The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1880-01-22

nau kepC nluueH IroIh hio poA"'', "'",
falling on her knees by my bedside, she
sobbed for very joy.
CAS- much beef tea and brandy as you
can get him to take" the doctor says
that afternoon and it wasn't long be-
fore l got from slops to solids, and then
was sent, as told you, into the country
to get strong, while the doctor got no
end of praise for the cure he made.
l never said a word though, even to
Polly, for he did his best; but l don't
think any medicine would have cured
me then.
l was saying little while back, that
l pulled my wife regularly out of the
hands Of death, and of course that was
when we were both quite young, though
| for the matter of that, ! don't feel much
different, and can't well see the change.
That was one of the Cape steamers when
[ first took to stocking They were little,
ramshackle sort of boats in those days,
and how it was that more weren't lost,
is a puzzle to me. 1t was more due to
the weather than to the make or finding
of the ships, l can tell you, that they
sed to find their way safe to port and
yet the passengers, poor things, know
ing 10 better, used to take passage, aye,
and make a 7oyage, too, from which
they never got back.
Well, | was working on board a
steamer, as they used to call the hqua-
tor and heavy laden, and with about
90 passengers ON board, we started down
channel with all well till we got OF the
west coast of Africa, when there came
one OF the heaviest storms | was ever in.
Even for well-found steamer, such as
they can build to-day, it would have
been hard fight; but with our poor,
shaky wooden tub, it was hopeless
case from the first.
| Our skipper made brave fight of it
though. and tried hard to make for one
of the ports; but bless you, what can q
man do, when, after ten days knocking
about. the Goals ran out, and the fires
that he'd been kept going with wood and
oil, and everything that could be thrust
into the furnaces, are drowned, when the
paddle wheels are only in the way,
every bit of sail set is blown clear out of
the bolt ropes, and at last the ship be
gins to drive fast for lee shore
That was our case, and every mo-
ment the wind seemed to get more fierce
and the waves higher, while | heard
from more than one man how fast the
water was gaining below.
Ny mate and didn't want any tell
i've. theAsh Wed been driven out Of
the stoke hole like a pair OF drowned
rats, and came on deck to find the bull
warks ripped away and the sea every
now and then learing aboard and
washing the lumber about in all direc
tions.
The skipper was behaving very well
and he kept us all at the pumps, turn
and turn in spells, but we might as well
have tried to pump the sea dry, and
when, with the water gaining fast, We
told him what we thought he owned it
was no use and We gave up.
We'd been at it, crew and passengers,
about forty of us altogether, including
the women-tive of them there were,
and they were all on deck, dashed in a
sheltered place, close to the poop. And
very pitiful it was to see them fighting
hard at first and clinging to the side,
but only to grow weaker, half-drewned
rs they were; and | saw two sink down
at last, and hang .lrooping-like from
their hastings, dead, for not a soul
could DO them a turn.
l was holding on by the shrouds when
the mate got to the shippers side, and l
saw in his blank white face what he
was telling him. OF course we couidn t
hear his words in such storm, but we
didn want to, for his lips said plain
enough:
"She's sinking"
Next moment there was rush made
for the boats and two of the passengers
cut loose couple Of the women; place
vas made for them before the first boat
was too full; she was lowered down, cast
of and big wave carried her clear of
the steamer l saw her for moment
on the top of the ridge and then she
plunged down the other side out of our
sight--and that of everybody else; for
how long she lived, who can sayl She
was never picked up or heard of again.
Giving bit of cheer, our
| cbonr turneI IN tho newt a,,1 Uero