Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1890-10-21
BURIED IN THE OCEAN.

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Brothers. was chartered a. com. "a san
Francisco for wheat We arrived here
sasely. loaded WHEAT. and soon were out.
side ~ th. Golden Gate heading for
home. Everything went smoothly. and
nothing occurred 90 furwaru me ~ the
terrible adventure the future hal In
s,ore for m..
". were o. the -outhwari ~ valps-
rai.o when fen ~ II was q kind ~
faintne~s that would Suddenly AMI with.
cut warning come upon the. - that ]
often fell on the deck And lay there un.
tii rome one could come to my assist.
Ance. This continued without my grt-
ting much wors until We got down ofi
the Magellan straits. In the latitude OF
CAPS Pillar or ,hcrvabouis.
On. day. o gloomy. forbiiding day.
such a. the mariner often meets with
down ther-. had thu afternoon watch.
anil wa. -uJerin,sndins one ~ my men
who was hrins rAtlins In the weather
miss.n topmasi rigging. Tho fellow
Was very clumsy. 90 say the least of u.
I gut annoyed watching hi. awkward
n---: more annoyed. in Tact. than was
warranted. think. now that ] look back.
but I was growing mote and morr
irritable every day. which va. probably
owing to my fain,ing spells snddenly
becams .o excited that jumI-d into
the mizIcn rigging. AMI was into the top
In trice. wa. about % pull the fellow
away frun hi. Job when . q, came on.
A sudden mist clOudei my sy-s. NJ
.-u-s- left me-. rc.lci and fcli frum the
tap to th. deck. In my d--c.nt struck
ono. or twice. which caused m. 30 turn
over. with tho rr-ul, that ! fell on my
h.sd
when I rccoyerri consciousness ! wa.
tying In bunk In ,hs hospital. Still
therr wa. a thick mis-, t-fore my eye.
could indc-i -. everything ~ a. 10
r~ooguifs whcr, wa.. bu, somehow my
.yc- r.fu--Sl % move aboui. and could
only stare .irsish, up at the deck. !
iri~l Ia tnrn In my bunk. but could
not. To raisr INV arm. but could not
To ait IN. bat my muscles failed ms
AZ Las, the truth struggled into my dark.
sn.i mind- iI-rusivei a, last that ]
Was In q perfectly catal.ptic trance.
The strange part of ~ WAS that my mini
was almost As active a. ever. ! Knew
all that was going on about the. and
felt an overwhelming terror q, my 20
abls fat.
n va. .OJu made known to Inc. The
captain -ni.r-i my rom. could hear
inais,inctly. As N |, were afar OF. bis
fooisiep On the deck. Then Oh. steward
also came In. heard them consulting
Together. anil both came to the conclu'
sion that wa. dead. that my neck Wa
broken by thu fall
Tell sails 90 come IN and hke his
measure. We must bury him toinor
Tow while the lEs weather lasis.- !
heard ,h. captain say. and presently the
.ailmaker came In ani measured me Tor
Oh. lasi hammock ! should ever .lcep In
{ could not fcyl him. Int knew by his
motions what be was doing. will not
de-crib. how they laid me out on the
cabin table and left me there, while
Sails, closs by. made my shrUud. stitch.
stitch. stitch went his needle, seeming
10 enter into my brain every time In.
stead u the thick canvas lean distinct.
ly remember that while lay there the
steward tired To eloss my eyelids, but,
thank God. they few NJ every time and
lcli the the poor consolation of seeing
the prpAraiions for my doom.
AT last all was finished. The canvas
was spr-ai On the deck and was laid
In H. Then the sailmaker began 10
stitch me up. Tie had stitched NJ all
but my face when ! hearl him kay be-
hal To-, his knife. A rigid s-arch wa
male everywhere. but II could not be
founl. so Sails returned 10 work. and nj
tia, time was thinking In my dull way
what fools they werr for not looking into
my shroud for the Iost knife. As after
ward learned. u was neIt day at noon
tha, 4 was carried on deck and laid on a
plank PREPARATORY 10 being shot over
boarl. The men one by one took . look
at my face. and then it was covered ny
forever. The burial service was read by
IN. captain. there was little delay. and
then the plank was tilted. and ] sho'
into III. bitter cold water Oh the Diego
Ramirrx. II must have bceu the shock
that brought me to my s~nse-. for as
sank down. dragged lower by the shot
at my feet. felt my feeling and action
return.
At the same moment my night hand,
released from Its dread inertia, graspcd
what I instantly knew % be a knife
Mechanically ! forced the blade and
ripred my canvas shroud 20 that thu
shot fell. and began 10 rise 10 the sur
face. in u few seconds. suppose. al
though u seemed ycan, opened IN,
eyes-for u is curious fact that whils
lay In state % coma they remaipet
open. yet when my feelings returned
with tho shock closed them at once
and saw once more the light Of day
which had never expected 10 see again
I was an excellent swimmer. and had
soon regainei my breath. and cast frou
me the canvas which impssleti my move
meuta. Then looked around over thu
waters, and saw that my rnirsculow
ncape bad ben al for nothing. Ths
dhip, looking like great swan. was ssv'
sral miles away. cutting smaller and
smaller even - ] looked.
There arus. from my lips . frenEed
rurss against God that hsd abandoned
ms thus, but almost Immediately aftsr'
ward. - II 20 rebuks me fos my wicked
nesa. I noticed piece of wrsckags doat'
Ing toward me- Hops once moro hIled
my brsast, and ! swan toward ~ piecs
Of dsckhouss, - it proved 10 b. end
clambsrins on top thrsw mysslf on my
fAcs and wept Tor very wrv>chsdnsA
Alone on the wids OCEAN. . piecs q
wood ths only thing bstwesu me and
death. dased and wsak from my last tsr
hbls sxperisncs, what slss couA ! d.
bat weep Sooa ! begaa 70 fssl an In
tsnss hungsr. By The lowsst calculs
Ton muse have ben coustoss for TIRE
days. % fcg that tims ! bad had no nour
hhmsut
Ths thick mia that suddssly csn,
down ntis6sd ny third, bst thsrs ~
pothing 70 81, nothiRg 70 81 ] nsasiy
wnt 0asy = ~ day vurs o.
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