Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-19

art those visions of beauty which some
times seemed to rest upon her soul lik
shadows from the heaven Of our hopes.
Three months have passed-three Ions
molths OF tossing waters and ever present
winds. The Harpoon, shaping her course
fer Norfolk, in the United States, had
made but q poor passage Of 1t. She got
into the southeast trades, and all went
well till they made st. Paul's Rocks, where
they were detained by the doldrums and
variable winds. Afterward she passed
into the northeast trades, and then, further
north, met a series of westerly gales, that
ultimately drove her to the Azores, just
as her crew were getting very short Of
water and provisions. And here Augusta
bid farewell 10 her friend the Yankee skip
per; for the whaler that had saved her Life
and Dicks, after retitting once more, set
sail upon its almost endless voyage. Sho
stood on the breakwster at Ponta Delga-
da, and watched the Harpoon drop past.
men recognized her and cheered lusti-
ly. and Captain Thomas took off his hat;
for the entire ships company, down to the
cabin boy, were head over heels in love
with Augusta; and the extraordinary Of
ferings that they made her, on parting,
most Of them connected in some way or
other with that noble animal, the whale,
suficed to I'LL a good-sized packing case.
Augusta waved her handkerchief TO them
in answer; but she could not see much OF
them, because her eyes were full of tears.
She had had quite enough of the Harpoon,
n yet she was 10th to say farewell to her,
for her days on board had in many re-
spects been restful and happy ones, they
had given her space and time to brace her,
self up before she plunged once more into
the struggle of active life. Besides, sho
IN throughout been treated with that un-
varying kindness and consideration for
which the American people are justly not
ed in their dealings with all persons In
misfortune.
But Augusta was not the only person
who with sorrow watched the departure
Of the Harpoon. First, there was little
Dick, who had acquired a fine Yankee
drawl, and grown quite half In inch on
board of her, and who fairly howled when
his particular friend, a remarkably fierce
and grisly looking boatswain, brought him
as a parting Offering q large whales tooth,
patiently carved by himself with a spirited
picture of their rescue on Kerguelen Land.
Then there was Mrs. Thomas herself.
When they finally reached the island OF
ST. Michael, in the Azores, Augusta had
offered to pay fifty pounds, being half Of
the hundred sovereigns given TO her by
Mr.. Meeson, to Captain Thomas as q pass
age fee, knowing that he was by no
means overburdened with the goods Of
this world. But he stoutly declined to
touch a farthing, saying that il would be
unlucky TO take money from a castaway.
Augusta as stoutly insisted, and, finally,
q compromise was come 70. Mrs. Thomas
was anxious, being seized with that acute
species Of homesickness from which Suf-
folk people are no more exempt han ether
folk, to visit the land where she was born
and the people midst whom she was bred
up. But this she could not we'll afford to
do. Therefore Augustus prolfered fifty
pounds was appropriated to this purpose,
and Mrs. Thomas stopped with Augusta
at Ponta Delgada, waiting for the London
and West India Line Packet to take them
to Southampton.
So it cam to pass that they stood to
gether on the pohta Delgada breakwater
and together saw the Harpoon sail of to-
ward the setting sun.
Their came a soft dreamy fortnight in
the fair island of st. Michael. where Ma
ture is ever as a BRIDE, and never reaches
the stage Of the hard-worked. toil-worn
mother, lank and lean with the burden Of
maternity. The mental act of looking
back to this time in after years always re-
called TO Augustus senses the odor OF
orange blossoms, and the sight of. the rich
pomegranate bloom blushing the roses
down. 1t was a pleasant time, for the
English Consul there most Hospitality en-
tertained them-with much more personal
enthusiasm indeed than he generally con-
sidered it necessary to show toward ship
wrecked yoyagers-a class of people OF
whom consular representatives abroad
must get rather tired with their eternal
misfortunes and their perennial want OK
clothes. Indeed, the only drawback to-
her enjoyment was that the Consul, a gal
liant ex-naval officer with red hair, equally
charmed by her adventures, her literary
fame, and her person, showed q decided
disposition to fall in love with her, and n
red-haired and therefore ardent naval OH
GER is, under those circumstances, q some
what alarming parsonage. But the time
went On without anything serious happen
ing; and, at last, one morning after break
fast a man came running up with the in
formation that the mail was in sight.
And so Augusta o IN aff~ectionate
farewell Of the goldcn-haired Consul, who
gazed at her through his eyeglass and
sighed when he thought Of what might
have been in the sweet by and by; and the
ships bell rang and the screw began to
turn. leaving the Consul still signing ON
the horizon, and in due course Augusta
and Mrs. Thomas found themselves stand
ing on the quay ut Southampton, the CEN
tire of an admiring and enthusiastic crowd
The Captain had told the extraordinary
tale to the port officials when they boar led
the vessel, and on getting ashore the port
officials had made haste to tell every living
soul they met the wonderful news that
two survivors OF the Inflated Kangaroo
the history of whose tragic end had sentsA
thrill Of horror through the Engiish-speak-
ing world-were safe and sound on beard
the West India boat. Thus, by the time
that Augusta, Mrs. Thomas, and Dick
were safe on shore, their story, OF rather
sundry distorted versions Of it, was fash
ing up the wires to the various press
agencies, and running through ~Southa,Hp-
ton like wildire. Scarcely were their feet
set upon the quay, when, with q rush and
o bound wild men, with note books in
their hands, sprang upon them. and beat
them down with a rain Of questions. Au-
gusta found it impossible to answer them