Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-02-09

great ocean avoided by vessels Of every
KIND, that was not in the track of any,
thing going anywhere Every day there
seemed 10 be less and less wind. and when
had been on board week the Sparbawk
was gently rising and falling on n smooth
sea in dead calm. Hour after hour /
swept the horizon with the Captains glass.
but only once did / see anything TO en-
courage me. This was what appeared like
long line Of black smoke against the dis
tant sky, which might have been left bv n
passing steamer. but, were this the case,
never saw the steamer.
Happily there were plenty Of provisions
on board OF plain kind. / found spirits
and WINE. aud even medicines, and in the
captains room there were pipes, tGbacco,
and some books.
This comparative comfort gave me q new
and strange kind of despair. began to
fear that / might become contented 10
live out my life alone in the midst of this
lonely ocean. In that case what sort Of q
man should be?
Ii was about half-past by the Captains
chronometer when / came on deck on the
morning of the 25th Of May. had become
n late riser, for what was the good of rising
early when there was nothing 10 rise for
had scarcely raised my eyes above the rail
OF the ship when, TO my utter amazement,
i perceived a vessel not q mile away. The
sight was so unexpected and the surprise
was so great that my heart almost stopped
beating as stood and gazed at her.
She was medium-sized iron steamer
and lay upon the sea in a peculiar fashion,
her head being much lower than her stern.
the latter elevated so much that I could
see part Of the blades Of her motionless
propeller. She presented the appearance OF
a ship which was just about oplunge. bow
oct mt, IL 10 So h..
which had just risen, stern foremost, from
those depths.
With the exception Of her position and
the fact that no smoke-stack was visible,
she seemed to my eyes TO be in good
enough trim. She had probably been in
collision with something, and her forward
compartments had filed Deserted by her
crew she had become derelict, and drift
ing about in her desalation had fallen in
with another derelict as desolate as her
self. The fact that ! was on board the
Sparhawk did not in my eyes make that
vessel any the less forsaken and forlorn.
The coming OF this steamer gave me no
comfort. Two dereicts, in their sadden-
ing effects upon the spirits. would be twice
as bad as one, and, more than that, there
was danger should storm arise that they
would dash into each other and both go to
the bottom. Despairing Is ! had become
L dld not want 20 go TO the bottom.
As | eazed upon the steamer | could see
that she was gradually approaching me.
There was a little breeze this morning,
and so much of her hull stood out of the
water that it caught a good deal of the
wind. The Sparhawk. on the contrary.
was but little affected by the breeze. for
apart from the fact that the great sail
kept her head always TO the wind. she was
heavily laden with sugar and molasses and
sat deep in the water. The other was not
coming directly towards me, but would
probably pass a considerable distance. l
did not at ali desire that she should come
near the Sparhawk.
Suddenly my heart gave Jump. j could
distinctly see on the Stern OF the steamer
the futter of something white. 1t was
waved. Somebody must DO waving it.
Hitherto had not thought OF the spy
glass, for with my naked eyes l could see
all that cared to see Of the vessel, but
now | dashed below to get it. When |
brought it 10 bear upon the steamer ! saw
plainly that the white object was waved
by some one, and that some one was n
woman. | could see above tho rail the
upper part of her body, her uncovered
head, her uplifted arm wildly waving.
Presently the waving ceased aud then the
thought suddenly struck me that, re-
ceiying no response, she had in despair
given up signalling. Cursing my stupidity