Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-01-04

set me against him; IL seemed of a piece
with that impudent grossness which ]
knew to underlic the veneer Of his flno man
ners; and sometimes my gorge rose against
him as though he were deformed--nnd some
times would draw away as though from
something partly spectral. ! had moments
when thought Of him as Of man Of paste
board--as though, II oneshould strike smartly
through the buckram OF his countenancc,
there would be found mere vacuty within.
This horror mot merely fanciful, i think
vastly increased my dctestation OF his neigh
borhood; / began TO feel something shiver
within me on his drawing near; had at times
longing TO cry out; there were days when
thought could have struck him. This frame
OF mind was doubtless helped by shame, be-
cause hnd dropped during our last days at
Durris1eer into q certain federation Of tho
man; and II any one had then told mo
should dropinto it again, must have laughed
in his face.
II is possible he remained unconscious OF
this extreme fever Of my resentment yet
think he was too quick; and rather that he
bnd fallen, in long life Of idleDess into
positive need OF company, which obliged him
TO confront and tolerate my unconcealcd
aversion. Certain at least, that he loved the
note Of his own tongue, as indeed he entirely
loved all the parts and properties Of himself;
n sort Of imbecility which almost necessarily
attends on wckedness l have seen him
driven, when proved recolctrant, to long
discusses with the skipper; and this al.
though the man plainly testified his weari-
ness, fiddling miserably with both hand and
foot, and replying only with grunt
After tue first week out, we fell In with
foul winds and heavy weather The sea was
high The Noncsuch, being an old fashioned
ship and badly loaden rolled beyond belief;
20 that the skipper trembNd for his masts and
for my life. We made no progress on our
course An unbearable i'll humor settled on
tho ship; men, mates and master, girding at
one another all day long. A saucy word on
| the one hand, and blow on the other, made
! daily iacidcnt. There were times when the
whole crew refused their duty, and ue Of
the after guard were twice got Under arms
| aeing the first time that ever bore wenp
ons) in the fear Of mutiny.
| In the midst OF our evil season sprung up n
hurricane of wind; SO that all supposed shs
must go down was shut In the cabin from
| noon of one day till sundown OF tho next; the
| master wns somewhere lashed ON deck. Sc
cundra had eaten of some drug and lay in
sensible; so you may say passed these hours
In an unbroken solitude. At first l was ter
rified beyond motion and almost beyond
thought, my mind appearing TO be frozen.
1 Presently there stole in on me ray of COM
| fort. III tho Noncsuch foundered, she would
| carry down with her into tho deeps Of that un-
sounded sea the creature whom we all so
feared and hated; there would be no more
Master Of Bnllantrae, the fish would sport
among his ribs, his schemes all brought 10
nothing, his harmless enemies at peace. At
first, have said, 1t was but ray of com
fort; but IL had soon grown to be broad sun
shine. The thought Of the mans death, OF
bis deletion from this world which he inn
bittered for so many, took possession Of my
mind. ! hugged it, found it sweet in my
belly. conceived the ships last Baingc, the
sea bursting upon all sides into theEabin, the
brief mortal conflict there, all by myself, In
that closed place; numbered the horrors, !
had almost said with satisfaction; ! felt !
could bear all and more, IL the Nonesuch car
red down with her, overlook by the same
ruin, the enemy Of my poor masters house.
Toward noon of the second day, the scream
ing Of the wind abated; the ship lay not so
| perilously over; and 1t began TO bc clear to
me that we were past tho height OF the tenn
pest. As hope for mercy, was sngly dis
appointed. In the selflshness OF that vile,
absorbing passion of hatred, l forgot the case
! OF our innocent shipmates and thought but
| of myself and my enemy. For myself was
| already old, had mover been young, ! was
| not formed for the worlds pleasures, had
few affections; it mattered not the toss OF
! silver tester whether was drowned there
md then in the Atlantic, or dribbled out
few more years, TO die, perhaps no less terri
bly,, In deserted sick bed. Down / went
upon my knees-holding on by the locker or
e!so had been instantly dashed across tho
tossing cabin-and, lifting up my voice in the
midst of that clamor of tho abating hurri
cane, impiously prayed for my own death.
| "Oh, Godln ] CRIED ~ would be liler
man il rose and struck this creature down.
but thou madest mo u coward from my
mothers womb. Oh, Lord thou madest me
so; thou knowest my weakness thou knowest
| that any face of death will set me shaking In
my shoes. But lol here is thy servant ready
his mortal weakness laid aside. Let me give
| my life for this creatures; take the two Of
them Lordl take the two, aud have mercy
on the innocentl" In some such words as
these, only yet more irrevercnt and with
more sacred adjuratlons, l continued TO pour
forth my spirit; God heard me not must
suppose in mercy; and was still absorbed
in my agony Of supplication, when some one,
removing the tarpaulin cover, let tho light of
the sunset pour into the cabin. stumbled
10 my feet ashamed, and was seized with sur
prisS - find myself totter and ache like one
tat lad been stretched upon the rack. Sc
cundsa Dass, who had slept Off the effects of
! his drug, stood in a corner not far Off, gazing
at me with wild eyes; and, from the open
! skylight, the captain thanked me for my sup.
plications
"It's you that saved the ship, Mr.. Mackel-
lar says be, There is no craft Of seaman
ship that could have kept her floating. Well
may we say; Except the Lord the city keep,
the watcbmen watch in vainr"
/ \ sl,l
abashed, also, by tho surprise and fear with
which the Indian regarded me at first, and
the obsequious civiities with which he soon
| began to cumber me- know now that he
must have overheard and comprehended the
peculiar nature of my prayers. II is certain,
of course, that he at once disclosed the mat
ter TO his patron; and looking back with
greater knowledge, ! can now understand,
what so much puzzled me at the moment, those
singular and $50 TO speak approving smiles
with which the master honored me. Similar.
ly, can understand word that remember
TO have fallen from him in conversation that
same night; when, holding up his hand and
smiling, "Ah, Mackellar, said he, mot every
man is so great a coward as he thinks he is
nor yet SO good a Christian He did not
guess how true he spokel For the fact is, the
thoughts which had come 20 me in tine yio-
lence of the storm retained their hold upon
my spirit; and the words that rose TO my Ips
unbidden in the instancy OF prayer continued
TO sound in my ears. With what shameful
consequences, it is fitting should honestly
relate, for ! could not support part Of such
disloyalty as 10 describe the sins of others
and conceal my own.
The wind fell, but the sea hove ever the
higher. All night the NonesUch rolled out
rageously; the next day dawnsd, and the
next, aud brought no change To cross the
cabin was scarce possible; old, experieDced
seamen were cast down upon the deck, and
one craeily mauled In the conclusion; every