Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-10-10

Inc aunt was st.li raving an sick unto
death, while Hearne had crawled into the
bow of the boat to suffer alone and in 81.
ielce. The sailors had sat up, cursed
their luck and lain down again, and I
had gone among them aud taken all their !
knives and concealed them in the stern |
sheets
About 8 O'Clock the audt suak into q !
stupor, and all of Us slept for some time.
We were finally awakened by Davidsun
getting up aud hoarsely calling for water.
In his torment he caught sight of Hearne
in the bows, and he rushed forward and
seized him. ran to pull him of, but
before could reach him both had gone
overheard. They went down grappied
tosather, and though stood with the
boat-hook ready never caught sight OF
them again. The two other sailors sat
up, asked me what had happened, and
then fell bac., and slumbered as sounltv
as before.
Morning came to find the aunt dead,
and, fearful of what would happen when
the sailors awoke, prevailed upon the
girl to let me lift the boly over the rail.
She protested at first, but when told
her my reason, she turned away and
committed the body to the deep. 1t was
sunrise when the sailors awohe With a
leader those men would have suffered and
endured for week and made no com.
| plant. They no sooner saw that the
calm still continued than they began
cursing and threatenin. and they looked
at the girl with such wolfsh eyes that
she covered in terror Presently they
went forward and sat down close to gether
and talked in whispers, aud the girl crep.
over to me and said:
81 know what they are planning.
They intend to kill men'
gave her one of the knives and told
her would protect her to the last. If /
hadn't had the knives think she would
have been SO terrified that she would have
gone overheard. The men talked for an
hoay or so and then lay down and slept
again made sure this time there was
no weapon they could get hold OF, ana
the day, up to o'clock, dragged
without incident.
was half mad with hunger and thirst
by that time, and l knew the poor girl
Was if anything worse off. We talked
in low tones of the good things we had
eaten and the springs we had drunk from,
and we kept our heads constantly wet
with the salt water to alleviate our thirst
as far as it could. At O'Clock or soon
after the men awoke and called to me.
They wanted to kill the girl and drink
her blood and eat her flesh | reasoned
with them and told two or three deliber
ate falsehoods, and finally prevailed up
on them to wait another day. l felt they
would do so. aud slept soundly that
night. The sun came up next morning
the same ball of fire, and any sailor could
have told that the calm would last an
other day. What happened along to-
wards noon I can never distinctly re-
member, for had little reason left.
remember of hearing the men cursins
and demanding the girl aud Of theiI
coming aft. There must have been .
fight, but / remember none of the "details
It is like irving to recall dream of years
ago What can remember back to was
waking up in the cabin of the German
steamer Bergen very i'll and very weak
She had picked up our boat the day be
the girl and |. We were alone, and
there were two bloodstained knives Oh
the bottom of the boat to deepen ths
mystery. The girl pullel through a
well as myself, but there was no after
romance She thanked me over and over
again with tears in her eyes, but ther
was no love She was Il lady bred ant
born, aud only "a poor sailor lad. -Nea
Ivr. World.