Los Angeles herald., 1890-12-16
the dreaded pestilence had appeared, and
they began to take hope.


they began to take hope.
1t was half past 10 o'clock. An old
seaman named Bill Shippen had the
helm, while the remainder Of the watch
were either in the gangway or else for
ward. The wind continued fresh, but
yet steady, and the old ship was close
hauled upon it, lying some two points
off from her true course. The ships bell
was suspended over the pinnacle, and
old Shippen reached over and struck the
first half hour after midnight. He had
just resumed his position, and was gaz-
ing intently at the compass, when he
felt hand laid upon his shoulder, and
on turning around he beheld by the
struggling beams of the pinnacle lamp
the pale, deathly features of Walter Ad-
Olson!
For an instant the old sailor remained
rooted to the spot, and then, uttering
sharp cry of fear, helet go the wheel and
darted forward In moment the ship
began to fall off. and as she brought the
fiat surface of broad canvas to the wind
she heeled over alarmingly; but soon the
pale specter that had frightened the
helmsman from his post caught the
wheel, and laid the helm hard down, and
ere long the ship was once more to the
wind.
Shippen's cry had started all hands
from their listlessness, for they thought
the cholera fiend had assailed him, but
from his broken CALCULATIONS they soon
learned what was the matter, and in
body they crowded aft, and by the dim
light from the pinnacle they saw the
specter helmsman! Every knee trembled,
and every tongue Glove to the roof of its
mouth. None dared to approach him,
nor did any move back. At this juncture
the captain came on deck. His eye
caught the corpse like form that still
held the wheel, and he, too, was riveted
to the spot where he stood
''Shipmates, relieve me from here, or
1 shall faint. am cold and weakw at
length came from the lips of the SEEM
ing specter; in faint, agonized tones.
Capt. johnson hesitated an instant,
and then he rushed forward and laid his
hand upon the trembling form before
him. 1t was cold and wet, but he knew
that it was living man. One after an
other of the men gathered about, and
before long all knew that young Walter
Addison still lived. The captain had
him conveyed to the cabin, where every
thing that could be thought of was ad-
ministered for his comfort, and it was
not long before he sufficiently revived to
give an account of his strange escape
from the cold, deep grave to which he
had been consigned.
1t seemed that young Addison had
fallen into that deathlike lethargy which
not infrequently results from sudden
cholera, and which, as all who are ac-
quainted with the disease must be aware,
so nearly resembles death that even the
best physicians have been deceived by
it, The sudden immersion in the cold
water had revived his dormant senses,
and as the ship had but slight motion
at the time he came to partial realiza-
ton Of his situation before she had
passed him, and by considerable exer-
ton he managed to get hold of the rud-
der chains. He tried to call for assist
ance, but his tongue was SO swollen that
he found it impossible, and afterremain-
ing upon the chains long enough to re.
gain more strength he worked his way
up till he got hold of the lanyards of the
cabin dead lights.
From thence he reached the lashings of
the stern boat, but here weakness again
overpowered him, and after working his
way into the boat he remained some time
insensible, but at length he revived and
came on board. He had tried to speak,
but he could not When the helmsman
fled from the wheel he had sense enough
to see the ships danger, and from the
impulse of a sort of instinct he seized
the wheel and brought her up to the
wind.
The morning dawned, and the next
day passed, then another, and another,
but the death fiend came not againl He
had lost his first intended victim and he
left the ship in peace.-Sylvanus Cobb
Jr., in Yankee Blade.