The National tribune., 1883-05-03

from my slumber The previous discovery of
the closed aperture, with the instant oblivion
that followed, seemed only part of my dream,
and / threw my arms about and looked eagerly
for the opening by which / had entered the
hoTrid place-yes looked for it, and felt for
it, though it was the terrible conviction that it
was closed--a second time brought home to me
which prompted my frenzied cry. Every
sense seemed to have ten-fold acuteness yet
not one to act in unison with another.
shriel1ed again and again-imploringly-d
perately-savagely. j filed the hollow cham
Der with my cries, till its iron walls seemed to
tingle around me. The dull strokes of the ac-
cursed pump seemed only to mock at, while
they deadened my screams.
q At last gave myself up. 1t is the struggle
against our fate which frenZies the mind. We
cease TO fear when we cease to hope. / gave
myself up, and then ] grew calm.
:" / was resigned to die-resigned even 10 my
mode of death. 1t was not, thought, SO very
new after all, as to awaken unwonted horror in
a man. Thousands have been sunk TO the
bottom of the ocean shut up in the holds of
vessels-beating themselves against the bat
tened hatches-dragged down from the upper
world shrieking, not for life, but for death only
beneath the eye and amid the breath of heaven.
Thousands have endured that appalling kind
of suffocation. ] would die only as many
better man had died before me. j could meet
such death / said SOL thought sol felt
so-felt so, / mean for minute-or more ten
minutes IL may have been-or but an instant of
time. / know not, nor does it matter if could
compute it. There was a time, then, when
was resigned TO my fate. But Heaven! was
resigned to it in the shape in which next it
came to appal? Stranger, / felt that water
growing hot about my limbs, though it was not
yet midleg deep / felt it, and in the same mo-
,.f
turn it into steam before it could get deep
enough TO drown one.
g y ou shudder. 1t was hideous. But did
shrink and shrivel, and crumble down upon
that iron door, aud lose my senses in that hor-
rid agony of fear? No! though my brain
swan and the life-blood that curdled at my
heart seemed about to stagger there forever
still l knew was too hoarse-too hopeless
from my previous efforts, to cry out more. But
j struek-feebIy at first, and then strongly
frsnticaily with my cienched first against the
sides of the boiler. There were people moving
near who must hear my hlowsi Could not
hear the grating of chains, the shutting of
/ feet, the very rustic of a rope-hear them all,
within a few inches of me? I did; but
/ the guTgling water that was growing hotter
and hotter around my extremities made more
noise within the steaming cauldron than did
my frenZied blows against its sides.
'Latterly had hardly changed my position
but now the growing heat of the water made
me plash to and fro; lifting myself wholly out
of it was impossible, but / could not remain
quiet. / stumbled upon something; it was a
mallet,- IA chance tool the smith had left there
| by accident With what wild JOY did I seize
| it-with what eager confidence did ! now deal
| my first blows with it against the walls of my
prison. But scarce had intermitted them for
q moment when / heard the clang of the iron
door as the fireman flung it wide open to feed
q ~t.-A.-
1 ing was unheard, though | could hear him toss
the sticks into the furnace beneath me, and
| drive to the door when his internal oven was
/ fully crammed-
|" Had / yet hope? / had but it rose in
my mind side by side with the fear that
might now become the agent of preparing
myself a more frightful death. Yes; when /
| thought of that furnace with its fresh-fed
| flames curling beneath the iron upon which
stood-a more frightful death even than that
! of being boiled alive, Had / discovered that
! maliet but short time sooner-but no matter,
/ would by its aid resort TO the only expedient
now left.
1t was this. ] remembered having a mar
line spike in my pocket, and in less time than
! have taken in limiting at tha consequences OF
thus using it / had made an impression upon
the sides of the boiler, and soon succeeded in
| driving il through The water gushed through
the aperture-would they see it? No; the JET
could only play against wooden partition
which must hide the stream from view; ii
must trickle down upon the decks before the
leakage would be discovered. Should drive
another hole to make that leakage greater
Why, the water within seemed already TO be
sensbly diminished, so hot had become thai
which remained; should more escape, would
not hear it bubble and hiss upon the fiery
plates Of iron that were already scorching the
soles of my feet2
"Ahi there is moyement-voices-I heal
them calling for a crowbar. The bulkhead
cracks as they pry off the planking. They
have seen the leak-they are trying to get a
it! Good God Why do they not first damper
the fire? Why do they call for the-the-
" Stranger, look at that finger; it can never
regain its natural size; but it has already done
all the service that man could expect from 81
humble member. Sir, that hole would hav,
been plugged up on the instant unless hat
jammed my finger through!
i heard the cry of horror as they saw i
witheut-the shout 10 drown the fire-the frs
stroke of the eold-water pump. They say, too
that / was conscious when they took me out
but II remember nothing more till the,
brought julep to my bedside afterward, AM
that julep!-"
Cooling, was it2"
Stranger !"
Ben turned away his head ano wept. 81
could say no more