The daily gazette., 1880-06-02
A Critical Position.
BY MANDRAKE.

favorable winds that there seemed
little prospect of our making even a
decent passage of it. When in India
we had boasted much of the splendid
sailing qualities of our vessel, and
had set our hearts upon making a
glorious run, for many and heavy
bets had been made on us. She was
indeed q noble vessel, but at times
we were becalmed for days together,
so that she really had not a. fair
chance; at other times we would
have gales right in our teeth, and
after beating about for many days
we found that but little progress had
been made.
The Cape of Good Hope was
reached at last, and when about a
hundred miles to the southwark we
got a fair wind and plenty of it..
The weather for some days previous
ly had been very unsettled, the wind
flying about to all points of the COM
pass. One evening, however, the
sun set red and angrily, and it was
evident gale from some quarter
was imminent. AS have said, it
was In our favor, and right glad we
were. For two days we bovled
along, running right before under a
heavy press Of sail.
With feelings of exultation we
saw our gallant ship bound over .he
foam, for as she tore through each
successive wave we felt that we were
by so much nearer home. The huge
white albatross came wheeling round ,
and with fierce swoop and angry
scream contrasted with the familiar
little Cape pigeons that futtered
under our stern in vast numbers :;
while the stormy petrels piped shril-
ly, as they skinned along the
wreaths of white foam left in our
ocean track.
On every hand, to The horizon, the
great sea was plowed into gigantic,
whlte-rldged furrows by the strength
of the gale, and the whole surface
was covered with a white drift of
binding spray from the crests of the
surging pillows.
We had been making an average
of fourteen knots an hour, and
although the outward-bound vessels
were wrestling with the breeze under
doubled-reefed topsaIls, our skipper
was not content with setting all his
light sails, but must needs carry his
studding-sails as well.
1t will be well here to remark that
ships studding sails are set outside
the square sails, on booms which ex-
tend from the yards, half the length of
the yards themselves, they are only
available with fair winds.
AS each additional sail was spread,
the ship flew through the water with
increased speed, and plunged madly
through the seas as though no earthly
power could stop her. u The last sail
requiring more care and management
than the others, went on the forecas-
tie to assist in setting it.
The vessel was rolling slowly but
heavily, and the operation was one of
no ordinary difficulty. The skipper
remained on the poop, experimenting
the whole thing, and occasionally fav-
oring us with savage growl. The
sail was about half set, and l was
Stacking away rope attached to it
and leading through a block at the
topmast head, when, the breeze sud-
denly freshening, the skipper shouted
to us to keep all fast and not set the
sail. But he was too late. The wind
filling the sail put such sudden strain
on the rope to which l was holding,
that it took me off my feet, and with
the roll of the ship swung out about
fifty feet from the vessels side, and
there remained suspended from the
masthead like a plummet.
As felt the sickening sweep of my
rush through the air, instantly clos
ed my eyes. For some seconds dar-
ed not open them, while expected in
slant destruction, and wondered that
was not already in my death-struggles
with the water.
Moment after moment elapsed.
still lived. / took courage and looked
around, and then / fully realized the
horror of my situation. Death-ine-
vitable death-stared me in the face.
Were the rope to break-and it was a
very old one-I must drop into the sea |
and drown before the eyes of my COM |
rades. No boat of ours could float in |
such sea.
If the ship rolled over few degrees
more should be so lowered that l |
should drag in the water. This could
be but for an instant, for the rope, my
only hope, would be torn from my
grasp. No hands could stand the
strainof a body towing through The wa
ter at the rate of sixteen knots an
hour.
Worst of all, when the vessel rolled
back in the opposite direction, l should
acquire such frightful velocity, on ac-
count of the great length of my rope,
that ! could not fail to be dashed to
pieces against the ships side, her
mast, or rigging. In the last case, the
rigging formed by no means the least
part of the danger. BY reason of the
enormous strain, it more resembled a
system of iron bars than of flexible
ropes. Strangely enough, the vessel
would not roll over the other way.
was told afterward that l was
hanging thus for more than five min
ntes before she took her back roll. l
should have thought that it had been
i've hours. Every second seemed an
and yet began to dread the
lime when ! should swing in.
The rope was about the thickness of
nv little finger. 1t burned and cut in
to nv hands like red-hot bar.
Close beneath my feet The angry
waves leaped up and hissed at me as
l.o,,.,l, ;nnnatian nf their nrav Onoa |