Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-11-21

higate, by means Of the reefed fore and
mainsa1, was got round, and she cruised
about for couple of hours burning blue
lights and firing signal guns, but, as ex-
pected, no sign of the steven vessels peo-
pie was discovered.
Lieutenant Biddle, ere now, had called
me down, but he said not word to me
about negligence of duty, until the hope
less cruise for survivors of the wrecked
craft was nearly ended. Then he stern
ly summoned me before him, and de-
manded why had not kept good look
out as he had ordered.
made no attempt TO excuse myself,
but miserable and detected, confessed
my going to sleep a1oft, and described
my fall, which, in the intense gloom,
no one abroad had observed, and told
how was saved.
The grim old gunner, the master-at-
arms, and some of my young shipmates
afterward told me that they had never
seen so woe-be-gone and deplorable
picture as presented at this time-and
believe that the Lieutenant, though
stern officer, felt sorry for me, as, after
my explanation, he dismissed me, say
ing that he would say no more on the
subject at present.
AS left him, the thunder of another
gun from the frigate doomed over the
angry waters, and as the broad flash
from it, blending with the CHASTITY CLEAN
of our blue-lights, stre2med far out over
the kissing foam, we suddenly beheld a
large boat containing human forms,
emerging from cloud of scudding va.
por, about twenty fathoms ahead.
Or1v in did xvo II for
as it was beyond the CLEAN of our lights,
it was the next moment, hidden by the
darkness.
''Let her 1uff-luff you can, quarter
masterv' roared the Lieutenant.
ssLuff it is, SIR" was the answer; and
later, as the frigate's head was steadied,
we ranged alongside the boat, rope
was thrown from the gangway and she
was made fast.
She proved to be the lost tenders
launch, and as we hove to, no words
could express my JOY when my father,
Lieutenant Cotton, spr0ng aboard, to be
soon followed by the rest of the briggs
people.
We now learned that they had left
their vessel, taking to the launch before
we ran the brig down, as the latter had
been wrecked and nearly water-logged
by the first burst of the tempest, which
had caught her aback, her rudder having
previously been damaged so that she
could not be properly handled by the
wheel.
''Let this be lesson to you, Fra nix, !"
said my father to me, when he heard
the story of my neglect of duty and my
! narrow escape aloft. SIT has happened
only by mere chance that Ito say nothing
of your periD you have been spared the
terrible remorse you would have suf-
fered for life by causing the loss of that
| brig wi tn all her crew and myself, your
own father?"
never forgot those words, and being
ever after careful to faithfully perform
my duty, I finally obtained a REFERS
warrant.
Meanwhile 1 was long puzzled to guess
who had tied the rope about my breast,
at the time I was asleep aloft, but when,
at last, we reached the port of Norfolk,
Virginia, and the frigate's men were
discharged, sailor informed me that it
was young foretop-inan who had at
tached the line to me. While helping
to furl the fore-to'- gallant sail, he had
noticed that I slept, and thinking it
would be good joke to 'sgive some line''
to naping novice, instead of awaking
him, he had stealthily made fast to me
a portion of the coil of rope, which, as
have stated, the captain of the top had
previously brought up to the cross-tree.
Rufus Hale. in N. Y. Ledger.