The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1893-08-12
FOLLOWING THE SEA.

l
1853" said Mr. Swiddler-William Swid-
dler Of Calaveras-I was at africa, Chill
Sam Baxter was with US; think he had
zone from San Francisco to make railroad,
or something On the morning of tho quake,
Sam and l had gone down to tie beach to
battle, We had shed our boots and begun
to mott, when there was slight tremOr
Of the earth, as if the elephant who sup
ports it was pushing upward, or lying down
and getting up again. Next, the surges,
which were fiattening themselves upon the
sand and dragging away such small trifies
a. they could lay hold Of, beganEacing out
seawartl, rs if they had received dispatch
that somebody was not expected to live.
This was needless. for we did not expect to
live.
when the sea had receded entirely out of
sight we started after it, for, it will be re-
membered, we had come to battle, and bath
ing without some kind of water is not re-
freshing in hot climate.
For the first four or five miles the walking
was very difficult, although the grade was
tolerably steep. The ground was soft, there
were tangled forests of seaweed, old rotten |
shin, rusty anchors, human skeletons and |
multitude of things to impede the pedes- |
TRAN. The floundering sharks bit our legs
as we toiled past them, and we were con-
stantly slipping down upon the hat hsh
strewn about like orange peel on sidewalk.
Sam, too, had stuffed his shirt front with
such weight of doubloons from tue wreck
of an old galleon that had to help him
across all the worse places. 1t was very
dispiriting.
Presently, away on the western horizon,
saw the sea coming back. 1t occurred to
me that did not wish it to come back. A
tidal wave is nearly always wet, and was
now good way from home. with no means
of making a fire.
The same was true of Sam, but he did not
appear to think Of it in that way. He stood
quite still a moment with his eyes fixed on
the advancing line of water, then turned to
me, saying very earnestly: .,. :,
"rell Won what, William, l never wanted
a shin so bad from the cradle to the gravel
would give more for u ship-more than
for all the railways and turnpikes you
could scare up! I'd give more than hun
dred. thousand, million dollars! would
I'd give all I'm worth, or-just-one-lit-
tse-shipl''
To show how lightly he could part with
his wealth, he lifted his shirt out OF ms
trousers. unbosoming himself Of his doub-
: looms, which tumbled about his feet, q
golden storm.
By this time the tidal wave was close upon
f us, Call that wavel 1t was one solio
green wall of water, higher than Niagars
q falls, stretching az far rs we could see Il
| right and left, without Il break in the tower
ing front!
+ erably good beginning ut thinking OF al
the mean actions had wrought in the flesh
g when saw projecting beyond the crest Q
"a the wave ships bowsprit. with man SIT
~ ting on it reading newspaper! Thanl
l. fortune, we were savedl
:. Falling upon our knees with fearful graf
- itude we got up again and ran-ran as taI
8. as we could, suspect, for now the wnol
fore part Of the ship bulged through I'll
u" water lust above our heads, and might los
IN its balance any moment II we hao OH
! brought along our umbrellas!
IN shouted to the man on the bowsprt
I'd drop us a line He merely responded TIL
his correspondence was already very one
~ GUS, and he hadn't any pen and ink.
n. Then told him wanted to get aboar
He said | would find one on the beac
'st about three leagues to the southland, whe
at the Nancy Tucker went ashore.
At these replies was disheartencd.
ar was not 70 much that the man withheld
vn sistance az that he male puns. Present
however, he folded his newspaper, put
he carefully away in his pocket, went ana
,+v line and let it down to us just as we w
w about to give up the race Sam mad
'fy lunge ut it and got it. ! laid hold OF
,ld legs. the end of the rope was passed aof
''N the capstan and "a soon N the men aoo'
I'VE had had little grog we were hauled up
% can assure you it was no fine experience
70 up in that way, close to the smoo
ion vertical front Of water, with the VIVA
:, tumbling out all around and above us, I
10 the swortlfishes nosin2 US pointedly
tus vulgar curiosity
~ We had no sooner set foot on deck
VIII got Sam disengaged from the nook u
BILE the purser stepped up with book ana
Gil, "Tickets, gentlemen"
'ast We told him We hadn't any tickets,
! I'D he ordered US to he ret ashore IN boat.
WAS represented to him that this was q
the impossible under the circumstances, bu
~;co rcplieti that he hal not hing to do with
80 cumstHpcaa--iid not know anything nt
ste0 circumstances. Nothing would move
sses till the captain, who was really
hearted man, came ON deck ana Knox
eral him overheard. We were now strippe
l;cts our clothing, chafed NIL over with
''o'0 brushes, rolled ON our stomachs, wral
ade. in fiannels, laid before u hot stove IN
A., saloon and strangled with scaldinG bra
'"0 We had not been wet, nor had we
auso lowed any sea water. but the surgeon
~, this was the proper treatment. 1t Is VI
army tain what he might have done to US II
Ienv tender hearted captain had not thra
~, him into his cabin and told US to 60 on
'Ihls Nv this time the ship was passing
wav town Of Africa, and we were about I