The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-07-14
The Skeleton of the Wreck.

s. While Sir Michael Seymour was in COM
mand Of the Amethyst frigate and Was
cruising in the Bay Of Biscay, the wreck Of a
merchant ship dove past. Her deck. was
just above water, her lower mast alone
standing. Not soul could be seen on
board; but there was caboose on deck
which had the appearance Of being recently
patched with old canvas and tarpauling, as
if to afford shelter to some forlorn remnant
of the crew. It blew at the time q strong
gale; but Sir Michael listened only to the
dictates of humanity. ordered the ship to be
put about and sent off a boat with instruc-
tons to board the wreck, and ascertain
whether there was any being still surviving
whom the help of his fellow men might save
from the grasp of death
The boat rowed toward the moving mass;
and while struggling with the difficulty of
getting through high running sea close
loud as they could, an object resembling
in appearance a bundle of clothes
was observed to roll out of the caboose.
against the lee shrouds of the mast With
the end of a boat hook they managed to get
hold of it, and hauled it into the boat, when
it proved to be the trunk of a man, bent
head and knees together and so
wasted away as scarce to be left within the
ample clothes which had once fitted it in a
state of life and strength. The boats crew
fastened back to the Amethyst with this
miserable remnant of mortality; and so
small was it in bulk, that lad of fourteen
| years of age was able, with his own hands,
| to lift in into the ship.
| When placed on deck it showed for the
first time to the astonishment Of all, signs
OF remaining life. It tried to move, and
next moment muttered in a. hollow sepui-
chral tone: WAY z.sF s.. gg>s !. .ssg.s.
"There is another man. !" j ~ s
IL The instant these words were heard Sir
4 Michael ordered the boat to shove off again
for the wreck. The sea having become
somewhat smoother, they succeeded this
time in boarding the wreck, and on looking
into the caboose they found two other hu-
man bodies, wasted like the one they had
saved, to the very ,ns, but without the
1 least spark of life remaining. They we're
sitting in shrunk- up posture, a hand Of
one resting on a tin pot, in which there was
/ about a gill Of water, and q hand Of. the
1 other reaching to the deck, as if to regain
bit of raw salt beef of the size of walnut
I which had dropped from its nerveless
q grasp. Asijss @a
Unfortunate men! They had starved on
4 their scanty store, till they had not strength
remaining to lift the last morsel to their
i mouths! The boats crew, having completed
Il Glelr melanclO1y survey, IcGuIAeu VI
board, where they found the attention
ton of the ships company engrossed by
the efforts made to preserve the generous
skeleton, who seemed to have had just life
enough left to Breath the remembrance that
there was still sanother man." his compan-
ion in suffering to be saved. Captain IS.
committed him to the special charge of the
surgeon, who spared no means which hui
!. mainly or skill could suggest to achieve
the noble object of creating anew, as it
were,a "a feuow-creature, whom +. mine had
(. stripped Of almost every living energy, For
three weeks he scarcely ever left his patient
] giving him nourishment with his own hand
r every five or ten minutes; and at the end of
o three weeks more the skeleton Of the
) wreck was seen walking on the deck of
/ the Amethyst; and to the surprise of all
J, who recollected that he had been lifted In
' to the ship by cabin-boy, presented. the
stately figure of q man nearly six feet high!
q :.