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


voice, as I now discovered-which
aroused me from my slumber. As 1
opened my eyes, that shrek rang louder
than had heard it in my dream, for it
was the shrek of storm, and such
storm as appalled, and startled my sud-
senses.
A binding flash of lightning crossed
my vision, dark clouds of vapor were
around me, seemed to be borne along
with terrific velocity on the roaring,
whistling gale, while below me beheld
the CLEAN of the frigate's battle Ian
terms, by which could see nimble forms
hurrying to and fro, far beneath my con-
fused gaze, hauling on ropes, putting
extra flashing about the launch, careful
ly securing the guns, while the hoarse
voices of the boatswain and his mates,
together with the shouts of the officer
of the deck through his trumpet, were
blended with answering cries from the
topmen and others aloft, who were furl-
ing and reefing the heavier canvas-the
lighter sails, evidently, having already
been taken in.
All these sights and noises, together
with the din of the tempest, the roar of
the ocean, the lurching and rolling of
the huge black hull as it was hurled
along like mere wisp through the
angry waters, surprised and puzzled
me; and in the half-dazed condition
of my suddenly awakened brain, scarce
ly realizing my precarious situation
there aloft, my hold of the stay, round
which, when asleep, had still kept my
arm, became loosened by violent pitch
of the ship, and away went, falling
headlong from my position.
Downtown, with a horrible, sicken-
ing sensation in my breast, and even at
this dreadful moment, with sort of
consciousness that my impending doom
was the result of neglect of duty, shot
through space toward the dimly-lighted
deck, which, before my distorted vision,
seemed springing up to meet me and
thus hasten my fate of being dashed to
death. Wildly throwing out my arms
and clutching at the air the instant
fell, something the next moment
touched one of my hands. 1t was, as
afterward learned, dangling rope
the foreto'-gallant studding sail
ballard = which had previously
been accidentally loosened from
the belaying-pin below, and around this
rope my fingers closed with convu1sive
grasp, while my other hand was quickly
used to add to the force of my grip.
Alas! my descent had been too swift to
enable me to retain my hold. AS my
body 'srighted" my hands kept to the
rope but for few seconds, my fingers
slid away from the strands, and my de-
scent through the air continued. In some
degree my grasp of the line had checked
the force of my fall, but had as yet de-
scended only about thirty feet, and the
frightful distance of nearly seventy feet
of space yet interviewed between me and
the deck, when, to my surprise, my fur
Their downward course was suddenly
stopped with jerk that nearly took the
breath from my body, and found my
self swaying like pendulum in mid
air, with rope securely tied about my
breast beneath the arms.
It is perhaps needless to state that this
rope had been made fast to me, while I
was asleep, though by when could not
imagine at the time. 1t had proved to
be the means of saving my life, but had
not my fall been previously checked by
my clxtching the studding-sail ballard,
as I have mentioned, I think would
have been somewhat injured by the jerk
Of the rope when my swift descent was
so suddenly stopped.
Now as swung inward toward the
shrouds, clutched them, and shaking
like leaf, still feeling faint and dizzy,
1 had braced myself against the rigging.
while stood on the ratlines, when, de-
spite the dense gloom, I imagined 1 saw,
directly ahead of the frigate, the dim
outline of small partly -dismasted YES
sci looming up, not four ships lengths
off, her hull and portion of her shat
tered jib-boom lighted by the phosphor-
escent CLEAN of the raging, foaming wa
tiers.
''Sail o! right ahead" I cried, as loud
ly as I could, and my cry was repeated
by the sailing-master and one of the
lookouts on the forecastle, the master
calling out, an instant after, to the Lieu
tenant, in a voice of thunder:
''Hard-a-port, sir, hard-a-port, or we
will be a-foul of her!''
''Hard-a-port, quartermaster!' roared
the officer of the deck.
ssHard-a-port it is, STRIP bawled the
quartermaster, but it was evident that
no human power could now save us from
running into the craft ahead.
MY God, sir, she is doomedr' shouted
the sailing-master to me. s'Wky did
you not sing out before?"
A choking sensation in my throat pre-
vented my answering. One of the oc-
casional flashes of lightning that &C
companied this tempest had just plainly
revealed to me the fated craft ahead,
and that brief glimpse had shown me
that she was the brig, our tender, which
was commanded by my father.
We would run her down-this could
not, it was plain, be now avoided-and
it was all my fault. Had not I gone to
sleep-bad I held strict watch, as
Lieutenant Biddle had ordered me to do
Il would, from my lofty position, have
seen the craft soon enough to have en-
abled US to keep the ship of and away
from her.
Now, although tie two men at the
helm jammed the wheel hard over, the
great frigate, in that gale, with nearly
every stitch of canvass slowed, was
slow to answer, and on she went with
terrific velocity, until suddenly there
was tremendous crash, as she struck
the brig amidships with her enormous
COWS.
heard the noisa NJ tho epl;nfarod