The weekly messenger. [volume] (St. Martinsville [i.e. St. Martinville] La.) 1886-1948, 1889-05-04

AT last night fell and added the ter
rors of the blackness of darkness to the
pangs of hunger. l could never tell the
horrors of that first night. 1t was a
wonder l was not stark, staring mad
when day broke. The second day
passed like the first. Nothing to eat,
something to moisten my lips, but no
sail in sight The third day broke with
an angry sky and angrier sea, and l saw
that before the day closed Cape Horn
gale would be raging with its attendant
sleet and cold. | trembled then, for,
even though was almost dead and quite
without hope, wanted TO live. By noon
the sea had risen tremendously, and it
was with great difficulty that l managed
to keep on my raft. By nightfall
the gale was raging fiercely, and
1 was expecting every moment to
be engulfed in one of the terrible abys-
ses into which my raft slipped con-
stantly. This was the most awful night
l ever spcnt-worse even than when l
lay to all appearances dead on the cabin
table of the Osprey. The flying spoon
drift cut me to the bone. The great
waves rolled their crested phosphorescent
heads high above me, who, sunk in a
black abyss, heard the gale shrieking
overhead. felt soon that it could not
last much longer. Numbed and weak as
| was, chung to my refuge with the
energy of desperation, and waited bit
terly for death.
'Finally an immense wave higher
than all that had gone before, raised its
wild head to the skies and rolled down
on me.
MY time had come. I was swept
like a child from my raft and carried on
the crest of the monster as | supposed,
to death. But once again the hand of
the Almighty was stretched out to save
me. was dashed with inconceivable
violence against something solid as a
rock. Ropes were floating all around
me. l grabbed several and then
swooned.
Il awoke and recognized the old hos |
Pital Of the Osprey. Then l thought
my burial and subsequent adventures |
were ali wandering fancy and that | |
had never left the hospital. But l was
soon undcccived. A kind face bent |
over me and | saw once more the features |
of my good captain. lie should not |
permit me to speak all that day, but on |
the next | was allowed to relate my |
story, which did in a weak and quay
ering voice, | can assure you. Then the
captain told me that after burying me,
as they thought, they had kept
on their course for two DAYS,
when they encountered heavy
head gale which drove them back on
their course again. They shipped ter
rihle sea which carried away boats and |
houses forward, but it was the last exer
ton of the gale, for after that it died
away. When the waist was sufficiently
clear Of water to enable the men to walk
there, they had discovered my body en-
tangled in ropes lying in the lee scupper
At first they thought my corpse had been
washed aboard again, as has been several
lines done, but on lifting me up they
saw unmistakable signs of life, and with
great awe and wonder carried me into
he cabin. As to my comatose sleep,
he captain said he had never seen any,
hing more like death. He had doubted
f the most skilful doctors could have
discovered aiy life in me. He was con-
iden'r.y neck had been broken.
-''ln week or so l got around, and
me day, looking in glass, discovered
% my establishment that my hair was
lu1e white. 1t was two years before
got over my terrible experience at Cape
Horn sufficiently to go to sea again, but
t has left me what you see me-a man of
~ at 40. My case was thought very
extraordinary one by medical men, and
he medical papers described my attack
If coma, as they called it, very infinitely,
'nly quite differently from my exper-
ence."