The Cecil Whig., 1886-01-02


wheel to issue from Captain Blokstror's ,
throat, as he vent below to look at tie !
barometer.
That night, i'll the middle watch, it !
began to blow. And when it sets out to
do anything of the kind around Cape |
| Horn, it goes at it in good earnest. Capt. F!
! Bolkstrop stood hanging to the weather
mizzen shronds nodding his approval of
the way his ship and things generally
We're gong, and lone albatyoss with
few yards of line hanging in his heat,
followed on in the ships wake.
The City of New York; was scoop
ing in tons upon tons of water, first oV,r
one rail, then the other, as she swept nn
! over the tempest tossed sea. The fore
castle was atloat, the boys room knee
| deep i'll water while the after. cabin vas
being 'balled OUT by Wan Lung, the
| Chinese steward, who staggered to and
fro with mop and bucket, muttering
| to himself in broken Chinese
Four bells rang out through the din of
the storm, conveying to Ned the cheer
| full prospect of a two hours laokout in
! the slings of the forc-yard, for no one
! could live on TIE t"p-GailaDt iorecistle.
! Both boys were cingiug to the weather
/ pln-rail, and, at the summons, Ned at
! tempted to swing himself by Clarence,
who had not spoken to him since his
downfall. How it really happened Ned
is not sure, but. as the ship gave roll
to the leeward, Clarence was thrown
heavily against him. aud great sea,
boarding the vessel Just under the main
yard, swept poor Ned far out over the
rail, into the seething water. Providen-
, TALLY he had shortly before thrown aside
his drenched oil-clothes and water-soak-
| ed sea-boots as uncomfortable supertui-
ties. He got his head above water dimIy
| conscious of seeing the ship disappear in
| a cloud of darkness, and felt himself
fiung like cork to the summit of gI eat
waves. lie had no time to think. fear
swallowed up every other sensation.
TO- as he struck out mechanically, some
thing swo"ped down at him like a great
white sea wrath And let me tell YOU
that bird whose wings measure ten feet
from tip to tip. whose bill is about six
inches long, and whose red trimmed ewes
give 1t the appearance of an intoxit ated
demoa OF the marine species, is not a
cheerful sight under the unpleasant cir.
cumstances in which Ned was placed.
The albatross struck at the swimming
boy with clashing heak Ned in, olun-
tarily ducked his head and ther, with
perhaps suggestion OF the instinct lead
ing drowning men to clutch at straw,
grasped wildly at the great birds leg at
the same moment.
Ned clung to the albatruss. and when,
half an hour later, the City of New
1ork's' lite boat. steered by the second
mate. reached him, boy and bird were
pulled on board together, for Meas arm
was not only thrown over and about the
albotross's neck but his fingers were
fairly stitfened about its wiudpipe. He
knew nothing of the awful pul! back to
the ship, which lay hove to. burning a
blue light, mile to the wiudward-not
he. Poor Ned lay face down i'll the boats
bottom, insensiule. the salt water run
ming from his mouth in small stream.
However, the albatross, which Lad un-
doubtedly saved his life, was more than
insensible-it was dead; and when Ned
staggered rather feeb.y on deck next
morning, if you will believe NE, Clarence
was in the act of cutting off one of the
wings for his very own
My line is in his mouth yet" remark
ed the ingenious youth, with an agree
able smile, land 50 you see, old fellow,
that gives me sort of claim to him. lik @
a ships iron does to whale
Your line. el.?' replied Ned, quietly;
ard, to Clsrence's manifest col fusion,
Ned composedly pointed out to his room
mate fine white thread running through
it's strands They had both been boush
from the same lot, and Ned had said at
the time that this was the only differ
ence between them. 1t is not unnatural
TO presume that Cla. ence had distracted
Ned's from his chest and placed it in his
hurry taken the wrong one. Indeed, he
atterward hinted that it was done only
"in fun y
But Ned was not nagnanimuus enough
to share the wings with him--aud | am
not sure that blame him either, under
all the circumstances. AID .s they took
no otEer albatross, Miss D,3is is indebted
to Ned for the feather fan which he had
made from the wings, and w:lch he sent
to her from Melbourne, together with an
account OF his adventure. cut from the
Melbourne Werald And so. hen see
her with it, | wonder if its cooling breath
has not in it, not only suggestions o: the
salt sea, but also of the modern rs well
as the ancient mariner: rol her boy fl ieud
is advancing rapidly in his chosen pro
fession. and will no d"ubt some day be
master of as fine ship as the CITY OF
New York;
But Clarence has left the sea in dis
gust. 1T doesn't agree with him." he
SAYS