The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-11-15
MISSING.

The blacks hare mustered in sreG
numbcrB In Whsle Bay. There arc NOR
than q thousand Of them-fus men, Wit
thick lips, but with siuewy arms, The
have surprised the midshipman and thil
ty sailors who came there to Teplsnish tn
water supply OF the Naisde, Far out, III
corvette, with sails Clewed up, rocks upoI
the smooth swells, Here, among the tai
grass, under the psIasOl,topped palms
under the death.disHlllpg euphorblas, IN
der the dense foliage Of the fly Tree, tn
desperate fight begins,
And the sailors beat retreat, prudent
ly, skillfully, They scatter among tn
vegetation and walk STOPPING, the bette
to avoid the asssgias that whistle by, an,
plunge, with dull sound, into the gnarls,
trunks, Every ball they turn to fire take
effect among the naEs OF negroes. Blu
the ClamoEs and voCiieTations Of the BAN
drown the cries Of agony,
The main object is to regain the boE
without abandoning the water CRsks. Th
men lake turns in rolling them, The,
would not give ttohn up for three months
pay. Two Of the crew are lying some
where in thiCket, Efforts were made Il
lift them up; 1t was useless The Rssegal
are poisoned,
The Damaras narrow their circle, Blu
the beach Ia gained, The bOAtswain'
whistle to muAter is heard. QnlCk will
the water casks into the boat, and las
Volley at the black faces. Twenty shot
ring out simultaneously, and the negroe
halt, Already the boatswain's mate ha
given the order to push of. The sailor
press on the oars, The longboRt move
quickly from the beach,
Suddenly voice cries out;
"Ihe Lieutenant Where Ia the Lieu
tenant2"
And q cry Of distress responds, In
moment the confusion Is at ils height
And yet II was he who commanded lhl
retreat; he cannot be very far from thu
shore, His sailors will have him, alive O
dead.
Immediately the long beat turns about
It n -snleIs the creek and mounts the I'm
Lid liltlo stream, The Damaras are nc
longer there. All the men dlsembark
The CorpEts Of their two dead comrades
are found, already tumefed and swollen
One Of them Is even headless. The say'
ages must have carried the head away,
And thy tearch the eminenCes, the
thiCkets-set fire 10 Btray busheB, shout,
dirChaTgs their arms in tho air, There ia
no response, not even howl from the
blacks, What, then, can have become oil
the midshipmanP
The night descends-the equatorial
night that Is preceded by no twilight. The
brave followers are wild with despair.
They do not want 10 leave the land with.
out taking away their young officer With
them. They love him 80 much! They
wonld rather march 100 leugues-maTCh
through this night and tomorrow also
under the devouribg sun, degpite the
iApgs Of the wild beasts, through showera
Of envenomed arrows and hoats ci poison
GUS reptiles. They will not go back
alone.
AT that moment deep sound booming
away in long decreasing fluctuations, rollE
over tho water. 1t Comea from an open
ses; II is the cannon Of the "Naisds" 70,
calling the tarly detachment.
Then, crashing their teeth, and their
tears BteRming down their bronyed Cheeka
the rough Reamen once moro take up theil
oars and make for the corvette. In the
bottom Of the boat, at the rear, they have
laid the dead arc bringing back, on the
blue cloth with red anChors-the headlesr
man, aud the other, now disaIursd by
tho ifightful action Of the euphorbiRs
The darkness falls upon the boat and tt
mourning.
MifsinQI Her son is mksIng.
She sits beside her FIRE, the woman ID
black, the lnconsolable-tho daughter
wife and mother Of sailors. Her father
died at San Juan lie Ulloa, her HUSBAND
during tho tempest at BAlaklava= Just
six months ago bhs received the terrible
news-Missing! Aud for elk months she
has only ,epoken to repeat that word
"Missing."
Close 10 her, at her feet, crouChed the
odd HgrEp who watches her, weeping Ii
tho dakneas, oil silently, through fear o.
disturbing With any lonnd the lpmhnesI
Of that meRsureleEb desolati0n--so gs moi
Ito disturb by passing before them, The
eyes which stare into vacancy, without
seeing anything.
IFS ak months since the sorrowipS
mother has rested her eyes upon any
earthly objeCt-six months since she hsl
been waiting there, In her inlexible con
temptation, without leaving her plapt
either for sleep or food.
What Is she waiting FORT For the sb
sent one-the one who will never cont
back, Does the now-uuClOuded mind o
the mother behold him? The door Of The
room 10 closed, the door by which ht
used 10 come in long $40, smiling anc
merry at early dawn, cay 10 her. nGooc
morning, mother l"-the door by which
he went forth the last tiuc upon thS
voyage from which hnre 10 no returning
She waits. 1t Is the funeral huuE Thu
long winter nights have come, wrapped II
their heavy nantes Of clouds. Day die
lin the fog without. From the country, al
labout he lonely house, vague nolsei
leone, kounds Of tho feet Of peasants lot
lin getting home, who cross themselves q
they psRS before the crosses Of Stone Ia
mentabis hpSIipg Of Grant dogs, mourn
ling Is II for death, Indoors the amI
Ilights up the chamber 90 q tomb I
LIGHTED. Smotheriug her sobS Tue oil
nurse places upon the little round tablt
| tie accustomed repaSt which sustains th'
Iiifs Of that ohsdOE, And che bends owe
the unconscious woman.
MADAM"
No answer.
MADAM" repeats tho servant, gent.
pulling at her sleeve,
NoRnBver.
Now, all Of a sudden, the Changeles
face btcomts illuminated. A beautiful
smile passes like 0 sunbeam over the col
orlers lips. The long. fastened door open
OF Itself. Some one has gust entered tn
The old Breton nurps 10 afraid. sh
falls Upon her knees-mufmurs prayer
lEis he, he, the Child-the mlasiDg one
He walks straight 10 his mother Tn
lamp has gone opt, but strange light en-
yelopcs the visitor. II lie tho white lIRh
OF the moon Lhas thus makes su imnAlr