Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1888-04-01
CONTINUED.
CHAPTER V.
SIGHT \ WHITE \

Io1A uAN Ni1 1 pSS III tAhh AAlhe pOdk,
The first day was fine till sunset; it then
blew fresh from the northwest, and | was
Obliged to keep the boat before the wind
The next day was dark and turbulent,
with heavy sails of snow and . high swell
from the north, and the wind a small gale
"a the third day the sun shone, and it was
a fair day, bu. horribly cold, and | saw
two icehergs. like CI0ads upon the fr
western sen line. There followed q cruel
nigh; ofcloujed skies, sleet add snow, and
a very troubled sea; ard then broke the
fourth day, az softly brilliant a. an English
Mag day, but oold-great God, how cold,
Thus might l epitomjzet his passage and
| DO 50 % spare you the wSariEeSs Of q rela-
ton Of u]UeyratiUI suffering
In those four days | mainly ran before
the wind, aud IN thls way drove many
leagues sOuIh, though whenever a chance
offered | hauled ny sh-et for the east. |
know u0t, l ~ sure, how the boat lived.
/ nigh; pretend il was due to my clever
maragemelt-l DO GOt say | had no share
IN ~ own preservation, bat to God be-
longs AL the praise.
When the third night came down with
sulleu blasts sweeping into e steady storm
ing OF wind, that swung a strong melau-
ChOly howl through the gloom. il found me
50 weak with cold, watching, and anxiety
and the want Of space wherein TO rid my
limbs OF the painful cramp which weighed
thsm with an ll,uppOTtable lralrn sgnsa-
#f.s, Nhak I h.A T.LI - A...-a-.N ~.
boat with the oar. l pinned tor sleep; n
hour Of sluuHer would, 1 ielt, give me new
hie-Jut l duTSs not close NY eyes. The
boat was sweeping through the dark and
serthlnS sea- Gud her course had to be
that Of an arrow, or she would capsizs and
be smOihersd IN q breath.
Long before daybrsak l was exhausted,
M~ercltUlly, the wind was SCant; the stars
shone very g~loriously; on high sparkled
the Cross Of the southern world.
Worn out by three days and nights Of
suffering, l fell into q deep sleep, aud when
l awoke my eyes opened right upon the
binding sun.
This was the morning Of the fourth day.
l was without a watch. By the height Of
the sun l reckOned the hour to be 10 l
threw a lauguid glance at the compass and
found the boats head to be pointing north
west.
1 stood up 10 take a view Of the horizon.
and the first sight that met my eye forced
a cry from me Extending the whole
length OF the southwest Seabuard Law what
took TO be a line OF Thite coast, netting
aC either extremity into the blue, airy dis
tance. Eyeu q. the low elevation OF the
bat my eye seemed TO measure thirty
miles ot IL. IL was no. white as chalk Is;
there was something OF = crystalline com
pleNio1 upon the face # lis solidity. IL
was too far of to enable ne 10 remark lis
outline; yet, 90 strainIng my sight-the
atmosphere being very exquisitely clear
I thought | could distinguish the pro-
i]ectIons OF peaks, OF rounded slopes and
aerln! angularItiGs ia places which,
N the retroactive lens Of the
air, looked, with their hue OF CLASSY azure,
like The loom Of high land behind the
coastal lane.
The notion that it was ice came into my
head after tue FIRST prospect Of it; and then
returned TO uy earlier belief that it was
land.
But what land: Some lar..e island that
had been missed by the explorers end lett
uncdIJted, | put "a picture of the map OF
this part OF the world before my minds
eye, and fell 10 ~ earnest consideration OF
IA, but cOald recolleCt OfnO land ~hereabouts
Unless, indeed, we mad been widely
wrong in orr reckoning aboard the brig,
aud in the hnat had been driven four or
tive times the dis auce / had calculated
things not 70 Do entertained.
| put the boats head before the wind.
and -tesr.d with one hand, while | got
s0me breakfast with the other. [ thank
God mr. the brightness Of the day aad for
the sight Cf that strange white line of land,
that wsn in Gljmmpring bl0bs OF faintness
10 the trembling horizon where the south
sru end OF IL died Oul.
Meanwhile my boat sailed quietly along,
running mp and down the smooth aud
ioamiesS hills OF water very b~uoyautly, aud
the Suu sidlcl into tho northwest SKY and
darted o redieujng beam upon the coast
toward which / stcerei.