Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-09-05

continuous gale. aud some OF our MA
chlncry Was ~brokcn-the screw dam.
aged-and We could not keep our
course. As we drew near the other
side of the Atlantic we got. more and
more out OF our bearings, and at last
the togs told lis We were somewhere
OF the banks OF Newfoundland. but
where no one was quite sure. 1t seem.
cd to ME it had all happened before, OF
l had read it, or dreamed il. AT all
events, it was hardly a surprise 10 me
when. on the tenth night, just afte,
midnight, the awful crass, and shock
took p.ace--a sensation which no one
who has not felt it Cal imagine in the
lcast-anI we knew that the Antarctic
had struck.
1t is Il fearful thing. it you come tc
think OF it. i great steamer filled with
living souls in the full flow OF life anG
health, aud in one moment the cal
coming to eac., OF them TO die Before
you could have struck a match the
whole ship was in q panic-cries, ter
ror, confusion, agony-Oh, it was aw-
full! l trust 10 SEQ such q scene
again. made my way through it all
as if had neither eyes nor ears. and
got to the state-room | had long ago
found out was the one which belonged
to my girl. | knocked al tho door
with a heavy hand; even ut that awful
moment a thrill ran through me at the
thought of standing face to face with
her again.
''Winny"" cried. 'come out! make
haste! there is not a moment to lose!'
The door opened rs | spoke. and she
stood just within. ready dressed. ever
to her little black hat. Tho cabin light
had been lett burning. by the doctors
orders, and it fell fun on me as l stood
there in my sailors jersey aud cap. l
wondered il size would know me. |
forgot the danger we were in-iorgot
that death WAS waiting close at hand
forgot that the world held any one but
just her and me.
'D;ck".' she cried-"Oh, Dick,
Dick!" and she fell forward in a dead
faint on my shoulder.
All my senses came back to me then,
and l threw her ov1r my arm aud ran
for the deck. y great fur-lineu cloak
had been dropped by the door of the
AN'''S' ~ iSlS was IlO llSHt, OuI
! stumbled over il us ! ran. | snatched
II up and carried it with me.
Up above. all was in the widest
chaos; the boats oycrlilied. and push
ing off; the ship settling rapidly; pco-
pie shouting, crying, SWEARING. One
hears tales OF %cllmness aud courage
often enough ut such times, which
make ones heart glow rs one reads
them; but there was not much heroism
shown in the wreck of the Antarctic.
The captain behaved s%plandidly, and
so did some OF the passengers. but the
majority of them and the crew were
mad with terror, and lost their heads
altogether.
saw there was not a chance for the
over-crowded boats in that sea. and |
sprang for the rigging. l was not a
second too soon; a score of others fol
lowed my example, and with my pre-
cious burden should not have had a
chance two minutes later. As it was,
l scrambled to the topmast. and got IL
firm hold there. Winny was Just COM
ing to herself. had wrapped he,
round like a baby in the fur cloak, and
with my teeth / opened my knife to
cut Il rope whicA hung loose within
reach. With this lashed her to me,
and fastened us both to the topnlast.
The ship sank gradually; she did not
keel over or | should not be telling
you the story; she settled down, Just
her deck above water, but the great
seas washed over ii every second and
swept it clean. The boats had gone!
One or two of the crew., floating on
loose spars. were picked up aftcrward
nc more. The rigging was pretty
full, at least in the upper part; down
below, the sea vas too strong. The
captain was mean me. l felt glad to
think he had been savcd-he was not a
coward like sue Of the others.
How long W,s the longest night you
ever knew? Multiply tina, by a ,nous-
and, and You will have some idea OF
that nights length. The cold was aw-
fui. The spray froze on the sheets AS
it fell; the yards We're slippery with
ice. stamped on Winny's feet to
keep them from freezing. Dad you
notice that | limp a little? shall
walk lame ~ long as | live. Some.
times there was a splash in the black
water below, rs some poor fellows
stiilrned hold relaxed, and he fell from
his place in the rigging. There was
not a breath of wind. nothing bnt the
bitter, bitter for. How long could VIC
hold out? Where We're we? How long
would the ship last before she broke
up? Would it be by drowning or by
frecZing9 We asked ourselves these
questions again and again, but there
was no answur. Death stared us in
the face; we seemed to live ages of
agony in every minutc-and yet, will
you believe Inc, that all seemed little
in comparison 10 the thought that
after all The struggles and the sorrows,
after ali those tn iong weary years, !
held my girl IN my arms at last.
She hal pulled one corner of the
cloak arouml my neck Ct stood on a
leve! just below hcr). aud her hand lay
there with tit was the hand that
her cheek rested against my own. Oft
en- | thought its GOODNESS was the cold
ness of death, and almost cxultcd in
the thought that we should die togcth-
or. And then | would catch the muir
muir of the prayers she was uttcring
Tor Us both, and know that life was
there still. AID hop" lived too.
Well. we'll! Why should | dwell on
such horrors, eXccDt to thank the mcr-
cy that brought Us through them ali?
Day dawnel Il. last: and there was the
shore near by, ans! soon rockets We're
fired, and ropes were secured, and Que
by one the half dead living We're drawn
from their awful suspension between
sky and sea, and landed safe on shore.
They had To fnLo Minnr nnd mn 10