Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-04-28

left him gabbling to himself-sometimes
grinning as IL greatly diverted, sometimes
lifting trembling hand to help his ghostly
recital by an equally ghostly dumb show
and went on deck, satisfied that he was too
weak to get to the fire and NEEDLE with it,
but sufficiently invigorated by his long
nights rest to sit up without tlmbling off
the bench
This time l carried with me an old per-
spectivO glass 1 had noticed in the chest in
my cabin--the chest in which were the nauti-
cal instruments, charts and papers-and
leveled 1t along the coast Of the island; but
1t was poor glass, and found could man
age nearly as well with the naked eye
There was no change OF any kind only
that there was a sensible diminution in the
blowing Of the wind, and n corresponding
decrease in the height of the seas. The ice
stretched in a considerable bed on either
hand the ship and ahead of her; the water
frothed freely over it, and there was a great
jangling and flashing OF broken pieces, but
the hull was no longer heavily hit by them.
] got into the main chains to view the
body of the vessel, and noticed with satisfac-
ton that the constant pouring of the sea had
thinned down the frozen snow to the depth
OF at least a foot. This encouraged me to
hope that the restless tides would sap to her
keel at least and put her into posture to be
easily launched by the blow of a surge upon
her bows-that is if fortune continued to
keep her head on.
To determine the hour and our position, l
fetched quadrant from my cabin, and was
happily just i'll time to catch the sun crossing
the meridian. My watch was half an hour
fast, SO had been out of my reckoning to
the extent Of thirty minutes ever since had
been cast away. l made our latitude to be
GA dogs. ~ Minis south, and the computation
was perhaps near enough
This business ended, went to the cook
house to prepare dinner, and the first object
l saw was Tassard fiat upon his face near the
door that opened into the cabin. He groaned
when picked him up-which l managed
without much exertion of strength, for so
much had he shrunk that l dare say more
than half his weight lay in his clothes-and
set him upon his bench with his back to the
dresser. l put my mouth to his ear and
roared, care you hurtp His head nodded
as if he understood me, but / question if he
did. He was the completest picture of old
age that you could imagine. | fetched a
couple of spears from the arms room, and,
cutting them to his height, put one in each
hand, that he might keep himself propped;
and while my own dinner was broiling |
made him a mess of broth, with which fed
him, for now that he had the sticks he would
not let go of them. But in any case doubt
if his trembling hand could have lifted the
spoon TO his lips without capsizing the con-
tents down his beard
With some small idea of rallying the old
villain, mixed him very stiff bumper of
brandy, which he supped down out of my
hand with the utmost avidity. The draught
s,xl
his head about, seeking mo in his blind way,
and then cried, in his broken notes, II have
lost the use of my legs, and cannot walk.
Mother of God, what shall l do! Oh, holy
st. Antonio, what is to become of mep'
guessed from this that, impelled by habit
or some small spur of reason, he had risen to
go on deck, and had fallen He went on va
porting pitifully, gazing with sufficient stead
fastness to let me understand that his vision
received something of my outline, though he
would fix his eyes either to the left or right
of me, as though he was not able to see if he
looked straight; and this, and his mournful
cackle, and his nodding head, bowed form,
hands and diminished face made
him as distressful and melancholy picture
Of Time as ever mortal man viewed. He
broke off in his rambling to ask for more
brandy, taking it for granted that was still
in the cook room, for | never spoke; and
filled a can for him, and as before held it to
his mouth, which he opened wide-a piece of
behavior which went to snow that some of
his wits still hung loose upon him. This
was a strong dose and, cooperating with the
other, soon seized hold on his head, and pres
emily he began to laugh to himself and talk
and even broke into stave or two-some
French song, which he delivered in voice
like the squeaking of a rat, alternating with
the growing of a terrier.
guess his stumbling upon this old French
catch (which took it to be from seeing him
feebly flourish one of his sticks, as if inviting
O chorus) put him upon speaking his own
tongue altogether; for though he continued
to chatter with all the Yolubility his breath
would permit during the whole time | sat
eating not one word of English did he speak,
and not one word, therefore, did l under
stand. Seeing how it must be with him pres
emily, 1 brought his mattress and rugs from
his cabin, and had scarce laid them down |
when he let fall one of his sticks and dropped |
over. l grasped him, and, partly lifting, |
partly hauling, got him on his back and |
covered him up. In a few minutes he was |
asleep
/ trust shall not be deemed inhuman if l |
confess that heartily wished his end would |
come. If he went on living he promised to |
be an intolerabe burden to me, being quite |
helpless Besides, he was much too old for |
this world, in which a man who reaches the |
age of 80 is pointed to as a sort of wonder.
Nothing worth recording happened that |
day. The wind slackened, and the ice trav- |
eled so slow that at shutdown l could not dis |
cover that we had made more than a quarter |
Of a mile Of progress to the north since noon, |
though we had settled by half as much again |
that distance westward.
i had not closed my eyes on the previous |
night and was tired out when the evening |
arrived; and as no good could come of my |
keeping a watch, for the simple reason that
It was not in my power to avert anything |
that might happen, l tumbled some further
covering over the Frenchman, who had lain |
On the deck all the afternoon, sometimes
iozing, sometimes waking and talking to
himself, and appearing on the whole very |
Easy and comfortable, and went to my cabin
slept sound the whole night through, and
IN waking went on deck before going to the
cook house and lighting the furnace las was
ny custom) so impatient was to observe our
tate, and to hear such news as the ocean
lad for me. 1t was after S-a very curious
lay, somewhat darksome, and a dead calm,
With large, long swell out of the southeast.
The sky was full of clouds, with STOPPING |
appearance in the hang of them that re-
minded you of the belly of hammock;
hey were of sallow brown, very uncom-
non some Of them round about slipped the
ca line, and their shadows, obliterating
hose parts Of the cincture which they over
lung, broke the continuity of the horizon as
hough there were valleys in the ocean there. |
\ good part of our bed of ice was gone-at
east fourth of it; but the schooner still lay
cfrO ly xralo I haI 70,
he deck half expecting to find her af1oat
rom the regular manner of her heaving, and
vas bitterly disappointed to discover her
Dotted as strongly as ever in the ice, though
he irritation softened when l noticed how
be bed had diminished. The mass, with the |