Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-01-17

the truth struggled into my darkened
mind. l perceived at last that I was
in perfectly cataleptic trance. The
strange part of it was that my mind
was almost as active as ever. knew
all that was going on about me. and l
felt an overwhelming terror at my
possible fate.
1T was soon made known to me.
The captain entered my room. could
hear indistinctly, as it were afar of,
his footstep on the deck. Then the
steward also came in. | heard them
consulting together, and both came to
the conclusion that l was dead; that
my neck was broken by the fall.
Tell Sails to come in and take his
measure. We must bury him tomorrow
while the fine weather lasts" | heard
the captain say; and presently the sail
maker came in and measured me for
the last hammock | should ever sleep
in. / could not feel him, but knew
by his motions what he was doing. |
will not describe how they laid me out
on the cabin table and left me there,
while Sails, close by, made my shroud.
Stitch, stitch, stitch went his needle,
seeming u enter into my brain every
time instead of the thick canvas. lean
distinctly remember that while l lay
there the steward tried to close my
eyelids, but, thank God, they Jew up
every time and left me the poor conso-
lation of seeing the preparations for
my doom.
AT last all was finished. Fhe canvas
was spread on the deck, and was laid
in it. Then the sailmaker began to
stitch me up. He had stitched up all
but my face, when | heard him say he
had lost his knife. A rigid search was
made everywhere, but it, could not be
found, so Sails returned to work, and
all that time | was thinking in my dull
way what fools they were for not look
ing into my shroud for the lost knife.
As afterward learned, it was next day
at noon that l was carried on deck and
laid on a plank, preparatory to being
shot overheard. The men one by one
took a look at my face. and then it was
covered up forever. The burial service
was read by the captain, there was a
little delay, and then the plank was
tilted and shot into the bitter cold
water off the Diego Ramirez. 1t must
have been the shock that brought me
to my senses, for, as l sank down,
dragged lower by the shot at my feet,
felt my feeling and action return. At
the same moment my right hand, re-
leased from its dread inertia, grasped
what L instantly knew to be a knife.
Mechanically l forced the blade and
ripped my canvas shroud so that the |
shot fell and began to rise to the sur
face. In a few seconds, l suppose, al
though it seemed years, l opened my
eyes-for it is curious fact that while |
l lay in state of coma they remained |
open, yet when my feelings returned |
with the shock | closed them at once
and saw once more the light of day,
which ! had never expected to see
again. was an excellent swimmer, and |
had soon regained my breath and cast |
from me the canvas which impeded |
my movements. Then | looked |
around over the waters, and saw that I
my miraculous escape had been all for
The ship, looking like a
great swan, was several miles away.
getting smaller and smaller even as |
looked. There arose from my lips a
frenzied curse against the God that had
abandoned me thus, but almost i'm
afterward. as if to rebuke
me for my wickedaess, noticed huge
piece of wreckage floating toward me.
Hope once more filled my breast and [
swan toward the piece of deckhouse,
as it proved to be, and clambering on
top threw myself on my face and wept
for very wretchednesS. Alone on the
wide ocean, a piece of wood the only
hing between me and death, dazed
and weak from my last terrible expert
ence, what else could / do but weep?
Soon began to feel an intense hunger.
By the lowest calculation | must have
been comatose for three days, so for
hat time had had no nourishment.
The thick mist that suddenly came
lown satisfied my thirst, but there was
nothing to eat, nothing to eat.
nearly went crazy as the day wore on.
AT last night fell, and added the
-errors of the blackness of darkness to
The pangs of hunger. l could never
ell the horrors of that first night. 1t
was wonder was not stark, staring
mad when day broke. The second day
passed like the first. Nothing to eat.
to mOisten my lips, but no
sail in sight. The third day broke
With an angry sky and an angrier sea,
md | saw that before the day closed
Cape Horn gale would be raging with
Ill its attendant sleet and cold.
rembled then, for, even though l was
almost dead and quite without hope, /
wanted to live. By noon the sea had
'isen tremendously, and II was with
great difficulty that managed to keep
IN my raft. By nightfall the gale was
aging fiercely. and 1 was expecting
very moment to be engulfed in one of
he terrible abysses into which my raft
dipped cShstantly. This was the most
Iwful night ever spent-worse even,
han when l lay, to alt appearances
lead, on the cabin table of the Osprey.
The flying spoondrift cut me to the
zone, the great waves rolled their
rested phosphorescent heads high
.bove me, who, sunk in black abyss,
leard the gale shrieking overhead. 1
cit soon that it could not last much