Litchfield enquirer., 1881-08-04


 down around the ship. I am too old sailor to make note of every odd change in the look of the sea or sky, but that was the od- dest change ever saw in mid ocean. have read deal of poetry at sea. and used to write home pieces to Maggie's mother, when she was alive, God bless her! and So have always by me 8 sort of taste and eye for what you would call ''poetic effects" We'll, the effect that day as the nor'west breeze fell dead, and the sun began. to go down, 1 shall never forget. It became very cold and a mysterious looking haze gathered about the ship in circle that got always narrower and narrower, till we had nota hundred feet of clear view all round. The sea lost it's brisk look, and glided and slid about, as if it were the back of monstrous snake. We seemed at the bottom of pit of dar kness and devil try; and the bottom we rested on was the fathomless Atlantic ' All around us the en- croaching haze, and rising behind and above it dense, dark wall of cloud, touched, in the west, at it's lofty broken edges with the dim glory ofsthe setting sun, and showing little space of pale, pure blue above, and in the east and south appearing like an inaccessible gray cliff. From the depths of this cliff seemed to come by and by faint labered sighs. which gradually became wilder and prolonged them
 
 shortened sail at once down to the lower top sails. g,s- .etzT T g .is n.fs
 Between g and 10 tucked my little Maggie safe into her berth, and turned in myself, though knew it would be only for little while. That cat did not see anywhere about.
 was walked suddenly by my head being bumped against the side of my berth. There was loud report, like the going off of twen- ty muskets; felt sudden spasm as of chok- ing; caught at my berth and sprang to my feet. You have never been in hurricane, l dare say? Well, when It first sWOops down, it seems to shut you and the ship up with too much breath. In another minute 1 was on deck; the report had been the noise of sheet blown to pieces. Jack was roaring through the trumpet, the men were shortening sail you could just hear the sharp creak of ropes and pulleys through the wind-and that wretched cat was hid somewhere about. meawing it's very worst. It was two in the bitter rain, and we lay to with the lee clew of the lower maintop- sail. All on till dawn and through the day it blew and shrieked it's loud est. Two men were at the wheel to keep her head up, but knew that for all that we were driving rapidly back on our track. The drift in the air was so dense that we could not see five yards beyond the ship; and by o'clock it was dark. About 6 o'clock great sea struck our bows, carried away our head, and let rush of water like mill-race over our decks. We recoiled great distance, and settled heavily in the trough of the sea. But we rose agaln with a shudder. --'-.- s''.
 On the second day, after daylight, the hur- ricane abated though it still blew a stiff gale. But we were able to slacken something of the grim tenacity of our vigilance, and to look at each other again. liked not the looks met. We had passed with comparatively little dam age through a terrible danger: and that would have been enough, you would have thought. to lead the sailors to think that both weather and lip were under altogether different and better guidance than the witchery of tabby e st sss s9sH lGe 4eksa ay shsy and drew off from it and its dismal meawings, that they were still bound by dread of what it might bring upon them. l must confess that 1 myself disliked the cat, though it seem- ed moved to wander up and down the deck and into the cabin, and to lament as it did snore by some kind of distress than from spite. Maggie was the only one who took any notice of it; and she fed it and followed it about with all unwearied devotion to which the creature did not at all respond.
 Next day, though the gale continued to abate, our plight was little improved. The
 
 could not discover sine was making water. The wind was still northeast, against which she not only made no head, but kept losing way. l was, therefore, not surprised when Jack came to me in the cabin and said
 There's something going on for'ard- no end O talk and tobacco juice"
 We went on deck. .......
 Look at them." continued Jack, ''there by the chains. See how they shove their should CTS into each other. When a sailor does that, and pulls his own ear as Dick Sandys is doing there's something up. Aud they half-look ttis way. An. here they come"
 There were three of them, headed by Dick Sandys shYly shouldering their way aft. Dick came pretty straight, pulling at hls ear, with his eyes cast down, but with his round, ruddy face shining steadily forward; his comrades lurched about, looking from side to side, and touching things as they passed
 Well, Dick, said l, you want to speak to me l suppose, you and your mates? ?"
 ''Ay, ay, sir; if you will kindly give us a word. Me and them, sir?-ierking his thumb over his shoulder come as a deppytation from the fo'csle. We ain't got no notion O dictating to the capting, but we want to put ye in possession. sir, of what we're a.thinking about..s Eh, mates?" Gu s.s ,s,lS
 'Ay, ay." s. ,...,s,.,.,.
 ''We see how it's agoing to be. This here wage Il never come to no good end The Seamew Fl never again get into no, harbor; and some day one on them big steamers II come across her all Il rotting, wi not sign O life abroad but cursed striped cat in the rig rging It's bound to live somehow;-eh, mates? Well, sir, we aint blamin' nobody. Ifs our luck, and the damned trick O that Lily. That's bound to be eur luck vii that there cat abroad; but it's not to be expected as how we'll take it meek and mild. We'll, ye see, sir, they say 'worser luck if ye throw her overboard.' Jest so. But now this is what we were a-thinking: Suppose we ~set hsr adrift in an old tub"
 This dark suggestion he conveyed in low Vdice, with his hand to the side of his mouth, afer glance round to make sure the cat was net within hearing. Then be looked at me with steady wistful eye; his mates f1dgeted aid looked over the ships sides, as though they felt halfashamed of the plot to. which tley had given their adherence.
 considered moment had of course nc real belief that getting rid of the eat thus would give us a fair wind; yet still it was worth trying; it involved only the sacrifice of tie cat. and if it did not change the wind, it would at least change the looks of my crew. Bat what would my little Maggie say? How ever, 1 turned at onceato Dick. ..
 ''You can try it" said 1. II give you full lave--thougii, mark you'll don't believe in tie nonsense" But get hold of it without my little girl seeing you.''
 f''Ay, ay. sir" fs. f- ."A4 Ee s9 /, II:
 @1ts si8 tlts H,IE5II @aL }Q .z1sa gys
 An, it was bad night. The wind whistled inropes and cords, and spars and rigging crtaked wearily. The broken water every nov and then came swasf on our bulwarks and swirling and hlssing over us.ss Alb, my he.rties, believe me it's better ashore than at sea The cat was got and put into the tub, anfOver she went into the darkness and the ruih and hiss of the mighty waters with 8 driadful meaw, that made our flesh creep.
 was glad did not see the mems faces. I fet-I don't know what Then | went aft a stp or two till Twill close to the wheel and Joking astern. had stood maybea minute oimore when, 10 and beholdl 1 saw just where tie glimmer of the pinnacle light fell on the bliwarks. the head and the staring eyes of tlat cat! I dashed forward Just on the i'm yftrcn l.