Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-06

low." TAe LadseMaud Etc.
 I crouched in the companion way, hearken- ing to the uproar around, feeling the convul- sions of the schooner, fully prepared for death, dogged and hopeless.
 On sudden-in breath-I felt the vessel rise She was swung up with the giddy velocity of hunter clearing tall gate; she sank again, and there was mighty concus- sion forward, then pause of steadiness while you might have counted five, then a wild up- ward heave, sort of sharp floating fall, a harsh grating along her keel and sides, as though she was being smartly warped over rocks, followed by an unmistakable free pitching and rolling motion.
 had sprung to my feet and stood waiting; but the instant I gathered by the movements of her that she was released sprang like a madman up the companion steps. The sea- breaking on her bow, flew in heavy showers along the deck and half blinded me. But was semi-delirious, and having sat so long with deaths hand in mine, was in a passion ately defiant mood, with perfect rage of scorn of peril in me- and I walked right on to the forecastle, giving the flying sheets of water there no heed. In a minute block of sea tumbled upon me and left me breathless; the iciness of it cooled my minds heat, but not my resolution. Twas determined to judge as best could by the light of the foam of what had happened, and holding on tena- ciously to whatever came to my hand, and progressing step by step, got to the fore castle and looked ahead
 Where the ice was the water tumbled in milk; twas four or five ships lengths distant, and I could distinguish no more than that peered over the lee bow, but could see no ice. The vessel had gone clear; how, I knew not, md can know. hI1t iS that she split the bed with her own weight when the sea rose and threw the ice up, for she had floated on sudden, and the noises which attended her release indicated that she had been forced through channel.
 I returned aft, barely escaping a second deluge, and looked over the quarter; no ice was there visible to me. The vessel rolled horribly, and perceived that she had de- cided list to starboard the result of the shift ing of what was in her when the ice came away from the main with her; and it was this heel that brought the sea washing over the bow. I took hold of the tiller to try it, but either the helm was frozen immOvable, or the rudder jammed in its gudgeons, or Ii, some other fashion fixed.
 Had she been damaged below? was she taking in water? knew her to be so thickly sheathed with ice that, unless it had been scaled off ill places by the breaking of her bed, I had little fear (until this covering melted or dropped off by the working of the frame) of the hull not proving tight. l should have been coated with ice myself had I stayed but little longer in my wet clothes in that piercing wind; so I ran below, and bringing armful of clothes from my cabin to the cook room, was very soon in dry at tire, and making an extraordinary figure, l don't question, in the buttons, lace, and frip- peries of the old fashioned garments.
 Meanwhile, I was crazy to ascertain if the schooner was taking in water If there was a sounding rod in the ship did not know where to lay my hands upon it. But he is 6 poor sailor who is slow at substitutes. There were several spears in the arms room (pirati cal plunder, no doubt) with mere spikes fol heads, like those weapons used by the Callers and other tribes in tbat country; they were formed of hard heavy wood. I took a length of ratline line and secured 1t to one of these spears, and carried it on deck with the powder room bulls eye lamp; but when probed the sounding pipe found it full ot ice, and as it was impossible to draw the pumps flung my ingenious sounding rod down in passion of grief and modification
 Yet was not to be beaten. Such was my temper, had the devil himself confronted me l had made up my mind to weather him out entered the forccast!e, lantern in hand pried open the hatch, and dropped into the hold. It needed an experienced ear to detect the sobbing of internal waters amid the yearning gushes, the long gurgling washings the thunderous blows, and shrewd rain like hissings of the seas outside. I listened witl strained hearing for some minutes, but dis tinguished no sounds to alarm me with as surance of water in the hold could no mistake. l hearkened with all my might but the noise was outside. l thanked Goo very heartily, and got out of the hold ant put the hatch on. There was no need to 2, aft and listen. The schooner was by tn head, and there could be no water in the rul that would not be forward too.
 Being treasured in respect of the stanch ness of the hull, I returned to the fire an, 1 proceeded to equip myself for a prolonge, watch on deck. While I was drawing on
 great pair of boots I heard a knocking in tn after part of the vessel. supposed she ha drifted into a little field of broken ice, an that she would go clear presently, and fin ished arming myself for the weather; but tn knocking continuing went into the cabin where 1 heard it very plain, and walked a far as the lazarette hatch, where I stood lis
 
 humping, accompanied by peculiar grind ing sound. In a moment guessed the truth rushed on deck, and by the dim light in tn air saw the long tiller moving to and fire The beat of the beam seas had unlocked tn frozen bonds of the rudder, and there swun the tiller, as though like dog the ship wa wagging her tail for joy!
 The vessel lay along, rolling so as to brin her starboard rail to level with the sea; he main deck was full of water, and the frot of it, combined with the ice that glazed he,
 made her look lilzn fabric of marble as sh swung on the black fold ere it broke int snow about her. I seized the tiller and ra it over hard starboard, and I had not hel it ill that posture half minute when, to m inexpressible delight, observed that she WE paying off. Her head fell slowly from th sea; she lurched drunkenly, and some tor [ of black water rolled over the bulwarks: st reeled consumedly to larboard, and ros squarelv and ponderously to the height ( the surge that was now abaft the beam. l few moments she was dead before it, th