St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1890-01-11

frigate, by means Of the reefed fore and
mainsail, was got round, and she cruised
about for > couple Of hours burning blue
lights and firing signal guns, but, as ex'
pected, no sign Of the steven vessels PEG
pie was discovered.
Lieutenant Biddle, ere now, had called
me down, but he said not q word to me
about negligence of duty, until the hope.
less cruise for survivors of the wrecked
craft was nearly ended. Then he stern.
ly summoned me before him, and de.
manded why had not kept . good look.
out as he had ordered.
made no attempt to excuse myself,
but miserable and detected, confessed
my going to sleep aloft, and described
my fall, which, in the intense gloom,
no one abroad had observed, and told
how was saved.
The grim old gunner, the masterat-
arms, and some Of my young shipmates
afterward told me that they had never
seen SO woe-be-gone and deplorable a
picture as presented at this time-and
believe that the Lieutenant, though .
stern officer, felt sorry for me. as, after
my explanation. he dismissed me, say
ing that he would say no more on tho
subject at present.
gun from the frigate doomed over the
angry waters, and as the broad flash
from it, blending with the CHASTITY CLEAN
of our blue-lights, streamed far out over
the kissing foam, we suddenly beheld .
large boat containing human forms,
emerging from a cloud Of scudding va.
por, about twenty fathoms ahead.
Only for an instant did we see it, for.
as it was beyond the CLEAN Of our lights
it was the next moment, hidden by the
darkness.
LET her luff-luff you can, quarter.
master!' roared the Lieutenant.
'.Luff it is, sir" was the answer; and
later, as the frigate's head was steadied,
we ranged alongside the boat, rope
was thrown from the gangway and she
was made fast.
She proved to be the lost tenders
launch, and as we hove to, no words
could express my joy when my father,
Lieutenant Cotton. xprdng aboard, to be
soon followed by the rest Of the brig
people.
We now learned that they had left
their vessel, taking to the launch before
we ran the brig down, as the latter had
been wrecked and nearly water-logged
by the first burst of the tempest, which
had caught her aback, her rudder having
previously been damaged SO that she
could not be properly handled by tho
wheel.
LET this be lesson to you, Fra nix, |"
said my father to me, when he heard
the story Of my neglect Of duty and my
narrow escape aloft. 1T has happened
only by mere chance that Ito say nothing
of your periD you have been spared tho
terrible remorse you would have sui.
fered for life by causing the loss Of that
brig with all her crew and myself, your
own father?"
never forgot those words, and being
ever after careful to faithfully perform
my duty, l finally obtained . REFERS
warrant.
Meanwhile I was long puzzled to guess
who had tied the rope about my breast,
at the time was asleep aloft, but when,
at last, we reached the port Of Norfolk,
Virginia, and the frigate's men were
sailor informed me that it
was young forctop-man who had at
tached the line to me. While helping
to furl the gallant sail. he had
noticed that I slept, and thinking it
would be good joke to ''give some line"
to naping novice, instead Of awaking
him, he had stealthily made fast to me
a portion of the coil Of rope, which, as l
have stated, the captain Of the top had
brought up to the cross-tree.
Rufus Hale, in N. Y. Ledger.