Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-03-06
gos Suseles alerald.
Twice Buried.

on board ship In which L was
then serving my time. We were
thirty. five or forty days from home,
had crossed the line, and were get
ting the first OF the southeast
trades, when our second mate be-
gan to break down. He had Joined |
the vessel In bad health, but SEEM
ed to get better in the tropics; and
now again he felt himself gradually |
Tbefe was no doctor on |
board, our Ship not carrying pass
engers that voyage; but 1t was easy |
to see he was in rapid decline. |
How sorry we all were! Everybody |
liked him--a kind, considerate
officer; cool, skillful seaman,
somewhat reserved perh APPS, but
not cold; never asking any one to
perform disagreeable or dangerous
duty without lending a hand him.
self. And there he lay dying-so
young, handsome, strong. Oh! 1t
seemed hard! The song and laugh
were hushed around the decks, our
steps fell light as we passed over his
head, and often through the watch
es one of us youngsters would look
in to see If Mr.. Linden wanted
anything, sometimes coming out
pale and scared; he looked SO white
and still, we knew not whether it
was sleep or death.
We had passed the Cape Of
Storms, and were now far down in
the regions OF mists and snow,
where the vast islands wander in
lonely, awful grandeur, and fierce
westerly gales howled after us as
we few on our westerly course to
Australia. One night, wild and
dark, with every appearance of a
feavy storm at hand, was passing
the second mates berth when l
heard his voice feebly calling after
me. He was sitting up in his bunk
hardly able to speak, his lips dry
and burning. l ran off to fetch
him q drink. Alas! there was no.
thing to be got but water, thick and
reddish, from the ships iron tanks.
Bad as 1t was, he drank it eagerly,
and becoming more composed, lay
down still keeping hold of my hand.
Then his mind seemed to wander
back to the days OF his childhood,
back to happier times when, with
the girl he loved, he strayed
through sweet country lanes. and
all was peace and rest. While in
dreary contrast, the rising wind
moaned and sobbed through our
rigging Ike some living thing in
pain, and mems steps were hurry
ing along the decks preparing for
ths BATTLE that soon must be fought.
Axlast the cloud passed from his
mind, and he turned to me, grasp
ind my hand tightly, and spoke OF
his mother and sister and that other
loved one whom he would never see
again. Without him they would be
all alone in the world. Lovingly,
lingeringly, he dwelt on them till
he made me cry like a child. Then
he lay back with his head on my
arm, and gradually passed away to
the better land.
We could not bury him that n light.
It was q fierce struggle all the time
to shorten sail; for nearly five hours
we were all on the foreyard, trying
to furl the foresail, which was
blown to pieces in the end. AT last
morning broke on the mad raging
sea. The sailmaker sewed q bag
of canvas round the corpse; we
placed two ten-pound shot at his
feet; tho seas were breaking too
heavily on the main deck, so we
carried him tenderly up on the
poop. Never shall forget that
burial scene. The black, lowering
sky, the ship under close-reefed
top.sails flying tor her life from the
pursuing snowy crested pillows.
Near her stern al! hands were
grouped, the wind blowing the old
captains gray hair wildly about,
the rain and hail beating on enr
barred heads and psttering on the
deck like thousand feet; the SOL
emn faces stern and sad; and on the
wheel-grating lay all of the man
we loved. The captain read u
few words till something seemed
to choke him; he pointed over
the stern and turned away. A dull
splash was heard. Like men in a
dream we gazed at the spot as u
sea broke over 1t. | fancied still
saw it gyrating little, then slow
Iy descending, end first, through
the quiet depths; and in imagina-
ton 1 could behold strange, un-
known monsters sweeping towards
it, regarding it with their dull eyes
us something yet more strange
than them selves, still going down,
past the regions of ocean-life,
slower and slower, till at last, bal
anced by the pressure OF waters, it
ceased to descend, standing on the
soundless, moveless depth like
Mohammed's coffin, floating be-
tween surface and bottom.
On few the vessel, till many a
mile lay between US and that spot
on the lonly deep. But a change
was coming round by the south
ward; the wind hauled to the cast
ward, and before dark we were
hove to, tho wind blowing from
the eastward and northward per-
feet hurricane. At about two bells
Il o'clock) in the middle watch,
King (my messmate) and myself
were standing on the poop, watch
ing the seas as they broke on the
main deck, trying to distinguish
objects by the glarish light of the
white foam. Occasionally O pale
lightning flash showed the wild
waters around us, the laborDg
ship seemed to sweep the inky sky
with her mast.head-a scene to us
youngsters indescribably terrible.
The third mate was on watch; he
was standing over to windward,
stern and silent. The. dead man and
he had been close friends. They
had wandered over the world to-
gether for years, and he seemed to
feel his loss deeply. Suddenly we
heard his voice: $50 r'ard, one of
you, and see If the lookout is all
right.n Rather disagreeable duty;
for though the rain and spray had
wet us through already, yet the
water in our clothes was warm by
this time; and going along that
1..,ir a~nncnI ~. -, fhn ,.ro h.,