The Red Cloud chief., 1880-04-29
sH7PWREcKEp.

beach
6sss jean Goello; rousa OF mIen and spssch.
arsx nov, Snosc arm was ahoe
In the srsa, srh. in savari.e nav.
fuf'ng his pipe. he slowly sins his rro~
And spins seaS arms 80 many m oid 49,
Sitting around him.
Yes -fads-hear him wv-
Le SIXTY years ago this very day
Since first went TO sea. on bosrd. Won hyov
La Belle --L~f long sva-
AN AN. ss =, ,are..snasisd tub. rotten almost
We set all sail. the breeze WA fair and ssfR.
My boysood had been passed meath yopder
Where an old NANNY uncle. 60 he said
Kept me AZ prawning Tor my daily thread.
Al MI ne came home drunk such kicks
An mel VIVA, children suffer no man knows,
But once at sen twas ten times wors. rsoa,rs
learned 10 take. 20 bear aud make no sound.
first place. our ship was ia the negro trade
anu onee on land NO vain attempts were
A. secrccy. Our captain after that
hound as an egg; was liberal of the cat.
Inc rspes-end, cuffs, kicks. blows. all fell on
was ships boy-'twas natural, you see
Was always raised To- fcnd nay face from harm.
NO man had pity. Blows aud stripes aiwayn.
For sailor knew no better In those days
ihah 70 thrash boys, TN those who lived at
As ablc scamen shipped before the mast.
ceased 10 cry Tears brought me no relief.
Think 4 might have pcrisbed 81 mute grief.
HAT not God sent n friend-a friend-to me.
Sailors believe in q done mast nj sea
1n boaso that ship a God OF mercy then
Had placed a dog among those cruel men.
Like me. ne Summed their brutal kicks and
We soon grew friends. fast friends, true
He WITS Nesfenndiand- Black, they called
Ills a n. xor .x14., g-u -
He was my shadow from that blessed night
When We mnde friends. and by the stars half
When all the forecasfLe was fast asleep.
And our men "caniked their watch" i used
10 creep
Win BLACK amvng some boxes slowed On
deck.
And with my arms cissped tightly round his
neck.
used TO cry and cry, and pres. my bead
Close Ia the heart grfeyed by the tears I shed.
Night after night 4 mourned our piteous case,
"hiie BIachs large tongue licked my poor
Poor Black! ] think Of him so often stili
Al srst we mad fair winds our sails To m,
But one hot night, when all was calm and
mute.
Our skipper-a good sailor, though a BRUTE
Gave n long look over the vessels side,
Then TO the sreersinan whispered, half aside,
See that os-eye out yonderf IL looks queer"
fp &at cttA1h sbA SUI NC
"HuIlo! An hands on deck, Wen be prepared.
Stow reynisr Reef the courses! Pass the
Vain, The squat broke ere we could shorten
sail:
We lowered the topsaiIs, but the raging gale
spun our Old ship about. The captain reared
His orders-los. IN the great noise on board
The devil was Ia that squaIi; But all men could
To save their ship we did. DO Whist we would,
The gale grew worse and worse. She sprang q
some way 10 says our lives Lower q boat"
The captain shouted. Before one would fioat
Our ship preached to- The strain had broke
Like a whole broadside doomed the awful
crack.
She settled fast
Landsmen can have no notion
of how u feels to sink beneath tn ocean.
As the blue pillows closed above our deck,
And with slow motion swallowed down the
wreck.
saw my past life. BY some flash. ou.spread,
saw the old port. its ships. its old pier-head,
My own bare feet. the rocks. the sandy shore
Saltwater filled my mouth-I saw no more.
i did not struggle much-I could not swim.
j sank down deep, IL secmed-drowned but for
For Black. Imean-who seized my jacket tight,
Aud dragged meout of darkpessb back To light.
The ship was gone-the captains gig affsat;
By one brave rug he brought me near the boat.
] seized the g%unwale, spra2g On board, and
L
My friend in after me. OF all our crew,
The dog and 1 alone survived the gale;
Aioat with neither rudder, oars, nor sail
Boy though / was, my heart was brave and
stout.
Yet when the storm had blown its fury out,
] saw-with who can tell what wild emotion!-
That If we met no vessel in mid-ocean.
There was no help for us-ail hope was gone;
We were aioat-boy, dog-afost alonei
We hao been saved from drowning but TO die
III thirst ana ntugtr-mF Dnetr BtHpk and Il.
No biscuit in the well-swept hooker lay;
No keg of water had been slowed away,
Like those on the "Medusas" raft
Bah that's enough. A story is best short.
For FIVE long nights, and longer dreadful days,
We iioated onward in n tropic haze.
Fierce hunger guawed Us with it's cruel fangs,
And mental anguish with its keener pangs.
Each morn / hoped; each night, when hope was
My poor dog licked me with his tender tongue.
Under the blazing sun and s,ar-li. night
Watched in vain. No sail appeared in sight.
Round us the blue spread wider, bluer, higher.
TIE fifth day my parcned throat was all on IRE,
When something suddenly my notice caught
Black, cronching, shivering, underneath a
thwart.
He Loked-his dreadful look no tongue can
And his kind eyes glsred like Goals of hell!
Here. Blacki old fellowi here!' 1 cried in
yain-
He looked me in the face and crouched again.
rose: he snuried. drew back. How piteously
His eyes entreated help! He slapped q; me! :.
what can this mean?" Icried, yet shook with
With that great shudder felt when Death is
near.
Black seized the gunwaie with his teeth. I
Thick Shiny foam drip from his awful jaw;
Then i knew ALL Five days of tropic heat,
Without one drop of drink. one scrap OF meat.
Had made him rabid. He whose courage had
Preserved my life, my messmate, friend, was
mad.
You understand? Can you see him and me,
The open boat tossed on q brassy sea,
A child and q wild beast on board alone,
While overhead streams down the tropic sum-
And the boy crouching, trembling for his hfeg
Isearched my pockets and ] drew my knife
For every one instinctively. you know.
Defends his life. Twas time that i did so,
For af that momeE1s with q furious bound,
The dog flew AT me- I sprang half around.
He missed me in blind haste. With all my
might
Iseized his neck, and grasped, and held him
tight,
felt him wriths and try TO bite. as he
Struggled beneath the pressure of my knee.
His red eyes rolled; signs heaved his shining
coat.
throat
And so l killed my friend. i had Duh one!
VIVA. matters how, after that deed was done,
They picked ne up half dead. drcnched in his
gore,
And took me back to France?
Need I say more7
1nave killed men-ay, mdny-in my day,
Without renerse-for sailors must obey.
One q a squad. once in Barbadoes.i
Shot my own comrade when condemned d 70 die.
1rever dream of him, for that was trur.
Under old MACON. too, at Trafalgar,
hacked the hands of English boarders. Ten
Ny AK Topped on. 1dream not OF those men.
At Plymouth. in q prison1hulk. L slew
Two English jailers, stabbed them through
and through
1did-confound themi But yet evennow
The death of Black, although SO long ago.
Upsets me- IN not sleep Tonight IL
Here. boy! Another glass. Wen talk Of other
things
II. ". Latssns-. ta Harpers Aaeazins for
Apra.