The Penn's Grove record., 1884-03-22
GOING ASHORE.

"There she is, sir; that's she Just of
the pint there. She's a-coming stem
on; and in arr al hour, If she amt on
Bunk Sands, I'm a Dutchman."
My companion was no native Of dam
land, for there was Briton written in
every feature of his bronzed-red face,
as he stood by me in Baythrope shore,
in his canvass trowsers. heavy fishers
boots, blue Jersey shirt, and tarpauhn
Lat, tied on with a bit Of oakum band,
while the flap behind beat about in the
tremendous wind that was raging in
our faces.
"Bangl" went the dull, smothered
report of a heavy gun. and in the shade
of the coming night l just caught
sight of a faint flash of light. Where
we stood. the spray came rushing in
like a heavy storm of rain; while the
whlstling Of the wind, and the thunder
ing in of the huge rollers ashley curled
over and over upon the sands, tearing
it out from among the clays, and
scraping it away by tons, made standing
in the face of such a storm extremely
confusing; and yet hundreds were out
upon the shore close under the great
sand. bank, drenched to the skin with
the spray, for the news had spread
through the village that a three-master
was going ashore.
Going ashoreI Simple words to a
andsman's ears; but what do they
mean2 The noble vessel tearing and
plunging through the broken water
now down i'll the trough of the
waves, now rising like a cork upon the
white crests, and then a shock rs she
strikes unon the sand, and seems i'm
movable; a shuddering culver through
plank and beam; and then crash, crash,
erash-mast after mast gone by the
board-snapped like brittle twigs on a
dead stem; while huge ropes part like
burnt Irvine; then the rising of the
apparently immovable vessel, as she is
lifted bv the waves to fall crashing
again upon the sands, parting in the
middle; rushing pillows pouring tons
upon tons of water over the deck; a
wild, wild cry for help; and then the
shore strewed with fragments, casks,
bodies, as the merciless waves sport
with them, tossing them on to the
sands, and then curling over to drag
them back. Going ashore; not safety
from a Wild storm, but death.
"Ah," said the old salt by my side,
shouting at me with his hand to his
mouth, did yer hear that gum"
Nodded.
"There goes another" he continued,
stretching out his hand and pointing to
where the flash could be seen, while
directly after came another dull heavy
report. Cant yer see her now, sirp"
Mine were not sea-going eyes; and it
was no easy task to make out a distant
object through the binding storm of
spray which beat dead in my face: but
| Just managed to make out a dark
mass right among the boiling waves,
and l shuddered as l thought of the
fate of those on board.
"She must come to it," said the
man; she'll come in just there;'' and he
pointed to a spot among the waves
where they seemed r~oughesti 'she'nbe
there in less time than l said; and then,
Lord have mercy upon 'eml Amen!"
AS he said this the old man reverent-
ly took off his tarpaulin sou'wester,'
and stood with the storm tearing
through the remains of his grizzly hair;
bald, rugged and weather-beaten, the
coarseness of his features seemed for
the moment subdue6-softened by the
feeling within his b~reath-as he stood
there no inar. representation of a seer
of old.
SIS there no chance for theml'' l
shouted.
The old man shook his head and
shrugged his shoulders. PRECIOUS
little" he said, "unless them chaps
come down with the life-boat; but
who'd go out?"
1t did look a desperate venture.
indeed, to attempt to launch a boat
with such a sea on, and having no
reply, l stood shading my eyes and gaz-
ing out to see.
"Bangl'
There was another flash, and another
dull, echoless report, aid as the veil
of spray seemed to clear during a lull
in the storm; l could perceive a large
three-masted vessel about five hundred
yards from the shore; and once, as she
keeled over and showed her deck, l
could see that it was crowded with
people.
''God help theml" 1 muttered.
"Anenl" said the old man; and just
then, away to our left, we saw the life
boat carriage coming down at a trot,
drawn by two stout horses; while a
loud and prolonged ''hurrayl" welcomed
its Arrivals another fash, and its
following heavy report, seemed to come
from the doomed vessel like a groan of
pain in its hour of sore distress.
They'll never go out to her." said
the old man, shouting in my ear, for
after the lull the storm came down
with ra1nuhlad furv-fha wind ahrfaL-