Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-12-12

brow aud eyes were almost concealed by q
| quantity of coarse red hair.
swell, us eight men got away in the
boat" proceeded the spokesman, bring
| ing along with w. nothin but small bag
| of bread and about six gallons of fresh
water. We're been a-washing about since
| Tuesday, and now, the Lord be praised,
here we be with chance of getting some
thing to eat, and what's more pleasurable
| still to our feelings, the opportunity of
comfort ably farming in"
A murmur of pity ran among the pas
| sengers several of whom were ladies, and
there was more than one somewhat loud
| whisper to the effect that the captain ought
| really uo send the poor creatures forward
| at once to get some breakfast instead of
holding them, starving and dry with thirst,
in talk. The eagle eyed skipper, however,
| asked several questions before Diminishing
them.
''Since by their own confession the fire
, gave them plenty of time to escape from
the bark, how WAS it they had left her so
/ ill provisioned as they represented"
This was most satisfactorily accounted
for Other inquiries of like nature were
responded to with alacrty and intelligence
Every sentence that one or another of
them let fall was corroborated by the rest.
Their Ia e of suffering indeed in the open
boat was almost narrowing and TIE cap
tain, wit h the first note of sympathy that
his voice had taken, ordered them TO go
forward, adding, that after "A good hot
meal had been served them they might
turn in and sleep for the rest of the day
wherever they could make "A bed
At the breakfast in the saloon nothing
~ a hnnr ha -h.la
that had been consumed by fire, the dread
full drowning of some two-thirds of her
crew, and the miraculous deliverance of
the survivors from the ineXpressible perils
and horrors of an open boat in the solitude
of the suormiest part of ocean the wide
world over. A benevolent gentleman pro-
posed a subscription. Before the luncheon
bell was Jung a sum of thirty pounds had
been collected. The incident was break
in the mCnotony, and when the eight men
reappeared on deck during the afternoon
they were promptly approached by the
passengers, who obliged them to recite
again anC yet again their melancholy story
of maritime disaster,
On the morning of the third day, follow
ing the late of this rescue, shin was
sighted almost directly in "a line with the
vessels course. As she was neared she was
topgallanU masts; she was also under very
easy canvas, which gave her "A shorthandei
look in that quiet sea. Great wooden dav-
its overhung her sides, from which dangled
number of boats. She presented "A very
grlmy, worn aspect. and had manifestly
kept the sea for months. IL was observed
by the chief officer, standing on the bridge
of the stet mer, that the eight rescued men,
who were looking at the sail ahead along
with some of the crew and steerage pas
sengers, discovered several symptoms of
uneasiness and even of agitation Sud
denly the stripes and stars, with the stars
inverted, were run aloft TO the peak end
signal Of distress. The engines were
slowed" and the steamers head put SO as
TO pass the vessel within easy hailing dis
lance. A Inan aboard the bark stood in the
mizzen rigging.
nose
''Hallor
81 have .ost a boat and eight of my men.
Have you seen anything of hero
The captain, who had gained the bridge.
lifted his hand
Bark ahoy!'' he cried. What bark is
that"
''The George Washington, whaler. of
Boston, 49, days out"
The captain of the steamer controlled a
sour grin.
How came you to lose your boat and
the men?"
''They stole her one middle watch and
sneaked away from the ship
The captain of the steamer uttered a
laugh.
I'VE have your men safe here" he
shouted; glad to learn that you are not
burned down to the waters edge, and that
the rest of your crew look brisk consider
ing that they are drowned men. Send a
boat and You shall have your sailors"
Twenty minutes later the eight whalemen
were being conveyed to their bark in one
OF their own boats, most of them grinning
as they looked up at the line of heads
which deco rated the steamers sides; and
Indeed there was some excuse for their
smiles, for among them they were carrying
away the thirty pounds which had been
subscribed Tor them. 1t would be interest
ing TO know what their skipper said when
he learned that they had lost a fine boat
for him; bu ocean mail liners have to keep
time, and the steamer could not wait TO
send representative on board the whaler
to report the many elegances of Boston
sea dialect which we may reasonably as
sumo embellished her shippers rhetoric
W. Clark Russell in Wit and Wisdom.