The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-09-06

TO the details OF the expedition
and they talked themselves into hope:
the Channel on an errand inspired BY love,
not reason: to cross one mighty ocean, and |
grope for q lost daughter in another.
We return to the cutter and her living |
freight.
After an anxious but brief consultation, it |
was agreed that their best chance vas to |
traverse M many miles Of water Us possible,
while the wind was FUR: BY this means they |
would increase their small chance OF being |
picked up, and also ot falling in with land,
and would ut all events soil into lovely |
climate. where intense cold was unknown,
and gales of wind uncommon. Mr.. Hazel |
advised them to choose q skipper, and give |
him absolute power, especially over the pro- |
visions. They assented to this. He then 1
recommended Cooper for that post. But |
they had not fathomcd the sterling virtues !
command to Welcl,. instead.
"Me put myself over Sam "copper"" said he
mot likely"
Then their choice fell upon Michael Nor
gan. The other sailors names were Prince, |
Mr.. Hazel urged Morgan to put
the crew and passengers on short
allowance at once, viz, two biscuits day,
and four table.spoonfuls Of water; but Nor
gan was common sailor: he did not see
clearly very for ahead; and, moreover, his
dealt out pound Of biscuit and an ounce Of
ham to each person. night aud morning, and
pint Of wuter In course Rf the duy.
Mr.. lInzel declined his share Of the ham,
and begged Miss itolleston 10 earnestly not
to touch it, that Ste yielded silent comp-
good spirits, though the provisions were
now very low. They even sang, and spun
yarns. This was purity owing to the beauty
of the weather.
On the fifth day Morgan announced that
no could only serve out one biscuit per day,
and this sudden decline caused some dissat-
isfaction and alarm.
Next day, the water ran so low, that only
| teaspoonful was served out night and
| morning.
There were murmurs and forebodings.
In all heavy trials and estremities some
were latent in him, ny, hidden from himself.
Aud this general observation was verified oil
the present occusion, as it had been in the
lndinn mutiuy, and many other crises. Ha-
| eel came out.
He encouraged the men, out of his multi
farious stores Of learning. He related ut
length stories Of wrecks and sufferings ut sea;
which, though they had long been in print,
were most of them new to these poor fellows.
He told them. among the rest, what the men
Of the Bona Den, waterl"gged at sen had
days without any foGl * q
rat and kitten-yet had all survived. He
gavs them some details Of the Wager, the
Grosvenor, the Corbin, the Medusu; hut,
above all, most minute account of the
Bounty, and Blighs wonderful voyage in an
lized on this, and showed his fellow. sufferers
| II was discipline and self denial from the first
! TINT had enabled those hungry spectera to
survive. and to tray erse two thousand eight
hundred miles Of water, in those very seas;
and that In spite of hunger. thirst, dssease,
and rough weather.
by these means he diverted their minds in
some degree from their own calamity, and
/ taught them the lesson they most needed.
The poor fellows listened.with more interest
than you could have Thought possible under
ltollnstons hazel eye dwelled on the narrator
with unceasiug wonder.
Yes, leurfiing and fOrtitude, strengthened
by those great examples learning furnishes,
maintained u superiority, even in the middle
| of the Pacific; and not the rough sailors
| only, but the lady who had rejected and
scorned his love, hung upon the brave stu
dent. worlds SHE was compelled to look
| up, with wonder, to the man she had hated
and dsspsed In her hours of ease.
On the sixth day the provisions failed en-.
tirely. Not crust of bread; not drop OF
water.
At four P. N. several flying fish, driven in
to the air by the dolphins and catfish, fell
| into the sea again near the boat, and one
struck ths sail sharply, and fell into the
boat. 1t was divided. and devoured raw. in
| q moment.
The next morning the wind fell, and, BY
noon, the ocean became like glass.
