, 1888-02-08

spied the hull of the vessel lying some
distance away. Happily for themselves,
sailors are seldom at a loss. The men OBJ
serving some fragments of wreckage float
ing about, picked a few small Spars out
OF the water, and started with these poor
appliances to row the pnwieldly piece of
tOrecaStle to the wreck. Their fOrlOrn
condition is to be imagined by remember
ing that not only had they to traverse a
considerable surface of water on II broken
and mutilated fabric which scarcely show
ed any impulse to the weary sweep of the
spars piled by the sailors, but that the
asylum they aimed for was a sodden hull
lying on her beam-ends and full of water.
They continued to row for t%hirly,six hours
without a drop of drink to cool their
mouths, without a fragment OF food to
recruit their strength; then one of them,
a young man, the son of the owner of the
vessel, turned to the others and said joy
OuSly that he saw land and meant to walk
to it. This was a form of that dreadful
disease celebrated by Jonathan Swift
the Calenture, a diStemper as ancient as
Seafaring. Before his mates could check
him the boy stepped into the water and
fOated out of reach. He seemed to be
swimming for som time, heading, per
hapS, III the direction Of the vision that
had lured him to his destruction, but all
at once he disappeared, vanishing in Il
posture and with a swiftness that left no
room to doubt that he had been seized and
pulled down by a shark.
After this the survivors p%erSevered in
their wretched work of pulling, and, hay
ing endured many hours of famine, thirst,
and labour, they succeeded in bringing
their fragment of fOrecastle within two
bunjpaH I.op1S of tha utooly An tpjShmon
holding the end of a small line between
his teeth jumped overheard with the inten-
ton of swimming to the vessel, but when
close to her he threw up his arms and dis
appeared. Despair now rendered the
others reckless death was certain if they
fingered ON this raft, and anticipation OF
their doom could but mean swifter release
from their SutfeTingS. A Russian sailor,
determining to reach the ship or perish III
the attempt, plunged into the water, but
had scarcely sWum a couple Of fathOmS
when a shark dragged him under. Short
ly after a small sea broke over the raft
and washed another man overheard. Mis-
cry had already done Its work for the poor
creature, and he sank without making d
struggle to help himself. There were now
but two men left, both of them Swedes,
named Anderson and Nelson. They clear
~ perceived INA il Uu6y were 10 IcdCu tHo
wreck they must row the raft to it, for the
water was alive with sharks, and to enter it
was certain death. All night long, though
they had but two hundred yards to mea-
sure, did this famine-Stricken pair work
the small boOms which served them as
oars. Their efforts we're rewarded and
at dawn they found themselves close
enough to the waterlOgged ship to be able
TO enter her. Yet although they had
gained the vessel, their situation seemed
only a little less deplOrable than what it
had been while they were on the raft. Her
decks were under water nothing showed
clear but the ruins of her fOreward portion.
For this point the men made, and having
reached it, sank down almost lifeless from
exhaustion. Fortunately, the heave of
the swell now put such a strain upon the
shrouds that the rigging parted, most of
the maStS went overheard, n the ship
eased of the weight that had held her down
rose to a level keel. When the poor creatures
had recovered from their swoon, they took
a view of their situation, anG, to their
great Joy, discovered that two wooden
tanks which were fitted under the head of
the forecastle were full of fresh water. A
long draught gave them life and spirit,
and they were further helped by finding a
box of Goldfish, on which they managed to
subsiSt for eighteen days. During this
timo tho wrook continual tn hold torothor