Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-11-28

doned, and we all went on board. WesoOn
found her to be the Bristol ship Endurance
a whaler OF course, and two-thirds full Of
blubber and OIL She had a slight list to
port, and after looking her over the officers
said that she had hove out, the same as our
bark, but had settled back again. She
had also been abandoned in a hurry, as
there were many evidences; but an inspec-
ton showed plenty Of provisions aboard
and proved her perfectly sound. We had
our bedding and clothing, and when it was
decided to take possession OF her the crew
were pleased. In three hours after first
sighting her we were as much at home
aboard as if we had formed the original
crew. She was a larger craft than ours
and also better found, and we profited by
the change.
We had been aboard of the Endurance
about month when the carpenter fell
sick. In his case it was pure homesickness
and nothing else. He was moody and tact
turn. refused to make any effort to throw
off the feeling, and at length took to his
bed. There was really no medicine to
touch his case. He was slowly dying be-
cause of his desire to get home to wife and
BARNS. All of us had a touch of his NAL
ady, but we shook it off by hunting, trap
ping, indulging in games, and keeping our
thoughts with the ship. Lord! man, but
have often wondered why half the crew
did not go dead crazy. 1t was endless
night. 1t was ice-ice-ice. It was like
being shut up in d dungeon, with the addi
ton that when night came and all was
still the ship was full of groans and signs
from stem to stern-noises caused by the
ice heaving and settling was appointed
10, flk,r, 1at,fr 10 l,oI
been brought very low and knew that he
must go he told me a secret. He said he
had made a false report to the captain
about the damage to the barlz's bottom on
purpose, to induce him to abandon her and
start for land. He hoped in this way to
get home the sooner.
This confession was made to me with the
promise Oh my part not to betray the man
while living, and he lived on for two weeks
after making thestatement When he had
been buried in an icy grave | told the cap
tain, and he at once fitted out an expedi-
ton to go back and look up the bark. The
first mate and five men composed this
party, and after being gone week, during
which time the weather was full of tenn
pest, snow and sleet, they returned from
the west and blundered right up against
US before they saw the ship. Their com
pass had been broken, and they had been
lost for six days On that fearful waste of
ice. One man died Of exposure that night.
and two others were used up for month.
Two weeks later the second mate headed a
party, but they only went about fifteen
miles to the north. They reported travel
ing so difficult that they had to return.
Nothing further was done until the sun
and daylight came again. Then the first
mate set out again, but after making
about half the distance he found open
water and signs Of break up, and re
turned
No further efforts were made. Day by
day the sun lasted little longer, giving us
more Of the blessed daylight, and at last
gale came to break up the great field and
show us streaks of open water. When we
were finally clear of the icy bed which had
held the ship we headed for Point Barron,
sometimes gaining and sometimes losing
ground One day, remember, we made
twenty miles to the south, but on the very
next change Of wind packed the ice and
drifted us that far back to the north. We
were slowly working down toward the
straits, however, when, one day at noon,
after q snow squall lasting about two
hours, we got into channel running south
west We had scarcely entered it before
we caught sight of bark coming down a
channel from the north, and not over &
mile TO the west Of Us. Twenty voices at
once cried out that the stranger was our
old craft, the Emma Davis, and as we
neared each other, running on the long
lines OF triangle, everybody felt sure Of
it. We also noticed much excitement
aboard the bark, but it was only when the
two crafts got out their ice anchors within
a stones throw OF each other that matters
were fully explained.
Who do you suppose the strange men
were? None others than the crew of the
Endurance. They had our bark and we
had their ship. A swap had been made of
crafts Their ship had hove out about the
same time ours did, and they had aban-
donad her for the same reasons. Instead
of trying to make the land they had sought
to find a brig which they had seen to the
north of them This brig was a myth, or
some foreign vessel which got safely out
and could not afterward be traced. In
hunting for her they came across our bark
Three days only had passed, and yet she
had canted back almost to an even keel
They had boarded her, taken full posses
sion, and then worked her out on the break
I'D. We changed crews and resumed the
voyage, and both crafts entered the port Of
Nuwuk together, whence, later on, both
resumed the business of whaling. 1t was
called even up all the way round, and nei
Their was debtor nor creditor.-NeW York
Sun.