Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1891-11-27
A SAILORS STORY.

We had touched at St. Helena to leave
n detachment of soldiers and some
stores, and had left that historic spot
several days behind US, when the brig
caught fire and we had to abandon her.
There was no hope of saving her from
the first, and we congratulated ourselves
on having smooth sea and time to pro-
vision the boats and get the people Off
One hour after noon ON the 18th day
OF February, 1862, the brig Gull, bound
from Liverpool to the Cape of Good
Hope, and having forty eight souls
aboard, burned to the waters edge and
sank, leaving us $50 miles Off the Afri-
can coast. With the other boats l shall
have nothing to do, for never orc was
afterwards heard of. In the boat to
which was assigned there were nine
peoplc-four of us belonging to the
crew and the other five passengers. OF
these three were young Englishmen, GO
ing out to the Cape to try farming, aud
the other two were women. They were
aunt and niece, and just why they took
passage on the brig or whether
they were going beyond the Cape, /
can't tell you. Being only plain sail
roman, knew nothing about the pas
sengers, except us 1 picked up word
here and there. The aunt was nearly
fifty years old and she niece not over
twenty, and if there was ever n hand
somcr girl ahoat In an English ship
never had the luck to see hor.
There was some confusion, rs matter
OF course, when we took to the boats,
but we got away from the brig in good
shape, with no one lost or hurt aud
with water and provisions enough to do
us for week. We were in charge OF
the boatswain, and but for terrible nc.
cldent know we should have pulled
through without mlshap or suffering.
He was an oldish man, good sailor,
and he had authority over all in the
boat.
When the boats got together it was
found that the Captain had the only
compass. He ordered that VIC were to
hold up to the cast and to keep together,
and when we headed away for the Afri-
can coast the long boat was leading and
the rest of lis were strung out in line.
Had the weather been fair our mishap
would have been nothing to talk about !;
but at midnight that night, while we
were following the long boat by the
lantern hung aloft, fierce and sudden
squall came out of the east and almost
proved our destruction. 1t was followed
by gale which soon kickea up tre-
mendous sea, and we got over drag and
lay head to it all that night and all next
day until an hour before shutdown. Dur
ing all these long hours we had to keep
bailing to prevent being swamped, and
by daylight it was impossible to see q
cables length away for ehe flying drift.
It was bad enough for the men. but those
Two poor women might as well have been
dead. They lay on the bottom of the
boat, covered up as best we could do it,
and when the gale at last broke 1 hardly
expected to find them alive. They were,
though, and at the hour named food and
water were served out and the boatswaip
began seeking to cheer everybody up.
By night the wind had died fiat away
and the sea was fast going down. The
worst was over, and we could now shake
ourselves and utter congratulations. The
passengers had been terribly sick, and
each of them had given himself up as
lost, but now that things had mended
we could almost be- said to be a iovial
crowd. While the boatswain got one OF
the men to singing to increase our cour-
age, he whispered to me that he was full
of anxiety. We had two water-kegs, but
they were leaky and had lost much of
their contents. We had sheltered the
ships bread rs much as we could, but a
good half of 1T had been spoiled. You
might figure that we had dropped to
three days supply, and that wasn't the
worst of it. That gale must have drift
ed us at least hundred miles further of
the coast.
The boatswain talked these matters
over with me because he knew me to be,
begging your pardon, suber, steady
lad who could look the worst in the face
and help to meet it. We were, not to say
anything to the rest until next day. AS
there was no wind to move us, and as
everybody was badly used up, it was de-
cided that we lay to rs we were for the
night. 1t had come nine o'clock OF
later and some of the men were asleep,
when the boatswain went forward and
stood on the thwart with his arms around
the mast to steady himself. I think he
was looking about tic see if he could find
anything of the other boats. Just how
it happened no one could tell, though
three of us had our eyes on him when he
suddenly pitched overheard. We were
still pitching brlskly about, aud perhaps
it was a sharp dive of the boat which
sent him to his death. If he rose to the
surface he did not call out. He simply
went right out of sight and never ever
called out as he was going.
/ Little or nothing was said that night
as to who should command the boat, but
morning had hardly dawned when there