Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1893-02-04

fell upon her deck and wetted us like
rain.
The brightness of the night showed
us these perils as clearly as by day,
| which was perhaps the more alarming.
1t showed me, too, the face of the captain
as he stood by the steersman, now on
| one foot, now ON the other. and some
times blowing in his hands, but still
listening and looking and as steady as
steel. Neither he nor Mr.. Riach had
shown well in the fighting, but saw
they were brave in their own trade, and
admired them all the more because |
found Alan very white.
"Ochone, David" said he, "this is no
| the kind of death fancy"
What. Alanr' | cried, you're not
afraidT
No" said he. wetting his lips, "but
you'll allow yourself, it's a cold ending"
! By this time, now and then sheering
to one side or the other to avoid a reef,
but still hucging the wind and the land,
we had got around Iona and begun to
| come alongside Null. The tide of the
tail of the land ran very strong and
/
put to the helm, and Hoseason himself
would sometimes lend help; and it
was strange to see three strong men
throw their weight upon the tiller, and
1t, like living thing, struggle against
and drive them back. This would have
been the greater danger had not the
| sea been for some while free of obsta-
cles Mr. Riach besides announced
| from the top that he saw clear water
| ahead.
"Ye were right" said Hoseason to
| Alan. "Ye have saved the brig, sir;
| III mind that when we come to clear
accounts" And believe he not only
meant what he said, but would have
done it; so high aplace did the Covenant
hold in his affections.
But this is matter only for conjecture,
things having gone otherwise than ne
forecast.
Keep her away point" sings out
Mr. Riach. Reef to windwarCe
And Just at the same time the tide
caught the brig and threw the wind out
Of her sails. She came round. into the
wind like top, and the next moment
struck the reef with such a dunch as
threw us all fiat upon the deck, and
came near to shake Mr.. Riach from his
place upon the mast.
was ON my feet in a minute. The
reef on which we had struck was close
| in under the southwest end Of Null, off
a little isle they call Earraid, which lay
low and black upon the larboard. Some
| times the swell broke clean over us;
sometimes it only ground the poor brig
upon the reef, so that we could hear her
beat herself to pieces. and what with the
great noise of the sails, and the singing
of the wind. and the flying of the spray
in the moonlight, and the sense of dan
ger. think my head was partly turned,
/ for | could scarcely understand the
things saw.
Presently | observed Mr., Riach and
the seamen busy around the skitf, and
still IN the same blank ran over to assist
them. and as soon as set my hand to
work my mind came clear again. 1t was
no very easy task, for the skiff lay amid
ships and was full of hamper, and the
| breaking of the heavier seas continually
forced us to give over and hold on, but
we all wrought like horses while we
could
Meanwhile such of the wounded as
could move came clambering out of the
fore scuttle and began to help, while
the rest that lay helpless in their hunks
narrowed me with screaming and beg
ging to be saved.
The captain took no part. II seemed
he was struck stupid. He stood hold
ing by the shrouds. talking to him
self and groaning out aloud whenever
the ship hammered on the rock. His
brig was like wife and child to him. He
had looked ON day by day at the mis-
handling of poor Ransome, but when it
came to the brig he seemed to suffer
along with her.
All the time of our working at the
boat | remember only one other thing
that asked Alan, looking across at the
shore, what country it was, and he an
swered it was the worst possible for
him, for it was land of the Campbells.
We had one of the wounded men told
off to keep watch upon the seas and
cry us warning. Well. we had the boat
about ready 10 be launched when this
man sung out pretty shrill, "For Gods
sake, hold on!" We knew by his tone
that it was something more than ordi-
nary. and sure enough there followed a
sea SO huge that it lifted the brig right
up and canted her over on her beam.
Whether the cry came too late or my
hold was too weak know not, but at
the sudden fitting OF tine ship ! was cast
clean over the bulwarks into the sea.
went down and drank my fill, and
then came up and got blink of the