Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-06-21

4 bnSpe ptSrb iiitttly NtSb iCtDcIBS, which would
leap on sudden out of the white whirl of
thickness, often so close aboard that the re-
coil of the surge striking against the mass
would flood our decks At all moments of
the day and night we were prepared to feel
the shock of the vessel crushing her bows
against one of those stupendous hills. The
cabin resounded with Salves and AYES, with
invocations to the saints, promises CURSE.
and litanies. The cold does not make men
of the Spaniards who are but Indifferent sea-
men in temperate chimes. and we were chiefly
Spaniards, with consciences as red as your
/ English flag
He grinned, emptied the pannikin, and
stretched his hands to the fire to warm them.
zone morning, the weather having cleared
somewhat, we found ourselves surrounded by
| ice. A great chain foated ahead of us ex-
tending far into the south. The gale blew
dead on to this coast we burst not haul the
! schooner to the wind, and our only chance
| lay in discovering some bay where we might
| find shelter Such bay it was my good
luck to spy, lying directly in a line with the
| ships head. 1t was formed of a great steep
| of ice jutting long way slantingly into the
sea, the width between the point and the
main being about a third of a mile ] seized
/ the helm, and shouted to the men to hoist
the head of the mainsail that she might round
to when put the helm down. But the fell
lows were III panic terror, and stood gaping
at what they regarded as their DOOM calling
upon the Virgin and all the saints for help
and mercy. Into this bay did we rush on
| top of huge sea, Trentanove and the cap
tain and | swinging, with set teeth, at the
| tiller, that was hard alec. She came round,
but with such way upon her that she took
| long shelving beach of ice, and ran up it to
| the distance of half her own length, and there
she lay, with her rudder within touch of the
wash of the water The men, regarding the
| schooner as lost, and concluding that if she
went to pieces her boats would be destroyed,
and with them their only chance to escape
| from the ice, fell frantic, and lost their wits
altogether They roared, TO the boatSl to
| the boats The captain endeavored to bring
| them back to their senses; he and and the
mate, and joan Barros, the boatswain-a
| Portuguese-went among them pistols in
hand entreating, cursing, threatening.
| Think of the plumber in this hold! VIII
you abandon IL without an effort to save 1T
| What think you are your chances for life in
| open boats in this sea! The schooner lies
| protected here; the weather will moderate
| presently, and we may then be able to slide
her off, But reason as we would, the cow
| ardly dogs refused TO listen They had
| preached spirit cask aft, and passed the
| liquor along the decks while they hoisted the
| pinnace out of the hold and got the other
boats over. The drink maddened, yet left
| them wild with fear too. They would not
wait TO come at the treasure in the run-the
fools believed the ship would tumble TO pieces
as she stood-but entered the forecastle and
hot
| ever money and trinkcts they might stuff
| into their pockets without loss Of time; and
then provisioning the boats, they called to
| us to join them, but we said, Moon which
they ran the boats down to the water, tum-
bled into them, and pulled away round the
point of ice. We lost sight of them then,
| and have little doubt that they all per-
ished shortly afterwardn
He ceased. was anxious to hear more
you had been six months on the ice when
| the stupor fell upon your
FAY, about six months The ice gathered
about us and built us III. | recollect it was
| three days after we stranded that, going on
deck, | saw the bay las | term it, filled with
| ice. We drew up several plans to escape,
but none satisfied us. Besides, sir, we had a
| treasure on board which we had risked our
| necks to get, and we were prepared to go on
| importing our lives to save it. Twas natu-
| raj. We had great store of coal forward
| and amidships, for we had faced the Horn in
coming, and knew what we had to expect in
returning We were also richly stocked with
provisions and drink of all sorts There were
| but four of us, and we dealt with what we
had as if we designed it should last us fifty
years. But the cold was frightful; it was
not I'm flesh and blood to stand it, One day
we had been locked up about five months
Mendoza said he would get upon the rocks
| and take q view of the sea- He did not re-
| turn The others were too weak to seek him.
and they were half blind besides: went, but
| the ice was full of caves and hollows, and
the like, and could not find him, nor could
| look for him long, the cold being the hand
| of death itself up there. The time went by:
Trentanove went stone blind, and / had to
put food and drink into his hands that he
| might live. A week before the stupor came
| upon me went ON deck and saw joan Bar
ros leaning at the rail. called to him, but
he made no reply 1 approached and looked
| at him, and found him frozen. Then hap
pened what l have told YOU We were in
| the cabin, the mate seated at the table, wait
| ing for me to lead and support him to the
cook room, for he was so weak he could
J
seized me, and sank down upon the bench
opposite him, letting my head fall upon my
| arms His cry startled mel looked up
saw him, as have said but TIE cabin then
| turned black, my head sam; again, and l re-
| member no moren
He paused, and then cried in French,
| "That is ALL They are dead-Jules Tassard
| lives! The devil is loyal to his ownw and
with that he lay back and burst into laugh
| ter.
"And this" said l, twas in 1852
"Yes," he answered. "and this is 1901
eight and forty years afterward, heym and
he laughed out again. give talked so
much" said he, ''that, dye know, 1 think an
other nap will do me good. What Goals
have you found In the ship!"
| told him.
"Goodr' he cried; 1--WE can keep ourselves
warm for some time to come, anyhow"
| And, SO saying, he pulled rug up to his
1 ,1c1,., l.;