San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-12-18
nth some Of the passengers.


While / was down on my hands
and knees on the roof Of the cabin
and I saw it part from the stout frame
work Of the walking beam Of the
machinery, and while breaking of
dipping down, till We rose again, ths
frail roofing bending under us like
crawling snake,no support to cling TO-
dark as il was,.. occasionally 4 wave
splashing us--I most earnestly and
|fervently prayed God spve mel
did not as in Christian duty pray
God save me, il it is thy will; I wan
ted to be saved any how, though my
hope wasl.very slim. I have never
prayed SO fervently before or since
As kind Providence or fortune
would have it, the human freight o.
some twenty five persons who clunG
to the roofing Of the cabin were by
favorable wind blown safely near
shore, so we could walk out. 1t was
too dark to see the Island, but little
over the sea the first intimation ol
land, q Newfoundland dog that war
on board, and could see better in the
dark Che must have made shore
sooner than we), barkea in joyous
glee to see us lost passengers ad
vance.
can not tell the time, how long
we were on the wreck before the
vessel broke up, nor how long we
were in waiting out to shore; min
utes in times OF danger seem to be
hours but / think I do not over
estimate the time, If I say from the
time our vessel struck and broke uE
it was two hours before we landed in
that dark night on the desolate Las,
Island-for at that time there was nc
human inhabitations on it. Tha,
brief space ofa couple Of hours, hang
ing between life and death, seemed
to us an eternity.
Those on the roof of the cabin
landed securely. OF the Eve who
tried to save themselves by clingine
to the heavy beams Of the walking
beams, they had to cling there from
the early morning we were wrecked
also during the whole day and follow
ing night, the waves being rather too
high for them to swim ashore. We saw
them but could not help them nc
boat or succor being on hand, on
the second morning when the sea
was more calm, they attempted "
swim ashore, and two OF them, good
swimmers too, drowned
Our situation on the Island waf
lonely and sad. A barrel Of -four
accidentally foated ashore, we opened
it, and by digging with our hands
holes in the sandy soil, we obtained
brackish water to quench our thirst.
We found dry drift. wood enough to
make fire, we mixed the -four with
water, and by slapping it on boards
and placing them before the fire, we
made shift to bake it, but it took
great hunger to relish it,and a grind
stone of a stomach to digest it. Our
bed was the bare sand bank-all we
had on was our clothing.
On the second evening OF our
wreck, small farmer who was out
fishing with a boat discovered us.
Our captain engaged him to take off
first the officers Of the boat and two
white ladies, for the boat was so small
it could not contain many. On the
morning Of the fourth day he took
us passengers off TO his farm, and the
boat being 80 small, we were packed
in like salt fish. The last trip was
for the boat hands. This farmer
was very kind, he landed us on his
small farm, furnished us with roast
sweet potatoes, he had not coffee, and
meat for us all, and neither had we
money TO pay for any thing. From
the farm we footed it up for some 30
miles to the village Of PAttersonville.
The wealthy planters on the road
made up no subscription in our aid nor
offered us 9 dinner, or Subsistence
did not need much, for 1 had not q
dime in money nor . hat. only shirt,
pants and sorry shoes.
Arrived at Pattersonville.an Ameri-
an entertained me for some days
very Hospitality. and BY his recon-
nendatiOn, q French planter who
poke Spanish employed me on his
'ugAr plantation, giving me liberal
wages and clothing nebefOre began
york This man hal q beautiful
i4aghter, she always addressed ne
% kindly and with a smi;e. BAT
Unfortunately I c0u1 n5t sPsak
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