Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-09-28

JN1 ~ NANE 's@
been.
"Oh, my God, my Godn' wcpt Augusta,
clinging to the thwarts of the tossing
boat"
"One boat got away-where isitf" asked
Mr. Meeson, who, n wet and wretchcd fig
ure, was huddled up in the sternsheets, as
he rolled his wild eyes round striving TO
pierce the curtain of the mist.
There's something" said Johnnie,
pointing through Il fog-dog in the mist,
seemed to grow denser rather than
as the light increased, at q
round, boat-like object that had suddenly
appeared 10 the s%tarboard OF them.
They rowed up to it; it vas a boat, but
empty, and floating bottom upward.
Closer examination showed that il was the
cutter, which, when full of women and
children, has been fastened to the vessel
and dragged Town with her rs she sank.
AT a certain depth the pressure of the
water had been too great and had torn the
ring in the bow bodily out of her, so that
she returned to the surface. But those in
her did not return-at least, not yet. Once
more, two or three days hence, they would
arise from the watery depths and look up
on theskies with eyes that could not see,
and then vanish forever.
Turning from this awful and most mov-
ing sight, they rowed slowly through
quantities of floating undergraduates,
h~encoops, lin one of these they found two
drowned fowls, which they securely and
many other articles, such as oars and
wicker deck c~hairs-and began To shout
vigorously in the hope OF attracting the
attention of the survivors in the other
boat, which they imagined would not be
far of. Their efforts, however, proved
fruitless, owing to the thickness of the
fog; and in the considerable sea which was
running il was impossible to see more
than twenty yards or so. Also, what be-
tween the wind, and the wash and tur-
MOL of the water, the sound of their voices
did not travel far. The ocean is n large
place, and a rowing boat is easily lost
sight of upon its furrowed surface; there
fore it is not wonderful that, although the
two boats were at the moment within half
a mile of each other. they never met, and
each took its separate ourSe in the hope
OF escaping the fate Of the vessel. Tn
boat in which were Lady Holmhurst and
some twenty other passengers, together
with the second officer and a crew of six
men, after seeing the Kangaroo sink and
picking up one survivor, shaped q course
for kerguelen Land, believing that they,
and they alone, remained to tell the tale
of that awful shipwreck. And here il may
be convenient to state that before night
fall they were picked up by a sealing
whaler, that sailed with them to Albany,
OF the coast of Australia. Thence, an ac-
count of the disaster, which, as the reader
will remember, created a deep impression,
was telegraphed home, and thence in due
course, the widowed Lady Holmhurst and
most of the other women who escaped
were taken back to England.
To return to our heroine and Nh. Nee
son.
The occupants of the little boat sat look
ing at each other with white, scared faces.
till at last the man called Johnnie, who,
by the way, was not a tar of a very anna
bic cast of countenance, possibly owing TO
the fact that his nose was Knocked almost
fiat against the side Of his face, swore
violently, and said, 1T was no good stop
ping there all the etcetcraed day" There
upon Bill, who was a more jovial-looking
man, remarked that he, Johnnie, was
etceteraed well right, SO they had better
hoist the foreSail." q
AT this point Augusta %interposed, and
told them that the Captain, just as the
vessel came into collision, had informed
her that he was making Kerguelen Land,
which was not more than sixty or seventy
miles away. They had "A compass in the
boat, and they knew the course the Kan
CARGO was steering when she sank. Ac-
cordingly, without wasting further time,
they got as much sail up rs the little boat
could carry in the stiff breeze, and ran
nearly due east before the steady westerly
wind. All day long they ran across the
misty ocean, the little boat behaving splen-
didly, without sighting any living thing,
till, at last. the night closed in again.
There was, fortunately, a bag of biscuits
in the boat, and a breaker Of water; also
there was, unfortunately, a breaker Of
rum, from which the two sailors, Bill and
Johnnie, were already taking quite as
much as was good for them. Consequent
ly, though they were cold and wet with
spray, they had not to face the added
horrors OF starvation and thirst. At sun
down they shortened sail considerably,
only leaving enough canvas up to keep the
boat ahead of the sea.
Somehow the long night wore away.
Augusta scarcely closed her eyes; but little
Dick slept like a top upon her bosom,
sheltered by her arms and the blanket
from the cold and penetrating spray. In
the bottom of the boat lay Mr.. Meeson, TO
whom Augusta, plying his condition-for
he was shivering dreadfully-had given
the other blanket, keeping nothing for her
self except the wooden shawl.
At last, however, there came a faint
glow in the east and the daylight began
TO break over the stormy sea. Augusta
turned her head and stared through the
mist.
what is it," she said. in a voice trem-
bling with excitement, to the sailor Bill,
who was taking his turn at the %tiller, and
she pointed to a dark mass that doomed mp
almost over them.
The man looked, and then looked again;
and then halloaed out joyfully, Land
land ahead!'
Up struggled Mr.. Meeson on to his knees
his legs were SO stiff that he could not
Stand-and began to stare wildly about