The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1893-05-18
MS. Found in a Bottle.
From first page.

MS. Found In a Bottle.
From first page.
when thought. nothing couIo deter be.
You'd an hour, as with every knot of.way
the ship made the swelling Of the black,
sturendous seas became more dismally
appalling. At times we gasped for
breath at an elevation beyond the alba
tross-at times became dizzy with the
velocity of our descent into some watery
hell, where the air grew stagnant and no
sound disturbed the slumbers of the
kraken.
We were at the bottom of one Of these
abysses when quick scream from my
companion broke fearfully upon The
night. ''See! see!'' cried he, sh,.ieking
in my oars. Almighty God! see! see!'
AS he spoke became aware of dull,
sullen glare of red light which strealncd
down the sides of the vast chasm where
we lay and threw Etful brilliancy upor
our deck. Casting my eyes upward be-
held a spectacle which froze the current
of my blood. Alta terrific height directly
above us, and upon the very verge of the
precipitous descent. lowered a gigantic
ship of perhaps 4,OcO TONS Although
upreared upon the summit of wave
more than hundred times her own alti-
tude, her apparent size still exceeded
that of any ship of the line or East India
man in existence. Her huge hull was a
deep dingy black, unrelieved by any of
the customary carvings of a ship.
A single row of brass cannon protrud-
ed from her open ports and dashed from
their polished surfaces the fires Of innu-
merable battle lanterns which swung to
and fro about her rigging. But what
mainly inspired us with horror and as-
constituent was that she bore up under
a press Of sail in the very teeth of that
supernatural sea and of that ungovern-
able hurricane. When we first discov-
cred her, her bows were alone to be seen
as she rose slowly from the dim and hor-
rible gulf beyond her. For a moment
of intense terror she paused upon the
giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation
of her own sublimity, then trembled anu
tottered and-came down.
At this instant know not what sud-
den self possession came over my spirit.
Staggering as far aft as could, await
ed fearlessly the ruin that was to over
whelm. Our own vessel was at length
ceasing from her struggles and sinking
with her head to the sea. The shock Of
the descending mass struck her sconse-
quently in that portion of her frame
which was nearly under water, and the
inevitable result was to hurl me with IT.
resistible violence upon the rigging of
the stranger.
As I fell the ship hove in stays and
went about, and to the confusion ensu-
ing I attributed my escape from the no
tice Of the crew. With little difficulty
made my way unperceived to the main
hatchway, which was partially open, and
soon found an opportunity of secreting
myself in the hold. Why did SO can
hardly tell. An indefinite sense of awe,
which at first sight of the navigators of
the ship had taken hold of my mind,
was perhaps the principle of my conceal
ment. Twas unwilling to trust myself
with race of people who had offered
the cursory glance had taken so many
points of vague novelty, doubt and ap-
prehension. therefore thought proper
to contrive hiding place in the hold.
This did by moving a small portion of
the shifting boards in such manner as
to afford me convenient retreat between
the huge timbers Of the ship.
l had scarcely completed my work
when footstep in the hold forced me
to make use Of it. A man passed by my
place of concealment with feeble and
unsteady gait. could not see his face,
but had an opportunity of observing his
general appearance. There was about ii
an evidence of great age and infrmity'
His knees tottered beneath a load o!
years, and his entire frame quivered un:
der the burden. He muttered to himself
in q low, broken tone some words Of 9
language which could not understand
and CROPPED in a corner among q pile Of
singular looking instruments and de-
cayed charts of navigation. His manner
". "a wild mixture of the peevishness Of
second childhood and the solemn dignity
of god. He at length went on deck
and saw him no more.
A feeling for which have no name
has taken possession of my soul-a sen
sation which will admit Of no analysis, tt
which the lessons of bygone time are in
adequate, and for which fear futurity
itself will offer me no key. To a mint
constituted like my own the latter con
sideration is an evil. shall never
know that shall never-be satisfied
with regard to the nature of my concep
lions. Yet it is not wonderful that thes'
conceptions are indefinite, since they
have their origin in sources SO utterly
novel. A new sense, new entity, i
added to my soul.
$sl.
| n ~
| EN ~ ~: