The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-04-05
OUR STORY TELLER
TWICE BURIED.


a " .tzs.I4s. --7-- -,t 81
What am about to relate, incredible
as it may seem, is perfectly true, and &C.
Cured some years ago on board ship
in which was then serving my time.
q We were thirty-fv or forty days from
home, had crossed the line, and were
getting the first of the southeast trade
when our second mate began to break
down, He had joined the vessel in bad
health, but seemed to get better in the
tropics and now he, felt himself grad
uaily sinking. There was no doctor on
board, our ship not carrying passengers
that voyage; but it was easy to see that
he was in rapid Decline How sorry we
all werel Everybody liked him-a
kind, considerate officer a cool, skill
ful seaman, somewhat reserved perhaps,
but not cold never asking any one to
perform disagreeable or dangerous
duty without lending hand himself.
And there he lay dying-so young,
handsome, strong. Oh, it seemed very
hard The song and laugh were hushed
around the deck, our steps fell light as
we passed over his head, and often
through the watches 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 was il sleep or
death.
We had passed the Cape of Storms.
aud were now far down in the region OF
Int and snow, where the vast ice is
{ lands wander in lonely, awful grandeur,
and fierce westerly winds howled after
us as we flew along in our eastern
course to Australia. One night, wild
and dark; with every appearance of a
heavy storm at hand, 1 was passing the
second mates berth when / heard his
feeble voice calling after me- He was
sitting up in his bunk hardly able to
speak, his lips dry and burning. l ran
OH to fetch him a drink. Alas there
vas nothing to be got but water, thick
and reddish, from the ships iron tanks.
Bad as it 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
dreaFy contrast, the wind moaned and
sobbed through the rigging like some
living thing in pain, and mems steps
hurrying along the decks preparing for
the battle that must soon be fought. At
last the cloud passed from his mind, and
he turned to me, grasping my hand
tightly, and spoke of his mother and
sister and that other one whom he would
never see again. Without him thew
would be alone in the world. Lovingly,
lngeringly he dwelt Oh them till he
made me cry like child. Then he Law
back with his head on my arm, and
gradually passed away to the better
land. pTrNaaM apr
We could not bury him that night 1t
was a Aherces struggle all the time to
shorten sail; for nearly five hours we
we're 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 bag of canvas around the CORPSE
we placed two ten pound shot at his feet
the seas were breaking too heavily on
the main deck, so we carried him ten.
derby up on the poop Never shall I
forget the burial scene. The black
lowering sky, the ship under close reefed
top sails flying for her life from the pur
suing snowy crested pillows. Near her
stern all hands were grouped, the wind
blowing the old captains gray hair
wildly about, the rain and hail beating
on our barred heads. and pattering on
the deck like thousand feet the solemn
faces stern and sad and on the wheel
grating lay all that was left of the man
whom we loved. The captain read a few
lines till something seemed to choke
him; he pointed over the stern. and
turned away. Il dull splash was heard.
Like men IN a dream we gazed at the
spot as sea broke over it. 1 fancied /
saw IT gyrating little, then slowly de-
scending, end first, through the quiet
depths; and in Imagination / could be-
hold strange monsters sweeping toward
1T, regarding it with their dull ewes as
something yet more strange than them
selves, still going down, past the regions
OF ocean life, slower and slower, till at
last, balanced by the pressure of waters.
1t ceased to descend, standing in the
soundless, moveless depth like Mo-
hammed's coffin, floating between sur
face and bottom.
On hew the vessel, till many a mile
lay between us and, that sad spot on the
lonely deep. But change was coming
round by the southwark: the wind
hauled to the eastward, and before dark
we were hove to, the wind blowing from
the eastward and northward perfect
hurricane. At about two bells Zone
o'clock in the middle, King (my mess
mate) and myself were standing on the
poop, in the lee of the mizzen- mast.
watching the seas as they broke ON the
main deck, trying to distinguish objects
BY the garish light of the white foam.
Dec ssionaliy pale lightning fash
showed the wild waters around us, the
laboring ship seemed to sweep the inky