Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-04-03

mention thIS here that you may find an excuse Tn It for the only act of folly in the way of drinking that can lay to my ac- count While was in this pirate; for must ten you that, on returning to the furnace, we, to refresh us after our labor, made bowl of punch, of which drank so plenti- fully that began to feel myself very merry. forgot all about the matches and my resolu- ton to test them that night. The French man, enjoying my condition, continued to pledge me till his little eyes danced in his head Luckily for me, being at bottom of a very jolly disposition, drink never served me worse than to develop that quality in me. No man could ever say that was quarrel some in my cups My progress was marked by stupid smiles, terminating in unmeaning laughter. The Frenchman sang ballad about love and Picardy, and the like, and I gave him Hearts of Oak" the sentiments of which song kept him struggling his shoulders and drunkenly looking contempt.
 By this time was extremely excited and extraordinarily merry, and losing hold of my judgment began to indulge in sundry pleas antries concerning his nation and country men-asking, with many explosions of laugh ter, how it was that they continued at tho trouble of building ships for us to use against them, and if he did not think the 'sfiower de louse" heater symbol for people who put snuff into their soup and restricted their ab- luticns to their faces than the tricolor, being too muddled to consider that he was is.nor- ant of that flag; and, in short, I was so offensive, in spite of my ridiculous m:arri- ment, that lis savage nature broke out. He assailed the English with every injur ous Term lis drunken condition suffered hil.l to recollect, and starting up, with his little eyes wildly rolling, he clappel his hand to his side, as if feeling for a sword, and calling me by a very ugly French word, bade me come on and he would show lne the differ ence between Frenchman and beast of an Englishman.
 laughed at him with all my might, which so enraged him that, swaying to right and left, he advanced as if to fall upon me. started to my feet, and tur2bled over the bench had jumped from and lay sprawling; and the bench oversetting close to him, he kicked agalnst it and fell too, fetchin- the deck very hard blow. He groancd heavily, and muttered that he was killed I tried to rise, but my legs gave way, and then ;,e fumes of the punch overpowered rlc, .s.. 1 recollect no more.
 When l awoke it was pitch tlar,. =; hands, legs and feet seemed formcl Of my head of burning brass. thought I v.as Ill my cot, and felt with my hands til 1 touched Tassard's bald head, which 50 terri fled me that uttered loud cry and spranc erect. Then recollection returned, and I heartily cursed myself for my folly and w1ckedness. Good God thought I, that should be so mad as to drown my senses when never was any wretch in such need of all his reason as I!
 The boatswain's tinder box was in my pocket; groped, found candle, and lighted 1t. 1t was 3 20 ill the morning. Tassard lay on his back, snoring hideously, h1s legs over hanging the capsized bench. l pulled and hauled at him; but he was too drunk to awake, and that he might not freeze to death, fetched pile of clothes out of his cabin and covered him up, and put his head on coat.
 My head ached horribly, but not worse than my heart. went to my cabin and got into my hammock, but my head was so hot and ached so furiously, and I was so vexed with myself besides, that could not sleep. The schooner was deathly still there was not apparently the faintest murmur of air to awaken an echo in her; nothing spoke but the near and distant cracking of the ice. It was miserable work lying in the cabin sleep less and representing myself, and as my burn ing head robbed the cold of it's formidable ness, l resolved to go on deck and take brisk turn or two.
 The exercise improved my spirits; stepped the length of the little raised deck briskly, my thoughts very busy. On sudden the ice split on the starboard hand with noise louder than the explosion of twenty four pounder. The schooner swayed to level keel with so sharp rise that lost my bal- ance and staggered. I recovered myself, trembling and greatly agitated by the noise and the movement coming together without the least hint having been given me, and, grasping backstay, waited. not knowing what was to happen next Unless it be the heave of an earthquake, can imagine no motion capable of giving one such swoon- ing, nauseating, terrifying sensation as the rending of ice under fixed ship. In a few there were several sharp cracks, all on the starboard side, like the snapping of musketry, and I felt the schooner very slightly heave; but this might have been deception of the senses, for though set 0 star against the masthead and watched it there was no movement l looked over the side and observed that the split had notic-d on the face of the cliff had by this new rupt- ureeheen extended transversely right across the schooner's starboard bow, the thither side being several feet higher than on this. It was plain that the bed on which the ves- sel rested had dropped so as to bring her up- right, and was convinced by this circum- stance alone that if used good judgment in of the powder the weight of the mass would complete it's own dislocation.
 The shock did my head good; went below and got into my cot, and after tossing for half an hour or so fell asleep. I awoke at 8 and went to the cook house, where found Tassard preparing the breakfast and great fire burning. hardly knew what reception he would give me, and was therefore not a little agreeably surprised by hls thanking me for covering him up.
 "You have stronger head than mine," said he; ''the punch used you we'll. You made me laugh, though. You were very divertfng."
 ''Ay, much too diverting to please mysclf,' said I; and I soune him cautiously to re- mark what his memory carried of my in- suits, but found that he recollected nothing more than that danced with vigor and sang we'll.
 said nothing about my contrition, my going on deck, and the like, contenting my self with asking if he had heard the explosion in the night.
 "No," cried he, staring and looking eagerly.
 "Well, then" said I, ''there has happened a mighty crack in the ice, and do soberly be-