The Press., 1893-05-11

for the security of the ship, and our ex- ertions were at first paralyzed by the mo- mentary expectation of going down.
 Our cable had of course parted like pack thread at the first breath of the hurricane, or we should have been instan- taneously overwhelmed. We scudded with frightful velocity before the sea, and the water made clear breaches over us. The framework of our stern was shattered excessively, and in almost every respect we had received consider able injury, but to our extreme joy we found the pumps unchoked, and that we had made no great shifting of our ballast.
 The main fury of the blast had already blown over, and we apprehended little danger from the violence of the wind, but we looked forward to its total cessa- tion with dismay, we'll believing that in our shattered condition we should in- evitably perish in the tremendous swell which would ensue. But this very just apprehension seemed by no means likely to be soon verified. For five entire days and ghts-during which our only sub sistence was a small quantity of jag geree, procured with great difficulty from the forecastle-the hulk flew at 8 rate defylng computation before rapidly succeeding flaws of wind, which, with out equaling the first violence of the simoom, were still more terrific than any tempest had before encountered. Our course for the first four days was. with trifing variations, southeast and by south, and we must have run down the coast of New Holland. On the fifth day the cold became extreme, although the wind had hauled round point more to the north ward. The sun arose with sickly vel low luster and clambered few degrees above the horizon, emitting no decisive light. There were no clouds apparent, yet the wind was upon the increase and blew with a fitful and unsteady fury.
 About noon, as nearly as we could guess, our attention was again arrested by the appearance of the sun. It gave out no light, properly so called, but 8 dull and sullen glow without reflection. as if all it's rays were polarized. Just be- fore sinking within the turgid sea it's cen tral fires suddenly went out, as if hur- riedly extinguished by some unaccounta- ble power. It was a dim, silverlike rim, alone, as it rushed down the unfathoma- ble ocean.
 | We waited in vain for the arrival of the sixth day. That day to me has not arrived-to the Swede, never did arrive. 1 Thenceforward we were enshrouded in pitchy darkness, so that we could not have seen an object at 20 paces from the ship. Eternal night continued to envelop us, all unrelieved by the phosphoric sea brilliancy to which we had been accus- toned in the tropics. We observed, too, that although the tempest continued to rage with unabated violence there was no longer to be discovered the usual ap- pearance of surf or foam which had hitherto attended us.
 All around were horror and thick gloom, and black, sweltering desert oi ebony. Superstitious terror crept by de. grees into the spirit of the old Swede and my own soul was wrapped up ir silent wonder. We neglected all care of the ship as worse than useless, and securing ourselves as we'll as possible te the stump of the mizenmast looked out bitterly into the world of ocean. We had no means of calculating time, no1 could we form any guess of our situa tion. We were, however, well aware of having made farther to the southwar6 than any previous navigators and fel great amazement at not meeting witt the usual impediments of ice.
 In the meantime every moment threat ened to be our last-every mountainou! pillow hurried to overwhelm us. Tht swell surpassed anything had imagined possible, and that we were not instantly buried is miracle. My companion spoke of the Eghtness of our cargo ant reminded me of the excellent qualities O our ship, but could not help feeling tn utter hopelessness of hope itself ant prepared myself gloomily for that deatl which thought nothing could defer be yond an hour, as with every knot of wa. the ship made the swelling of the black stupendous seas became more dismall, appalling. At times we gasped fo breath at an elevation beyond tbe alba tross-at times became dizzy with tn velocity of our descent into some water, hell, where the air grew stagnant and nt sound disturbed the slumbers of tn kraken.
 We were at the bottom of one of thes abysses when quick scream from my companion broke fearfully upon thu night. '''See! seev' cried he, shriekins in my ears, Almighty God! see! see!
 As he spoke became aware of dull sullen glare of red light which streamet down the sides of the vast chasm wher we lay and threw fitful brilliancy upol our deck. Casting my eyes upward I be held spectacle which froze the curren of my blood. At a terrific height directly above us, and upon the very verge of thu I precipitous descent, lowered a gigantic ship of perhaps 4,000 tons. Although upreared upon the summit of a way, more than 8 hundred times her own alti tude, her apparent size still exceeded that of any ship of the lineor East India man in existence. Her huge hull was [, deep dingy black, unrelieved by any O the customary carvings of a ship.
 A single row of brass cannon protrud ed from her open ports and dashed iron their polished surfaces the fires of innu merable battle lanterns which swung t' @ Nope CSN6 ~ANA/