our Wire ShroudS The cyclone was now at It's
height, and we had been nearly four hours on
the oowSpr1t, when there was a lull and as
cattle, horses and tle dead bodies OF men
women and childre1 passed u.s. besides native
ooatS and portions OF wreckage, We could mlSe