The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-03
Drifting Away.

At midnight on the night OF the 18th Of Au-
gust. 1850. the order was passed along the
decks OF the ship to stand ready to heave her
to. We wore midway between the island OF St
Paul and the Cape OF Good Hope. racing for
the CAPE For eight hours we had boon driv-
Ing on like a wild LOGON olive followed by the
mighty waves Of the great Indian Ocean. but
the ship could no longer outrun them. though
driven by the power OF n hurricane. She must
DO brought head to the sea to save her Dur
ing the next ten minutes the chances against
her were as twenty to one. and at the critical
moment her decks were 80 deluged that the
great fabric seemed to be settling down under
our feet. Men cried out. and then shut their
eyes and ceased to breathe. 1t seemed an age
before she swung around to meet the waves
on tho port tack, but when that had been done
human hands could do no more.
T.. k ti OF before the gale we had not ielt
the stoutest heart. The roar Of Niagara would
have! have been drowned a hundred times over.
from up aloft that one became cowardly. in
spite 81 himself. and the motion Of the chip
stood. It WIS the brightest Of. moons and the he
clarest Of skies. and yet that hurricane came
0 0aws Of t tho we i d NSW X the 1
the slope OF wave which seemed to roll high
down on the, other sido, with railroad speed.
and t seemed as If the abyss was = thousand
1890 to daylight seemed simply q question
OF how quick the end would come.
:; AZ the sun came UP the wind dropped q
many Of the men refused to look. The great
ocean was a bed OF troth. and rising out OF the
height Of forty or tity feet and raced into the
Sunrise found US dashed where we were at
midnight. and noon had come before any man
d.. dared move about; The gale had broken md
fresh snow, but It would be hours before we
could get tho shin on her course. The men
when the okout gave an alarm. On our star
board bow. drifting at the same rate, as we
clearly into view. was man dashed to a hatch
cover, He was not above NIFTY feet away and
ss the tbs Ne waysa hs hand
As We had the wind and sea IN our favor. We
reach him and then whirl away astern. rs il
carried by somo current created by the hull Of
him. but each time we pulled the buoy back to
gesture. We made dozen attempts before
gun and tried to lire a line over him. with an
ordinary sea running his chances would have
the gun; with ths gallo SIN, pLIni3s and ne
do nothing as TO ought to be- DONE. TWc Se the
line, fell fairly over his float; Once It was just
as tho foam smothered him. and he could
neither see nor act. and again he got hold OF it
with hlss right hand. but could not stand the
strain Of pulling In and had to let 90. 1t was a
horrible thing to stand and watch that man
and imagine his feelings. hundred feet
from him was certain salvation. but he could
not reach us. and wo could not reach him.
After he let go OF the line he seemed to real.
lie that 1t was n useless fight. and he waved
his hand to US as II to say that We need make
no further efforts. but we tried both buoy and
cannon again. The sea was determined to
have his fife. and after two hours, work the
mato signaled TO him that We could do no more
until the sea went down. Just then some
mysterious action OF wind and waye began TO
increase his distance from us. He noticed 1t
as soon as we did. and making q gesture
which meant Good by" he turned HIS face
away from us and was soon out OF sight,
drifting away into IN eXpanse whose nearest
shore was the coast OF Africa.
Sc Poor man !" sighed the mate whom no could
no longer make out anything.
Poor man." sighed every ono else aboard
when 1t was known that he had disappea red.
and that another sunrise would wtnesA u
corpse dashed to tho wreckage and tum bling
about on the angry ocean.