Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1890-03-07

my neck WIS DrOkcn " tHe ihii.
Tell Sails 10 come in and take hi
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 sleeI
In. / could not feel him, but knew
by his motions what he was doing.
will not describe how they laid mo out
on the cabin table and left mo there,
while Sails. close by. nude my shroud.
Stitch. stitch, stitch went his needle,
seeming to enter into my brain every
time instead OF the thick canvas. lean
distinctly remember that while | lay
there the steward tried 10 close my
eyellds. but, thank God. they few up
every time and left me the poor conso
lation Of seeing the preparations fol
my doom.
"At last all was finished. The canvas
was spread on the deck. and | was laid
In II. Then the sallmaker began "a
stitch me up. lie 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 10 work, and
all that time 1 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 was carried on deck and
laid on a plank. preparatory to being
shot overheard. The men one by one
took look at my face. and then 1t was
covered up forever. The burial service
was read by the captain, there was a
little delay, and then the plank was
tilted and I shot into the bitter cold
water of the Diego Ramirez. 1t must
have been the shock that brought me
TO my senses, for, as | 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 / instantly knew TO be knife.
Mechanically | forced the blade and
ripped my canvas shroud so that the
shot fell and began TO rise TO the sur
face. In n few seconds, suppose. al
though II seemed years, opened my
eyes-for IL Is u curious fact that while
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
my miraculous escape had been all for
nothing. The ship, looking like a
great swan. was several miles away.
getting smaller and smaller even as |
looked. There arose from my lips a
frenzled curse against the God that had
abandoned me thus, but almost i'm
mediatoly aiterward. as II to rebuke
me for my wickedness, noticed hugo
piece OF wreckagc floating toward me.
Hope once more filed my breast and |
swan toward the piece OF deckhouse,
as II proved TO be, and clambcring on
top threw myself on my face and wept
for very wretehcdncs5. Alone on the
wide ocean, piece OF wood the only
thing 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
that time / had had no nourishment.
The thick mist that suddenly came
down satisfied my thirst, but there was
nothing TO cat, nothing to eat l
nearly went crazy as the day wore on.
"At last night fell, and added the
terrors OF the blackness OF darkness to
the pangs OF hunger. | could never
tell the horrors OF that first night. 1t
was wonder was not stark, staring
mad whom day broke. The second day
passed like the Grst Nothing TO eat.
Something to moisten my lips, but no
sail In sight. The third day broke
with an angry sky and an angrier sea-
and saw that before the day closed a
Cape Horn gale would be raging with
all its attendant sleet and cold.
trembled then, for, oven though was
almost dead and quite without hope,
wanted to live. by noon tho sea had
risen tremendously. and it was with
great difficulty that managed TO keeT
on my raft. BY uightfall tho gale was
raging fiercely. and | was expecting
every moment TO DO engufed in one OF
the terrible abysscs into which my raft
slipped constantly. This was the posi
awful night | ever spent-worse even,
than when lay, to all appearances
dead, on the cabin table OF the Osprey
Tho flying spoondrift cut mo to the
bone, the great waves rolled their
crested phosphorescent heads high
above mo, who, sunk in n black abyss,
heard the gale shrleking overhead.
felt soon that it could not last much
longer. Numbed and weak as | was,
clung to my refuge withthe energy OF
desperation, and waited bitterly for
| death.
FINALLY nm immense wave, higher
than all that had gone before, raised
its wild heal TO the skies and rolled
down on mo. My time had come.
was swept like n child from my raft
and carried on the crest OF the mon
ster, as / supposed, to death. Blu
once again the hand OF the Almighty