The horrors of a storm have been often |
painted: but who has described, the horrors |
of q calm, to n boat of hungry, thirsty
creatures, whose only chances ofsalvation or
relal are wind and rain2
The beautiful, remorsesss sky was one |
vault OF purple. with great flaming Jewel |
In the center. whose verticle rays struck, and |
parched, and scorehed the living sufferers; |
and baked the boat itself, SO that it hurt |
their hot hands to touch it; the beautiful,
that glared in their bloodshot eyes, and re. |
fected the intolerable heat OF heaven upon /
these poor wretches, who were gnawed to |
death with hunger; and their raging thirst |
was fsrcer still.
Toward afternoon of tho eight day,
Macintosh dipped q vessel in the sea- with |
the manifsst intention Of drinking the suit \
water.
stop him" cried Hazel, in great agita
and the Others seized him. and overpowered /
him: he cursed them with such horrible curses,
that Miss kolleston put her fingers in her
ears. and shuddered from head to foot.
Even this was new to her, to hear foul Ian.
guage.
A calm voice rose in the midst, and said:
"Lct US pray"
There was dead silence, and Mr.. Hazel
kneeled down and prayed loud and fervently;
amd. while he prayed. the furious cries subsid. |
ed for while. and deep groans only were
heard. He prayed for food, for rain, for /
Patience.
The men were not 80 far gone but they
could just manage to say Amen"
lie rose from his knees, and gathered the
pale faces Of the mon tOgetherin ono glance;
agd saw that intense expression of agony
which physical pain Gun mold with mems
feuturcs: and then he strained his Dyes over
I he mossy horizon; but no cloud, no veil Of
vapor was visible.
Water, water everywhere. but not a drop
"Wcmust be mad" ho cried, "to die Of
thirst with all this water round u.s."
His invention being stimulated by this
dca. and his own dire need, he eagerly scan.
ned erything in the boat, and his eyes soon
lighted on two objects disconnected In them.
selves, hut it struck him he could use them
in combination. These were n common glass
bottle, and Miss RollestOn's life preserving
jacket, that served her for acouch. Hebrew
this garment over his knees. and con-
sidcred it attentively; then untwistsd tho
brnss nozzle through which the jack was in
fated, and SO left n tube, some nine inches in
length, hanging down from tho neck of the
gnrmont.
lie now applied his breath To the tube. and
the jackct swelling rapidly proved that the
whole receptacle was nr-t tight.
He then allowed the air to escape. Next,
he took the bottle and filled it with water
from the sea; then he inserted, with some
difficulty, and great care, the neck Of the
bottle into the oritice Of the tube: this done,
he detached the wire Of the brass nozzle and
whipped the tube firmly around the neck OF
the bottle.
Now, light fire." he cried; mo matter
what it costs"
The fore thwart was chopped up, and
fire soon spluttered and spnrkied, for ten
eager hands were feeding il: the bottle was
then suspended over it, and. in due course,
the salt water boiled and threw off vapor,
and the belly OF the jacket began to heave
and stir. Hazel then threw cold water upon
the outside, to keep i, cool. and while tho
men eug"rly watched tho bubbling bottle and
swelling bag his spirits rose, and he took
occasion to cSplnin that what WAS now 90.
lug on under their eyes was. after all. only
one Of the gtent processes OF Nature, done
upon n small scale. "The Clouds said he, |
ARE hut vaporS drawn from the sea, by the
heat of the sun: these clouds are composed
fresh water. and 80 the steam We nrs now
rising from snlt water will be fresh, We can't
make whiskey, or brew beer; lads; but, thank
Heaven; We eau brew water; and it is worth
all other liquors ten times told"
A wild "Hurrah!' greeted these words.
But every novel experiment seems doomed
to fail, or meet with some disaster. The wa.
ter in the bottle had been reduced too low,
by vnporEm, and the bottle burst suddenly, |
with u loud report. That report was follow.
ed by pite )us wall.
Hazel turned pale Mt this fntnl hlov. hut |