Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-08-26
CHAPTER XIV.
IN THE CITY.

Now, it was just five months after Michael
Strangfeld had departed this life, which
brings us into the sloppy, inglorious month
Of November, that there hung over London,
close down to the streets, yellow fog.
All about the monument, and where
maze of streets meet to pour their crowds
toward London bridge, the fog was thickest.
Here were many vehicles at standstill, and
voices belonging to invisible creatures went
through the fog, with the clang of bells and
stamping and slipping of iron-shod feet.
A hackney coachman, swathed in mass
Of capes and looking, with the immense
white shawl around his throat, like an arti-
choke trimmed with sauce, suddenly brought
| the horse he had been pulling and hauling at
to stand and, slapping down his whip on
the roof of the vehicle, leaned over and
shouted into the window:
"Theres no movin' ag'in' it. You can git
out or sit we're you are but here / stops"
And, saying this, he recovered his upright
posture, and with great elaboration folded
his arms under his cape.
The individual thus addressed, protruding
his head through the window of the carriage,
took a despairing look at the blank scene
around, filed with outlines which grew de-
fined or vanished, as the folds of the fog cir
cled or released them.
called out:
'If / knew I'd go ahead, and blow the
oddsl" replied the man.
But the gentleman inside was clearly too
impatient TO behave sensbly; for catching
hold of travelling bag, h9 jumped into the
middle of the fog and, giving some money
to the coachman, went steadily in the direc-
ton to which his nose happened to point;
and, luck being with him, he came to the
pavement
He asked a man the way to Cornhill
straight on" was the reply And after
twenty minutes of humping and cropping,
and when he had measured some two hun
dred yards, the fog lifted. the whole space
and scene around cleared, and with rush
and shout London went to work again
1t was short walk to Cornhll Looking
carefully from side to side as he went. our
friend arrived presently at a passage, on
which, amid other names, carefully indi-
Gated by a pointing hand, waA the scroll,
George Hunter and Company, Second
Floor" He mounted the gloomy staircase,
and reached a landing of four doors, on one
Of which he knocked
Behind a tall, long desk were several
clerks writing by lamplight
81 WISH" said the gentleman, ITO see the
principal-the owner of the ship Elizabeth"
At the sound of that name the whole of
the clerks looked up like one man and stared
at him.
Certainly" exclaimed one of them. jump
ing up "What name, il you please, sirl"
"Mr. Cuthbert Shaw"
The clerk passed into another office, and
in a moment returned and requested Mr.
Shaw to walk in This was done by passing
round the desk; and Cuthbert, followed by
~,
office, where at table sat two elderly gem
tlemen.
One of them, a gray haired man with
spectacles, Immediately rose
"Mr. Shaw, think the name wasfn
"Alr Cuthbert Shaw"
Pray take that chair, sir My partner,
Mr.. Atkinson. My name is Hunter"
He resumed his seat looking inquisitively
at the brown, though emaciated face of the
young man.
ut is possible, Mr. Hunter, that you may
have already been apprised of the loss of
your ship, the Elizabeth, off Cape Palmasa'
Yes, but only one week since, by the
third mate of the vessel who was rescued
from boat with four companions
Il was on board the Elizabeth when she
was wrecked, and am only just arrived in
London"
l.
name in the list of passengers,n said Mr.
Hunter. 81 will REFER and he was about
to summon clerk.
You will not find my name in your list
was rescued by the Elizabeth in the Eng
lish channel last July, a day or two after she
sailed from the Thames. was on board an
English brig of war called the CLEOPATRA
She engaged French frigate and was sunk
by her. Some of us got clear of the sinking
hull by means of the boats, and on the fol-
lowing day the Elizabeth came across the
boat | was in and took me on board.
Permit me to continue my story and re-
late the object of my visit My time is very
short in London.
"All had gone prosperously with the Eliza
beth until we Were drawing near the latitude
of the Gulf of Guinea, when one Friday
evening a furious gale set in from the west
1t obliged US TO run before it, and for a
whole day we were driven helplessly, but on
Saturday night the captain, not daring to
run to the westward any longer, hove the
ship TO, in doing which she was struck by a
sea that swept away the galley, stove in the
bulwarks and carried some of the men over
board At the same time we lost one of our
masts
Gentlemen, you will probably have re-
ceiyed a full account of this disaster from
the mate. 1t is enough if tell you that, on
the Monday morning, finding the ship leak
ing beyond our power to keep her atioat, the
men took to the boats; but / was in feeble
health, and, in the selfish rush, was beaten
down and left insensible, and for a quarter
of an hour I lay; when, coming to, found
there was another man left on board-one of
the Indian princes attendants sprang up
and hallooed after the boats, which were
sailing rapidly away-the gale had broken
on the previous afternoon, and the sea was
comparatively smooth, if l take no account
of the heavy swells, and then, perceiving
that the ship was rapidly sinking, and the
occupants of the boats either did not or
would not heed me, prepared myself for
death--which, God knows, at that time had
no terrors for me. for | had endured more
than many hearts could have stood without
breaking under.
Observing the pause, Mr. Hunter pro-
duced bottle osseine from drawer and
filed glass for the young fellow With