Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-08-28
CHAPTER XIV.
IN THE CITY

IN THE CITY.
Now, it was just five months after Michael
Strang'cld had departed this life, which
brings us into the sloppy, inglorious month
of November, that there hung over London,
close down to the streets, q yellow fog.
All about the monument, and where a
maze of streets meet, to pour their crowds
toward London bridge, the fog was thickest.
Here were many vehicles at q standstill, and
voices belonging to invisible creatures went
through the fog, with the clang of bells and
stamping INT slipping of iron-shod feet.
A hackney coachman, swathed in a mass
of capes and looking, with the immense
white shawl around his throat. like all arti-
choke trimmed with sauce, suddenly brought
the horse he had been pulling and hauling at
to n stand, and, slapping down his whip on
the roof of the vehicle, leaned over and
shouted into the window:
"Thcre's no movin' ag'in' it. You can git
out or sit vero you are, but here I stops"
And, saying this, he recovered his upright
posture, and with great deliberation 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, filled with outlines which grew de-
fined or vanished, rs the folds of tho fog cir
cled or released them.
Whereabouts are we, coachmana" he
called out:
"If I know I'd go ahead, and blow the
odds!" replied the man.
But tho gentleman inside was clearly too
impatient to behave sensibly; for, catching
hold of a travelling bag, h, jumped into the
middle of the fog, and, giving some money
to the conchman, went steadily in the direc-
tion to which his nose happened to point;
and, luck being with him, he came to the
pavement.
lie asked q 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 hum
dred yards, tho fog lifted. tho whole space
and scene around cleared, and with a rush
and n shout London went to work again.
1t was a short walk to Cornhill. 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 n pointing hand, was the scroll,
"Georgo Hunter and Company, Second
Floor" He mounted the gloomy staircase,
and reached a landing Of four doors, on ono
OF which he knocked.
Behind q tall, long desk were several
clerks writing by lamplight.
II 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
Mt him.
"Certainly," exclaimed one of them. jump.
ing up "What NAME. il you please, sir!"
NJ Cuthbert Shaw"
The clerk passed into another office, and
i'll u moment returned and requested Mr..
Shaw to walk i'll. This was done by passing
round the desk; and Cuthbert, followed by
tho eyes o all the clerks, entered a large
office, where at a table sat two elderly gem
tlemen.
One of them, a gray haired man with
spectacles. Immediately rose.
Mr. Shaw, l think the name wasp
Mr.. 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.
at is possible, Mr.. Hunter, that you may
have already been apprised of the loss CT
your ship, the Elizabeth, off Cape Palmasa"
Yes, but only one week since, by the
third mate OF the vessel, who was rescued
from u boat with four companions"
"" oA boaA ILllZdUeUl Wuon Su6
was wrecked, and am only Just arrived in
London"
"Cuthbert Shaw? I do not remember the
name i'll the list Of passengers" said Mr..
Hunter. II will refer" and lie was about
to summon a clerk.
"Iou 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. I was ON board an
English brig of war called the Cleopatra.
She engaged a 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 l was in and took me on board.
Permit me to continue my story and re-
late the object of my visit. Ny time is very
short in London
All had gone prosparously with the Eliza
beth until we We're 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 We're driven helplessly, but on
Saturday night the captain, not daring to
run to the westward any longer, hove the
ship to, i'll 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-
ceived a full account of this disaster from
the mate. 1t is enough if I tell you that, on
the Monday morning, finding the ship leak
Ing beyond our power to keep her afoat, the
men took to the boats: but I was in feeble
health, and, in the selfish rush. I was beaten
down and left insensiblc, and for a quarter
of an hour l lay; when, coming to, l 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, n then. perceiving
that the ship was rapidly sinking, and the
occupants Of the boats either did not or
would not heed ME, l prepared myself for
dentb-which Cod knows ut that time ho5