The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-04-07
CHAPTER vII.-CoNrINuED.


sheltering his eyes from the wind, ne
could dimly make out the form OF
great vessel; and just as he was sure OF
her he saw a second tongue OF light
flame out from her; but this time
though he listened with all his soul, the
gun was dumb, in the prodigious noises
of the sea. Next, he lost her for a
minute IN the gloom, and found her
again by third tongue of flame.
Every second of that dreadful minute
had brought the fancied sound of the
guns voice to his ears.
Each flash was nearer than the last,
and he could see that the ship was
sweeping helplessly on shore. He
made his difficult and dangerous way
toward her, sometimes sheltered by the
broken ground. but oftener so beaten
by the wind that he could but crawl
upon his hands and knees. All the
time, at intervals which seemed in
credibly apart from. each other, the
noiseless lightning shot from the YES
sells side. Whenever the inequalities
of the ground hid her from him he
fancied he could hear the gun boom
and boom ard boom; but whenever he
saw the flash the gun was dumb. He
came breathless and painting upon the
northern rocks, and could make out
the lines Of the hapless ship more
clearly. There was no shelter for her
on the lee side of the island, for, as
Tregarthen knew, the sea was running
there like a mill-race magnified
myriad times. She drifted with huge
lurches toward this channel, and
Tregarthen, raging with pity and help
lessness, tore along the rocks. If he
could he would have cast himself upon
the ground and have seen no more I'M
til all was over, but the fascination Of
horror was upon him, and he was as
powerless to resist it as he was to save
a life aboard the vessel. She was in
sight now continually, and he ran
down the broad grass platform with
the wind at his back, and kept
alongside at distance of little more
than three hundred yards. What with
the dashing spray and the wind and
the gloom, he could not make out a
soul on board, but the flash spoke
twice more to his helpless heart, and
then the great craft seemed resigned to
die in darkness, and even to leap at
her doom, as despairing men have
been known to do.
The score of men. women and chill
dren who, apart from Tregarthen's
household, made up the sole popula-
ton of the island, were clustered on
the northern rock above the Seagate.
Tregarthen's housekeeper, maid and
man-servant were there also, and when
he came among them they were all
staring at the fated ship. Against the
opposite rocks she scarcely showed at
all, and she was as often fancied as
seen; but now, in strange way, the
gloom began to tighten, as gauze after
gauze of cloud was torn from the high
er skies, and the moon showed through,
at first in mere broadly dispersed but
feeble CLEAN, but finally shining
through clear rift, with star or two
about her.
There's where she'll breakr' said
one old sea-dog, pointing to the south
ern wall of the Sea-gate. He reared
the words, but only one man heard
him in the bowling of the wind and
sea.
You right" said the neighbor to
whom he spoke. "The race sets ter
rible off Gorbay head"
"See her a-comin' now! cried a
third, Selling Tregarthen by the arm.
The whole force OF the main tide set
westward. To the northwest of the
island juts out promontory four miles
long and as many broad, and when a
west wind blows upon this coast the
chief course of the current makes for
the narrow passage between Gorbay
Head and Tregarthen. Gorbay forms
on irregular semicircle almost due east
of the island, and the tide, sweeping
past the southern end of Tregarthen,
raves round this arc until the narrow
er current meets it, when it turns, and
the two break together upon the south
ern Sea-gate wall. The engines were
never built which could fight ships
way against that awful race when the
Atlantic swells it with a storm from the
west, though at other times Gorbay is
sheltered harbor.
Everybody with one consent ran
from the mouth of the Sea-gate, though
they turned their backs upon the ship
to do it, and, after 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 spars
and cordage which encountered her
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 fell back
from the climbing seas and flying foam,
and her ponderous bows had vanished.
She drove forward sgain, 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
ssvering timbers were 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 a 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 its liquid fingers clutched
at the sand, it left fragment of spar