St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-06-12

raves round this arc until tile Hdllo"
er current meets it, when it turns, and |
the two break together upon the south
ern Sea-oate wall The engines were |
never built which could fight Il ships |
way against that awful race when the
Atlantic swells it with storm from the |
west. though at other times Gorbay IS
a sheltered harbor.
Between the Head and the island the
opposing currents caught the snip, anu
spun her twice or thrice in wild CT
Gle. and then she came bowling down.
swift and steady, as If there were
breeze abeam and every stitch OF can
vas had been set.
Everybody with one consent ran
from the mouth of the Sea-gate. Trough
they turned their backs upon the ship
TO do it. and. after q hurried clamor
down the wet rocks, they stood upon
the sand and watched the channel. and
waited for the end. In spite OF her
broken masts, and the tangle OF spafs
and cordage which encumbered hef
deck. she looked stately as she swept
into sight and made for death almost
at the watchers feet. No ear on shore
heard her when she struck. she
touched the rock, and it seemed TO
have power to melt her. She tell PACK
from the climbing seas and flying foam,
| and her ponderous bows had vanished.
She drove forward again. and again
| forward, and fell to pieces softly, melt
| ed away, dissolved as if no force were
used at all. The shrek and groan OF
| severing timbers We're no more heard
than the cry of severing soul and body.
| Those on shore who had the heart to
| look saw two or three wretches leap
| from the deck into the boiling waters,
| and two or three others clinging here
| and there, until the ship had broken
| on the rock like cloud upon cloud.
As the vessel first touched the rock
the moon was shrouded, and as she
melted away the light grew again.
| While the watchers stood. with aching
| hearts, sudden volume OF water
poured into the narrow Gate and drove
Them back. When it fell again, reluc-
family, as if it's liquid fingers ciutched
at the sand. it left fragment OF spar
behind it. and almost before the quick
est eve had seen this another wave tell
and hid it, When that wave retired 1T
dragged the spar with it, and rolled 1t
over and over. Tregarthen shrleked
like a woman; for there, plain to sight,
was child dashed to the rolling-spar
None heard the cry, but all saw the
forward dash he made, and all realized
the double hope and fear. He had
reached the spar, and had wound the
fingers of his right hand among the
coils of rope which bound the child.
when the next wave swept up and
tossed him high, as if he had been a
straw. But he held on, and when the
wave cast him to the beach he dug his
fingers in the sand and tried for a grip
! with his toes. Hercules would have
had no more chance against that raging
backwash than baby, and Tregarthen
went dragging down the sandy slope
until the advancing waves swept up
again. lifted him, rolled him over and
cast him and the spar down together
The spar fell uppermost, and struck
Trecarthen so heavily on the head that
with great crackle and sparkle OF
lights before his eyes, he swooned ano
lay like stone.
, The spar came end on this time, and
one Cornish sea-dog fell on it ano
, pripped it with his might, and sec
= ond. falling on his knees behind the
| first. took him round the loins witt
2 | his knitted fingers, and third seizec
| | the second by the leather belt he wore
: The next wave came bowling up; bu
. before it had them fairly in its grasp
! fourth had seized the third by tht
: hand. and fifth the fourth, and whe1
f the great monster went grinding back
S with its reluctant fingers clutchlng a
e the sand, the line was sound. Betor
4 the sea came again Tregarthen and tn
4 | child were out OF its reach, for the rop'
h had miraculously tangled itself abou
t the rescuers arms, and when the me-
E dragged at the spar he came with it.
h There was no memory of the storm
4 in the mild spring air when Tregarthel
a next awoke to a knowledge of tn
e world He was lying in bed in his owl
d room, and the window, which faced t
0 the south, was open, so that he coul
It just hear the gentle Gliding of the sea
e He lay for a time without care to re
member anything; but when he trle
/ to move he found head, hand an
5 limbs marvelously heavy, and he be
/ gan to be aware that he ached all over
n Then he remembered the storm, tn
}. shipwreck, and the rescue he had al
d | tempted.
n lis anybody here?" he asked, in
II voice so feeble that he was surprise
e at it.
It His housekeeper's voice responde
IS with an ejaculation Of pious joy, an
e the old woman was at the bedside in
II moment.
! s.You know me, sir?' she said.
!. "Yes,'' he answered. II have bee
It ill. Who saved mep Did they say
- +ho oh;Idp',