The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-06-30


.sCsught at last, Jack. The old crafts
bound TO drive ashore In hall an nour' emo
then there'il be wet jackets for as all
!" Ave. ave, Bill. my boy; and Il list
sarves as right fer shippin' aboard ten
gun brig. They always has bad luck, they
ba<!v
So muttered the two veteran sailors a.
the staunch little cruiser, whirled onward
HE feather by wind and ses, driited nearer
and nearer to the huge black clifis wbicn,
tbrouoh binding spray and deepening
storm. doomed out palmer and palmer upon
fbe lee how. The Scabird had indeed msde
her last voyage. All her boats had been
stove In /: masts and rigging bad long since
been torn away by the FURIOUS gale, or back
cd OF by the crew themselves; ana the
cru4l rocks upon which the helpless vessel
WA driving headloRg would have crushed
The timbers OF the strongest seventy-iour
like an egg.sbeIl.l
But, with death gaping for them every
moment, not a man flncbed. The captain
cave his orders, and the crew obeyed them,
rs coolly as IL running into port on nne
summer morning. But the end came ~
last. One mighty shock, which threw
every man Cd bis feet, q terrible crash, u
r,ddv rebound. and then the doomed brig
settled right down upon supken reei,
with that tearing, grinding noise when
no one who has once heard 1t can easily
forget. .,u
Tshe'll move no more now, till she
breaks up altogether" said the captain
quietly, 90 we must Just think OF saving
ourselves. Any chance Of line from the
shore. Mr.. Rogersf You know 'a''' coast
WELL" Oh.
6rst officer. who was standing near him.
:. There's neither rocket or life boat within
several miles, and no boat could come out
in the teeth Of this sea-"
At that moment q red light blazed up
from the cliff overhead, and the whole
scene started into view ut once. The great
wall Of black rock, with the sea-birds flap
ming and shrieking around 1t; the narrow
sfrip of beach below, crowded with anxious
watchers; the quaint little fishing village,
with its rude buis built OF driftw0od ana
broken stones the stranded ship and her
crew. every face and every rope standing
ont distinct In the light Of the beacon and
an around the tossing waves, which, red
dened by that unearthly glare, seemed to
cast ND spray OF fire against the gloomy
sky. II was plain that the vessel must
break up before very long. The captain
looked keenly toward the shore for mo-
ment, and then turned to bis men. "My
lads," cried be, .sthere's one chance for US
vet. They can't get a boat out to us, but
We may get line TO them, for the tides
setting strongly in-shore. Twenty pounds
10 the man who will swim ashore VIII
rope!"
The offer sounded like a bitter mockery,
for to face that sea appeared nothing less
vlan certain death. The words were hardly
spoken, however, when a man step forward
and touched his wet forelock 10 the captain,
who started as he recognized him. And
we'll be might; for this man was the " black
sheep" OF the whole crew, and had been
brought up for punishment mot for the nrst
time) few days before.
"What, you, thompson"
faye, IT'S me, yer honor!" answered the
man with grim smile as be knotted the
rope around bis waist. "Yer honor told,
only rolher day, as was disgrace to the
ship. so msyhap the old craft III be we'll rid
Of ne"
For moment the captains iron face
worked as no one bad ever seen 1t yet; and
then, without word. he held out his hand
The other grasped it for an instant 10 agrip
like smiths vice, and then, watching his
opportunity, plunged into the roaring sea.
Then came long aud terrible pause. Every
p,an on board held bis breath, while strain
jng his eyes into the boiling whirl Of foam
below. Once. q few OF the keenest-sig sted
among them thought they caught sight OF
the sailors black head in the midst OF the
white, seething breakers; but the next mo-
ment mountain wave rolled la and cover
cd sll. Had the daring swimmer succeed
ed, or had he perished IN the attempt! No
one could say.
There are very few things more difficult,
or recurring more skill and judgment, than
10 carry rope ashore in stormy sea. To
a landsman 1t may seem merely question
OF breastng the waves between one point
and another, but such Is by no means the
case. To avoid wave, or to take advan-
tage OF t.; to know when 10 escape by div
ing, when to rise on the crest OF billow as
il breaks; to husband ones strength at one
moment and put it forth 10 the utmost at
another-all this must be thought Of, in the
very crisis of the peril, II the task Is to be
achieved at all.
Suddenly cheer comes pealing from the
shore, SO loud and hearty as to be heard
above all the roar OF the storm, and 1t is re.
peated again and again, till every Granny Of
the great cliff seems alive with echoes.
HE must ha' done 1t, sir," says the boat
swain to the first officer, 81 for feel the
rope comm taut in my hands"
Sure enough, In another moment the mar
row black line stood clearly out against th'
gbosty white OF the sea for some distance
from the wreck, although farther out 1t wa
completely hidden by the ieaping waves.
"Now, my lads" ciied Captain Hardy
"off with you, and mind you hold fast. l
T. linz /
YOU TO 20 first; but this Is different thing
don't take my foot off these pIanks I'll
every other man has left them; so the soonel
you get ashore the less time you'll keep M
waiting.' ~.
The concluding Joke, grim as it was
touched his hearers In the right place. The.
gan to push themselves of upon their peril
Gus Journey. More than once stifled or.
was heard from the depth. OF darkness as
furious wave tore some poor fellow fron
the slippery cord and whirled him away Il
destruction but the greater part reache,
the shore In safety, hailed by the lust.
cheers of the fishermen. After the turn o
the men came that Of the officers. One b.
one they cleared the deadly space, till tn
only man left upon the wreck was the cap
tain himself. An at once terrible cry wa
heard, and the tirst officer, turning hastily
saw the rope tossing loose upon the waves
1t bad snapped 10 the middle!
"God help num-" mutlered an old fish
erman sadly; "it be a. over fwr muI
n0w!"
"What?" shouted Thompson, startinI
ND from the wet shingles upon which he ba,
been lying exhausted. Alloycr with him
d'ye sayi Not while we have hands OF on
own, anyhow"
"Wby. Bill, what's got you - asked on